Disney live-action remakes have become a staple for the entertainment juggernaut, but not
all have been successful.
While some of these films haven't exactly hit the mark, others have more than lived
up to the quality of their predecessors.
Here's how every remake ranks from worst to best.
After the release of 101 Dalmatians, Disney decided to revisit Glenn Close's Cruella de
Vil with its 2000 sequel, 102 Dalmatians.
The studio has a long history of making sequels to its biggest hits, but 102 Dalmatians stands
out because Close actually decided to reprise her role as the villainous fur lover.
The Disney live-action remake picks up immediately after Cruella's release from prison.
Although she's promised to be better about that whole using dogs for a coat thing, she
hasn't changed at all.
In fact, this time around, she needs an extra Dalmatian, because she's looking to add a
hood.
Unfortunately, the movie is not very good.
Even director Kevin Lima knew the film wasn't going to live up to expectations.
He told Entertainment Weekly:
"I realized very late that I was telling many stories … Too many stories.
And there was no way to go back and focus on one of the stories as the through line."
The 2016 film holds one of the lowest Rotten Tomatoes ratings of any Disney live-action
remake at 29%, with the critics' consensus stating:
"Alice Through the Looking Glass is just as visually impressive as its predecessor, but
that isn't enough to cover for an underwhelming story that fails to live up to its classic
characters."
For the most part, it's as though every bit of Lewis Carroll's original story was used
up for 2010's Alice in Wonderland, leaving its sequel with little more than a couple
of recognizable characters to pull inspiration from.
Add to that Johnny Depp's habit of overdoing a role, and the film becomes difficult to
sit through, to put it bluntly.
Tim Burton's signature style is clearly on display in 2019's Dumbo, a Disney live-action
remake that takes the premise of the original animated classic and then goes in a completely
different direction.
Dumbo's focus is less on the titular flying baby elephant and more on a war vet and his
family, who take over a struggling circus and fight to free Dumbo and his mother from
an unscrupulous amusement park owner, played by Michael Keaton.
The result is an adaptation that lacks the original's heart and relies too heavily on
style to carry its nearly two-hour runtime.
The one thing saving Dumbo from complete failure were the performances of its talented cast.
The 2019 Disney live-action remake The Lion King seemed to have everything going for it:
a beloved original movie, incredible special effects, and an ensemble of talented voice
actors, including Keegan Michael Key, Donald Glover, and James Earl Jones.
It's directed by Jon Favreau, who helmed Disney's 2016 success The Jungle Book.
So what went wrong?
Where Dumbo strayed too far from its source material, The Lion King keeps too close.
It's essentially a shot-for-shot remake of the original, which means that every aspect
of the film is going to be viewed under tighter scrutiny than with just an inspired reboot.
Worse, it relies so heavily on its special effects that the technological grandeur seems
to be the film's only focus.
Overall, the attempt to turn a children's classic into a realistic documentary just
doesn't work, and instead reminds audiences of how beautiful the original was.
Ranking just slightly higher than its sequel, Alice in Wonderland is another Tim Burton-directed
remake that's more about its visuals than its actual story.
The 2010 film is centered on Alice, a teenager who's sent on a magical quest through the
rabbit hole in order to bring an end to the evil Red Queen's reign.
Burton told Collider that the decision to go 3D was what best-suited the source material:
"It just seemed like the world that Lewis Carroll created, just the kind of trippiness,
and the size/spatial element."
Burton might have impressed with the visuals, but that candy-colored coating comes without
a strong center.
It definitely isn't the worst of the Disney live-action remakes, but, aside from its 3D
landscape and vibrant color palette, there isn't much else to rave about with Alice in
Wonderland.
If you were to hire a dream director for a Disney live-action remake of Aladdin, chances
are the guy known for the gritty crime flick Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels wouldn't
make the top of the list.
But somehow we arrived in a world where 2019's Aladdin was co-written and directed by Guy
Ritchie.
Aladdin isn't terrible, and it does a lot of things right, including having a diverse
cast with the vocal talent to do justice to the original's soundtrack.
But it lacks a lot of the magic that made the 1992 animated feature so special.
It's kind of a throwaway, not one that you'd ever regret watching, but not one you'll be
playing on repeat for years to come.
Beauty and the Beast is one of those Disney live-action remakes that errs on the side
of being true to the original.
The updated 2017 version keeps most everything that was enjoyable about the original animated
film.
Its additions, however, are a little hit or miss.
Bill Condon, who directed the movie, told Collider that the biggest challenge was bringing
the animated version down into reality.
He explained that:
"An animated film is a little more exaggerated, so it has to come into reality.
Once you start to investigate that, then you realize that there are questions that maybe
you never asked before."
Unfortunately, the more social aspects of the film struggle to be anything worth noting.
Belle is presented as more of a feminist lead and LeFou is a little more obviously homosexual,
but there isn't a lot of development with either character.
Still, it's a beautiful film that tries to capture all the magic that makes the story
so special, so points for that.
101 Dalmatians may not be the most well-received Disney live-action remake, but it is one of
the most fun films on this list.
That's due in large part to Glenn Close's performance as the fur-loving antagonist,
Cruella de Vil.
It's the 1996 film's camp that makes 101 Dalmatians really successful, though.
Where other live-action remakes attempt to turn a cartoon into serious business, this
film does anything but.
It's, dare we say it, cartoonish, and it manages to capture the essence of the original without
feeling like it's trying to recreate it.
That's likely due to its writer, John Hughes, who's best known for creating all of your
favorite '80s movies like Pretty in Pink, The Breakfast Club, and Sixteen Candles.
His style is a welcome addition to the Disney universe, and 101 Dalmations remains a goofy
guilty pleasure.
It's hard to count Christopher Robin as a Disney live-action remake, since it's more
of an inspired tale based on prior work.
The 2018 film centers on an adult Christopher Robin, who, like many adults, has forgotten
his childhood friends and is living a life focused on work, all the while neglecting
his own family.
When Winnie the Pooh seeks Christopher's help in finding his lost friends, the two set out
on an adventure that reunites Christopher with his childhood.
Director Marc Forster, who's known for more adult fare like Monster's Ball and World War
Z, has said that he wanted to make a movie for his daughter, who told him that all of
his films were too dark for her to watch.
But Christopher Robin winds up being a movie for both adults and their kids.
It's funny, nostalgic, and earnest.
The movie serves as a reminder to hold on to that sense of childlike wonder, even when
childhood is far behind you.
Disney's original Cinderella isn't just one of the studio's most beloved fairy tales,
it's one of its earliest.
Since 1950, children have dreamed of being visited by a fairy godmother, taken to a fancy
ball, and swept off their feet by a charming prince.
The 2015 Disney live-action remake Cinderella manages to capture that fantasy and present
it in one of the most beautiful packages the studio has ever released.
The live-action Cinderella gets a lot right, paying tribute to the original while offering
an updated story for a newer generation.
Director Kenneth Branagh has said that finding the right balance between the two was tricky,
especially considering the story's roots in numerous cultures.
He was also sure he didn't want to make it a "dark" update, telling Collider:
"For all the cynicism that the world contains, people are a little more open to those things
that maybe are to do with returning you to some kind of simpler, happier state."
He was right to go the route he did, Cinderella is light, fun, and magical, and it works.
Sometimes, going "dark" with a film doesn't mean it has to be sad and depressing.
The 2014 Disney live-action remake Maleficent doesn't concern itself with making an existing
fairy tale grittier.
Instead, it asks the question, "What if the villain you thought you knew wasn't that way
at all?"
Angelina Jolie stars as Maleficent, the iconic villain from Disney's 1959 classic Sleeping
Beauty.
Instead of the one-dimensional character seen in the original film, she's portrayed in the
remake as something of a loving, if emotionally wounded, maternal figure.
The film isn't perfect, and neither is Jolie, since her attempt at an accent takes some
getting used to.
Still, the movie's pros outweigh its cons.
In spite of its shortcomings, Maleficent is an enjoyable Disney film, one that makes a
valiant attempt at trying something new and telling a story we haven't already seen.
This 1994 film was the beginning of Disney's live-action remakes, and it remains one of
the best of the bunch.
Jason Scott Lee stars as an orphaned boy who winds up raised by wild animals in the jungles
of India.
It takes on a more serious tone than its animated predecessor, forgoing elaborate musical numbers
in favor of a focus on the jungle environment and green screen work that still holds up
fairly well.
But what of the talking animals?
In this version of The Jungle Book, there are none.
Computer animation wasn't quite at the level it is now back in 1994, so the film opts for
a more realistic approach to its source material, relying on its human characters to relay the
general sense of a conversation with wild animals instead.
While the darker, more violent take may not be best suited for a young audience, this
Jungle Book has plenty to offer for adults.
When Pete's Dragon hit theaters in 2016, it did so to little fanfare.
Its opening weekend pulled in a mere $21 million, which makes it one of the lowest-grossing
Disney live-action remakes ever.
But it didn't go unnoticed by critics.
With a certified fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Pete's Dragon stands out as one of the highest-rated
reimaginings to date.
The film tells the story of an orphaned boy whose best friend Elliott is a dragon.
To say it's a loose adaptation of the 1977 animated musical would be an understatement,
Pete's Dragon has little in common with the film outside of its general premise.
Still, the resulting film is full of soaringly beautiful moments, even if it flew completely
under the radar.
Jon Favreau's 2016 CGI-heavy take on The Jungle Book is one of those rare Disney live-action
remakes that does just about everything a reimagining ought to.
The director took notes from both the 1967 animated classic and its 1994 live-action
reimagining, managing to strike a balance between the spirit of the original and the
realism of its first remake.
That care makes The Jungle Book the perfect sort of update that appeals both to those
who carry a nostalgic torch, as well as to those who yearn for a modern story told in
a modern way.
It also helps to have an incredible cast that includes Bill Murray, Idris Elba, Lupita Nyong'o,
and Christopher Walken.
In other words…
"It's good."
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