Disney’s Live-Action Remakes: Successes, Challenges, and Future Plans

Disney’s venture into live-action remakes, while often lucrative, doesn’t always guarantee success. The recent triumph of the live-action “Lilo & Stitch” remake, which broke records during Memorial Day weekend, underscores the unpredictable nature of tapping into nostalgia.

Paul Dergarabedian, a box-office analyst from Comscore, shared with Business Insider, “‘Lilo’ will provide a blueprint for future success,” suggesting that Disney might have a strategic plan to continue exploring its archives for potential remakes.

However, the challenge for Disney is finding compelling intellectual properties (IP) for such adaptations. The lukewarm reception of this year’s “Snow White” remake highlights the risks of reimagining classics that may not resonate with today’s audience. Disney has already tackled major hits like “Beauty and the Beast,” “Aladdin,” “The Lion King,” and “Mulan.”

While “Lilo & Stitch” is poised to surpass $1 billion at the box office, not all older or less popular titles might achieve similar success. Disney’s upcoming live-action “Moana” and the potential exploration of Pixar’s library present new opportunities.

Is the ‘Lilo & Stitch’ blueprint bankable?

Film critic Scott Mantz speculates that “Lilo & Stitch” might be more of an anomaly than a trend. “Stitch has become a modern mascot for Disney, eclipsing even Mickey Mouse,” Mantz noted, emphasizing the brand’s enduring popularity through merchandise and various sequels. The remake’s relative quality, while not surpassing the original, has received better reviews than “Snow White” on platforms like Rotten Tomatoes.

Mantz described the remake’s success: “‘Snow White’ just was a disaster waiting to happen, whereas ‘Lilo & Stitch’ was a sleeping giant ready to be awakened.”

What Disney live-action films are next?

According to box-office experts, Disney fans can anticipate more live-action adaptations. Mantz remarked, “They’re going to find a way to do live-action versions of their animated hits from the last 30 years, so they can appeal to the families that are coming out in droves to make this sort of obscure animated film from 2002 into a massive live-action hit.”

However, Dergarabedian cautioned that projects shouldn’t simply be “money grabs.” “If they try and do this in an inorganic way to just capitalize on ‘Lilo,’ that won’t work,” he warned.

Among the potential candidates for live-action remakes are beloved Disney films, some already discussed by analysts and others being recent hits. While a live-action “Tangled” was shelved, a “Moana” remake is confirmed for 2026.

‘Moana’ is going live-action in 2026

A live-action version of “Moana” is slated for July 2026, featuring Catherine Laga’aia as Moana and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as Maui.

‘Frozen’ could be destined for live-action

“Frozen” remains extremely popular, yet Disney has not announced a live-action adaptation of Anna, Elsa, and Olaf.

‘The Incredibles’ would make sense as a remake

While a live-action adaptation of “The Incredibles” hasn’t been announced, it seems a natural fit. “A live-action ‘Incredibles’ — that sounds like money in the bank,” Mantz commented. The franchise continues to thrive, with “Incredibles 3” in development by creator Brad Bird.

‘Up’ could be a live-action hit

Another logical candidate for a live-action remake is Pixar’s “Up” from 2009, although no such project is currently underway.

‘WALL-E’ may be more of a long shot

Although there are no plans for a “WALL-E” remake, which stars a solitary robot in 2805, the idea remains intriguing given Disney’s fondness for robotic characters. For more on Disney and robots, visit this link.

‘Big Hero 6’ could be too new for a remake

Though some fans are eager for a live-action version of this 11-year-old film, Baymax won’t be making an appearance in theaters just yet.

‘Cars’ may seem like a stretch, but it’s possible

Although reimagining Pixar’s “Cars” as a live-action film might seem challenging due to the absence of human characters, Dergarabedian suggested that a photorealistic take with talking cars might be feasible. “Let’s see how ‘F1’ does in that realm,” Dergarabedian said, adding that Disney could explore a hybrid approach, combining live action with animation, similar to the photorealistic “The Lion King.”