For every massive smash-hit like The Lion King, Disney has also seen crushing financial failures like Snow White. Though the studio has seemingly reduced the number of live-action remakes in development, they’ve merely become more selective. The recent success of the Lilo & Stitch remake proves that it isn’t a lost cause after all.
Not every Disney movie is perfect fodder for a live-action remake, and some would be downright impossible. The medium of animation is why so many of these classic films shine, and bringing them into the real world would strip away the magic. Though it’s theoretically possible to remake anything in live-action, it is impossible to do it successfully every time.
The Aristocats (1970)
The Aristocats was in development for a live-action remake from musician Questlove, but Disney smartly squashed the project. It concerns a mother cat and her kittens who fall in with a smooth-talking alley cat after they are nearly bumped off for their inheritance. Controversial racist moments notwithstanding, The Aristocats is a charming part of Disney’s ’70s catalog.
The problem with trying to remake the movie is that the bulk of the film stars animals. That would require a ton of CGI, thus rendering the “live-action” part of the remake completely moot. Many of the cats take on human characteristics, which would be impossible to recreate using actual animals.
Wreck-It Ralph (2012)
Though video game graphics are reaching the point of photorealism, a live-action remake of Wreck-It Ralph just wouldn’t work. The title character is a video game villain who decides to become a hero, and must stop a dangerous threat in the process. The charming box office smash was the pinnacle of Disney’s creativity boom in the 2010s.
Since Ralph and his co-stars are all video game characters, remaking them in live-action would mean simply transforming them into another form of animation (most likely CGI). The imagination of Wreck-It Ralph is rooted in how it utilizes video game imagery and concepts, something that would be totally lost if it was in live-action.
A Goofy Movie (1995)
Arguably Disney’s most beloved cult classic from the ’90s, A Goofy Movie has a loyal fanbase. Goofy tries to reconnect with his teenage son, but their cross-country fishing trip gets in the way of Max’s plans. It’s one of Disney’s most heartfelt animated films, but it would make for a disastrous live-action remake.
Transforming anthropomorphic animal characters into live-action would be terrifying, ruining the charm of the story right off the bat. Disney typically leaves their big five mascot characters alone, and they’ve never been brought into the real world save for theme park costumes. A Goofy Movie is just too precious to try to remake in any form, let alone live-action.
The Many Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh (1977)
Disney sort of remade Winnie-the-Pooh in live-action with Christopher Robin, but the movie mostly focused on its human main character. A remake of 1977’s The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh would be a different story altogether. Each vignette focuses on the animal characters from Hundred Acre Wood, and there isn’t much that’s grounded in reality.
Pooh and his pals have always been illustrations or cartoons, and to make them into live-action figures wouldn’t do them justice. A live-action remake of The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh would be impossible to pull off correctly, and it would undermine the entire concept of Disney’s remake plan. Pooh should always stay in the realm of traditional animation.
Treasure Planet (2002)
Treasure Planet seems like a logical candidate for a live-action remake on the surface, but it falls apart upon closer examination. The sci-fi adaptation of Treasure Island, concerns a teen who discovers a map to the greatest treasure trove in the galaxy. The movie was a notoriously expensive bomb upon release, but quickly became a bona fide cult classic.
Disney’s live-action remakes pose a complex question: how much CGI is too much? Treasure Planet‘s opulent animation would require CGI in every frame, with only minimal live-action visuals. It’s unlikely that Disney would invest the money to make the aliens and robots with practical effects, so every shot would be nothing but glorified CGI animation.
The Rescuers (1977)
Coming as something of a bright spot during one of Disney’s worst periods, The Rescuers is a lesser classic. After an orphan is kidnapped, a pair of mice from the Rescue Aid Society set out to save her. There’s a considerable number of human characters in the movie, but the focus is still on the animals.
The Rescuers is bombastic and over-the-top, so any live-action remake would be forced to choose between realism and cartoonish action. The former would be frightening and weird, while the latter would require so much CGI as to defeat the purpose of a live-action remake. The Rescuers and its sequel should stay as they are.
Robin Hood (1973)
There have been tons of adaptations of the folk hero, but Disney’s Robin Hood is one of the most memorable. In the cartoon, Robin Hood is a fox who uses his skills to steal from the rich to give to the poor. By making all the characters animals, Disney cleverly made the story more accessible for audiences of all ages.
Robin Hood‘s greatest strength is also the reason it would be impossible to remake as a live-action film. Turning cutesy anthropomorphic animals into CGI monstrosities would have the opposite effect that Disney intended. What’s more, live-action would automatically make the peril and violence unsettling. The unreality of Disney’s Robin Hood must be left intact.
Zootopia (2016)
With a collective box office of nearly three billion dollars, Zootopia and its sequel are money printers for Disney. It’s set in a world run by animals, where a determined bunny cop and a sly fox team up to crack a case. Disney may have dollar signs in their eyes when it comes to Zootopia, but a live-action remake is an impossible dream.
Like a lot of Disney movies, turning cartoon animals into live-action wouldn’t work for Zootopia. There’s a playful energy to the cartoon world that would be sacrificed if it was translated into live-action. Not to mention, popular characters like Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde would be more scary than cute if they were ever brought into the real world.
The Great Mouse Detective (1986)
The Great Mouse Detective was almost too scary in its original animated form, but a live-action remake would be absolutely mortifying. Disney’s take on Sherlock Holmes concerns an intrepid mouse detective who delves into London’s criminal underbelly to stop his old nemesis, Professor Ratigan. Though it arguably set the stage for Disney’s renaissance, The Great Mouse Detective is overlooked.
Disney would never consider remaking the film in live-action, mostly because it isn’t popular enough to warrant such treatment. However, it would be an impossible task even if the studio wanted to, largely because there is nothing grounding the story in reality. Everything would have to be CGI, thus stretching the definition of “live-action” to its limit.
Fantasia (1940)
Disney has never hesitated to remake their classics, but Fantasia is uniquely untouchable. The two-hour animation showcase is the best of old school Disney, and is undoubtedly one of the pinnacles of the art form. Several moments from the film have become lasting images that Disney has returned to over and over again throughout the decades.
Making Fantasia into a live-action film would be impossible. None of the sequences are grounded in reality, and some are so abstract as to literally only make sense in animated form. It would undermine the entire point of the film, and do a disservice to the animators who poured their heart and soul into the legendary Disney gem.