Via The Roarbots

Disney and Pixar have given us wonderful childhood memories through their animated films, with these movies becoming modern classics that are still enjoyed by the masses. Hollywood has made several adaptations of our favorite animated films into live-action delights, in which we get to see our favourite characters and storylines being played by real-life actors rather than by voiceover actors and artists.

Some of these live-action adaptations were absolutely wonderful to watch, while others were movies that possibly needed a little more time before. With the new live-action release of Pinocchio around the corner, starring the iconic Tom Hanks, let us rank the live-action adaptations of Disney’s classics right here!

1- Aladdin

Everyone had their doubts when Disney announced the live-action adaptation of this classic fantasy tale, but with a formidable director like Guy Ritchie behind the cameras, and excellent choices for the cast, the magic of live-action worked superbly! Let’s face it, no one can ever top what Robin Williams brought to the Genie with his incredible comic and signing skills, even if it was only by his voice. However, Will Smith was indeed the next best thing.

The experienced, charismatic singer and acting extraordinaire really made it so much fun to watch the new live-action Aladdin with stunning musical numbers twisted with modern beats, while the Egyptian-Canadian rising star Mena Massoud was an absolute delight as the lucky poor boy who found the magic lamb who “ain’t never gonna have a friend like” Genie!

Via CNet

2- Beauty and the Beast

One of Hollywood’s most successful attempts at a live-action adaptation was the classic tale of the French girl with a heart of gold, and a cursed prince with singing and talking furniture. Director Bill Condor did an absolutely great job at bringing the musical numbers, the magic of the story, and the comic bits of this masterpiece to life, with the help of Ewan McGregor, Sir Ian McKellen, and Emma Thompson. Emma Watson and Dan Stevens were the perfect choices to play Beauty and her heartwarming beast, while Luke Evans and Josh Gad were born to play the human monster Gaston and his reluctant sidekick, respectively!

Via Rotoscopers

3- Cinderella

As a matter of fact, there have been several adaptations of Cinderella, with several filmmakers reworking the age-old tale with a more obviously feminist approach. Sadly, all attempts have failed to regenerate the magic of Cinderella and her fairy godmother, but perhaps that’s because the story is too much of a classic to be reworked into something that it is not. After all, the prince only fell in love with her at his ball after she was transformed into a princess with the help of a fairy Godmother and remembered nothing about her but her shoe. Why would anyone want to bring that story back when we all know how it ends?

Via JPM Group

4- Mulan

Let’s face it, some of our hearts fluttered with Disney’s announcement to take on the classic hit Mulan to become a live-action film and others dreaded the outcome after Hollywood might possibly ruin this beautiful story. The studio made an excellent decision by casting all Asian actors for the authenticity of the tale of a Chinese courageous daughter, disguising herself as a man in the army to save her father as well as her country. However, the filmmakers also made not-so-excellent choices by removing all the incredible songs of the new adaptation, giving it an all-serious tone. To make matters worse, the character of Musho, the magical tiny dragon sent by Mulan’s ancestors to help her with her impossible quest, was removed. Naturally, the film wasn’t a success after decapitating its best elements and focusing solely on the action sequences and the main plot line. Better luck next time, Hollywood!

Via University College Roosevelt

5- Lion King

People were NOT happy with the Lion King live-action adaptations, which felt more like a National-Geographic animal documentary rather than an epic tale of love, loss, and fight for power, and birthrights. Even though the adaptation was directed by Jon Favreau, the genius behind the Ironman franchise and someone who already brought success and awesomeness to the adaptation of Mowgli a few years earlier, somehow, he totally missed his mark on the Lion King adaptation with an overly-realistic CGI and not-as-fun Timon and Pumbaa dialogues.

Via Vox