List of remakes and adaptations of Disney animated films
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This is a list of live-action or photorealistic remakes produced by Walt Disney Pictures of its animated films. The list also includes the films' sequels and spin-offs within their fictional universe. This list does not include: remakes of live-action/animation hybrid films (such as Pete's Dragon), the made-for-television film Geppetto, the direct-to-video film The Jungle Book: Mowgli's Story, animated films that were produced by another studio and later adapted as live-action films by Disney, live-action films made by another studio based on the same story as the Disney films, or live-action films based on animated television shows (whether based on Disney shows such as Kim Possible, or Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers, or on animated shows from third-party studios such as George of the Jungle, Mr. Magoo, Inspector Gadget, or Underdog).
Released
Upcoming/in development
| Film | Original film | Release date | Director(s) | Screenwriter(s) | Producer(s) | Composer(s) | Co-production with | Production status | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moana | Moana (2016) | July 10, 2026 | Thomas Kail | Jared Bush and Dana Ledoux Miller | Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia, Hiram Garcia, Beau Flynn and Lin-Manuel Miranda | Mark MancinaR (score) Mark Mancina, Opetaia Foaʻi and Lin-Manuel MirandaR (songs) |
Seven Bucks Productions and Flynn Picture Co. | Post-production | [70][71][72][73] |
| Lilo & Stitch 2[t] | Lilo & Stitch (2002)[u] | May 26, 2028 | TBA | Chris Sanders | Jonathan Eirich | TBA | Rideback | In development | [74][75] |
| Tangled | Tangled (2010) | TBA | Michael Gracey | Jennifer Kaytin Robinson | Kristin Burr and Lucy Kitada | Alan MenkenR (score) Alan Menken and Glenn SlaterR (songs) |
Burr! Productions | [76][77][78] | |
| Hercules | Hercules (1997) | Guy Ritchie | TBA | Anthony and Joe Russo | Alan MenkenR (score) Alan Menken and David ZippelR (songs) |
AGBO | [79][80] | ||
| Untitled Gaston-centered film | Beauty and the Beast (1991) | Dave Callaham | Michelle Rejwan | TBA | TBA | [81] | |||
| Cruella sequel | One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961)[v] | Craig Gillespie | Dana Fox Tony McNamara |
Andrew Gunn Marc Platt Kristin Burr |
[82] | ||||
| Third Maleficent film | Sleeping Beauty (1959)[w] | TBA | Linda Woolverton | TBA | [83][84] |
- Notes
- An O indicates the songwriter only wrote songs for its original version that were featured in the remake
- An N indicates the songwriter only wrote songs for its remake
- An R indicates the songwriter/composer worked on both the original version and its remake
Scrapped and stalled projects
A live-action prequel to Aladdin titled Genies, written by Mark Swift and Damian Shannon and produced by Tripp Vinson, was announced in July 2015.[85] A spin-off film of the 2019 remake, focused on Prince Anders, was announced for Disney+ in December 2019, with Billy Magnussen reprising his role.[86] After some time without any news updates, Magnussen stated that the project was still in development in April 2021,[87] which he reconfirmed in the following year.[88] In February 2020, Variety confirmed that a sequel to the remake was in development, with John Gatins and Andrea Berloff set to write the script. Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich were set to return as producers, and Mena Massoud, Will Smith, and Naomi Scott were expected to reprise their roles.[89][90] In December 2023, Massoud said that "I don't have any updates" about the sequel and that he was unsure if it would be made.[91]
A sequel to The Jungle Book was confirmed to be in development in April 2016. Jon Favreau and Justin Marks were in talks to return as director and writer, respectively, while Brigham Taylor was confirmed to be returning as producer.[92] It would potentially have been released sometime in late 2019, and would have been shot back-to-back with Favreau's remake of The Lion King.[93][94][95] By March 2017, the sequel had been put on hold so that Favreau could focus on The Lion King.[96] In October 2018, Neel Sethi confirmed that he would reprise his role as Mowgli.[97] Since 2018, the project has been on indefinite hold.[98]
A live-action remake of The Sword in the Stone entered development in July 2015, with Bryan Cogman writing the script and Brigham Taylor serving as producer. In January 2018, Juan Carlos Fresnadillo was announced as director.[99] The next month, it was revealed that the film would premiere exclusively on Disney+. Enrique Chediak joined to serve as the cinematographer in September, while Eugenio Caballero joined to serve as the production designer in December. However, in March 2024, Fresnadillo revealed that the project was scrapped.[100]
In March 2016, Walt Disney Pictures re-acquired the film rights to The Chronicles of Prydain, on which the animated film The Black Cauldron was based, with the intention to adapt the novel series into a live-action film series. The project was in early development at Walt Disney Studios with no director, producer, or screenwriter attached yet. Since then, there has been no news about the project.[101]
In March 2016, Disney announced a new film in development titled Rose Red, the live-action spin-off to Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which was to be told from the perspective of Snow White's sister, Rose Red. The film was to be produced by Vinson and pitched by Justin Merz, based on the script by Evan Daugherty.[102] An additional live-action movie based on Prince Charming (of Cinderella and other fairy tales), entitled Charming, entered development in November 2017 with Stephen Chbosky as writer and director.[103]
In May 2019, Alan Menken suggested that Pocahontas would not have a live-action remake in the future, since remaking Pocahontas would most likely be impossible due to modern sensibilities.[104] In May 2023, Menken further suggested that a planned live-action remake of The Hunchback of Notre Dame titled simply Hunchback, which was announced in January 2019 to be written by David Henry Hwang, produced by Josh Gad, David Hoberman, and Todd Lieberman (through Mandeville Films), and based on elements from both the animated film and Victor Hugo's novel,[105][106] was stalled for similar reasons.[107]
A photorealistic computer animated remake of Robin Hood entered development in April 2020, with Kari Granlund writing the screenplay, Justin Springer producing, and Carlos López Estrada as the director.[108] In March 2026, Estrada confirmed that Disney scrapped the project.[109]
In January 2020, a photorealistic computer animated remake of Bambi was announced to be in development with a script co-written by Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Lindsey Anderson Beer. Paul Weitz, Chris Weitz, and Andrew Miano would produce the film; a joint-venture production between Walt Disney Pictures, Depth of Field Studios, and Known Universe Productions.[110] In June 2023, it was revealed that Sarah Polley was in talks to direct the film, which was said to be a musical that would feature music from six-time Grammy-winning country star Kacey Musgraves. Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster had written the most recent draft of the script.[111] However, in March 2024, Polley was no longer attached as director,[112][113] with the project remaining stalled and potentially scrapped.[114]
In January 2022, it was announced that a live-action remake of The Aristocats was in development with Will Gluck producing under his Olive Bridge Entertainment banner and Keith Bunin writing the script with Gluck.[115] Questlove was attached to direct the film in March 2023.[116] In August 2025, Questlove revealed that Disney was no longer moving forward with the film.[117]
Reception
Box office performance
Many Disney remakes rank along the highest grossing films upon their release, currently, The Lion King (11th), Beauty and the Beast (25th), Aladdin (46th), and Lilo & Stitch (57th) are on the list. The Lion King is also the highest-grossing musical film of all time.[x] It also set the record for the largest opening for an animated film and the musical before The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Frozen II surpassed the records respectively.
| Film | U.S. release date | Box office gross | All-time ranking | Budget | Ref. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. and Canada | Other territories | Worldwide | U.S. and Canada | Worldwide | ||||
| The Jungle Book | December 25, 1994 | $43,229,904 | $9,159,498 | $52,389,402 | 1,950 | 3,098 | $30 million | [120] |
| 101 Dalmatians | November 27, 1996 | $136,189,294 | $184,500,000 | $320,689,294 | 428 | 422 | $75 million | [121] |
| 102 Dalmatians | November 22, 2000 | $66,957,026 | $116,654,745 | $183,611,771 | 1,186 | 898 | $85 million | [122] |
| Alice in Wonderland | March 5, 2010 | $334,191,110 | $691,276,000 | $1,025,467,110 | 65 | 44 | $200 million | [123] |
| The Sorcerer's Apprentice | July 16, 2010 | $63,150,991 | $152,132,751 | $215,283,742 | 1,397 | 783 | $150 million | [124] |
| Maleficent | May 30, 2014 | $241,410,378 | $517,129,407 | $758,539,785 | 138 | 93 | $180 million | [125] |
| Cinderella | March 13, 2015 | $201,151,353 | $342,363,000 | $543,514,353 | 201 | 179 | $95 million | [126] |
| The Jungle Book | April 15, 2016 | $364,001,123 | $602,549,477 | $966,550,600 | 48 | 43 | $175 million | [127] |
| Alice Through the Looking Glass | May 27, 2016 | $77,041,381 | $222,415,643 | $299,457,024 | 1,011 | 470 | $170 million | [128] |
| Beauty and the Beast | March 17, 2017 | $504,014,165 | $759,506,961 | $1,263,521,126 | 14 | 16 | $160 million | [129] |
| Christopher Robin | August 3, 2018 | $99,215,042 | $98,529,335 | $197,744,377 | 746 | 834 | $75 million | [130] |
| Dumbo | March 29, 2019 | $114,766,307 | $238,518,314 | $353,284,621 | 592 | 371 | $170 million | [131] |
| Aladdin | May 24, 2019 | $355,559,216 | $695,134,737 | $1,050,693,953 | 51 | 34 | $183 million | [132] |
| The Lion King | July 19, 2019 | $543,638,043 | $1,113,305,351 | $1,656,943,394 | 11 | 7 | $260 million | [133] |
| Maleficent: Mistress of Evil | October 18, 2019 | $113,929,605 | $377,800,484 | $491,730,089 | 608 | 220 | $185 million | [134] |
| Mulan | September 4, 2020 | N/a[y] | $69,965,374 | $69,965,374 | N/a[y] | 2,429 | $200 million | [135] |
| Cruella | May 28, 2021 | $86,103,234 | $139,706,829 | $233,510,063 | 993 | 702[136] | $100 million | [137] |
| The Little Mermaid | May 26, 2023 | $298,172,056 | $271,454,233 | $569,626,289 | 105 | 199 | $240.2 million | [138][139] |
| Mufasa: The Lion King | December 20, 2024 | $254,567,693 | $468,018,667 | $722,586,360 | 150 | 161 | $200 million | [140] |
| Snow White | March 21, 2025 | $87,203,963 | $118,341,472 | $205,545,435 | 982 | 922 | $270 million | [141] |
| Lilo & Stitch | May 23, 2025 | $423,778,855 | $614,248,671 | $1,038,027,526 | 40 | 51 | $100 million | [142][143] |
| Total | $4,408,270,739 | $7,802,710,949 | $12,210,981,688 | – | – | $3.303 billion | ||
Critical and public response
Academy Award wins and nominations
Returning cast and crew
In certain cases, the surviving cast and crew who worked on the original films may return for the remake. Of note, Dwayne Johnson will not only reprise his role as Maui in Moana (2016), but will also produce the live-action remake under his production company Seven Bucks Productions. Alan Menken returned to the role of composer and songwriter three times. Disney's live-action remakes form part of the long-running effort to revisit its animated film catalogue for new audiences. According to Reuters, the studio has produced a steady stream of live-action remakes spanning several decades, ranging from earlier releases such as 101 Dalmatians (1996) to later films including Cinderella (2015), Beauty and the Beast (2017), The Lion King (2019), and The Little Mermaid (2023). The 2025 live-action remake of Snow White continues this pattern, reflecting the ongoing prominence of animated-to-live-action remakes within Disney's film output.[203] In some live-action remakes of Disney's animated films, individuals associated with the original productions have returned to participate in new roles and various capacities. For example, in the 2025 live-action remake of Lilo & Stitch, Chris Sanders, who co-wrote and co-directed the original 2002 animated film and voiced Stitch in that version, returned to voice the character in the remake, and original cast member Tia Carrere, who voiced Nani, appears in a new role.[204] Other live-action remakes have similarly drawn on talent associated with earlier versions of the stories. While not all original cast members have returned, these participations illustrate how some remakes maintain connections with their animated predecessors through returning voices or creative contributions.[205]
| Cast/crew | Role in original film | Original film | Remake |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alan Menken | Original songs and scores | Aladdin | Aladdin |
| Beauty and the Beast | Beauty and the Beast | ||
| The Little Mermaid | The Little Mermaid | ||
| Frank Welker | Voice actor of Abu, Rajah, and the Cave of Wonders | Aladdin | Aladdin |
| Jim Cummings | Voice actor of Winnie the Pooh and Tigger | The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh[z] | Christopher Robin |
| Dwayne Johnson | Voice actor of Maui | Moana | Moana |
| James Earl Jones | Voice actor of Mufasa | The Lion King | The Lion King |
| Hans Zimmer Tim Rice Elton John | Original songs and scores | ||
| Chris Sanders | Voice actor of Stitch | Lilo & Stitch | Lilo & Stitch |
See also
- List of Walt Disney Animation Studios films
- List of Disney theatrical animated feature films
- List of Walt Disney Pictures films
- Walt Disney Pictures
- Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
- List of Disney feature-length home entertainment releases
- List of film adaptations of Disney attractions
- Geppetto (film)
- Belle's Tales of Friendship
- The Jungle Book: Mowgli's Story
- Once Upon a Time (TV series)
- Descendants (franchise)
Notes
- While it was released under the Disney brand, the film was an independent production that Disney acquired the distribution rights to in certain territories. Aside from that, there are included some similarities to Disney's animated film.
- 102 Dalmatians is a sequel to 101 Dalmatians (1996).
- Even though Disney produced both, the film is not directly based on Alice in Wonderland (1951), although it takes some of its elements. While it uses a "sequel-style" premise—starring a 19-year-old Alice returning to a place she barely remembers—it is actually a standalone reimagining. Instead of following the 1951 continuity, it creates a brand-new timeline which feels more like a follow-up to Lewis Carroll's original books, introducing elements that never existed in the animated film.
- Segment: The Sorcerer's Apprentice, which was also featured in Fantasia 2000.
- Maleficent is a spin-off/reimagining of Sleeping Beauty (1959).
- Original The Jungle Book themes by George Bruns
- Alice Through the Looking Glass is a sequel to Alice in Wonderland (2010).
- Christopher Robin acts as a sequel to the Winnie the Pooh franchise, mainly the Walt Disney Animation Studios-made Winnie the Pooh featurettes and films.
- Original Dumbo themes by Frank Churchill and Oliver Wallace
- The film, aside from its opening shot, was made with photorealistic computer animation.[26]
- Maleficent: Mistress of Evil is a sequel to Maleficent (2014).
- The film was released through Disney+ streaming service with a premium fee due to the effects of COVID-19 restrictions. However, it also had a theatrical release in several countries where theaters were open.
- Original Mulan themes by Jerry Goldsmith
- Cruella is a prequel and reboot of One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961).
- The film was made with photorealistic computer animation.
- The film is a sequel/prequel to The Lion King (2019).
- Original The Lion King themes by Hans Zimmer
- The film is primarily a remake of Lilo & Stitch (2002). However, some elements of the film are also based on the Lilo & Stitch franchise in general.[64]
- The film will be a sequel to Lilo & Stitch (2025).
- The film will be a sequel to Cruella (2021).
- The film will be a sequel to Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (2019).
- Disney, which produced The Lion King (2019), considered the film to be live-action despite most of the film (aside from its opening shot) being made with photorealistic computer animation.[118] Others, such as the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (presenter of the Golden Globe Awards), deemed it to be animated based on specified criteria.[119]
- Mulan was released through Disney+ streaming service with a premium fee due to the effects of COVID-19 restrictions. However, it also had a theatrical release in several countries where theaters were open.
- Cummings took over as Tigger full-time after The Tigger Movie (2000).