Beauty and the Beast (2017) Official Disney Trailer
The Wonderful World Of Disney Remakes
As of 2024, Disney has created 21 live-action films based on classic animated films or fairy tales. Each of the 21 films brings something different and new to their stories. But which Disney live-action film is the best?
10. ‘Pinocchio’ (2022)
The classic story of the puppet boy who wants to be a real boy is known to be the storybook Disney film. Pinocchio’s story is told every few years with a new film retelling. While the film re-imagines the classic story in a live-action film using puppetry, nothing is added to the story which makes this film lackluster at best. Robert Zemeckis’s Pinocchio for Disney was released around the same time as Guillermo del Toro’s stop-motion re-imagine of Pinocchio that adds a new level to the fairy tale. The problem for this film could be that it was released the same time as the Guillermo del Toro version of the classic. The music that is featured in the film such as “When You Wish Upon A Star ” is still great despite the lacking, boring, and charmless film.
9. ‘Christopher Robin’ (2018)
Christopher Robin is a Disney live-action remake that was released in 2018. The film takes on a grown-up version of the famous character from Winnie the Pooh named Christopher Robin. This version of Christopher Robin is living a stuffy life which involves him needing a reminder of the wonders of childhood by the one and only yellow bear with a red t-shirt: Winnie the Pooh. The friendly, honey-loving teddy bear travels to London to remind Christopher Robin of childhood as they are joined on their journey by some of Pooh’s friends such as Tigger, Eeor, and Piglet. The downfall of the film is the forgotten reasoning as to why Christopher Robin is living a boring life; he is trying to protect his coworkers from being laid off from his company. Nonetheless, he joins Pooh on the journey to return to childhood. Evan McGregor plays an amazing Christopher Robin who is a dad searching for his own childhood.
8. ‘The Little Mermaid’ (2023)
Disney’s most recent live-action remake of their catalog of animated films is The Little Mermaid, which was released in 2023. The Little Mermaid is the fourth live-action remake of a Disney princess movie, the first three films being Cinderella, Mulan, and Beauty and the Beast. The live-action film changed a few major details of the original film, such as the Disney princess Ariel originally being a white girl with red hair to now being a person of color, which is a well-needed change for the film. The live-action remake also changed the personality of Prince Eric, who was changed from a boring Disney prince to a man who has his own dreams that he wants to accomplish and a worthy partner for Ariel. The two leads are played by Halle Bailey and Jonah Hauer-King, and the two actors shine through the slightly creepy CGI sea animals and the side plot lines to save the film with their chemistry and singing voices. Halle Bailey shined during the musical moments of the live-action remake, especially the high notes in “Part of Your World.”
7. ‘Dumbo’ (2019)
Dumbo, a sad animated film about an elephant with big ears who is bullied and thrown into a horrific existence and torn away from his mother, was turned into a live-action film using CGI for the character of Dumbo in 2019. The film has interesting aspects due to the twists that director Tim Burton, known for his Disney animated film The Nightmare Before Christmas, brought to the film. Burton decides to take the bizarre, beautiful film and give it a much-needed update by turning the film towards a darker direction. Burton added a daring point of symbolism into his film; he made the theme park founder who wanted to imprison Dumbo and use him in his show scarily similar to Walt Disney himself. Burton also added a hint of a gothic vibe to the classic elephant film. Overall, Burton created an incredible and engaging live-action creation of the animated film Dumbo.
6. ‘Alice In Wonderland’ (2010)
Alice in Wonderland is another film that Tim Burton has worked on for Disney. The live-action version is a little dark and uses pieces of the gothic genre which Burton is known for using. The film is about Alice who falls into a rabbit hole that takes her to the world of Wonderland where she meets and becomes friends with people like the Mad Hatter and the Cheshire Cat while trying to defeat the Queen of Hearts. The casting of Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter is a perfect choice because he brings the goofiness and the annoyingly charming personality. Alice in Wonderland was a perfect choice for Tim Burton to direct because he can connect to the material and give a new perspective. Overall, Alice in Wonderland is one of the best Disney live-action remakes.
5. ‘Aladdin’ (2019)
Aladdin was released as a live-action remake in 2019 and told the same story as the original animated film. The film created tons of uproar after casting Will Smith as the Genie, who ended up replacing Robin Williams as the character. Will Smith as the Genie is a surprisingly amazing part of the film despite the enhancement of the character using CGI. The film lacks choreography. Most of the choreography is the characters jumping from one place to another and marching along to the beat of the song. But what the live-action film lacks in choreography, it makes up for in the vocal performances. The vocals in “A Whole New World” are incredible even when compared to the original song. Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott have a sweet and brilliant level of chemistry that they bring to their roles as Aladdin and Jasmine.
4. ‘Cinderella’ (2015)
The most known classic Disney princess film, Cinderella, is a simple story but has hundreds of adaptations. However, Disney’s live-action remake is one of the best. The 2015 film gives more story to the character by creating a personality, backstory, and a connection to the classic Prince Charming than what is seen in the animated film. The film goes more in-depth with the connection between Prince Charming and Cinderella that is formed at their first meeting at the ball. Cinderella’s blue dress in the film is stunning which adds to the beauty of the story and the fairy tale aspect as well as the recognition of the beloved character. Despite a huge change to the film by taking out the musical element and replacing it with an orchestrated soundtrack, this change worked in the favor of the film by making it more appealing.
3. ‘The Lion King’ (2019)
The Lion King is a live-action remake of the 1994 animated film which is a story about a young lion cub Simba who has to grow up and battle against his uncle Scar to take back what is rightfully his after his father, Mufasa’s death. The film was directed by Jon Favreau, who is known for his work in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Despite the film not directly being a live-action movie with people playing the animals, the animals throughout the film are voiced by humans but are CGIed to make them look less animated and to look as if they are real animals being used for the film. The live-action remake has a star-studded cast involved in the voice acting such as Donald Glover, John Oliver, Billy Eichner, and Beyonce. Beyoncé voices the character Nala and brings an incredible performance for the classic song “Can You Feel The Love Tonight” along with an original song titled “Spirit.”
2. ‘Mulan’ (2020)
Mulan is the 2020 live-action remake of the animated Disney movie of the same name. The film tells the epic story of the female warrior and Disney princess Hau Mulan, played by Liu Yifei, who is the perfect choice for the character. Mulan poses as a man to join the Chinese Imperial Army. The film has incredible choreography for the massive battles and fight sequences. The only downfall of the film is that the original is a musical, but the live-action film was made so they could use orchestrated versions of the animated film’s songs so that they still have music incorporated somehow in the film. Another problem with the film is that they took out Mulan’s sidekick Mushu the Dragon. But overall, Mulan is an incredible live-action Disney film.
1. ‘Beauty And The Beast’ (2017)
Beauty and The Beast is by far the best Disney live-action remake. The film is about a small-town girl who falls in love with a prince, who was cursed into a hideous beast. The costumes are beautiful in the film, specifically the iconic yellow dress that Belle wears during the dance scene. Emma Watson was the perfect choice to play Belle and has an incredible singing voice. The CGI to make the objects alive was a great move throughout the film and reminded viewers of the perfection that was the animated film. The live-action Beauty and the Beast was a perfect adaptation of the animated film.
Source: Dead Talk Live
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Author
Hanna Zabski is a current undergraduate student at Marist College majoring in Media Studies and Production with a concentration in Film and Television. She is incredibly passionate about the entertainment industry and storytelling, and hopes to one day pursue a career in this field.