A Guide to All of Disney's Live-Action Remakes

Disney is bringing our childhood to life by remaking many beloved animated films

The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Cruella
Photo: Courtesy of Disney, Walt Disney Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection, Disney+/Courtesy Everett Collection

Some of your favorite Disney films are coming to life on the big screen!

Over the years, the studio has been remaking beloved cartoons into live-action adaptations, and they don't plan on slowing down anytime soon.

While some remakes have stayed pretty true to the original, such as 2016's The Jungle Book and 2019's The Lion King, others have taken several liberties with the original story, including Maleficent starring Angelina Jolie, which gives more backstory on the Disney villain from Sleeping Beauty.

Plus, there are so many more movies on the horizon! Rachel Zegler is slated to play the first-ever Disney princess in a Snow White remake, and Disney has announced a handful of details about the upcoming Lilo & Stitch adaptation.

From the films that have already been released to the many projects still in the works, here's everything to know about all the Disney live-action movies.

01 of 26

101 Dalmatians (1996)

101 Dalmatians
Everett Collection, Mary Evans/WALT DISNEY PICTURES/Ronald Grant/Everett Collection

1996's 101 Dalmatians was one of Disney's very first live-action adaptations. A remake of the 1961 animated film, the updated version starred Glenn Close as the infamous villain, Cruella de Vil, alongside Jeff Daniels as Roger Dearly and Joely Richardson as Anita Campbell-Green-Dearly.

A sequel, 102 Dalmatians, was released in November 2000, with Close reprising her role as Cruella.

02 of 26

Alice in Wonderland (2010)

ALICE IN WONDERLAND
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In 2010, Mia Wasikowska played the whimsical Alice in Tim Burton's live-action adaptation of Alice in Wonderland. Inspired by both the 1951 Disney animated film and Lewis Carroll's books, the film takes a slightly different approach to the story as Alice returns to Wonderland as a teenager.

Along with Wasikowska in the main role, the film featured a number of big stars, including Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen and Anne Hathaway as the White Queen.

Though it wasn't Disney's first live-action adaptation, it did inspire the trend of Walt Disney Studios remaking many of their classic animated movies. Following the release of Alice in Wonderland, a sequel titled Alice Through the Looking Glass was released in May 2016.

03 of 26

The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010)

FANTASIA, Mickey Mouse, 'The Sorcerer's Apprentice,'
Walt Disney/courtesy Everett Collection, Disney/Kobal/Shutterstock

2010's The Sorcerer's Apprentice is named after a segment in Disney's 1940 film Fantasia, in which Mickey Mouse plays the young apprentice of sorcerer Yen Sid (who Nicholas Cage's character is based on). Though the film does feature one big reference to Fantasia, it takes many other liberties with the story and isn't defined as a direct remake.

04 of 26

Maleficent (2014)

Sleeping Beauty, MALEFICENT
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Starring Angelina Jolie as the Disney villain from 1959's Sleeping Beauty, the film is a live-action retelling of the story with a twist: Maleficent isn't as evil as she appears. The film features many different characters from the original, including Elle Fanning as Aurora.

The movie was a huge commercial success, eventually paving the way for a sequel, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, which was released in 2019.

05 of 26

Cinderella (2015)

CINDERELLA
Walt Disney Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection, Jonathan Olley/Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection

2015's Cinderella starring Lily James was the first of the live "Disney princess" adaptations (Disney had previously produced Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella starring Brandy and Whitney Houston, which was released as a TV movie in 1997.) The 2015 film stayed true to the original 1950 animated film right down to the magical blue dress — though chose to forgo the musical numbers.

06 of 26

The Jungle Book (2016)

THE JUNGLE BOOK
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In 2016, Disney did a live-action/CGI adaptation of The Jungle Book, based on Rudyard Kipling's works and Disney's 1967 animated film of the same title. It marked the second live-action adaptation of the story, following 1994's The Jungle Book.

Along with Neel Sethi as Mowgli, the film featured a star-studded voice cast for the CGI animals, including Bill Murray as Baloo, Ben Kingsley as Bagheera, Scarlett Johansson as Kaa and many more.

A sequel was announced in 2016 with Jon Favreau attached to direct, however, further details have not been released.

07 of 26

Pete's Dragon (2016)

PETE'S DRAGON
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Following the release of 1977's Pete's Dragon, which featured a cartoon green dragon, a remake was released in 2016. The new film reworked the musical as an adventure film starring Bryce Dallas Howard, Oakes Fegley, Wes Bentley, Karl Urban, Oona Laurence and Robert Redford.

08 of 26

Beauty and the Beast (2017)

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST 1991 & 2017
Walt Disney Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection (2)

In 2017, Disney released a live-action remake of the 1991 animated film, Beauty and the Beast. Starring Emma Watson as Belle and Dan Stevens as the Beast, the film was a faithful retelling of the original, featuring many of the iconic musical numbers.

In June 2021, Disney+ ordered a prequel series about Gaston and LeFou, with Luke Evans and Josh Gad slated to reprise their roles from the film, however, the project was indefinitely put on hold the following year.

09 of 26

Christopher Robin (2018)

Winnie the Pooh
Walt Disney/courtesy Everett Collection, Laurie Sparham /Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection

2018's Christopher Robin was a live-action adaptation of Disney's Winnie-the-Pooh franchise, which was based on A. A. Milne and E. H. Shepard's children's books. The film followed a grown-up Christopher Robin, played by Ewan McGregor, with many of the animated show's voice actors lending their talents, including Jim Cummings as Winnie the Pooh and Tigger and Brad Garrett as Eeyore.

10 of 26

Dumbo (2019)

DUMBO
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Following Alice in Wonderland, Disney teamed up with Tim Burton again for 2019's Dumbo, a live-action remake of the original cartoon released in 1941. The film, starring Colin Farrell, Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Eva Green and Alan Arkin, follows a circus family who discover a baby elephant with the ability to fly.

11 of 26

Aladdin (2019)

ALADDIN
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In 2019, Disney released a live-action remake of 1992's animated film, Aladdin, starring Mena Massoud as the title character and Will Smith as the Genie. The film was a box office success, becoming one of the highest-grossing films of 2019.

In February 2020, Variety reported that a sequel was in the works, however, further details haven't been announced.

12 of 26

The Lion King (2019)

THE LION KING
AJ Pics/Alamy Stock Photo, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection

Following the success of The Jungle Book, Disney released a remake of 1994's The Lion King. Unlike previous adaptations, however, The Lion King wasn't entirely live-action as it used computer-animated technology to bring the animals to life. The film featured many songs from the original, which were sung by a star-studded cast, including Donald Glover as Simba and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter as Nala.

A prequel, titled Mufasa: The Lion King, is currently in the works with Barry Jenkins slated to direct. The film was first announced in 2020 and the first look was shown at D23 in September 2022, though an official release date hasn't been announced.

13 of 26

Lady and the Tramp (2019)

LADY AND THE TRAMP
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Released exclusively on Disney+, 2019's Lady and the Tramp was a live-action remake of the 1955 animated film of the same name. The film starred Tessa Thompson as the voice of Lady and Justin Theroux as the voice of Tramp alongside many other stars, including Sam Elliott, Janelle Monáe, Benedict Wong and more.

14 of 26

Mulan (2020)

MULAN
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In 2020, Disney released a live-action adaptation of 1998's animated film, Mulan, with significant differences from the original (including introducing new characters and having no musical numbers). One thing that didn't change? Christina Aguilera, who performed "Reflection" for the original film's end credits, did contribute to the new film's soundtrack, including a new version of "Reflection" and a new song titled "Loyal Brave True."

15 of 26

Cruella (2021)

Cruella
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In 2021, Emma Stone stepped into the role of Cruella de Vil for a new film that served as an origin story for the infamous Disney villain. Since the film is a prequel to 101 Dalmatians, most of the story has little connections to the animated film, however, several characters do make appearances, including Roger and Anita. Though the film wasn't set in the same universe as the two live-action films starring Glenn Close, Close served as an executive producer alongside Stone.

In August 2021, Disney announced plans for a sequel with Stone slated to reprise her role. Further casting and a release date have not been announced.

16 of 26

Pinocchio (2022)

PINOCCHIO
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In 2022, Disney released a live-action/computer-animated version of the 1940 animated film, Pinocchio. The film, which was exclusively released on Disney+, starred Tom Hanks as Geppetto with Benjamin Evan Ainsworth voicing the role of the puppet Pinocchio.

17 of 26

Peter Pan & Wendy (2023)

PETER PAN,
Courtesy Everett Collection, Disney

Released exclusively on Disney+, Alexander Molony and Ever Anderson starred in the live-action adaptation of 1953's Peter Pan. The film features other big stars such as Jude Law as Captain Hook and Yara Shahidi as Tinkerbell.

18 of 26

The Little Mermaid (2023)

THE LITTLE MERMAID
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Halle Bailey stars as Ariel in Disney's live-action adaptation of the 1989 animated film, The Little Mermaid. Not only does the film feature an A-list cast, including Melissa McCarthy as Ursula and Javier Bardem as King Triton, but it also features new songs from Alan Menken and Lin-Manuel Miranda.

19 of 26

Snow White (2024)

Snow White
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Rachel Zegler is set to play the winsome Disney princess in the upcoming live-action remake of 1937's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs — Disney's first full-length animated film.

The Marc Webb-directed film, which also stars Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen, is set to be released on March 22, 2024.

20 of 26

Lilo & Stitch

FILM - LILO AND STICH - JUN 2002
REX/Shutterstock

A live-action adaptation of the 2002 film was first announced in 2018 and several stars have been confirmed since, including newcomer Maia Kealoha as Lilo. In April 2023, The Hollywood Reporter announced that Chris Sanders (who voiced Stitch in the original film) was in final negotiations to voice the character in the live-action movie.

A release date hasn't been announced.

21 of 26

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

1643860a
Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock

In January 2019, PEOPLE confirmed that a live-action The Hunchback of Notre Dame was in the works with Josh Gad slated to produce and Alan Menken, who created the original score of the animated film, set to compose the music with Stephen Schwartz.

In May 2023, Menken gave an update on the project, saying that it currently sits in "limbo" as writers discuss how to move forward with the story. "It's a tough one, because the Hunchback movie, Hunchback story involves a lot of real, real issues that are important issues and should be explored to be discussed," he told Comicbook.com. "And there has to be an agreement about how we deal with those issues."

22 of 26

Bambi

BAMBI, Bambi, Thumper, 1942
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Plans for a Bambi live-action film were first announced in January 2020. At the time, Variety reported that Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Lindsey Beer would be writing the screenplay, with Chris and Paul Weitz's Depth of Field producing.

In June, Deadline reported that Oscar-winner Sarah Polley was in talks to direct the project.

23 of 26

Robin Hood

Robin Hood
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In April 2020, The Hollywood Reporter announced that Disney was eyeing to remake 1973's animated film Robin Hood for their streaming service, Disney+.

At the time, Blindspotting's Carlos Lopez Estrada was attached to direct with Kari Granlund set to write the script, however, no new details have been announced.

24 of 26

Hercules

HERCULES, from left: Hercules, Megara, 1997
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In April 2020, The Hollywood Reporter announced that a live-action remake of Hercules was in the works with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings writer Dave Callaham attached to pen the script.

Though an official cast list and release date have not been announced, Joe Russo, who is producing the film alongside his brother Anthony, teased in July 2022 that the new film will put a "modern spin" on the original 1997 animated feature.

25 of 26

The Aristocats

FILM STILLS OF 'ARISTOCATS' WITH 1970
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In January 2022, Variety reported that a live-action adaptation of The Aristocats was in the works with Will Gluck and Keith Bunin attached to write the script.

In March 2023, Deadline reported that Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson would be helming the project, marking his feature film directing debut. A release date has not yet been confirmed.

26 of 26

Moana

MOANA, from left, Moana (voice: Auli'i Cravalho), Maui (voice: Dwayne Johnson), 2016.
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / courtesy Everett Collection

In April 2023, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson — who famously voiced demigod Maui in 2016's Moana — announced that the film would be getting the live-action movie treatment. The upcoming live-action film will be produced by Johnson, Dany Garcia and Hiram Garcia via their Seven Bucks Productions and Beau Flynn via Flynn Picture Co., according to a release.

Auli'i Cravalho, who voiced the titular role in the original, is also on board as an executive producer, however, she revealed on Instagram that she will not be reprising her role for the live-action film.

In June 2023, Variety reported that the live-action movie will be released on June 27, 2025.

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