Every live-action Disney remake ranked from best to worst
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Disney’s live-action “The Little Mermaid” is breaking records, with the film becoming one of the most viewed movie premieres on Disney+ ever, the Walt Disney Company announced last week.
The live-action remake of the 1989 animated classic had a whopping 16 million views in its first five days streaming.
Meanwhile, Disney’s upcoming remake of “Snow White” is getting some backlash online, with some accusing the unreleased film of being “too woke.”
“Snow White,” which is slated for a March 2024 release, is the latest in a seemingly endless stream of live-action remakes.
For almost a decade, Disney has released at least one live-action adaptation of an animated film every year, and it doesn't look like the filmmakers will be stopping any time soon.
Disney can count on its adaptations to consistently draw in big crowds and make lots of money, but the audience reactions aren't always so predictable.
Here's a list of every Disney live-action remake ranked from best to worst based on its audience score from Rotten Tomatoes, as well as a list of Disney's upcoming remakes.
1. ‘Cruella’ (2021)
Audience score: 97%.
“Cruella” isn’t technically a remake, but we are including it in this list because it is an adaptation of the original animated “One Hundred and One Dalmatians,” from 1961.
The movie, starring Emma Stone as Cruella de Vil, was lauded by audiences and critics alike and even won an Oscar in 2022 for best costume design.
2. ‘The Little Mermaid’ (2023)
Audience score: 94%.
The 2023 live-action remake of “The Little Mermaid” (1989) was a smash hit at the box office, with critics lauding Halle Bailey’s portrayal of Ariel as the highlight of the film.
The movie also featured new music written by Alan Menken and “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda.
3. ‘Aladdin’ (2019)
Though it didn’t do too well with the critics, “Aladdin” tied with “The Little Mermaid” with a 94% audience score. To break the tie, we turned to the two films’ IMDb ratings, which had “Aladdin” at a 6.9 out of 10 and “The Little Mermaid at 7.2.
The reboot of the 1992 animated film stars Will Smith as the genie with Naomi Scott and Mena Massoud as Jasmine and Aladdin, respectively.
4. ‘The Lion King’ (2019)
Audience score: 88%.
This remake of the classic 1994 animated film received generally positive reviews, but where it really shined was in the box office. “The Lion King” made more money in the box office than any other Disney remake to date, with an incredible $1.6 billion worldwide, according to ScreenRant.
Though audiences seemed to love the film, some critics were unimpressed, saying it was essentially just a shot-by-shot CGI copy of the 1994 original.
5. ‘The Jungle Book’ (2016)
Audience score: 86%.
Jon Favreau, who later went on to adapt “The Lion King,” also adapted the 1967 animated feature “The Jungle Book.”
With a 94% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, the film is the highest-rated Disney reboot of all time. Its impressive combination of CGI and live action earned the film an Oscar in 2017 for best visual effects.
It should be noted that Disney released a live-action “The Jungle Book” in 1994 that has a 56% audience score, though it doesn't hold up to the 2016 film.
6. ‘Christopher Robin’ (2018)
Audience score: 83%.
“Christopher Robin” is an adaptation of Disney’s “Winnie the Pooh” franchise, which put out its first feature film in 1977: “The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.” The film was received well by critics and was even nominated for an Oscar in 2019 for best visual effects.
The film stars Ewan McGregor and Hayley Atwell.
7. ‘Beauty and the Beast’ (2017)
Audience score: 80%.
“Beauty and the Beast” — starring Emma Watson as Belle — is the second-highest-grossing Disney live-action remake, behind “The Lion King.” The film made an incredible $1.264 billion worldwide.
The film also received two Oscar nominations in 2018 for best production design and best costume design.
8. ‘Cinderella’ (2015)
Audience score: 78%.
The remake of Disney’s 1950 “Cinderella” animated feature is considered among critics to be one of the best live-action Disney films. “Cinderella” stands out particularly for its score and costume design, and even received an Oscar nomination for best costume design in 2016.
Lily James, Richard Madden, Cate Blanchett and Helena Bonham Carter star in the film, giving depth and emotion to traditionally flat characters.
9. ‘Pete’s Dragon’ (2016)
Audience score: 72%.
We are including this remake in the list even though the 1977 film on which it was based wasn't a fully animated movie. The original "Pete's Dragon" was a mix of hand-drawn animation and live action that received mediocre-to-poor critic and audience reviews, but the 2016 remake directed by David Lowery elevated the story with high-quality production, a CGI dragon and performances from big stars such as Robert Redford and Bryce Dallas Howard.
10. ‘Maleficent’ (2014)
Audience score: 70%.
This reimagining of Disney’s 1959 classic “Sleeping Beauty” is told from the perspective of the evil fairy Maleficent, played by Angelina Jolie. It had below-average ratings, but Disney considered it enough of a success to greenlight a sequel titled “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil,” which was released in 2019.
11. ‘Alice in Wonderland’ (2010)
Audience score: 55%.
Tim Burton’s take on the 1951 “Alice in Wonderland” is visually stunning, but critics and audience members alike were overwhelmingly bored with the other elements of the film. Starring Johnny Depp, Mia Wasikowska, Helena Bonham Carter and Anne Hathaway, the film brought in enough interest from audiences to warrant a 2016 sequel — “Alice Through the Looking Glass,” which got a dismal 29% Rotten Tomatoes critic score.
12. ‘The Sorcerer’s Apprentice’ (2010)
Audience score: 53%.
Technically, this live-action movie is a loose adaptation of a segment of an animated film. In 1936, Walt Disney had an idea to create a cartoon short called “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” which eventually grew into a larger project that became the classic 1940 Disney feature “Fantasia.” In the 2010 movie, Nicholas Cage stars as a sorcerer who prepares a teenager to inherit “Merlin’s powers.” As could be expected, critics and audience members didn’t take too kindly to the movie.
13. ‘Lady and the Tramp’ (2019)
Audience score: 50%
The live-action remake of the beloved 1955 animated classic received little fanfare as it went straight to streaming on Disney+ in November 2019.
The film starred real-life rescue dogs voiced by Tessa Thompson and Justin Theroux.
14. ‘Dumbo’ (2019)
Audience score: 48%.
“Dumbo” is another Tim Burton film that, in the same vein as his adaptation of “Alice in Wonderland,” didn’t go as planned. Not only was the reboot of the 1941 animated film not received well by critics, it also didn’t do as well at the box office as Disney expected.
It turns out “Dumbo” is even more sad and disturbing in live action.
15. ‘Mulan’ (2020)
Audience score: 46%.
The live-action remake of the 1998 animated film received mostly positive reviews from critics, but audiences weren’t as impressed.
The film also faced some criticism for filming in Xinjiang, a region of China accused of human rights abuses, the Deseret News previously reported.
16. ‘101 Dalmatians’ (1996)
Audience score: 40%.
The film “101 Dalmatians” is considered to be one of the worst live-action Disney reboots of all time. The sequel, “102 Dalmatians,” did even worse, with a 32% audience score, showing it’s hard to beat the 1961 original.
The movie stars Glenn Close as Cruella De Vil, Jeff Daniels as Roger and around 230 live puppies, according to the Mirror Online.
17. ‘Pinocchio’ (2022)
Audience score: 27%.
The adaptation of the 1940 film — featuring a creepy puppet that borders the uncanny valley — was not received well by audiences (to put it gently).
Starring Tom Hanks as Geppetto, the film had the misfortune to be released the same year as “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio,” a more critically-acclaimed version of the story.
18. ‘Peter Pan & Wendy’ (2023)
Audience score: 11%.
The 2023 adaptation of the 1953 animated film has the honor of being audiences’ least favorite Disney live-action remake to date.
It also has the biggest gap between the critic score and audience score on Rotten Tomatoes out of any live-action Disney remake, with a 64% critic score and a pitiful 11% audience score.
Even Jude Law as Captain Hook couldn’t save this film.
Upcoming Disney live-action remakes
Below is a list of upcoming Disney live-action remakes and their release dates, according to ScreenRant:
“Snow White” — March 22, 2024.
“Lilo & Stitch” — May 10, 2024.
“Mufasa: The Lion King” — July 2024.
“The Hunchback of Notre Dame” — In development.
“Bambi” — In development.
“Robin Hood” — In development.
“Hercules” — In development.
“The Aristocats” — In development.
“Moana” — In development.
“The Sword in the Stone” — In development.
