By critics’ scores, the best Disney live action remakes here are The Jungle Book (2016), Pete’s Dragon (2016) and Cinderella (2015). By box office, The Lion King (2019) wins at $1.662 billion worldwide. Below are all ten, with who directed each one, what it made and how critics took it.
Updated November 2, 2026.
Most of us have a Disney movie we can still sing from start to finish, which is exactly why a remake is such a risk. I have watched Disney’s cartoons and their live-action versions back to back for years, and the Disney remakes fall into three kinds. Some copy the shot list, some retell the story from another side, and some invent a new story around a minor character. The scores show that copying guarantees nothing either way: The Jungle Book and The Lion King share a director and a method, and their Rotten Tomatoes scores are 94% and 52%.
The Jungle Book (2016): the best-reviewed Disney live action remake
Jon Favreau directed this one, released April 15, 2016. It grossed $966.6 million worldwide against a $175 million budget and holds a 94% Rotten Tomatoes score. Neel Sethi plays Mowgli among computer-made animals, with Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley and Idris Elba voicing Baloo, Bagheera and Shere Khan. The film won the Oscar for visual effects at the 89th Academy Awards.
The original animated Jungle Book arrived in 1967 and set a high bar for songs and animal characters. Plenty of fans never expected the 2016 version to come close, and it surprised them. This version keeps the story and the heart of the original but gives the jungle real scale.
The Lion King (2019): the biggest Disney live action remake
Favreau directed again, and the film opened in the US on July 19, 2019. Box Office Mojo lists its worldwide gross at $1.662 billion. Wikipedia says it was the highest-grossing animated film of all time from August 2019 until Pixar’s Inside Out 2 passed it in September 2024. The Rotten Tomatoes score is 52%, and the film earned one Oscar nomination, for visual effects. Donald Glover voices Simba, Beyoncé voices Nala and James Earl Jones returned as Mufasa.
The animals look real, which is the problem and the achievement. The faces do not emote the way the cartoon’s did, so the big moments land softer. It is also less lighthearted than a lot of Disney films, though it recreates the famous scenes in stunning detail. Children, parents and ’90s fans all rushed to theaters to see a story they already loved. Anyone who has seen a remake of a favorite movie knows the nagging question: can it live up to the original? Audiences paid to find out, and the gross shows it.
Maleficent (2014)
Robert Stromberg made his directing debut with this retelling of Sleeping Beauty from the villain’s side. It opened May 30, 2014, and grossed $759.9 million worldwide, per Box Office Mojo. Rotten Tomatoes shows 54%. Angelina Jolie plays the title role and was an executive producer, and the sequel, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, followed on October 18, 2019.
The idea is that every villain is the hero of a different story. We all end up the villain in someone else’s story at some point, and the film builds on that. It gives Maleficent a reason for her curse, and Jolie sells it. The pacing drags in places. Critics were split, and the gross suggests viewers were less so.
Alice in Wonderland (2010)
Tim Burton’s fantasy film opened in the US on March 5, 2010, and grossed $1.025 billion, with $334.1 million of that in North America. It won Oscars for art direction and costume design at the 83rd Academy Awards. Rotten Tomatoes shows 51%. Johnny Depp plays Tarrant Hightopp, the Mad Hatter.
It is more a reimagining than a straight remake, and it is here because it opened the door for the rest. This film showed that a darker, more stylized take on a cartoon could make a billion dollars. Has Johnny Depp ever made a horrible movie? This one is a blast for anyone who likes bold, odd characters. It asks who is good, who is villainous and who is simply wacko, and answers with Burton’s usual costumes and color. The 2016 sequel, Alice Through the Looking Glass, directed by James Bobin, did not recapture the first film’s pull.
Beauty and the Beast (2017)
Bill Condon directed this musical, which opened in the US on March 17, 2017. It grossed $1.266 billion worldwide, per Box Office Mojo, the second-biggest release of 2017 behind Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Rotten Tomatoes shows 71%. It earned two Oscar nominations at the 90th Academy Awards, for costume design (Jacqueline Durran) and production design (Sarah Greenwood and Katie Spencer).
Emma Watson plays Belle, and the film follows the cartoon closely. With a tale as old as time, it is easy to let fans down, and a movie we loved as kids feels risky to touch. Where it improves is in the castle, which looks like a place people lived in, and in the warmth of the supporting cast. The songs feel lively too.
Cinderella (2015)
Kenneth Branagh directed Cinderella, released March 13, 2015, after a premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival. It grossed $543.5 million on a $95 million budget, scores 83% on Rotten Tomatoes, and earned an Oscar nomination for costume design. Lily James plays Ella, and Cate Blanchett plays Lady Tremaine.
Cinderella is probably the most famous Disney princess, so retelling her story was a risk. Branagh plays it straight. Ella is kind by choice rather than helplessness, and Lily James makes her sweet but also tough. Blanchett’s stepmother is the sharpest thing in the film. It grossed more than five times its budget.
Pete’s Dragon (2016)
David Lowery directed this remake, released August 12, 2016. It grossed $143.7 million on a $65 million budget and scores 88% on Rotten Tomatoes. The cast includes Oakes Fegley as Pete, Bryce Dallas Howard, Wes Bentley and Robert Redford. Wikipedia notes it is not a musical, moves the setting to the Pacific Northwest in the early 1980s, and uses a fully computer-generated Elliot made by Weta Digital.
It is the quietest remake here and the one least like the 1977 original. That is why it works. The film walks the line between sad and heartwarming. Most of us have teared up at a movie about a kid and an animal, and this one earns it. Robert Redford adds warmth as a natural storyteller, and Bryce Dallas Howard gives viewers a heroine who feels real. The film trusts a boy and a dragon to carry it.
Mulan (2020)
Niki Caro directed Mulan. Disney released it on Disney+ through Premier Access on September 4, 2020, at $29.99 in the US, because of the pandemic. It grossed $69.9 million against a $200 million budget and scores 71% on Rotten Tomatoes. It earned Oscar nominations for costume design and visual effects. Liu Yifei plays Mulan, with Donnie Yen, Gong Li, Jason Scott Lee and Jet Li in the cast.
While other princesses wear dresses and wait to be saved, Mulan stands apart. She chooses honor and fights to protect her family. The film drops the songs for a more serious war drama about duty and sacrifice. Liu Yifei plays her as grounded and determined. The gross is a weak guide here, since most viewers watched at home.
Aladdin (2019)
Guy Ritchie directed Aladdin, released May 24, 2019. It grossed $1.051 billion worldwide in its 2019 run on a $183 million budget, per Box Office Mojo, and Rotten Tomatoes shows 57%. Will Smith plays the Genie, with Mena Massoud as Aladdin and Naomi Scott as Jasmine. It received no Oscar nominations, though the song “Speechless” was shortlisted for Best Original Song.
Smith does not imitate Robin Williams, which is the smartest choice in the film. It gives the Genie a fresh feel, with plenty of humor and heart. Scott gets a bigger role as Jasmine, and “Speechless” gives her a moment of her own. She and Mena Massoud make a charming pair. Anyone who has gotten a second chance knows why the story’s heart works. Reviews were middling, but the film earned more than a billion dollars.
Cruella (2021): a Disney live action remake with a new story
Craig Gillespie directed Cruella, which opened May 28, 2021, in theaters and on Disney+ Premier Access. It grossed $233.5 million on a $100 million budget and scores 75% on Rotten Tomatoes. Jenny Beavan won the Oscar for costume design. Emma Stone plays Estella, who becomes Cruella, and Emma Thompson plays the Baroness von Hellman.
This is an origin story built on fashion and rivalry, not a retelling of 101 Dalmatians. It leans into style, rebellion and dark comedy, and Emma Stone makes Cruella sharp and unpredictable. The rivalry between Stone and Thompson drives the plot, and the Oscar-winning costumes carry the style.
Which Disney live action remakes are worth watching?
What is the highest-grossing Disney live action remake?
Of the ten films here, The Lion King (2019) grossed the most, at $1.662 billion worldwide according to Box Office Mojo. Beauty and the Beast (2017) follows at $1.266 billion, Aladdin (2019) at $1.051 billion in its first run and Alice in Wonderland (2010) at $1.025 billion. The Jungle Book (2016) is just under a billion at $966.6 million.
Which Disney live action remake has the best reviews?
The Jungle Book (2016) has the highest Rotten Tomatoes score on this list at 94%. Pete’s Dragon (2016) follows at 88%, then Cinderella (2015) at 83% and Cruella (2021) at 75%. Alice in Wonderland (2010) has the lowest score here at 51%, just below The Lion King (2019) at 52%.
Did Mulan (2020) come out in theaters?
Not in the US at first. Disney released Mulan on Disney+ through Premier Access on September 4, 2020, at $29.99. The film opened in China on September 11, 2020, and its $69.9 million worldwide gross reflects the limited theatrical run, set against a $200 million budget.