(Does anyone remember The Princess and the Frog?)įamiliar stories, re-imagined in live action, have proved a surefire way of making lots and lots of money with relatively small initial investments. That’s not to say the company has abandoned original animated films but hits like Frozen that become mythic are few and far between. Audiences like familiar stories, especially those starring famous actors. And don’t be too surprised to see a live-action Frozen one of these years.ĭisney has realized that remaking its valuable franchises with actual human beings is essentially a no-risk investment. Aladdin and Pocahontas movies are likely to follow. It’s only a matter of time before Jessica Chastain, Emma Stone, Anna Kendrick, or-God forbid-Ariana Grande is cast as Ariel in The Little Mermaid. Yes, Disney is making a live-action film of Dumbo the elephant. Alice in Wonderland: Through the Looking Glass.Here are the live-action films Disney will make over the next few years: Update: Disney will also make a Winnie the Pooh live-action movie, according to Deadline.
That’s another Disney princess crossed off the shrinking list that live only in animated form. Yesterday, the Hollywood Reporter revealed that the company is developing a live-action Mulan. And that’s to say nothing of the continuing global juggernaut that is Frozen.ĭisney’s newest foolproof method of success is to re-imagine its classic animated films (as well as other books and musicals) with real actors. Now that it owns both Marvel and Lucasfilm, it will release what are likely to be the two biggest films of 2015: Avengers: Age of Ultron and Star Wars: Episode VII. The US media behemoth’s stock is up 200% over the last five years amid hit after hit, and it is showing no signs of stopping. Updated at 1:50pm EST on April 2 with news that Disney will be making a live-action version of Winnie the Pooh.