The Most Successful Disney Live-Action Adaptations

In 1937, the world changed. That was the very first year that Disney released a full-length animated feature. Snow White was an absolute hit. And from there, they kept creating beautiful adaptations of classic stories, plus new stories of their own! In time, they created a wealth of classics.

Well, skip forward a few years, and Disney has done it again. However, this time Disney is adapting their own films instead of adapting Hans Christian Anderson or The Brothers Grimm! And yes, their live-action films have been a huge success.

So, let’s go through Disney’s top 10 most successful live-action adaptations.

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10. Dumbo

In 2019, Disney released a new live-action adaptation of Dumbo. This lovable elephant boasts the incredible ability to fly! And how? Well, with his giant flapping ears of course! Originally, Dumbo was released in 1941, and it featured incredible and experimental animation. The live-action version was just as experimental, and just as exciting. This film roped in about $353 million.

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9. Maleficent: Mistress of Evil

Next up, we have Maleficent: Mistress of Evil. This is the sequel to the live-action spinoff of Sleeping Beauty. Princess Aurora is about to get married, and Maleficent is entirely against it. Now, the two kingdoms will war. The film made $491 million.

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8. Cinderella

Honestly, when most people think about classic Disney, they think about Cinderella. And it’s no wonder why! The original, released in 1950, became the definitive fairytale film. In 2015, Disney released the live-action adaptation. Generally speaking, it’s fairly similar. That said, they also add a little bit of depth to both the prince and the evil stepmother.

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7. The Little Mermaid

In 1989, Disney released The Little Mermaid. In this story of self-discovery, we followed Ariel, the daughter of King Neptune himself. At the time, Disney took a large creative risk by writing a musical where the main character loses her voice! Of course, we all know that risk paid off and made the film into yet another classic. This year, in 2023, the live-action remake made $569 million.

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6. Maleficent

In 2014, the original Maleficent film debuted. The Sleeping Beauty spinoff tells the secret story of the love affair between the King and Maleficent herself. Beyond that, it reveals the surprising relationship between Aurora and the classic Disney villain. In total, the film made over $758 million.

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5. The Jungle Book

The Jungle Book first debuted in In 1967. Funny enough, the animated film is an adaptation itself! Originally, the story was written by Rudyard Kipling. And, just like there were changes from novel to animation, there were a few changes from animation to live-action. Potentially, the largest change was that the live-action King Lou wasn’t an orangutan, but a massive Gigantopithecus! Even with the changes, the film made $966 million.

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4. Alice in Wonderland

Finally, we’ve crossed the billion dollar line. In fact, this film was directed by Tim Burton, who also directed the live-action Dumbo! However, Alice in Wonderland was clearly a greater success. It earned $1.03 billion. Ultimately, it shares very little in common with the original film! Still, it was a massive success for fans of Alice and the Mad Hatter.

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3. Aladdin

Alright, let’s start the top three with the 2019 release of Aladdin! Yes, Alice in Wonderland was extremely unique. However, this just proves that you can deviate or remain faithful to the original story and still find box-office success! With that in mind, Aladdin (2019) keeps nearly every detail from the original 1993 film intact and still manages to add some new scenes and songs. The film earned $1.05 billion.

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2. Beauty and the Beast

At number two, we have Beauty and the Beast, which earned $1.3 billion. The film features Emma Watson (Harry Potter) as Belle and Dan Stevens as Beast. Once again, the live-action stays extremely true to the animated film. That said, also like Aladdin, there’s still a new song that Disney fans can enjoy. The film has grossed $1.3 billion.

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1. The Lion King

In 2019, Disney released the live-action adaptation of The Lion King. And yes, it is the most successful live-action adaptation by far. In fact, it has grossed over $1.6 billion. That’s over 4 times more than Dumbo! While the film is obviously based on an animated feature, this adaptation was created to be as lifelike as possible. It’s practically photorealistic. The film stars Donald Glover as Simba, Beyoncé as Nala, and Seth Rogen as Pumbaa.

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Genuinely, we just love Disney. And if you do too, know that you’re not the only one. We’ve got an entire community of Disney fans that you talk to at side.show/geekgroup or in the Sideshow Social Network, and don’t forget to Let Your Geek Sideshow!