Disney Live-Action Remakes, Ranked

Get some popcorn and take a seat, because I'm going to rank all of the live-action Disney remakes from worst to best. For most of these movies, this was my first time watching them. I also haven't seen many of the original animated versions. If you haven't guessed, I wasn't raised on the Disney classics—or on musicals, for that matter. In fact, my favorite (non-Marvel, non-Star Wars) Disney movie is the very un-Disney-like Big Hero 6. So why me? Because we thought it would be funny, plus I wouldn't be swayed by nostalgia! Anyways, I could add some words here like "opinion" or "subjective" or "light-hearted" but no, this is a serious, definitive list. So very serious. Think I'm wrong? Yell at me in the comments. Let's go!

22. The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010)

The Sorcerer's Apprentice is pretty much its own thing, but it references the earlier Fantasia movies, which means that it's a remake, I guess. (Movies are weird.) On top of that, this one feels more like your ordinary Nicholas Cage wild ride—which is anything but ordinary—than a Disney production.

21. 101 Dalmatians (1996)

Glenn Close is iconic as Cruella De Vil, but the rest of the movie is rather...black and white. To be fair, making your film look lively but focused with a hundred (and one) monotone protagonists running all over has got to be difficult. It's a real testament to the animators of the original One Hundred and One Dalmatians, who made such a vibrant and colorful film with characters that are anything but.

20. Alice in Wonderland (2010)

I usually appreciate Disney movies that are bold and colorful, but the visuals here felt off to me. The source material for Alice could be uneasy at times—and wow, they really leaned into that tone in this one. I just didn't feel the earnest whimsy of those books.

19. The Jungle Book: Mowgli's Story (1998)

Alright, so I knew going in that Mowgli's Story was a direct-to-video remake, which basically equates to "low budget and low expectations". There is no CGI here, the effects are practical, and the animals "talk" but their mouths don't move—making it feel like they're all communicating with their minds. Altogether, the film has a strange charm.

18. 102 Dalmatians (2000)

Glenn Close is back with more colorful fashion and plenty of antics. I definitely appreciated these more in the sequel than in the first live-action film.

17. Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book (1994)

Disney's first live-action remake, Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book, strayed from both the original Kipling and Disney sources. The animals didn't talk at all, which felt particularly un-Disney-like to me. That being said, I appreciate that the film was its own thing, although it feels pretty dated now.

16. Dumbo (2019)

Leave it to Disney to assemble another great cast, but I wish they had more opportunities to shine! Dumbo didn't really get moving for me until the big spectacle, pull-at-your-heartstrings climax—and then it was over. I wish this one had wings...er, ears.

15. Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016)

I'm not sure if Alice Through the Looking Glass is a better movie or if I was accustomed to the uneasy tone, but I liked this one more than Alice in Wonderland. It feels like the number of green-screen performances with CG backgrounds jumped from the original, but the costume design more than made up for it.

14. Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (2019)

Mistress of Evil features some truly fantastic costumes but I didn't dig this one as much as the original Maleficent. That being said, I did like Maleficent's redemption arc, and it's a series that I'd like to see Disney continue. I mean, that's true for any movie with a larger-than-life villain—it's something that Disney has always done well.

13. Pinocchio (2022)

I had so much hope for this one! Robert Zemeckis and Tom Hanks working on a movie about adventure and growth and heart? Count me in. Alas, the CGI artistry was fantastic but the film didn't have the spark that I was hoping for. This one hurt.

12. Christopher Robin (2018)

Here's another adaptation that doesn't feel like a Disney movie. The colors are muted, the humor is dry, and it has an overall feeling of melancholy. Did I happen to get the Snyder cut by mistake? All joking aside, I suppose it does approach the wistful tone of the original Winnie the Pooh cartoons. Ewan McGregor was excellent in this (as always) and the CGI was mostly photorealistic—although there were some uncanny valley moments where the animals felt almost horror-ish. Is it weird that I kinda liked that?

11. Lady and the Tramp (2019)

I'm really on the fence with this one. The cast performed well, particularly the voice actors. I also appreciate that they tried to make Lady and the Tramp stand by itself, though this was undercut with some sappy recreations of the original's iconic scenes.

10. Peter Pan & Wendy (2023)

This was a bit of a redemption for director David Lowery and co-writer Toby Halbrooks, who worked together on Pete's Dragon in 2016. (That film doesn't appear on this list because it's an animated/live-action hybrid.) Peter Pan & Wendy hits most of the same beats as the original, but it also explores new territory and has plenty of magic.

9. The Little Mermaid (2023)

This one grew on me. The Little Mermaid is noticeably drab, as with many of the live-action remakes, but it comes across as a commitment to realism. The underwater scenes felt like an Attenborough documentary and the ship scenes like Master and Commander—and that's a good thing. The bioluminescent highlights on Ursula were a pleasant departure from the bland palette, though I'd still prefer more color overall. I thought the casting and writing were great, too.

8. The Lion King (2019)

I thought The Lion King was fine. The story is solid, the cinematography and CGI are solid, and the music is solid. I understand that this was one of the bigger disappointments among the remakes, but I can't help but feel that's coming from folks who loved the original so much or were upset about some shot-for-shot scene recreations. I think not knowing the reference made me appreciate this film for what it is, not what it could or should have been.

7. The Jungle Book (2016)

How many Jungle Book movies do we really need? Just this one, I'd say. I mean, look at that stacked cast! You've got ScarJo, LupNyo, IdrEl, GianEs, BenKing, ChrisWalk, BillMu, and JonFav as director. (I'm so sorry.) The animals even talk in this one, thanks to some decent CGI!

6. Beauty and the Beast (2017)

As much as I'm not a fan of musicals, Beauty and the Beast was impossible to dislike. Everything was big about this one: the score, the choreography (and motion capture), the CGI, and what a cast! If I had to nitpick—and I do!—the Beast's awful treatment of Belle is basically glossed over. It is a fairy tale, after all.

5. Maleficent (2014)

This one is all over the place, writing-wise and tone-wise, even with its special effects. But where the special effects shine, they really shine! And the lead performance from Angelina Jolie is transcendent—Disney really knows how to cast a villain.

4. Cinderella (2015)

While set in a vaguely historical fantasy-ish kingdom, 2015's Cinderella is surprisingly modern. The lavish ballroom scene is a highlight of the film, as is Cate Blanchett's turn as the wicked stepmother, Lady Tremaine. I mean, including a scene-stealing villain is a good strategy for any Disney movie.

3. Aladdin (2019)

I appreciate that the live-action Aladdin stands on its own. It's got plenty of fun scenes and musical numbers, and I liked the characterization. But where it shined was being big and bold and colorful, just like we expect from Disney.

2. Mulan (2020)

Mulan is a beautiful movie with some fantastic action sequences. It gets criticized for diverging from the animated film, for example by excluding Mushu, but I thought that was its greatest strength. Mulan is its own movie, warts and all.

1. Cruella (2021)

It may be true that nobody asked for an origin story of Cruella de Vil, but they went ahead and did it anyway—and it's fantastic. It has style and the perfect amount of camp, and actually makes us feel for Cruella...ignoring all of the Dalmatian nastiness.

What did you think? Agree or disagree? Tell us what you think in the comments below! Also, be sure to check out all of our Disney gifts available at FUN.com!