Ranking the Best Live-Action Disney Remakes

Disney dabbled successful live-action remakes of its classical animated movies successful the '90s -- see: 101 Dalmatians and 102 Dalmatians -- but erstwhile the House of Mouse struck golden with 2015's Cinderella and 2016's The Jungle Book, determination was nary going back. And past erstwhile 2017's Beauty and the Beast remake crossed a billion? Forget astir it.

With Disney's latest live-action re-do -- the beloved (and merchandise windfall) Lilo & Stitch -- hitting theaters this week, and close connected the heels of Snow White too, we decided to overgarment the roses reddish with our ain database of the Best Live-Action Disney Remakes.

To immoderate Disney die-hards, these live-action remakes are a hard pass. And careless of however galore consciousness astir the "cashing in" aspects of these films, oregon whether oregon not you deliberation they're soulless compared to the archetypal animated version, determination are immoderate gems successful the bunch. There are besides immoderate directors down these films who person reverence for the worldly and really bring the stories to beingness successful new, poignant ways. What's your favourite live-action Disney remake? Did it marque our list? Vote successful our canvass and find retired below...

(Oh, and this database is for remakes lone -- not prequels, sequels, oregon re-imagined takes connected characters similar your Maleficents, Cruellas, Christopher Robbinses, etc.)

10. Aladdin (2019)

2019's Aladdin -- which features Will Smith arsenic the Genie successful the magically manic dependable relation owned by the legendary Robin Williams -- sits present astatine 10 connected our database arsenic the authoritative partition separating decent to large live-action Disney remakes and the dregs. Aladdin didn't connection up overmuch new, but it was inactive better-than-people-thought-it-would-be, which benignant of becomes the golden modular aft a movie fad oregon franchise goes connected agelong enough. Aladdin, directed by Guy Ritchie, played the hits portion besides offering up much absorbing worldly for Jasmine and the Genie. It was lively and colorful and, for the astir part, harmless.

9. 101 Dalmations (1996)

Disney had a runaway deed connected its hands successful the mid-'90s erstwhile Oscar-winner Glenn Close donned achromatic and achromatic hairsbreadth arsenic crazed canine coveter Cruella de Vil for a 101 Dalmatians remake. Using early-stages CGI to heighten this doggone escapade (but without making the dogs speech similar successful the archetypal movie), 101 Dalmatians was the toast of the vacation movie play successful 1996. Geared much for kids, making it a spot of a grind for grownups, 101 Dalmatians was a slapdash show of slapstick upgraded by Close's kooky go-for-broke (Golden Globe-nominated) performance.

8. Mulan (2020)

The Mulan remake deed its people with an epic scale, immoderate spectacular action, and a dynamic pb successful Liu Yifei. It honored the tone and amusive of the archetypal portion besides making chiseled changes (like ditching dragon pal Mushu, removing the songs, changing the emotion interest, etc.). These tweaks and turns really assistance the 2020 Mulan consciousness similar a assured retelling, with impactful messaging and meaning, alternatively than a retread of aged hits. By grounding the saga a spot more, this Mulan genuinely became a miss worthy warring for.

7. Alice successful Wonderland (2010)

If immoderate classical Disney animation was going to get the Tim Burton treatment, Alice successful Wonderland was the optimal campaigner (while past has taught america that 2019's Dumbo was the slightest ideal). The extremity effect was not lone a uniquely Tim Burton show of oddball wonders but besides a billion-dollar deed astir 5 years earlier Disney would afloat unleash the floodgates with these large live-action reworkings. Bringing immoderate cardinal members of the Burton Brigade with him -- namely Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, and composter Danny Elfman -- Burton blended elements of Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures successful Wonderland and sequel Through the Looking-Glass (just arsenic the 1951 animated movie did) and unleashed a lush, subversively witty odyssey done a strange, unusual land.

6. Beauty and the Beast (2017)

As 1 of the astir initially daunting projects of this remake era, Beauty and the Beast was ever going to person big, beastly shoes to fill. Not lone was the archetypal movie the first-ever animated diagnostic to beryllium nominated for a Best Picture Oscar, but the heavy instrumentality emotion for this communicative -- acold surpassing fandoms for Jungle Book and Cinderella and the remakes that came earlier it -- was ever going to formed a monolithic shadow. Fortunately, acknowledgment to the absorption of Bill Condon and terrific performances from a crippled formed -- namely Emma Watson and Dan Stevens -- the Beauty and the Beast remake is an enchanting movie that includes the galore elements fans of the animated classical would anticipation to see, portion besides introducing immoderate caller aspects that enactment truly well.

5. The Little Mermaid (2023)

2023's The Little Mermaid met america successful a precise antithetic pop-culture satellite and media scenery than the erstwhile remakes. It was the archetypal Disney live-action remake to get wide theatrical merchandise post-pandemic (Mulan, Pinocchio, and Peter Pan & Wendy were each released connected Disney+, though Mulan was supposed to beryllium released successful theaters) and truthful not lone did it request to transportation the load of being a blockbuster during times erstwhile movies conscionable don't (sort of automatically) marque a cardinal dollars anymore, but it besides had to endure from net toxicity. Despite each of that, The Little Mermaid had america each riding precocious connected a lukewarm question of nostalgia, dazzled by a brilliant, susceptible show by prima Halle Bailey.

Not yet disposable for streaming.

4. Cinderella (2015)

Kenneth Branagh's excellent, charming Cinderella remake -- starring Lily James, Cate Blanchett, and Richard Madden -- ne'er precisely leads the complaint successful conversations astir Disney remakes. It mightiness beryllium due to the fact that much absorption is fixed to the 1990s "Disney Renaissance" movies than to the classical movies that came retired successful the '30s done the '60s since, generationally, they people the modern movie-going nationalist more. Or it could besides beryllium due to the fact that Cinderella is precise aged schoolhouse erstwhile it comes to sex norms, centering a communicative astir a pistillate pining to beryllium rescued from her beingness by a prince. All that speech though, this mentation of Cinderella is wonderful, maintaining a harmony betwixt honoring the classical Disney rendition and grounding the movie conscionable capable for it to enactment with a modern audience.

3. Peter Pan & Wendy (2023)

The Disney live-action remakes person brought retired award-caliber directors -- from Rob Marshall to Bill Condon to Jon Favreau -- but, arsenic destiny would person it, the visionary who's champion astatine these modern revampings is The Green Knight's David Lowery, who's landed 2 films connected this list: 2 films that person flown severely nether the remake radar. The archetypal is released-to-streaming Peter Pan & Wendy, a whimsically morose instrumentality connected Peter Pan that zigs erstwhile you deliberation it should zag. Instead of being a boisterous household adventure, it's a masterfully moving communicative astir nonaccomplishment with a gorgeous backdrop. Jude Law, possibly previewing a spot of what he'd besides present connected Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, plays Captain Hook successful this unthinkable movie astir accepting life's tragedies.

2. The Jungle Book (2016)

Seen arsenic a movie that kicked disconnected the decennary of Disney remakes, Jon Favreau's The Jungle Book is simply a wild, heartfelt adaptation that immoderate adjacent consciousness surpasses the archetypal (and it's 1 of the fewer films connected this database to beryllium capable to tout that). Using each the CGI successful the satellite to populate its jungle, opening up a sermon astir what really constitutes "live-action," The Jungle Book boasts voices from Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba, Scarlett Johansson, and Christopher Walken. It's a stunning accomplishment that's amusive for each ages, and earlier the statement started leaning antagonistic toward these remakes, The Jungle Book had everyone believing.

1. Pete's Dragon (2016)

Ok, fig 1 is a spot of a cheat since the archetypal 1977 Pete's Dragon was a live-action/animation mix, but David Lowery's modestly seen Pete's Dragon from 2016 is simply a sweet, beauteous look astatine 2 susceptible souls caring for 1 another. It's hopeful, heartfelt, and afloat of wonder. Was this full database written conscionable truthful we could urge Pete's Dragon to you? Who tin say? But this Pete's Dragon finds magic wherever the archetypal 1 whitethorn person faltered. It's a existent re-imagining that improves upon the erstwhile material. Bryce Dallas Howard, Wes Bentley, Karl Urban, and a young Oakes Fegley prima successful this exceptional offering.

What are your favorites? Let's sermon successful the comments!