{"id":7973,"date":"2025-04-10T13:21:13","date_gmt":"2025-04-10T13:21:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/7973\/"},"modified":"2025-04-10T13:21:13","modified_gmt":"2025-04-10T13:21:13","slug":"disney-live-actions-as-per-rotten-tomatoes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/7973\/","title":{"rendered":"Disney live actions as per Rotten Tomatoes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Since 1996, Disney<\/a> has delighted (or disappointed) audiences with live action reimaginings of its classics. These films have become a staple of cinemas over the past few years, but with wildly inconsistent results, pre-opening review bombing, and controversies over casting, plot changes and the real definition of live action.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, Disney still endeavours to delight children and win back older audiences, time and time again. Here\u2019s a look back at all the Disney live actions, ranked by Rotten Tomatoes.<\/a><\/p>\n

14. <\/strong>Pinocchio (2022)<\/strong>
\n\"Disney<\/p>\n

via Disney+<\/p>\n

Described as \u201cvisually dazzling but soulless\u201d, the 2022 rehash of Pinocchio failed to win over anyone, with a 27 per cent score from both critics and audiences. Though directed by Robert Zemeckis (director of childhood favourites like The Polar Express and Forrest Gump), the film seemed to struggle to justify why it was necessary.<\/p>\n

Even a stellar cast including Tom Hanks and Cynthia Erivo couldn\u2019t save this film\u2026 best to give it a skip.<\/p>\n

13. 101 Dalmatians (1996)<\/strong>
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

via Disney+<\/p>\n

One of Disney\u2019s first forays into live action reimaginings, you may well be surprised at how low this one ranks. Featuring an iconic performance by multi Oscar award nominee Glenn Close as the evil fashion diva determined to skin puppies for her clothes, alas the movie received a critic score of 39 per cent, and an audience score of 40 per cent.<\/p>\n

Again, the movie was criticised for being \u201cpointless\u201d, as so many remakes are, but unlike others on this list, at least this film is remembered with some favourability, so perhaps time has given it a nostalgic air.<\/p>\n

12. Snow White (2025)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

via Disney+<\/p>\n

Perhaps you expected Disney\u2019s latest live action movie to be this low, with a critics score of 40 per cent, but did you know that the audience rated it far more favourably, with a score of 73 per cent? Surprisingly high, for a movie plagued with such controversy.<\/p>\n

It began with questions of the casting of Rachel Zegler, and then with criticism for her comments about updating the film for a modern audience. However, since its release, Rachel\u2019s performance has been highly praised \u2013 and seems to be the only good thing about it.<\/p>\n

Gal Gadot\u2019s acting has been a source of great mockery for the film, whilst fresh controversy around the dwarves has arisen, as CGI characters were created, instead of casting actors with dwarfism a role in the movie. All in all, Disney\u2019s probably ready to get this one over with.<\/p>\n

11. Dumbo (2019)<\/strong>
\n\"Disney<\/p>\n

via Disney+<\/p>\n

Dumbo has as much to recommend it as Pinocchio \u2013 a famous director, known for other childhood classics (this time Tim Burton, director of Edward Scissorhands) and an excellent cast (Colin Farrell, Michael Keaton and Danny Devito).<\/p>\n

However, though faring a little better, the film still missed out on both audience and critical acclaim, with a critics score of 46 per cent, and an audience score of 47 per cent. The film was criticised for having an \u201coverstretched story\u201d, though did receive compliments on its visuals, and lead adorable baby elephant.<\/p>\n

10. The Lion King (2019)<\/strong>
\n\"Disney<\/p>\n

via Disney+<\/p>\n

Critics clearly didn\u2019t feel the love tonight with the Lion King, with a critics score of only 51 per cent, though audiences felt far more warmly towards it, with the highest audience score so far of 88 per cent.<\/p>\n

The film featured all the beloved songs of the original (though this time featuring Beyonce), and with a world wide box office of $1.657 billion, I\u2019m sure Disney thought this was well worth the effort (prompting a sequel in 2024 that beat the rotten tomatoes score, but stumbled at the box office).<\/p>\n

9.<\/strong>\u00a0Maleficent (2014)<\/strong>
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

via Disney+<\/p>\n

Though not always considered a classic Disney princess remake as it instead focuses on rebranding the villain, as of yet Maleficent is the closest we have to a live action Sleeping Beauty. Though it has a low critic score of 54 per cent, again audiences liked it more, with a score of 70 per cent.<\/p>\n

Angelina Jolie plays a woman wronged as the terrifying \u2013 though markedly less evil \u2013 Maleficent, with iconic cheekbones and outfit to match, and Elle Fanning as the adorable princess. Though it is neither the most faithful nor the most successful live action adaptation, it\u2019s certainly worth a watch if you prefer the morally grey characters.<\/p>\n

8. Aladdin (2019)<\/strong>
\n\"Disney<\/p>\n

via Disney+<\/p>\n

With a lukewarm critics score of 57 per cent but a far higher audience score of 94 per cent, Aladdin certainly thrilled audiences. Praised for its spectacle \u2013 even if it doesn\u2019t quite live up the spectacle of the original \u2013 and featuring new songs and an interesting performance by a blue Will Smith, it is one of the most popular of all the live action adaptations.<\/p>\n

However, it was a strange choice to have a Disney princess movie, aimed at children, directed by Guy Ritchie, the famed British action director who also worked on The Gentlemen.<\/p>\n

7. Peter Pan and Wendy (2023)<\/strong>
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

via Disney+<\/p>\n

The first on this list to have a critics score higher than an audience \u2013 and the margin is not small. Though critics were impressed \u2013 65 per cent \u2013 \u00a0the audience score is by fare the lowest on this list with a pathetic 11 per cent.<\/p>\n

Though this list of Disney live actions is ranked by the Rotten Tomatoes metric which prioritises critics over audiences, I still cannot recommend spending your Saturday night watching this, even with Jude Law as the villainous Hook.<\/p>\n

6. The Lady and The Tramp (2019)<\/strong>
\n\"Disney<\/p>\n

via Disney+<\/p>\n

You would be forgiven for missing the release of this one \u2013 in fact, I had no idea of its existence until it came time to write this article \u2013 and this, like the Lion King and the Jungle Book, stretches the definition of live action with its CGI protagonists.<\/p>\n

Again, there is a gulf between the audience and critics scores, though not as wide as before \u2013 a reasonable critics scores of 67 per cent, and a measly audience score of 49 per cent, with a cast boasting Tessa Thompson and Justin Theroux.<\/p>\n

The film was described as \u201clikeable\u2026enough\u201d, but as so many other adaptions, it failed to capture the magic of the original classic, so perhaps maybe stick with the animation this time.<\/p>\n

5. The Little Mermaid (2023)<\/strong>
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

via Disney+<\/p>\n

Like the recent Snow White, The Little Mermaid faced racially motivated criticism of its casting of Halle Bailey as the titular character, and yet The Little Mermaid is one of the highest ranking live action adaptations, with specific praise for Halle\u2019s performance and impressive vocals.<\/p>\n

The critics scores is respectable at 67 per cent, with an even higher audience score of 94 per cent, tying for highest place with Aladdin (though I would recommend this one more). There is decent balancing of both CGI and live action (as much as possible for a movie partially taking place with mermaids under the sea), and overall this is a thoroughly enjoyable watch.<\/p>\n

4. Beauty and the Beast (2017)<\/strong>
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

via Disney+<\/p>\n

One of Disney\u2019s earliest remakes of their classic Disney princess movies, Beauty and the Beast struggled to quite capture the magic of its predecessor. However, it still has both good critic and audience scores (71 per cent and 80 per cent respectively) and features new songs and dazzling set pieces (albeit a largely CGI cast due to its talking houseware).<\/p>\n

The ensemble cast features Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans and Emma Thompson, and is one of the most enjoyable of the adaptations \u2013 not a bad way to spend a quiet evening.<\/p>\n

3. Mulan (2020)<\/strong>
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

via Disney+<\/p>\n

Mulan probably has the most changes to its animated source material, including the introduction of a new villain, and the removal of one of its most popular characters Mushu. Due to its release year, it did not garner the attention or box office numbers as others, and had controversies of its own, such as its filming locations and the cast\u2019s comments on Hong Kong protests at the time.<\/p>\n

However, it still ranks highly on Rotten Tomatoes with a critics score of 71 per cent, though the audience viewed it less favourably with a score of only 46 per cent.<\/p>\n

2. Cinderella (2015)<\/strong>
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

via Disney+<\/p>\n

The first of the Disney princess classics to be adapted, Cinderella is by far one of the most popular with critics and audiences alike (scores of 84 per cent and 78 per cent respectively). Cinderella certainly captures the magic of its original source more than most of the others; maybe it\u2019s the production design, maybe it\u2019s the casting with Lily James, Richard Madden, and Cate Blanchett as a FABULOUS evil stepmother.<\/p>\n

Or maybe it is just the stunning dress with three miles of thread and 250 metres of fabric (!!!). Whatever it is, if you want a Disney movie to cosy up to when your assignments are over, this is what I\u2019d go for.<\/p>\n

1. The Jungle Book (2016)<\/strong>
\n\"Disney<\/p>\n

via Disney+<\/p>\n

Perhaps this may surprise you, but the victor of Disney live actions according to Rotten Tomatoes\u00a0is not a Disney princess movie, and barley is a live action when you consider that only one character isn\u2019t CGI. With an audience score of 86 per cent and an even better critics score of 94 per cent, The Jungle Book outstrips all others, described as \u201clovely to behold\u201d and \u201cengrossing to watch\u201d.<\/p>\n

The voice cast features Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba, and Scarlett Johansson, as well as a terrific performance from Neel Sethi as Mowgli. In spite of its limited live action elements, the movie delivers emotional moments and is deserving of its high ranking in this list.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Since 1996, Disney has delighted (or disappointed) audiences with live action reimaginings of its classics. These films have…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7974,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3935],"tags":[4781,823,77,3063,3943,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-7973","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-movies","8":"tag-celebrity","9":"tag-disney","10":"tag-entertainment","11":"tag-film","12":"tag-movies","13":"tag-uk","14":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114313880408441539","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7973","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7973"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7973\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7974"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7973"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7973"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7973"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}