All Disney Live-Action Remakes, Ranked from Worst to Best
Some of these movies will ruin your childhood and others will take you back there.
Live-action remakes of cult animations have become a trademark of Disney. The magical atmosphere of the original stories is hard to capture – some have failed, while others have succeeded and even added something new to the story.
15. Peter Pan and Wendy
This adaptation was panned by critics and audiences alike. There have been so many remakes of the Peter Pan story that this one went almost unnoticed.
14. Aladdin, 2019
Aladdin is almost a frame-by-frame remake of the 1992 animation of the same name. The director did not even try to add his own touch to the new Aladdin: the movie does not rethink the plot and does not offer anything new to the audience.
13. Christopher Robin, 2018
The movie has a number of significant flaws. But the biggest one is the computer graphics that caused a lot of criticism: the talking toys in the movie don't look like the cute animals from the animation and are unlikely to cause a surge of sympathy, that was the main part of Alan Milne's fairy tale.
12. Mulan, 2020
Disney decided to make a grounded retelling of the cartoon: Mulan became the Chosen One, the dragon and her romantic interest disappeared, and the war became a bloodless sword dance ritual.
11. Lady and the Trump, 2019
Lady and the Tramp is often cited as the worst of Disney's attempts to revel in its former glory– the movie went straight to Disney Plus.
But the criticism is only partly true: unlike other big-budget projects designed for the most diverse audiences, Lady and the Tramp is still great for preschoolers.
10. Maleficent, 2014
Maleficent is both strong and weak on the visual side – sometimes the computer graphics look frankly inappropriate and even excessive.
As a result, Maleficent robs viewers of the opportunity to experience a more psychological story about trauma and motherhood.
9. Alice in Wonderland, 2010
Alice in Wonderland is a visual feast: Mia Wasikowska charms with a porcelain pallor, Johnny Depp dances strangely, and Helena Bonham Carter gives perfect commands.
Yet the movie is a kaleidoscope of scenes and individual episodes that do not add up to a single plot.
8. Dumbo, 2019
Remake of Dumbo adds a lot of new characters who look like beautifully dressed mannequins, with a few bright but not memorable scenes.
Apparently, the director was trying to add simple people's stories to Dumbo, but the soulfulness was lost somewhere in the final cut.
7. Pinocchio, 2022
In Pinocchio, the desire for total fusion with the original animation went further than any other live-action remake. But despite the best efforts on the visual side, Pinocchio, like all other Disney reboots, suffers from a lack of ideas.
6. The Lion King, 2019
The adaptation of Simba's story was the most eagerly awaited, and therefore everything is forgiven – the infallible original grants indulgence for any metamorphosis.
But at the same time, it is difficult to deny that excessive naturalism kills the whole fairy tale that was in the original.
5. Beauty and the Beast, 2017
Beauty and the Beast is an embarrassingly average adaptation of one of Disney's all-time favorite animations. The movie is a bit soulless, and the Beast simply not charming.
But the music saves the day: Tale As Old As Time, performed by Emma Thompson, heals the soul.
4. The Jungle Book, 2016
The Jungle Book is one of the few Disney remakes that was almost universally loved by audiences and critics. Moviemakers didn't try to make the animals too realistic, which is definitely an advantage.
3. The Little Mermaid, 2023
The scandalous Little Mermaid is doing quite well after its first few days in theaters.
Almost everyone praises Halle Bailey as Disney's finest princess, but many viewers still admit that Disney has long lacked the imagination to tell a truly compelling story with the magic that was in the classic animations and The Little Mermaid is no exception.
2. Cruella, 2021
Emma Stone has become the perfect young Cruella, and the departure from Disney's canon has clearly benefited the adaptation.
Like Maleficent, Cruella isn't exactly a remake: the movie supports the trend of humanizing villains and adding a second layer to the characters, which it does beautifully.
1. Cinderella, 2015
Over the years, Cinderella has remained the gold standard of all Disney live-action remakes.
In a completely unexpected way, the movie manages to be both a nostalgic fairy tale we all remember, and a charming melodrama with its own "voice" and approach to portraying long-familiar characters.