5 Best Disney Live-Action Adaptations With Highest RT Scores to Watch Before Lilo & Stitch
Live-action remakes are a controversial thing. The studio often releases soulless copies of the original masterpieces. But even among the many faceless doubles, real gems can be found.
More than a generation has grown up with Disney projects – they once revolutionized the world of animation and continue to amaze viewers of all ages.
But with the advancement of technology, it was only a matter of time before live-action remakes of classic animated films began to appear.
Lilo & Stitch is next – the new remake will be released on May 23, and Disney recently released a trailer for the upcoming film. In honor of this, we decided to remember the best works that have won the love of viewers and critics.
5. Cruella, 2021
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 75%
Cruella supports the trend of humanizing villains and giving characters a second bottom – here, Emma Stone basks in the negative charm of a fashion designer thief. It is impossible to resist such a delightful approach to the material, and the decision to depart from the Disney canon of Cruella was clearly a success.
Among other things, it is the biography of Miss de Vil that best fits the pop-cultural climate of the 21st century and the rethinking of the fate of familiar faces. The movie just has to stand the test of time – and it looks like it will.
4. Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book, 1994
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 80%
In 1994, Disney released a new story about Mowgli. This time it was about the confrontation between a noble savage and greedy civilized people. The plot, as is typical for the studio, has almost nothing in common with the original work, but the creators of the movie transferred King Louie from the animated version to the story.
The movie required over 200 trained animals, including 50 tigers. And the only fake animal in the movie was Kaa. Training snakes is extremely difficult, so Kaa in this adaptation is a mixture of computer technology, animatronics and puppets.
3. Cinderella, 2015
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 84%
For ten years, 2015's Cinderella has been the gold standard of live-action Disney remakes. This movie manages to be both the nostalgic fairy tale we all remember from childhood and a charming costume melodrama with its own voice.
A one-dimensional princess is transformed into a kind-hearted young woman with her own vision of the world and her own attitude toward it. The silent and infantile prince is given a certain independence and a short running time to express his own opinion.
Even the stepmother, played by Cate Blanchett, gets her five minutes of fame, during which the actress, as usual, manages to outdo all her colleagues on the set.
2. Pete's Dragon, 2016
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88%
The remake of Pete's Dragon is a great reminder that Disney makes live-action adaptations not only for commercial gain, but also to bring magic to adults and children, if only for an hour and a half.
The dragon is cute and fluffy, the bad guys' plans fail miserably, and the good guys live happily ever after. This kind and simple story can be watched by the whole family – it leaves a short but pleasant aftertaste.
1. The Jungle Book, 2016
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%
Jon Favreau's The Jungle Book is one of the few Disney remakes to receive near universal acclaim from viewers and critics alike.
The Jungle Book isn't afraid to be truly diverse, drawing inspiration not only from the 1967 animated film, but also from Rudyard Kipling's original collection of stories.
The Jungle Book also doesn't try to make the animals too realistic – which is definitely a good thing, since we know from The Lion King what it can do to try to turn a movie into a parody of a National Geographic program.
