Walt Disney Studios has begun their trend of doing live-action adaptations of their animated stories that been told way back in the mid 1990s with 101 Dalmatians starring Glenn Close as the infamous puppy snatcher Cruella DeVille.
Disney has continued that idea in 2010s with Tim Burton’s take on Alice in Wonderland which was more of a live-action sequel than a remake of the 1951 animated classic and then constantly adapt their popular animated feature films.
Whether you love or hate them, they’ve been undeniably successful for The Mouse House which is why they keep retelling these beloved stories for a whole new generations which have worked and some didn’t.
With Moana set to sail this Friday 10th, I’m gonna ranking my top 10 Disney live-action adaptations.
10. Mulan (2020) directed by Niki Caro
This remake is both based on the 1998 musical adventure film and the original Chinese folktale poem, the Ballad of Mulan. This movie is infamous for massively making huge changes from the original by not having fan-favorite Mushu the dragon, Not including any musical numbers, and getting rid of General Li Shang, another popular character.
Instead, Mulan is more of an action-drama war movie which is a huge departure from what Disney usually does that makes it a standout as a solid live-action retelling. It’s carried with epic action sequences, stunning visuals, and an amazing all-star Asian cast with Chinese-American star Liu Yifei leading as the title character, Donnie Yen, Gong Li and Jet Li as the Emperor included but most importantly, honoring your family, being loyal, brave, and true to yourself.
9. Peter Pan & Wendy (2023) directed by David Lowery
Peter Pan is a classic story that’s been told numerous times for so long whether it’s live-action or animation, so Disney wants do it again with David Lowery taking the flight to Neverland by basing this from James Matthew Barrie’s work and the original animated feature from 1953.
While Lowery decided to go for a more darker, grounded realistic take on the boy who never grew up, it does strip away the vibrant spectacle of the animated classic but still manages to stand out as its own with some very nice diversity among the cast with Yara Shahidi playing Tinker Bell, newcomer Alexander Molony playing Pan himself, and a few child actors of color playing the Lost Boys and Girls.
Plus, Peter Pan & Wendy has some cool action sequences sprinkled throughout the film and a villainous portrayal of Captain James Hook from Jude Law.
8. Beauty and the Beast (2017) directed by Bill Condon
Director Bill Condon understood the assignment when retelling one of Disney’s beloved animated features from the Renaissance Era. What makes this retelling special was it being faithful to the original masterpiece but adding some more depth and nuance to the story.
This magical remake, was also brought to life thanks to Emma Watson bringing Belle to life and her chemistry with Dan Stevens’ Beast, Luke Evans and Josh Gad being a dynamic duo as the villainous Gaston and Lefou, the marvelous production design and the very detailed, astonishing costumes and bringing back the memorable songs along with some new ones written by Alan Menken and Tim Rice.
7. Aladdin (2019) directed by Guy Ritchie
Guy Ritchie doing a family film? Well guess what, he succeeded with adapting the 1992 animated film by keeping the story the similar but expanded on the idea of being specific with you wishes.
Will Smith leads the cast as the iconic Genie and brings so much charisma by making the character his own. Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott brought Aladdin and Princess Jasmine to life beautifully, vibrant visuals and non-stop killer musical numbers and a few Guy Ritchie style action sequences.
6. 101 Dalmatians (1996) directed by Stephen Herek
One of the earliest Disney live-action adaptations of animated classics that started the trend was 101 Dalmatians.
Glenn Close brings the puppy loving, fashion designing maniac to life in a such a campy way is what makes this remake a fun watch. Sure it’s beat-for-beat but it’s undeniably fun especially with all the Dalmatians on screen that’ll melt your hurt.
5. Lilo & Stitch (2025) directed by Dean Fleischer Camp
The first remake of Disney’s Post-Renaissance era has recently released and is doing killer business at the box office.
This remake of the 2002 animated film is a cute, fun film from newcomer Maia Kealoha adorable performance as Lilo, to her chemistry with her older sister Nani played by Sydney Agudong, capturing the heart and soul of the main theme Ohana but above all, Chris Sanders returning to voice Stitch who is funny, sweet and mischievous as ever.
4. Cruella (2021) directed by Craig Gillespie
Yes, another 101 Dalmatians movie but this time it’s more of a prequel villain story similar with Maleficent with how they re-adapted Sleeping Beauty but with the iconic Disney villain being the lead of the story.
Disney’s very own version of The Devils Wear Prada but set in backdrops of 1970s punk era in London with Emma Stone’s Cruella and Emma Thompson’s Baroness going toe-to-toe on who’s the best fashion designer in town. The craftsmanship on this film is deliciously artistic with the costumes, hairstyles and makeup design bringing the 1970s London, Paul Walter Hauser show-stopping performance as Horace is a standout, and some unexpected twists. Cruella is unlike any film Disney has ever made, darling.
3. The Little Mermaid (2023) directed by Rob Marshall
Disney took a massive risk with an inspiring casting of having R&B singer Halle Bailey playing Disney’s iconic mermaid princess, Ariel. Like how Brandy played Cinderella in the 1997 musical adaptation film of the same name for TV, Bailey continued that traditional with playing Ariel.
This updated remake of the 1989 animated feature that started the Renaissance era for Disney and a loose adaption of Hans Christian Andersan’s dark fairytale, is an entertaining film with a more expanded romance between Ariel and Jonah Hauer-King’s Prince Eric, set in the breezy tropical Caribbean, new rendition of the classic songs by Alan Menken & Howard Ashman, including new songs from Lin Manuel Miranda, and some fun performances that includes Melissa McCarthy’s take on the evil sea witch, Ursula.
2. Cinderella (2015) directed by Kenneth Branagh
Cinderella is a timeless story told so many times in different mediums but Disney’s live-action version truly stands on it own as one of Disney’s best live-action adaptations to date.
Branch brings the story to life in a new sophisticated way while still keeping it main story exactly the same but with Chris Weitz’s script going to the message of having kindness and courage and giving us more character development between the Prince and Cinderella. This magical film is visually stunning, the production and costumes are rich and luxurious, a few nice nods to the 1950 animated classic, and it’s carried with some charismatic performances by Lily James, Richard Madden, and 2x Oscar winner Cate Blanchett.
1. The Jungle Book (2016) directed by Jon Favreau
Yep. The Jungle Book is Disney’s best live-action adaptation. Jon Favreau taking elements from the 1967 animated original and certain story elements from Rudyard Kipling’s original book and mashing them up together to create an adaptation that’s so unique.
What makes this remake stands out amongst the other live-action adaptations is the stellar visual effects, which won the Oscar for best Visual Effects and the cgi animals that have expression and emotions thanks to an all-star cast including Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba, Lupita Nyong’o, Scarlett Johansson voicing the beloved characters of this iconic story, newcomer Neel Sethi giving an outstanding performance as Mowgli, Bill Hope’s incredible cinematography and a strong commentary about humankind vs nature.
It’s a great remake that honors a wonderful story but doesn’t rely too much on nostalgia.
So this is the top Disney live-action adaptations and remember that this is an opinion ranking.
All of these Disney’s adaptations are available to stream on Disney+.
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