2025’s long-awaitedSnow Whitehas joined Walt Disney Studios' growing list of live-action movies focusing on their iconic Disney Princesses. Since the late 1930s, Walt Disney Studios has been devoted to adapting famous fairy tales and classic stories into animated movies, and many have gone on to be ranked assome of the best movies of all time. While still creating many original animated features, in recent years, Disney has turned its attention to recreating their classic animated movies into live-action adaptations.Disney’s ever-increasing catalog of live-action remakesincludesThe Jungle Book(2016) andDumbo(2019).
Disney’s live-action remakes have had varying levels of success with critics and audiences, but many have becomesome of the company’s biggest box office hitsof the last few decades. Many of their remakes have been updated for modern audiences, and this includes movies that star theirpopular female characters from the Disney Princess franchise. While remakes such asMaleficent(2014) andAladdin(2019) include live portrayals of Aurora and Jasmine, there have been several times across the years when a Disney Princess has been the star of a live-action movie, with different results of success.
A project that lingered in development hell for a decade,Mulanis one of the most critically divisive live-action remakes of any Disney animated movie. Starring Yifei Liu as the titular character, it depicts Hua Mulan, a young woman from Imperial China, who disguises herself as a man and enlists in the army, in place of her ailing father. She establishes herself as a strong warrior and eventually succeeds in defeating Böri Khan. The movie is both remade from the 1998 animated movie,Mulan, andadapted from the Chinese folklore legend, “The Ballad of Mulan.”
Mulan: What Disney+’s Live-Action Remake Does Better Than The Animated Original
Disney+’s live-action remake of Mulan is a completely different movie to its 1998 animated original, but how does the 2020 version improve on it?
The movie’s production was impacted by several controversies, includingDisney’s decision to filmMulannear Chinese internment camps, for the removal of the character, Li Shang, who served as Mulan’s love interest in the animated movie, and for not hiring a director of Asian descent. The director, Niki Caro, later defended the movie and her role as a non-Asian director in the production, stating, “there is another culture at play here, which is the culture of Disney, and that the director, whoever they were, needed to be able to handle both” (viaThe Hollywood Reporter).
Upon its release,reviews forMulanpraised the movie for its visual effects, Liu’s performance as the famed warrior, action sequences, and costume design. However, it was also criticized for its historical inaccuracies, screenplay, and for not including any ofthe popular songs from the animatedMulanmovie. While it provideda powerful message of female empowermentand offered something new to the legendary story, many agreed thatthe 2020 live-actionMulancouldn’t compare to the success of the 1998 animated adaptation.
The live-action adaptation ofSnow Whitecomes more than eight decades after the release of Disney’s first full-length animated movie,which is still considered to be the best Disney Princess film. Inspired by the Brothers Grimm fairy tale, the movie depicts Snow White, a princess who is forced to flee from her castle, after learning her stepmother, the Evil Queen, plans to kill her to retain her title as"fairest in the land.“After escaping into the forest,Snow White teams up with seven dwarfsand a group of thieves, to overthrow the queen and take back her kingdom.
Similar toMulan,Snow Whitefaced several controversies during production, including the casting of Rachel Zegler as Snow White and its reimagining of the seven dwarfs. Upon release,Snow Whitereceived mixed reviews, being criticized for its CGI effects and its changes from the animated movie. However,Rachel Zegler’s role was widely praised, with many agreeing that she gave a standout performance, similar to her work inWest Side StoryandThe Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.Snow Whitealso includes a strong soundtrackof classic and original songs that helps solidify the remake as a decent live-action Disney movie.
Released in 2023, the live-action adaptation ofThe Little Mermaidmasterfully blended elements from the animated movie and believable modern updates to its classic story. Directed by Rob Marshall,The Little Mermaidfollows the adventures of a curious mermaid, Ariel (Halle Bailey), and her desire to learn more about life above the sea, against the wishes of her father,King Triton (Javier Bardem). After rescuing a human prince, during a storm, Ariel strikes a deal with the cunning sea-witch, Ursula (Melissa McCarthy), to give up her voice in exchange for human legs.
The Little Mermaid Wisely Changed The Original Horrifying Story
The Little Mermaid has been a beloved Disney classic since it was first released, but the original fairy tale tells a much darker story.
The Little Mermaid’sremake brilliantly expands on the original story, with praise going towardsthe revamping of Ariel and Eric’s love story, providing him with a new backstory and giving viewers an explanation for the divide between humans and water creatures.The original movie’s composer, Alan Menken, returned for the remakeand collaborated with Lin-Manuel Miranda to createa strong soundtrack forThe Little Mermaid, consisting of both new and updated songs from the animated classic.
Not only does Bailey honor the original Ariel throughout the movie, she also expands on her character, providing audiences with a new, likable, and relatable version of the popular Disney Princess, which helps rankThe Little Mermaidas one of Disney’s best live-action movies in recent times.
However, the movie’s greatest asset is easily the performance of Halle Bailey as Ariel. She managed to overcomesevere backlash over her casting inThe Little Mermaid, to give a powerful and resourceful performance of the adventurous mermaid, reminiscent of Jodi Benson’s voice acting in the 1989 movie. Not only does Bailey honor the original Ariel throughout the movie, she also expands on her character, providing audiences with a new, likable, and relatable version of the popular Disney Princess, which helps rankThe Little Mermaidas one of Disney’s best live-action movies in recent times.
The 1950 animated adaptation ofCinderellais remembered as Walt Disney’s favorite movie, which meant the 2015 live-action remake,directed by Kenneth Branagh, faced heavy pressure to reach the same height of success as the original.Cinderellafocuses on the life of Ella (Lily James), who, after the death of her father, is forced to live as a maid in the home of her stepmother, Lady Tremaine (Cate Blanchett), and is given the cruel name, Cinderella. With the help of her fairy godmother (Helena Bonham Carter), Cinderella attends the prince’s ball, which changes her life forever.
Kenneth Branagh’sCinderellaproved itself to be a worthy remake of the 1950 animated classic and also successfully elevated the original story.
Kenneth Branagh’sCinderellaproved itself to be a worthy remake of the 1950 animated classic and also successfully elevated the original story. The movie’s critical success was, in large part,thanks to Lily James' breathtaking and emotional performance of the titular princess, andCinderellahas since been ranked asone of James' best movies. While the movie does omit the original’s catchy soundtrack,Cinderellahas a talented cast of different characters, beautiful costume designs, and the perfect blend of friendship, romance and self-belief that make it an excellent live-action adaptation of the world-renowned Charles Perrault fairy tale.
The 1991Beauty and the Beastis considered the best Disney animated movie, due to its storyline, likable side-characters and enthralling soundtrack. It won two Oscars in 1992 for Best Original Song and Best Original Soundtrack, and wasthe first of only three animated movies to receive an Oscar nomination for Best Picture. A live-action remake ofBeauty and the Beastwas long-anticipated before it was finally released in 2017. The movie depicts Belle (Emma Watson) taking her father’s place as resident in the palace of the Beast (Dan Stevens), and as time passes, a romance eventually blossoms between them.
Bill Condon’s live-action adaptation has a strong cast including Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, Emma Thompson, and Josh Gad, breathing new life into the original’s celebrated characters. Through its inclusion of new, emotional songs such as “How Does A Moment Last Forever?” and “Evermore,” the live-action movie created a powerful and detailed story that breathes new life into the beloved fairy tale.Emma Watson’s performance as Belle was praised by critics for expanding on the character’s independenceand has been ranked asone of the bestBeautyportrayalsand solidifiedBeauty and the Beastas the best live-action Disney Princess movie.
