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Disney's Live-Action Movies

From "The Little Mermaid" to "Moana," Here Are All the Disney Live-Action Remakes

Jun 29 2023

From "Pinocchio" to "Peter Pan & Wendy," the Disney live-action remake trend isn't losing steam anytime soon. Now, with Disney+'s popularity, the media giant is releasing its live-action remakes both in cinemas and exclusively on the streaming platform. Though fans and critics alike refer to these movies as live-action, some, like "The Jungle Book" (2006) and "The Lion King" (2019), use so much CGI that it might be more accurate to still call them animated.

The latest films in Disney's live-action-remake lineup include "The Little Mermaid," which hit cinemas on 26 May with Halle Bailey as Ariel, as well as a forthcoming "Moana" adaptation expected in 2025. Then there's "Snow White," which is coming in 2024. Disney also has a bevy of other live-action projects in development and preproduction, including "The Aristocats" and "Lilo & Stitch," the latter of which has slowly been rolling out cast announcements.

With so many exciting flicks on the way, read on for every Disney live-action movie we know about, from the ones released years ago to ones fans can hope to see in the near future.

Disney Live-Action Movies

"The Jungle Book" (1994)
"101 Dalmatians" (1996)
"102 Dalmatians" (2000)
"Alice in Wonderland" (2010)
"Maleficent" (2014)
"Cinderella" (2015)
"The Jungle Book" (2016)
"Alice Through the Looking Glass" (2016)
"Beauty and the Beast" (2017)
"Christopher Robin" (2018)
"Dumbo" (2019)
"Aladdin" (2019)
"The Lion King" (2019)
"Maleficent: Mistress of Evil" (2019)
"Lady and the Tramp" (2019)
"Mulan" (2020)
"Cruella" (2021)
"Pinocchio" (2022)
"The Little Mermaid" (2023)
"Peter Pan & Wendy" (2023)
"Snow White" (2024)
"Moana" (2025)
"Hercules" (TBA)
"Hunchback" (TBA)
"Tink" (TBA)
"The Sword in the Stone" (TBA)
"Robin Hood" (TBA)
"Bambi" (TBA)
"The Aristocats" (TBA)
"Lilo & Stitch" (TBA)

Image Source: Disney

30. "The Jungle Book" (1994)

"The Jungle Book" was the first real Disney remake, in which the media giant brought the 1967 classic under a camera lens. The film didn't make a huge profit, earning $43.2 million at the box office on a $30 million budget, but critics still appreciated it. What sets it apart from many of the other Disney remakes is that we see actual animals in the film, which makes limited use of special effects.

Image Source: Everett Collection

29. "101 Dalmatians" (1996)

The live-action remake of "101 Dalmatians" made a respectable $320.7 million at the box office, landing it a sequel. And Glenn Close's turn as Cruella de Vil instantly became iconic.

Image Source: Everett Collection

28. "102 Dalmatians" (2000)

Yup, "101 Dalmatians" had a remake . . . which, too, had a sequel. Glenn Close reprises her role as Cruella de Vil, who's now out of prison and trying to be good again — "trying" being the operative word. The film made $183.6 million on an $85 million budget.

Image Source: Everett Collection

27. "Alice in Wonderland" (2010)

Tim Burton directed the live-action "Alice in Wonderland," which made over $1 billion at the box office.

Image Source: Everett Collection

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26. "Maleficent" (2014)

Between Angelina Jolie's magnetic performance, the dazzling visuals, and Lana Del Rey's single "Once Upon a Dream," "Maleficent" has a lot to offer. The film features a female villain with complicated layers to her. "Maleficent" brought in $758.4 million.

Image Source: Everett Collection

25. "Cinderella" (2015)

Lily James stepped into Cinderella's glass slippers for this Kenneth Branagh-directed film, which marked the real beginning of the Disney live-action remake era. Disney's "Cinderella" earned $542 million at the box office and proved fans' princess appetite will never be sated.

Image Source: Everett Collection

24. "The Jungle Book" (2016)

OK, with a cast that features Idris Elba, Lupita Nyong'o, Scarlett Johansson, and Bill Murray, plus a solid director like Jon Favreau, you can't do too shabbily. A visual stunner full of heart, the 2016 version of "The Jungle Book" was both a critical and box office ($966.6 million) success.

Image Source: Everett Collection

23. "Alice Through the Looking Glass" (2016)

Tim Burton's "Alice Through the Looking Glass" shows that though the Disney brand is strong and lucrative, its live-action film sequels often feel bloated. It still made $299.5 million at the box office.

Image Source: Everett Collection

22. "Beauty and the Beast" (2017)

"Beauty and the Beast" is a visual splendor that boasts an endearing cast and a revamped beloved soundtrack. The Emma Watson-led film made $1.26 billion at the box office.

Image Source: Everett Collection

21. "Christopher Robin" (2018)

An overworked adult who has lost his sense of wonder talking with a cuddly bear might ring a little too similar to Paddington Bear for some, but we have to admit that Ewan McGregor does a solid job as a cynical Christopher Robin. Plus, the animals are so gosh-darn cute on top of the heartwarming story. By Disney's standards, the movie wasn't a box-office smash, with $197.7 million earned.

Image Source: Everett Collection

20. "Dumbo" (2019)

"Dumbo"'s main character is an elephant that doesn't talk, so it might be tricky to recapture the charm of the original 1941 film with a CGI elephant. "Dumbo" made $353.3 million at the box office.

Image Source: Everett Collection

19. "Aladdin" (2019)

"Aladdin," directed by Guy Ritchie and starring Will Smith, Mena Massoud, Naomi Scott, and Marwan Kenzari, made some changes to the original film to give Princess Jasmine a larger role. The musical made over $1 billion at the box office.

Image Source: Everett Collection

18. "The Lion King" (2019)

"The Lion King" has an all-star voice cast, anchored by Beyoncé and Donald Glover, but many found the CGI animals a little too lifelike and not emotive enough. Still, Jon Favreau's film made over $1 billion at the box office.

Image Source: Everett Collection

17. "Maleficent: Mistress of Evil" (2019)

The discrepancy between the critical and audience receptions (41 percent and 95 percent) showed that at least viewers were on board with this sequel. In "Maleficent: Mistress of Evil," Angelina Jolie returns to her role as the sexy antiheroine, who's just made peace with Aurora. Whether you loved it or hated it, the movie did extremely well at the box office, bringing in, so far, $472.3 million on a $185 million budget.

Image Source: Everett Collection

16. "Lady and the Tramp" (2019)

The live remake of "Lady and the Tramp" leans into Disney's cute, wholesome brand. The film, which had a voice cast including Tessa Thompson and Justin Theroux, premiered on Disney+.

Image Source: YouTube user Walt Disney Studios

15. "Mulan" (2020)

The release of "Mulan" was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, but it was eventually released on Disney+. The film, directed by Niki Caro, made major changes to the animated movie in order to better reflect Chinese culture. It also got rid of the popular songs, though Christina Aguilera rerecorded "Reflection" for the soundtrack.

Image Source: Everett Collection

14. "Cruella" (2021)

Emma Stone stars as a young Cruella de Vil in this prequel film. The movie brought in $233.5 million at the box office — pretty strong for the pandemic — and has a sequel in the works.

Image Source: Everett Collection

13. "Pinocchio" (2022)

Tom Hanks stars as Geppetto in this new "Pinocchio" film directed by Robert Zemeckis, which is available to stream now on Disney+.

Image Source: Everett Collection

12. "Peter Pan & Wendy" (2023)

"Peter Pan & Wendy," starring Alexander Molony and Ever Anderson as the title characters and Yara Shahidi as Tinker Bell, debuted on Disney+ on 28 April.

Image Source: Disney+

11. "The Little Mermaid" (2023)

Halle Bailey stars as Ariel in the live-action "The Little Mermaid," which hit cinemas on 26 May. The cast also includes Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, Awkwafina as Scuttle, Jacob Tremblay as Flounder, Javier Bardem as King Triton, and Daveed Diggs as Sebastian.

In an interview with POPSUGAR, Bailey noted how significant it is to be a young Black woman playing Ariel, who has historically been portrayed as white. "It's about time that a role like this is played by a Black woman, by somebody who is just a part of this beautiful community," she said. "We deserve to have images that look like us and to see ourselves in the media on big screens and everything. So I'm just grateful that we're getting to see ourselves finally on such big projects."

Image Source: Everett Collection

10. "Lilo & Stitch"

In July 2022, Deadline reported that "Marcel the Shell With Shoes On" director Dean Fleischer Camp is going to direct the live-action "Lilo & Stitch." Then, on March 30, the outlet confirmed that newcomer Maia Kealoha will lead the upcoming film as Lilo. It does not yet have a release date.

Image Source: Everett Collection

9. "Moana"

Dwayne Johnson, who famously voiced the character Maui in the 2016 animated film, has confirmed that a live-action adaptation of the Disney film is in the works. No release date or other details have been announced yet, but the movie is currently in production.

Image Source: Disney

8. "Snow White"

Rachel Zegler stars as Snow White and Gal Gadot plays the Evil Queen in this upcoming remake. The film, which does not yet have a release date, also stars Andrew Burnap, Martin Klebba, Dujonna Gift, and Colin Michael Carmichael.

Image Source: Everett Collection

7. "Hercules"

Guy Ritchie, who directed "Aladdin," is also attached to direct the live-action "Hercules."

Image Source: Everett Collection

6. "Hunchback"

Deadline reported back in 2019 that "Hunchback," a live-action version of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," is in the works, with new music from Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz. The new movie would draw more on Victor Hugo's original novel. There haven't been any updates since then.

Image Source: Everett Collection

5. "Tink"

According to a report for The DisInsider from 2021, a live-action, stand-alone Tinker Bell movie is still in the works and being produced by Reese Witherspoon.

Image Source: Everett Collection

4. "The Sword in the Stone"

Disney hired director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo to helm "The Sword in the Stone"'s live-action remake in 2018. It's not clear if the film is still happening.

Image Source: Everett Collection

3. "Robin Hood"

Disney announced it was developing a live-action "Robin Hood" for Disney+ in 2020.

Image Source: Everett Collection

2. "Bambi"

A "Bambi" remake is also in the works. In May, Deadline reported that writer Lindsey Beer had recently turned in a draft for the film.

Image Source: Everett Collection

1. "The Aristocats"

Variety reported in January that a live-action "The Aristocats" is in the works at Disney.

Image Source: Everett Collection

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