these films have become classics. When Disney as a studio began drawing from their own back catalog of animation to remake those movies into live-action, Disney fans and critics were skeptical of the need for those remakes. These films, however, are usually successful because they have a built-in audience of viewers who grew up watching them.

The live-action remakes that are the most successful find a balance between the nostalgia that keeps people coming back to the animated movies and fresh takes on the stories that give the audience something new. Updating the classics for a modern audience, even the 1990s Disney Renaissance animated movie, is what makes them work. Of course, not every live-action movie that shares a name with a Disney animated classic is a remake of it, by forging its own path, or adapting the original source material. Still, there are some truly great live-action remakes of Disney's classic animated movies.

23 Pinocchio (2022)

Directed By Robert Zemeckis

Pinocchio is widely regarded as the worst live-action Disney remake among fans and critics. Even the performances of the always charming Tom Hanks and Cynthia Erivo couldn’t stop the critical response when it was released straight to streaming on Disney Plus. It didn't do enough to justify it being made, as it was inferior to the animated film, and another adaptation came out close to the same time.

The movie had the misfortune of releasing around the same time as Guillermo del Toro’s own adaptation of the Pinocchio story (though not the Disney animated version), which was much more highly regarded. The blend of live-action and CGI as Pinocchio the puppet becomes a real boy is visually stunning, but it lacked the magic of the original animated version and left audiences wondering if Disney’s future slate of live-action remakes were even necessary.

22 Dumbo (2019)

Directed By Tim Burton

After having success a few years prior with Alice in Wonderland, visionary director Tim Burton was brought in to put his stamp on the classic Disney character Dumbo. Dumbo already has the hallmarks of a Tim Burton movie given that the big-eared elephant is a lonely outcast who performs as a sideshow in a circus. However, audiences didn't show up for this Disney remake, and Tim Burton's signature style didn't really shine through in the film.

Dumbo does have some great new additions that include the real-life futurist NYC theme park Dreamland setting, a great Batman Returns reunion between Danny DeVito and Michael Keaton, and a beautiful score from Burton collaborator Danny Elfman. Unfortunately, the movie suffers when trying to adapt an hour-long animated movie into a nearly two-hour film, as audiences didn't gravitate to the new story elements. The movie is too long and the pacing too slow, making it one of the worst live-action Disney remakes.

21 Alice Through The Looking Glass (2016)

Directed By James Bobin

The sequel to Disney’s 2010 Alice in Wonderland brings back its impeccable cast, which includes Mia Wasikowska, Anne Hathaway, and Helena Bonham Carter. It is also visually stunning with some impressive VFX work since Underland is full of colorful characters and landscapes. Given that Alice in Wonderland was a massive hit for Disney in 2010, it only made sense that they would try to replicate its success, but Alice Through the Looking Glass feels a tad too late to come out.

Where the movie falls flat is that it turns Alice’s fantasy world into a time-traveling science fiction drama as she seeks to change the Mad Hatter’s (Johnny Depp) past. The movie sought to do something completely different from the Alice story initially created by Lewis Carroll and adapted for Disney animation, but it was unnecessary since the world Carroll created was already so rich.

20 Lady And The Tramp (2019)

Directed By Charlie Bean

Lady and the Tramp was the first live-action remake to be released on Disney+ instead of going to theaters, and it feels like it was made with that choice in mind. The story itself is pretty similar to the original, and fans accepted it for that. However, the blend of live-action and CGI just didn't work. A higher budget with a theatrical release in mind before the movie went into production would have done wonders for it.

Disney only released a few more remakes straight to Disney +, perhaps realizing that the theatrical market for their live-action adaptation was the more lucrative option.

The choice to use real dogs is sweet, but the way they were made to talk is the most awkward of visual effects. The CGI works for famous scenes like the pasta sharing, but its use throughout the movie as a whole could use a lot of work. It's not a bad movie since the story remains intact, but it's not a movie many fans would have paid to see, making it a decent remake that is best suited to a lazy afternoon of binge-watching.

19 102 Dalmatians (2000)

Directed By Kevin Lima

102 Dalmatians has one thing that stands out: Glenn Close plays an excellent villain. She has the swagger and sparkle as Cruella de Vil and makes the character genuinely scary in this sequel to the live-action remake of 101 Dalmatians. While the first live-action remake was a decent attempt, 102 Dalmatians falls behind it in most regards, most notably with the story itself, which makes it a let-down.

Unfortunately, Close is absolutely the best part of the movie since it largely retreads the exact same plot as the first with Cruella setting out to make herself a Dalmatian coat. The only difference is that she’s gone through a rehabilitation program and proceeds to go right back to her evil ways. With nothing new about the story or the characters, 102 Dalmatians didn’t successfully play on the nostalgia for the animated movie.

18 The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (2010)

Directed By Jon Turteltaub

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice is unique among other Disney live-action movie remakes in that it didn’t remake an entire movie or provide a live-action sequel to an animated property. Instead, the movie is actually inspired by one specific sequence in Fantasia. In the animated property, one sequence sees Mickey Mouse as the apprentice to a powerful sorcerer who finds himself at a loss when he tries to use magic to bring cleaning tools to life to do the jobs themselves.

While that particular sequence does happen in the movie, with Jay Baruchel as the apprentice and Nicolas Cage as the sorcerer, most of the story for the movie is brand new. It utilized a great blending of practical and computer-generated effects to make for a fun action movie, but the magic and beauty of Fantasia just isn’t there. It's still an alright attempt at Disney trying something a bit more ambitious than its usual remake fare.

17 Mulan (2020)

Directed By Niki Caro

While the 1998 version of Mulan is beloved by Disney fans, the live-action version didn't get nearly the same response. The film's greatest advantage is its visual spectacle, with beautiful shots and colors enhancing each scene. It failed in many other elements and couldn't recapture what makes the animated movie one of the best Disney princess films. Perhaps the weakest part of Mulan is that it fails to recapture the magic of the 1998 film.

The movie failed to be a straight-up Disney remake, and it also failed as a historic retelling of a legend.

The general premise of the film was the same as the original, but the new version removed the music, Mushu, and Shang while adding the shape-shifting witch Xianniang. American viewers were disappointed by the Disney elements that were removed from the original, while Chinese audiences felt it was still historically inaccurate and reliant on Western perspectives. The movie failed to be a straight-up Disney remake, and it also failed as a historic retelling of a legend. With stunning cinematography and solid acting, though, it's hardly the worst of the Disney live-action remakes.

16 101 Dalmatians (1996)

Directed By Stephen Herek

Much of John Hughes' 1990s output were remakes, like Flubber and Miracle on 34th Street. For 101 Dalmatians, he put his stamp on the classic story. Jeff Daniels and Joely Richardson play Roger and Anita, owners of Dalmatians wanted badly by the devilish Cruella de Vil, played brilliantly by Glenn Close. Seeing the beloved animated movie come to life and all the dalmatians on screen is the best part of 101 Dalmatians, and Glenn Close, of course.

Glenn Close seems to be having the time of her life as the iconic villain and the film ranks as one of her greatest performances. However, the rest of the movie was criticized for issues like Hughes repeating himself by adding two bumbling thieves reminiscent of Home Alone. Despite the critical reviews, the film was a box-office hit, garnering a sequel, and a villain origin story, Cruella, starring Emma Stone. Realistically, 101 Dalmatians is responsible for paving the way for the live-action Disney remakes that came to the screen nearly two decades later.

15 Snow White (2025)

Directed By Marc Webb

The latest live-action remake from Disney, Snow White has been the center of controversy on the internet for what feels like forever, but now that the film is out, it is actually a pretty decent movie. Snow White updates some of the original's story beats while trying to keep that same cozy magic that was present in the beloved animated film. Not being an essential shot-for-shot remake is one of the best aspects of it, as well.

Most of the praise for Snow White is directed towards Rachel Zegler as the titular character, proving the internet trolls wrong while also showing that she is talented enough to lead major movies. On the flip side, Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen leaves a lot to be desired, but her sometimes baffling performance isn't enough to completely drag down Snow White. The decision to portray the Seven Dwarfs with CGI was definitely the wrong choice, though.

14 The Lion King (2019)

Directed By Jon Favreau

After successfully remaking The Jungle Book using motion capture technology, Director Jon Favreau decided to tackle the much-beloved classic The Lion King using the same techniques. Despite being called "live-action," all the animals, and even the world they inhabit, are computer generated to look like live-action. That saves a production team from being in dangerous situations with lions and hyenas, but it also still looks real. In doing that, though, what makes The Lion King so amazing as an animated film is lost in translation.

The Lion King is the most financially successful live-action Disney remake, which led to the studio developing a prequel exploring how Mufasa became king, called Mufasa: The Lion King.

The look of the film gives it a National Geographic documentary quality, which allows the audiences to feel for the animals more since they appear to be real. However, this aesthetic, combined with the classic songs, didn't work for audiences, and the strict adherence to making the film a nearly shot-for-shot remake of the original left many viewers believing it to be a pointless cash grab. The realistic animals also aren't nearly as expressive as animated animals, meaning the audience has to rely entirely on the voice cast to sell the emotions, which doesn't always work.