The Little Mermaid is splashing into theaters this weekend, another Disney animated film that has gotten the live-action treatment.
It’s not always possible to make these live-action remakes work, but Disney seems very focused on making as many of these as possible.
Films like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Lilo and Stitch, Hercules, The Sword in the Stone, Robin Hood, The Aristocats and Moana are all in the process of being remade as we speak.
This trend is a popular one at the Mouse House, and there are no signs of it slowing down anytime soon.
We’ve come up with five Disney animated films that really could work well as live-action features if they’re handled right, even if they may never see the light of day. One of our suggestions is apparently in the works, and we hope they do it justice.
Here’s our five picks, films we think could actually get fascinating reimaginings rather than just feel perfunctory in execution.
Tarzan
While you might want to excise the talking animals, Tarzan is one of the most adapted stories in cinema history.
Like Peter Pan, it just takes a smart filmmaker to really hammer in a unique vision to make it work. Disney could loosely recalibrate the 1999 film into a thrilling adventure and even do some covers of the Phil Collins songs if you really need the nostalgia to come through in the marketing.
If we’re really going to get remakes of every Disney animated film possible, at least the studio could expand the horizons a bit on a story that you know you can update with success.
Director suggestion: Actor-turned-filmmaker Andy Serkis did some fascinating work with his Jungle Book film at Warner Bros. and his Venom sequel.
He really could nail the motion capture elements and tell a grounded story that eschews some of the more sillier elements of the original. It’s all about finding a fresh take, and Serkis could do that with Tarzan.
The Black Cauldron
The Black Cauldron didn’t work for Disney at its release due to its dark imagery and scary undertones, and the studio probably isn’t eager to jump back in and tell such a gothic story with such live-action promise.
A smart director really could come in and make a PG-13 fantasy horror epic with this movie and really give it the fresh audience who could better appreciate what moviegoers in the 1980s couldn’t quite embrace.
Director suggestion: Panos Cosmatos might be as likely to do a Disney movie as David Cronenberg, but his cosmic sense of fantasy horror would fit The Black Cauldron like a glove.
It’d be the most risky Disney tentpole release in some time if this actually happened with such a distinct vision, which admittedly has laughably long odds for how the Mouse House operates these days. This would be cool, even if it’s not happening … ever.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
The Hunchback of Notre Dame is reportedly one of the Disney animated films that is being tinkered with behind the scenes for a live-action adaptation.
While this film is one of Disney’s darkest movies period, it’s also one of its best. It could also lend itself to a powerful live-action vision as it balances so many rigorous themes of politics, religion and acceptance.
If you ditch the talking gargoyles (or just reimagine them to be less obtrusive), a live-action adaptation could really bring this film to life in some fascinating, relevant ways for a new audience.
Director suggestion: If Disney could somehow convince French auteur Céline Sciamma to leave the independent scene for a bit and make a Hunchback of Notre Dame live-action adaptation… we’re getting our hopes up.
Atlantis: The Lost Empire
Atlantis: The Lost Empire was a visual marvel during its 2001 release, even if the film didn’t quite stack up in the narrative department.
If you found the right script, Disney could unearth a big-budget Atlantis adaptation and find plenty of success with it.
It’s the one film on this list with actual franchise potential, too, considering how much you could expand the world that lies within. The right filmmaker could come in and have a field day with this.
Director suggestion: Oscar winner Guillermo del Toro has never worked with Disney, but Atlantis could give the all-time director his biggest stage yet.
The filmmaker upstaged Disney with his Pinocchio last year, and if they gave him full creative control, an Atlantis film could give del Toro a chance to work with resources he’s not quite had in some time. Let him make the PG-13 Atlantis that fits right in with his monster-friendly sensibilities.
A del Toro sea beast battling with an art-deco mega-submarine? What’s not to love!
Tangled
While it might feel sacreligious to already remake 2010’s beloved Tangled, it’s inevitably going to happen.
However, Tangled is merely a reworking of the Rapunzel story, and there could be a lot here for a filmmaker to really expand on. As good as Tangled is, the film could’ve expanded its visual horizons a bit more past its stunning “I See the Light” sequence and Rapunzel’s tower.
There is more to this story than the 2010 film really found, and a live-action remake could actually ratched up this film and really make some of the original’s best qualities pop even more. It’s the rare pitch that could actually improve upon what it’s riffing on.
Director suggestion: Emerald Fennell showed impressive control over varying tones with 2020’s Promising Young Woman, and perhaps she could keep Tangled‘s spirit in tact while also expanding how it could work in a live-action format.
She’d be able to write, direct and even act in the project, which could thrive with a singular vision.
