Mandeville Films In 2023, the Walt Disney Company will be celebrating its 100th anniversary. On Oct. 16, 1923, Walt Disney signed his first animation deal for a series of animated comedies based on “Alice in Wonderland.” Over the last century, the company has churned out over 120 films, from early 2D animation classics like “Steamboat Willie” (1928) and “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves” (1937) to the impressive feats of CGI seen in recent films like “Turning Red” (2022) and “Lightyear” (2022). Many recent additions to Disney’s cinematic lineup have been live-action remakes of their 2D animated films, starting with 2010’s “Alice in Wonderland” and 2015’s “Cinderella.” Before the studio’s live-action remake trend kicked off in earnest, Disney had only made three live-action remakes of their animated features: a 1994 adaptation of “The Jungle Book” and the Glenn Close-starring classics “101 Dalmatians” and “102 Dalmatians.” The films were not particularly critically or commercially successful then, but that changed with Disney’s subsequent live-action attempts in the 2010s. These projects reached various levels of critical success, but were usually box office smashes. Stacker looked at every Disney live-action remake and sized them up next to the original animation version with IMDb and Metacritic data. Live-action adaptation sequels, spinoffs, and origin stories were not included–just remakes. You may also like: Incredible filming locations from popular movies ‘Mulan’ (2020) Walt Disney Pictures – Director: Niki Caro – IMDb user rating: 5.7 – Metascore: 66 – Runtime: 115 minutes The prospect of a live-action “Mulan” that could harness the past decade’s visual effects (known as VFX) developments had many fans excited upon its initial announcement. But the news that director Niki Caro’s remake would cut out the musical numbers and remove fan-favorite Mushu left many nervous about what would come. The filmmakers chose to emphasize the darker, more realistic side of this war-based story by letting the battles play out in epic proportions with the help of CGI. Critics and audiences alike found faults in this retelling, with Vox critic Aja Romano considering it “superficial and perfunctory.” The film’s box office records reflect this lack of interest, specifically in the film’s target audience: China. ‘Mulan’ (1998) Walt Disney Animation Studios – Directors: Tony Bancroft, Barry Cook – IMDb user rating: 7.6 – Metascore: 71 – Runtime: 88 minutes “Mulan” is a timeless feminist classic with an uncanny ability to balance heavy themes like wartime conscription with upbeat songs like “I’ll Make a Man Out of You.” This film was received incredibly well, grossing over $300 million worldwide and receiving nominations at the Golden Globes and Academy Awards. Much like the 2020 version, this film was panned in the Chinese market despite Disney’s best efforts (like bringing in Jackie Chan to record versions of some of the songs), with some claiming the international failure had to do with Mulan being too ethnically ambiguous. ‘The Lion King’ (2019) Walt Disney Pictures – Director: Jon Favreau – IMDb user rating: 6.8 – Metascore: 55 – Runtime: 118 minutes It’s hard to fathom a more star-studded cast than that of Jon Favreau’s 2019 “The Lion King,” which features the likes of Beyoncé, Donald Glover, James Earl Jones, and Seth Rogen, among others. Unlike the Broadway version of “The Lion King,” wherein human actors wear stylized animal costumes, this live-action remake relied on CGI to animate photorealistic animals voiced by the celebrities mentioned above. Critics protested the realistic animation style as the characters were essentially unable to emote. But despite this, audiences seemed to appreciate the film, with a 88% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. ‘The Lion King’ (1994) Walt Disney Pictures – Directors: Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff – IMDb user rating: 8.5 – Metascore: 88 – Runtime: 88 minutes Released in 1994, Disney’s animated “The Lion King” is so widely praised that some consider it one of the best animated feature films ever made, with two recent surveys in 2018 and 2022 placing the film squarely in the #1 spot. “The Lion King” is undoubtedly one of Disney’s best: a touching story about the families we’re born into and the families we make. It features songs written by Elton John, a soundtrack by Hans Zimmer, and vocal performances from Matthew Broderick, Jeremy Irons, and James Earl Jones. ‘Pinocchio’ (2022) Walt Disney Pictures – Director: Robert Zemeckis – IMDb user rating: 5.1 – Metascore: 38 – Runtime: 105 minutes The most recent film to be released on this list, Robert Zemeckis’ “Pinocchio” attempts to offer a faithful adaptation of the 1940 film and the source material, “The Adventures of Pinocchio,” with a slightly modern twist. In this case, the twist includes swapping out cigarettes for root beer, pop culture Easter eggs galore, and extensive fourth wall breaks. The movie has been critically panned, with viewers widely considering it dull or soulless and protesting the disconcerting CGI animation of Pinocchio–who never turns into a real boy. You may also like: Famous movie quotes from the year you were born ‘Pinocchio’ (1940) Walt Disney Animation Studios – Directors: Norman Ferguson, T. Hee, Wilfred Jackson, Jack Kinney, Hamilton Luske, Bill Roberts, Ben Sharpsteen – IMDb user rating: 7.5 – Metascore: 99 – Runtime: 88 minutes “Pinocchio” followed directly in the footsteps of the studio’s wildly successful “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” and was a box office failure. This abysmal reception had less to do with the quality of the film itself than with the outbreak of World War II, preventing the movie from enjoying an international release. Despite its financial struggle, the film was adored by critics, with the New York Times calling it “radiant” and “witty” and heralding it as “the best cartoon ever made.” ‘101 Dalmatians’ (1996) Walt Disney Pictures – Director: Stephen Herek – IMDb user rating: 5.7 – Metascore: 49 – Runtime: 103 minutes “101 Dalmatians” is the oldest remake on this list, premiering over 10 years before the live-action craze of the 2010s and 2020s. While the character Cruella de Vil has recently taken center stage in 2021’s “Cruella,” Glenn Close did it first: simultaneously leaving audiences enraptured as the phenomenally dressed villainess. Unfortunately, Close’s performance and the costuming are said to be the only impressive aspects of the film. Despite its box office success, it received negative reviews. ‘One Hundred and One Dalmatians’ (1961)
How Disney live-action movies compare to the originals
