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- The trend of live-action remakes has continued to attract audiences, with The Little Mermaid expected to draw huge crowds when it releases next May. In addition, live-action adaptations like Peter and Wendy are expected to add new twists to the classic tales. The determining factors in their success or failure generally come down to a balancing act of fidelity, novelty, and updated values.
Walt Disney Pictures made cinematic history when they began releasing feature-length animated films with quality that was just as good as live-action motion pictures. Walt Disney elevated simple cartoons to an art form and, over the years, most of these films have become classics.
Recently, Disney has cashed in on nostalgia and has been making many live-action remakes of some of their animated classics, mostly from the more recent 1990s period, known as the Disney Renaissance. These films are usually successful because they have a built-in audience of viewers who grew up watching them, but the remakes have been released with varying success. The website Letterboxd allows movie lovers to share their thoughts, creating a better sense of the public response to a movie depending on its average rating on a 5-point scale.
Updated by Meagan Bojarski on November 29, 2022:
The trend of live-action remakes has continued to attract audiences, with The Little Mermaid expected to draw huge crowds when it releases next May. In addition, live-action adaptations like Peter and Wendy are expected to add new twists to the classic tales. The determining factors in their success or failure generally come down to a balancing act of fidelity, novelty, and updated values.
15/15 Mulan (2020) – 2.4
While the 1998 version of Mulan is beloved by Disney fans, the live-action version didn’t get nearly the same response. The film’s greatest advantage is its visual spectacle, with beautiful shots and colors enhancing each scene. However, audiences felt it failed in nearly every other element.
The general premise of the film was the same as the original, but the new version removed the music, Mushu, and Shang while adding the shape-shifting witch Xianniang. American viewers tended to be disappointed by the elements that were removed from the original, while Chinese audiences felt it was still historically inaccurate and reliant on western perspectives.
14/15 The Jungle Book (1994) – 2.6
Before the recent trend of remaking Disney classics, the company actually first mined their old films for new big-screen adventures back in the 1990s when they tackled The Jungle Book. Directed by future The Mummy director, Stephen Sommers, this Jungle Book took a markedly different approach and grounded the story and didn’t feature any talking animals, but instead was an action-packed Indiana Jones-style adventure.
The biggest difference in this film is that Mowgli is not a child but, instead, an adult, played by Jason Scott Lee, and he forms a romantic relationship with a woman. However, these updates make the story resemble Tarzan instead of The Jungle Book, with allusions and Easter eggs to the original story sprinkled in.
13/15 Dumbo (2019) – 2.7
After having success a few years prior with Alice in Wonderland, visionary director Tim Burton was brought in to put his stamp on the classic Disney character Dumbo. Dumbo already had the hallmarks of a Tim Burton movie given that the big-eared elephant is a lonely outcast who performs as a sideshow in a circus. However, audiences didn’t show up for this Disney remake.
Dumbo does have some great new additions that include the real-life futurist NYC theme park Dreamland setting, a great Batman Returns reunion between Danny DeVito and Michael Keaton, and a beautiful score from Burton collaborator Danny Elfman. Unfortunately, the movie suffers when trying to adapt an hour-long animated movie into a nearly two-hour film, as audiences didn’t gravitate to the new story elements.
12/15 101 Dalmatians (1996) – 2.8
Much of John Hughes’ 1990s output were remakes, like Flubber and Miracle on 34th Street. For 101 Dalmatians, he put his stamp on the classic story. Jeff Daniels and Joely Richardson play Roger and Anita, owners of Dalmatians wanted badly by the devilish Cruella de Vil, played brilliantly by Glenn Close.
Glenn Close seems to be having the time of her life as the iconic villain and the film ranks as one of her greatest performances. However, the rest of the movie was criticized for issues like Hughes repeating himself by adding two bumbling thieves reminiscent of Home Alone. Despite the reviews, the film was a hit, garnering a sequel, and a villain origin story, Cruella, starring Emma Stone.
11/15 Lady and the Tramp (2019) 2.8
Lady and the Tramp was the first live-action remake to be released on Disney+ instead of going to theaters, and it feels like it was made with that choice in mind. The story itself was pretty similar to the original, and fans accepted it for that. However, the blend of live-action and CGI just didn’t work.
The choice to use real dogs was sweet, as fans generally can’t get enough of dog movies, but the way they were made to talk is nearly nightmare fuel. The CGI works for famous scenes like the pasta sharing, but its use throughout could use a lot of work. It’s not a bad movie, but it’s probably not one many fans would have paid to see, making it a decent remake that is best suited to a lazy afternoon.
10/15 The Lion King (2019) – 2.8
After successfully remaking The Jungle Book using motion capture technology, Director Jon Favreau decided to tackle the much-beloved classic The Lion King using the same techniques. Despite being called “live-action,” all the animals, and even the world they inhabit, are computer generated to look like live-action.
The look of the film gives it a National Geographic documentary quality, which allows the audiences to feel for the animals more since they appear to be real. However, this aesthetic, combined with the classic songs, didn’t work for audiences, and the strict adherence to making the film a nearly shot-for-shot remake of the original left many viewers believing it to be a pointless cash grab.
9/15 Aladdin (2019) – 3.0
A live-action remake of Aladdin made the most sense since it combines music with action/adventure and fantasy. Plus, today’s special effects can create everything and more filmmakers did with animation back in 1992. However, many viewers felt the filmmakers made a lot of odd choices in remaking the film, and an early trailer featuring a blue CGI Will Smith as the iconic Genie didn’t bode well.
Director Guy Ritchie seemed out of his depth in creating a movie musical. Also, Robin Williams’ performance is too difficult to replicate, let alone top. While it made a lot of money, the film left many critics and audiences disappointed, feeling it didn’t live up to the original.
8/15 Alice In Wonderland (2010) – 3.0
Alice in Wonderland also seemed like a perfect match for director Tim Burton, as the story features a female outcast who finds herself in a strange world. However, despite the title, Alice in Wonderland acts as a sequel to the original film instead of a remake and has more in common with Steven Spielberg’s Hook since the story concerns a grown-up Alice returning to Wonderland after a long absence.
While in Wonderland, Alice reunites with Tim Burton-versions of the classic characters she once knew, including an eccentric performance from Burton-regular Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter. While critical reviews for the film were mixed to negative, it grossed over a billion dollars at the box office and has become a bit of a cult classic.
7/15 Pete’s Dragon (2016) 3.1
The 1977 film Pete’s Dragon blended a live-action environment with an animated dragon to give the best of both worlds. Now that special effects have advanced enough to make dragons like those in Game of Thrones feel real, it only made sense to try to bring it fully into live action. Along with eliminating the animated elements, the adaptation removed the musical elements of the original.
This is one of the most well-done Disney re-makes, though the film may not be as recognizable and nostalgia-inducing as the princess films. The story was a little more coherent than the original while keeping the sweet elements that made the 1977 version so great. While it wasn’t able to compete with original films, it was a solid remake.
6/15 Beauty And The Beast (2017) – 3.1
After being nominated for the Best Picture Oscar and having enormous success as a Broadway show, a Beauty and The Beast live-action remake was much sought after, despite having big shoes to fill. The movie is a straightforward adaptation of the original film with some work done to make Belle a stronger female character and Gaston a more complex villain.
The film features audiences’ favorite songs and several great new ones, however, the vocal cast pales in comparison to the original’s accomplished Broadway performers. While actors like Emma Watson as Belle and Ewan McGregor as Lumiere are strong in their parts, their singing talents aren’t up to par, with Luke Evans’ Gaston being the standout. Despite the criticism, audiences enjoyed it, and it was very successful.
5/15 Maleficent (2014) – 3.2
For Disney’s live-action adaptation of their classic film, Sleeping Beauty, they took a different approach and decided to make the movie from the perspective of arguably one of Disney’s most famous villains, Maleficent.
The film acts as a prequel to Sleeping Beauty as well as a remake, as it chronicles Maleficent’s tragic turn to evil. Perfectly cast, Angelina Jolie portrays the title character brilliantly and the film’s costumes and production design are beautifully crafted. Despite criticism aimed at the film’s screenplay, the movie was a huge box-office hit and was successful enough to earn a sequel.
4/15 Cinderella (2015) – 3.2
One of Disney’s most classic animated tales got the live-action treatment with Cinderella, directed by actor Kenneth Branagh. The film is a straightforward adaptation of the original movie without being a musical, instead featuring a few of the original’s classic songs during the end credits.
Lily James plays the title character, with Cate Blanchett as Cinderella’s stepmother and Helena Bonham Carter as her Fairy Godmother. Unlike many of the other Disney live-action remakes, Cinderella was praised by critics and audiences who felt it was a worthy companion that elevated the original classic.
3/15 The Jungle Book (2016) – 3.2
The Jungle Book took Hollywood by surprise when it was a sleeper hit in 2016. Director Jon Favreau used pioneering motion capture technology to bring the story to life, which has become more commonplace in today’s films. Young Neel Sethi plays Mowgli, while the voice cast for the CGI-created animals includes Bill Murray and Christopher Walken.
Filmed entirely on stages with the action animated around Sethi, The Jungle Book proved to be a visually groundbreaking film. Besides the visuals, audiences loved the film for its great cast and updates to the music. A huge box-office hit, many viewers felt this remake actually improved upon the original.
2/15 Christopher Robin (2016) 3.5
Christopher Robin was a remake/sequel of the Winnie the Pooh franchise. In a very similar plot to Hook, Christopher Robin is a workaholic adult who requires the adventures of his childhood friends to be able to find joy in life again.
The film brings out the nostalgia that Disney remakes are all about, as well as providing audiences with more heartbreaking and deep sayings from Pooh. While the plot is fairly derivative, the performance from Ewan McGregor as Christopher Robin was extremely well done. As a story, it could have benefited from some more revisions, but the overall feel and design of the film were spot on.
1/15 Cruella (2021) 3.6
Cruella is the highest-ranked Disney remake on Letterboxd, which is shocking given how irredeemable the character of Cruella De Vil seems to be. As both a prequel to and remake of 101 Dalmatians, this had the opportunity to explore how someone could be so far gone as to make their driving motivation the slaughter of puppies.
Because there can be no reasonable explanation, the film veered into the absurd, with murderous dalmatians, vibrant fashion shows, and soap opera plot twists. While the lead character can hardly be compared to the villain she is supposed to become, the film is unquestionably enjoyable, with lead actresses Emma Stone and Emma Thompson captivating audiences with their performances. Cruella proves that sometimes the best live-action adaptation requires embracing the camp and abandoning what doesn’t fit.
