The Live-action Disney Remakes We’d Like To See

Over the past 25 years, we’ve had a fairly steady stream of classic Disney stories being remade into live-action adaptations. It began with Stephen Sommers’ 1994 The Jungle Book and we have seen further films such as 101 Dalmatians, Alice In Wonderland, and Maleficient all make their way to the big screen, too.

More recently the focus has been on the Disney renaissance films and we’ve already seen Cinderella, Jon Favreau’s The Jungle Book and also Beauty And The Beast. Now with the newly released image of Liu Yifei as Mulan, and Disney’s ongoing procession of live-action remakes, including both The Lion King and Aladdin on their way, we take a look at some of their previous animated theatrical features that we think should get made into live-action remakes.

THE EMPEROR’S NEW GROOVE

The film is a cult favourite and sees egotistical Emperor Kuzco turned into a llama by his scheming ex-advisor Yzma. He requires the help of llama herder Pacha to return to normal, learning about humility and how to be a good leader and ruler for his kingdom as he tries to get back to his palace and return to human form. The film leans heavily into the buddy comedy genre, which would be a fresh feel for the live-action side of their slate since most of the recent ones have had a darker tone. Also, the film explores Inca history, politics and culture, something that is not often seen or represented in mainstream media.

TREASURE PLANET

It’s Treasure Island + space + a steampunk aesthetic. What’s not to love? This criminally under-appreciated film is all about adventure and chasing your dreams. Visually it is probably one of Disney’s prettiest, courtesy of its space setting, and its characters are a wonderful mixed ragtag bunch. Current CGI and motion capture can easily generate the mixture of alien and anthropomorphic races, as well as Morph (it’s basically a pink Flubber but with googly eyes). Whilst you could cast Nick Robinson or Finn Wolfhard in the role of Jim Hawkins, Javier Bardem as John Silver, Hayley Atwell as Captain Amelia and Terry Crews as Mr Arrow, as a few suggestions.

LILO AND STITCH

When you pair up a lonely and precocious girl with a vicious and perpetually angry alien, you wouldn’t think it could result in something so wholesome. But Lilo And Stitch manages to combine the ridiculous and sometimes slapstick comedy with the warmth of the family we have around us. It was also an early pioneer in having an onscreen diversity of Polynesian people before Moana totally hit it huge. Not to mention having a pretty accurate depiction of onscreen sibling rivalry and the challenges of raising and supporting a young family as orphans.

BRAVE

Strong. Female. Lead. Simply put, Merida is one of the most inspiring and also underrated Disney Princesses. Stubborn and determined and willful, she eschews tradition in favour of doing what she believes is right. Also with the success of shows like Vikings and Outlander, a darker medieval fantasy tale set in the Scottish highlands featuring a strong female character could be a healthy injection of this lesser known culture.

THE SWORD IN THE STONE

The rumour mill has already begun on this one, with reports surfacing that Game Of Thrones writer/producer Bryan Cogman will be behind the script for this movie. It’s still extremely early days of course but we remain hopeful of a take on the legend of King Arthur’s origin story being something that Disney can inject their particular brand of magic into. And even though there have been many adaptations of this character brought to the screen, not many have had an opportunity to really showcase the supporting cast. Most of whom in the original feature, are particularly hilarious and fun to watch.