Ten years ago, Disney had only five remakes of its popular animated films among its slate of releases. As of this month, there are 21 live-action versions, with at least two more coming next year and 10 more features with cast and crew already attached. Whether you approve or not, this collection of movies is just like any other: some good, some bad, some terrible. Here’s what we think.
Starting with the Terrible:
21. Alice Through the Looking Glass
Alice Through the Looking Glass, bankrupt of any heart and joy that permeates every moment of so many Disney films, expectedly failed critically and commercially, making back not even a third of its predecessor’s revenue. This one is sheer boredom through and through.
20. Pinocchio
Another appallingly unmagical slog, formerly great director Robert Zemeckis essentially created the starkest difference in quality between an original and remake of all time here. Pinocchio is a must-miss for children of all ages.
19. 102 Dalmatians
Glenn Close’s return to the role of Cruella de Vil featured nothing else to reinvigorate it (unless you count Tim McInnerny as her valet); 102 Dalmatians did, however, succeed in making its live-action predecessor seem like a good movie.
18. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
Wait, this is a live-action remake? Yes, from the central sequence in Fantasia (1940), which showed Mickey Mouse as a young wizard losing control of his spell. Unless you find all of Nic Cage’s performances divine, you will likely find The Sorcerer’s Apprentice confusing, trite, and without hardly any resemblance to its source material.
Onward, to the Bad:
17. 101 Dalmatians
101 Dalmatians, the first mega-success of this now prevalent trend, made Glenn Close a children’s movie hero of the VHS era. Sadly, the movie was never that great in the first place and especially does not hold up to modern scrutiny.
16. Maleficent
No one can deny that Maleficent had a compelling idea in place, constructing a dark fantasy based around a Disney villain in a sort of Wicked-style twist. The story never quite meshes despite a fearsome look from Angelina Jolie, and the initial curiosity turns into typical unoriginality for most viewers by the end.
15. Dumbo
Attaching Tim Burton and a stellar cast, including Colin Farrell, Michael Keaton, and Danny DeVito, could not save adapter extraordinaire Ehren Kruger’s plot-light script for Dumbo. Despite meeting the usual standards of Burton’s visuals, it’s hard for the audience to care here.
14. Peter Pan & Wendy
It’s safe to say that most people did not get what The Green Knight creator David Lowery and company were doing with Peter Pan & Wendy. Those who could handle the slow pacing found this familiar story beautifully shot, but on the whole, the entire affair is still thoroughly unsatisfying.
13. Christopher Robin
The consensus for this film was: “who was asking for this twist on A.A. Milne’s iconic stories?” Despite the unexpected approach and by-the-numbers screenplay, audiences ate it up and supported Christopher Robin online, but only if they could handle lots of schmaltz.
12. Lady and the Tramp
Like a solid handful of Disney’s modern remakes, Lady and the Tramp copies the original version so much that it will almost certainly replace the animated version in many children’s minds. Whether kids nowadays end up preferring animation or photorealism remains to be seen.
11. Maleficent: Mistress of Evil
Returning screenwriter Linda Woolverton, also of the 1991 Beauty and the Beast adaptation, expands the titular character’s world in Maleficent: Mistress of Evil. The results are about equally as underwhelming, but the ambition, while ultimately fruitless towards gross revenue and reviews, is still admirable.
And finally, the Relatively Good:
10. Aladdin
Divided reactions from critics over Aladdin‘s visually splendid romp did not affect audiences a bit. Director Guy Ritchie’s energy and Will Smith’s take on the infamous genie led to one of the highest-grossing movies on this list.
9. Beauty and the Beast
The trend of successful Disney remakes largely follows the formula of dazzling production, lovable and recognizable cast members, and little deviation from the original. This version of Beauty and the Beast checks every box, featuring director Bill Condon (Dreamgirls), chemistry between Emma Watson and Dan Stevens, and all the music from the original and more.
8. Alice in Wonderland
Recognized as the start of what turned into the multi-film-per-year live-action remake schedule for Disney, Time Burton’s Alice in Wonderland featured all the traits one could hope for from an update of another film, all while twisting the journey of Alice (Mia Wasikowska) into a darker vision than ever seen before.
7. The Lion King
Another critically unacclaimed adaptation, audiences praised The Lion King‘s cast and adherence to the beloved source, proving no one is expecting this batch of realistic animals to replace the original for it to be successful.
6. The Jungle Book (1994)
Long before the current craze of live-action remakes began, Stephen Sommers’s adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s enduring tale The Jungle Book was not too bad. Sommers and his co-writers here at least had the foresight to expand the story a little bit to update its predecessor.
5. Mulan
Mulan‘s live-action version, featuring no singing or beloved Eddie Murphy role, was marked with controversy even before its release date, but many U.S. critics praised its exceptional production. Those looking past the film’s alleged problems in its character depictions typically found it artfully successful.
4. Cinderella
The first faithful official Disney princess live-action adaptation (if you don’t include Aurora in Maleficent) had high expectations to adhere to, and Kenneth Branagh’s vision for Oscar-winning designer Sandy Powell’s costumes made Cinderella a critical and commercial success.
3. The Little Mermaid
There might not be a consensus for the best live-action Disney films due to a disparity between audiences’ and critics’ views; still, The Little Mermaid delivers yet another success in the eyes of avid Disney fans and many critics alike.
2. Cruella
I, Tonya director Craig Gillespie made the action, comedy, and darkness of Cruella‘s backstory all work towards a much more triumphant concoction, exceptionally treating all ages to a balanced take on the villain-centric twist.
1. The Jungle Book (2016)
The only patently great film of the bunch, Iron Man director Jon Favreau’s emotionally gripping and gorgeous Jungle Book is the epitome of updating animated films. With an undeniably perfect voice cast for the animals and a sensitive performance by young actor Neel Sethi, this is one of few films we consider good enough to match its source material.
All of these films except for The Jungle Book (1994), Maleficent, Cinderella, and The Little Mermaid are available to stream on Disney+.
