Sleeping Beauty Disney Princess Full Movie 1959 Split 1

Walt Disney first began testing the waters with the idea of adapting its beloved animated features into live-action remakes in the 1990s. Its first outing was the critically lauded but commercially disappointing live action Jungle Book, based on the studio's iconic 1967 animated classic of the same name, itself based on Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book novel. This was followed by the vastly more successful 101 Dalmatians (1996) and 102 Dalmatians (2002) starring Glenn Close in a terrifying portrayal of Cruella De Vil that has most certainly been permanently etched into the minds of many of those who grew up in the 90s.

The next decade was a strange one for Disney releases. Its work with Pixar was some of its most successful, both critically and commercial, of all time. Movies like Finding Nemo , Wall-E and UP were setting Box Office records and clearing up at awards ceremonies but releases from its own Walt Disney Animation Studios such as Brother Bear , Home on the Range and Chicken Little were failing to have the same impact.

On the other hand, Disney did begin to notice an increase in popularity in its live action output with the National Treasure and especially the Pirates of The Caribbean franchises performing particularly well in this period. It wasn't until 2010, however, that Disney truly discovered the winning formula. Directed by Tim Burton and starring an all-star cast including Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter, the Alice In Wonderland live-action adaptation grossed over $1 billion worldwide. The combination of nostalgia and anticipation to discover how the originals could be tweaked for a new generation had audiences hitting theaters in droves. Since this 2010 release there have been a further 13 Live action Disney adaptations with 16 more reportedly in the pipeline.

With Disney princess movies being such a big part of the Disney canon it's no surprise that many of them have had the live action makeover, see below every Disney princess live-action movie, ranked.

6 Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (2019)

The follow up to the smash hit Maleficent, released a full five years after, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil fails to live up to its predecessor in pretty much every way. Again, using the technique to make Maleficent, the villain from the original Sleeping Beauty , more relatable and sympathetic, this story sees the eponymous character face the neighboring kingdom's manipulated perception of herself as a villain, in addition to a rather underdeveloped subplot regarding the rise of an endangered, powerful fairy race known as the Dark Fey. Our princess in this movie, Aurora, is now actually a Queen, and although she gets a fair bit of screen time her character sees very little development from what we already know about her. Unfortunately, the entire plot is rather uninteresting and adds very little to the lore, but it is visually stunning and an impressive cast do make the most of what they've got to work with.

5 Aladdin (2019)

There is no denying that this is a beautiful movie; the choreography, settings and colors are absolutely stunning. Despite a lot of initial concerns due to early leaked character designs and comparisons to the late Robin Williams' iconic take on the character, Will Smith actually manages to defy expectations and really shines as the Genie, making it his own while still providing fans with exactly what they want from a big blue magic genie. Unfortunately, it's pretty much the only thing that the movie makes it its own, except the rather odd choice to give villain Jafar a beauty makeover so he resembles a young boy band member. There is a little extra screen time given to Princess Jasmine in an attempt to further develop her character, including an additional but forgettable musical number but nothing else really differentiates this version from the original animated feature, which is already a near perfect film. While, by no means, a bad movie, it just all seems rather pointless, especially to those of us who remember the original Aladdin release in our lifetime.

4 Mulan (2020)

This 2020 Disney+ Exclusive retelling of the 1998 animated feature of the same name takes place in China during the Han dynasty, where Fa Mulan, daughter of aged warrior Fa Zhou, impersonates a man to take her father's place during a general conscription to counter a Hun invasion. Told in far greater depth than the original with greater character development, this remake further examines important themes of gender equality, family and patriotism that the original which may have glossed over slightly. Despite being an epic and thrilling romp, Mulan suffers from the exact opposite problem to the 2019 Aladdin, it strays too much from what made the original so enjoyable. By removing the comic relief, which was provided by Eddie Murphy as the petite dragon sidekick Mushu, and the great songs, it now seems devoid of the humor and fun which made the original so enjoyable.

3 Maleficent (2014)

Maleficent is a live-action retelling of Walt Disney's 1959 animated film Sleeping Beauty, and portrays the story from the perspective of the eponymous antagonist, depicting her conflicted relationship with the king and princess of a corrupt kingdom. It was a fantastically interesting choice to show it from Maleficent's point of view allowing for greater character development to the rather one dimensional 'evil' representation of her in the original animation. Here she is given a compelling character arc and made relatable and even humanised. While some important themes of family and feminism are touched upon, it doesn't seem like they are ever really fully utilised to their full potential. The film did receive a little backlash for the overuse of CGI and FX but the concept was refreshing and paved the way for the (superior) 'villain' focused Cruella, released 7 years later.

2 Cinderella (2015)

Walt Disney Pictures

This 2015 remake of the classic 1950 animated classic really exemplifies what can make these adaptations so enjoyable for audiences of all ages. Cinderella manages to retain all the beauty and the magic and is faithful enough to the original to flood audiences with feelings of sweet nostalgia yet advancements in technology and film quality are utilised in its presentation to prevent them yearning for that original. The slightly longer run time allows the Prince's character to be further developed and gives the audience a bit of an insight in Cinderella's life before she become an orphan. The settings and costumes are beautiful and the cast are on point all round. Lily James does a fine job as the titular character while Cate Blanchet and Helena Bonham Carter particularly shine as the Stepmother and the Fairy Godmother, respectively.

1 Beauty and the Beast (2017)

Walt Disney Pictures

Like Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast manages to keep all the old elements that made the original so beloved, only this time around they've stepped up the character development even further. Belle, who has always had the potential to be one of the greatest princesses, has finally been fully fleshed out to reach her potential as the iconic princess and role model for young girls she deserves to be. She's a far more empowered heroine. This is done through a number of subtle and nuanced differences, like how this time round Belle is the inventor and not merely an assistant to her father, she is portrayed as an invator and trendsetter and is even shown at one oint to be teaching a young girl to read. Then there's the hilarious but poignant end quip, as Belle gazes upon her handsome newly transformed Prince, she asks, "How would you feel about growing a beard?" The cinematography, score, costumes and performances are all fantastic. Those working on the forthcoming Little Mermaid, Rapunzel and Snow White live action adaptations—take note.

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Sleeping Beauty Disney Princess Full Movie 1959 Split 1

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