101 Dalmatians (1996)
The original 1961 animation was a massive success for Disney following the unexpected flop of Sleeping Beauty. It's hard to believe but the company was in serious debt and they desperately needed a hit. There was even talk of closing down the animation division as the company was refocusing on live action films, television and theme parks. Fortunately, 101 Dalmatians went on to become the highest grossing film of 1961 in the United States. In 1996, the live-action remake was released by Disney and was one of my favourite films as a child. To be honest, I think that this is really underrated because, when everyone discusses live-action adaptations, nobody really mentions 101 Dalmatians. While it might not be a great film, it's still worth a watch just for the performances, especially Glenn Closes' as the iconic villain, Cruella De Vil, who wants to make a spotted fur coat out of dalmatians. She really makes the character her own and captures her vulgarity. Because of her strong performance, Close was nominated for a Golden Globe the following year. In the original animation, the main characters were the adult dalmatians, Pongo and Perdita, and, because they all had voices, we could hear the pain and sadness they felt at losing their young puppies. However, in this remake, the dogs don't talk and it's hard to connect with them as, from the viewer's perspective, they're not Pongo and Perdita, they're just two dogs looking for their puppies. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, though, because I don't think giving voices to the dogs would work. Because Glenn's performance was a success and it earned over $320 million at the international box office, a sequel was released three years later. While it wasn't as good as its predecessor, it was still an entertaining film for children who were fans of the previous film.
Alice In Wonderland (2010)
Disney's 1951 animation, Alice In Wonderland, is one of my favourite films released by Disney. It's full of energetic, fun characters and tells a entertaining story. The animation is one of Disney's best as we see the titular Wonderland come to life through vibrant and bright colours. In 2010, Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland was released. However, it wasn't a direct remake of the animated film. Rather, it was inspired by the animated film but mainly based on Lewis Carroll's books, Alice's Adventures In Wonderland and Through The Looking Glass. Burton's film managed to bring Wonderland to life through impressive visuals and computer-generated imagery. However, despite this, it received mixed reviews from critics. While it might not be an accurate adaptation of Carroll's classic books, the film is entertaining enough on its own. Johnny Depp, who frequently appears in Burton's films, gives a quirky performance as the Mad Hatter and is almost unrecognisable underneath the bright and colourful make-up. Mia Wasikowska also gives a strong performance as Alice who is a brave and determined individual. Another performance worth mentioning is Helena Bonham-Carter as the evil Red Queen who has an enormous head and is nicknamed 'Bloody Big Head'. Bonham-Carter makes the Red Queen her own and perfectly captures her loud outbursts and angry tantrums. Burton's Alice In Wonderland may have sacrificed the book's minimal narrative coherence, however, it's still a highly entertaining film that is worth watching for the performances and visually-stunning Wonderland. After its release, it went on to receive over $1 billion at the box office worldwide. Because of this, a sequel, Alice Through The Looking Glass, was released six years later. Unfortunately, despite being just as visually impressive as its predecessor, it had an underwhelming narrative. Due to its darkness and minor violence, especially in the climax, Alice In Wonderland proved to be more suited to older viewers, however, its sequel will probably only entertain youngsters.
Maleficent (2014)
Like the live-action adaptation of 101 Dalmatians, Maleficent focuses more on the titular villain. Maleficent is known for being the evil witch in Disney's 1959 animated film, Sleeping Beauty, who casts an curse on the princess so that when she turns 16, she'll prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and die. In the original animated film, Maleficent was a one-dimensional wicked witch who had no reason for cursing the young princess other than the fact she was evil. However, Maleficent brings a whole new perspective and actually makes Maleficent a more sympathetic character. The story brings depth to Maleficent and it's because of this we end up rooting for her throughout the entire film. Angelina Jolie proves why she's one of the most talented actresses in her leading role as the titular character. She doesn't just portray Maleficent, she becomes her. She understands what she's been through and perfectly captures her true emotions. Her make-up and costume also make her look exactly like the animated version. Truth be told, Maleficent is worth watching for Jolie's performance alone. The visual effects are impressive here too, especially in the opening scene where we first meet Maleficent as a child. We see her home in the forest which is filled with colourful imagery and mythical creatures such as goblins and fairies. The brightness of this setting indicates Maleficent's mood and how happy she is. However, after she is betrayed by her friend, she is soon filled with anger and the film's tone becomes darker. It's this betrayal that leads to her cursing the princess as an infant. However, we can now understand Maleficent's actions and feel sympathetic towards her when she tries to undo the curse after bonding with the princess as she grows up. It's because of Jolie's mesmirising performance and the added depth to her character why Maleficent is actually an improvement on the original animated film. Elle Fanning gives a strong performance as the princess Aurora who believes that Maleficent is her fairy godmother.
The Jungle Book (2016)
Disney's 1967 animated film, The Jungle Book, tells the story of Mowgli who was raised in the jungle by wolves but, now a fully grown child, he must return to the man-village or face being killed by a terrifying tiger, Shere-Khan. However, this return home proves to be more difficult than Mowgli and his friend, Bagheera the black panther, thought and Mowgli encounters a snake, elephants, a large bear and more on his journey. It was a highly entertaining film with interesting characters and catchy songs such as 'Bare Necessities' and it went on to become a Disney classic. It's because of this I can understand why a live-action adaptation was released and, fortunately, it lived up to expectations and managed to successfully recreate the original through computer-generated imagery. The jungle is brought to life and is visually stunning. The same can be said for the animals as well. It's hard to believe none of it is real and is all created through technology. Neel Sethi is the only actor that appears fully in the film. Speaking of which, Sethi gives an impressive performance in his debut feature film. He captures Mowgli's cheeky and brave personality really well. The voices for the film are good choices too and include Ben Kingsley as Shere Khan, Idris Elba as Shere Khan, Bill Murray as Baloo the bear and Scarlett Johansson as Kaa the snake. Each bring their unique talents to the role and are all great individually but the stand-out is Murray as Baloo. In the original animated film, Baloo brought most of the humour so it make sense that Murray would voice him. He and Mowgli develop a bond over the course of the film. Because it's an adventure-based film, The Jungle Book never fails to lose our attention and keeps us entertained throughout with its fast-paced action. It's because of the stunning visuals, an impressive performance from Sethi and strong voice work from its A-List cast that The Jungle Book is one of the best live-action adaptations of a Disney film.
Beauty and the Beast (2017)
Creating a live-action adaptation of Disney's most successful animation must have been an incredibly challenging task but, fortunately, director Bill Condon and the entire cast and crew have worked hard and created a feature film that captures the magic of the original. I think that a lot of people will have high expectations as the 1991 original animated film was a huge success. At the Golden Globes, it won the award for Best Motion Picture and at the Academy Awards, it won two Oscars for Best Music, Original Score and Best Music, Original Song, all of which it most certainly deserved. It showed Disney at their best so it's no surprise that a live-action remake was created. As a child, I loved watching the original Beauty and the Beast and I was fortunate enough to see the stage adaptation twice. This lead me to having high expectations for this live-action remake and I wasn't disappointed. I think that this is the perfect film to watch if you loved the original as it increases the feeling of nostalgia. Children of all ages will enjoy this too and find the characters, especially the enchanted objects, really entertaining. As a child, I loved watching the original Beauty and the Beast and I was fortunate enough to see the stage adaptation twice. This lead me to having high expectations for this live-action remake and I wasn't disappointed. I think that this is the perfect film to watch if you loved the original as it increases the feeling of nostalgia. Children of all ages will enjoy this too and find the characters, especially the enchanted objects, really entertaining. Overall, with an enchanting cast, beautifully crafted songs, and a painterly eye for detail, Beauty and the Beast offers a faithful yet fresh retelling that honors its beloved source material.
Those are my favourite live action adaptations of Disney films.
As more get released in the coming years, if they're good enough, I'll update this list.
Thanks for reading my blogpost, I really appreciate it.
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