With the recent live-action debuts of “Lilo & Stitch” and “Snow White,” Disney’s attempt at reimagining its animated classics continues to draw mixed reactions and varying box office success.
The long-awaited “Snow White” remake, which came to theaters earlier this year, faced controversy before its release and even more challenges at the box office.
The film, which had a $250 million budget, only made $205 million globally, according to IMDb.
On the other hand, “Lilo & Stitch” has captured audiences with a strong opening in May, generating $610 million worldwide in its first two weeks, per Variety.
As Disney continues to create live-action adaptations, the box office results reflect a hit-or-miss trend.
Let’s rewind and take a look at every live-action adaptation Disney has released so far, and if it was a hit or a miss in the box office.
‘101 Dalmatians’ (1996)
Rated: G
Streaming: Disney+
Disney kicked off their live-action remakes with “101 Dalmatians” in 1996, where the beloved spotted Dalmatians and the wicked Cruella De Vil are brought to life.
With 101 Dalmatians to portray, 230 Dalmatian puppies and 20 adult Dalmatians were used throughout filming, per IMDb.
How did it perform at the box office?
With an estimated budget of $75 million, “101 Dalmatians” earned nearly $34 million in the domestic box opening weekend, grossing nearly $321 million worldwide, per Box Office Mojo.
‘Alice in Wonderland’ (2010)
Rated: PG
Streaming: Disney+
After a 14-year break from their live-action remakes, Disney resumed with “Alice in Wonderland.”
Director Tim Burton brings the beloved fairytale and animated classic to life with a star-studded cast and a few of his signature film trademarks, per IMDb.
The film features Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway and Alan Rickman.
How did it perform at the box office?
“Alice in Wonderland” had an estimated budget of $200 million and earned $116 million in the domestic box office during its opening weekend.
The movie grossed $1 billion worldwide, according to IMDb.
‘Pete’s Dragon’ (2016)
Rated: PG
Streaming: Disney+
Directed by David Lowery, the film brings the adventures of Pete and his best friend Elliott to life.
In his efforts to recreate the film, Lowery aimed to make the film a “re-invention” of the core story behind “Pete’s Dragon”, not a simple remake of the film, per IMDb.
How did it perform at the box office?
With an estimated budget of $65 million, “Pete’s Dragon” grossed nearly $144 million worldwide with a domestic opening weekend debut of almost $22 million, per IMDb.
‘The Jungle Book’ (2016)
Rated: PG
Streaming: Disney+
This live-action adaptation of “The Jungle Book” features a similar storyline to the 1967 cartoon, but with a new ending.
Characters from the original return in 2016, such as Baloo (Bill Murray), Mowgli (Neel Sethi), Bagheera (Ben Kingsley), King Louie (Christopher Walken) and villain Shere Khan (Idris Elba).
The CGI animation of Baloo took animators “almost five hours of rendering time per frame” due to his large size and fur, per IMDb.
How did it perform at the box office?
In its opening weekend release, the film earned $103 million domestically and grossed nearly $968 million.
The film had an estimated budget of $175 million, according to IMDb.
“Beauty and the Beast’ (2017)
Rated: PG
Streaming: Disney+
“Beauty and the Beast” is a dazzling remake that gives a real life spin to the original animation.
The film featured many detailed costumes and set designs, including Belle’s ballroom gown which used 3,000 feet of thread and took designer over 12,000 hours to create, per IMDb.
How did it perform at the box office?
The live-action adaptation had an estimated budget of $160 million and earned nearly $175 million in its domestic opening weekend.
The movie grossed $1 billion worldwide, according to IMDb.
‘Dumbo’ (2019)
Rated: PG
Streaming: Disney+
The live-action remake of the small elephant with large ears was a CGI masterpiece where even outdoor scenes were not shot outside, according to IMDb.
The extras in circus scenes were real circus acts, not actors. There were over 600 circus performers from around the world that were hired to perform during filming.
How did it perform at the box office?
The film grossed $353 million worldwide with a domestic box office release of $46 million.
The film had an estimated budget of $170 million, according to IMDb.
‘Aladdin’ (2019)
Rated: PG
Streaming: Disney+
Mena Massoud, Naomi Scott and Will Smith star in the live-action adaptation with the street rat Aladdin, Princess Jasmine and the Genie.
The live-action “Aladdin” revived the animation with new life with a modern twist.
How did it perform at the box office?
With an estimated budget of $183 million, it earned nearly $92 million during the domestic opening weekend and grossed $1 billion worldwide, per IMDb.
‘The Lion King’ (2019)
Rated: PG
Streaming: Disney+
CGI takes all the credit in this remake of the beloved 1994 animation.
Director, Jon Favreau revealed via social media that there was only one real shot in film, stating, “there are 1490 rendered shots created by animators and CG artists. I slipped in one single shot that we actually photographed in Africa to see if anyone would notice. It is the first shot of the movie that begins The Circle of Life,” per an Instagram post from July 2019.
How did it perform at the box office?
The film had an estimated budget of $260 million, it earned nearly $192 million domestically during opening weekend and grossed $1.6 billion worldwide per Box Office Mojo.
This was the best box office performance among Disney’s live-action films.
‘Lady and the Tramp’ (2019)
Rated: PG
Streaming: Disney+
This live-action adaptation of “Lady and the Tramp” adds new details to the story and uses real dogs for filming.
According to IMDb, “several of the dog actors were rescue cases. Each one was adopted prior to the film’s completion.”
How did it perform at the box office?
This adaptation was the first film released exclusively on Disney+ debuting with the then brand new streaming service Disney+ at the end of 2019.
The film had an estimated budget of $60 million according to Screen Rant.
‘Mulan’ (2020)
Rated: PG-13
Streaming: Disney+
This live-action remake of the animated “Mulan” provides greater historical context to imperial China, according to Time Magazine.
The remake also takes the creative liberty of featuring a new wicked villain.
How did it perform at the box office?
“Mulan” had an estimated budget of $200 million, according to IMDb.
The film was released on September 4, 2020 on Disney+ during the COVID-19 pandemic.
‘Pinocchio’ (2022)
Rated: PG
Streaming: Disney+
The “Pinocchio” live adaptation features clever easter eggs from other Disney films throughout the film, especially Geppetto’s cuckoo clocks.
The new film follows the original storyline including the opening where Jiminy Cricket sings “When you Wish Upon a Star” that has become part of the official Disney soundtrack.
According to IMDb, “that song had originated in ‘Pinocchio’ (1940), and was in fact that film’s introduction song, sung by Jiminy.”
How did it perform at the box office?
“Pinocchio” had an estimated budget of $150 million according to IMDb.
This was another of Disney’s live action remakes that was released exclusively on Disney+, per USA Today
‘Peter Pan & Wendy’ (2023)
Rated: PG
Streaming: Disney+
After releasing on the 70th anniversary of the original 1953 “Peter Pan” release date, the live-action film gives a new twist to Peter, Wendy and the Lost Boys adventures in Neverland.
Jude Law played a convincingly evil Captain Hook, who at the end of filming brought all the kids on set ice cream as a sorry for scaring them while portraying his character, according to IMDb.
How did it perform at the box office?
“Peter Pan & Wendy” had an estimated budget of $170 million as reported by the Vancouver Sun, and premiered exclusively on Disney+.
‘The Little Mermaid’ (2023)
Rated: PG
Streaming: Disney+
“The Little Mermaid” live-action remake stays true to the original story line, featuring a few details that were cut from the original film, such as the evil Ursula and King Triton being siblings.
How did it perform at the box office?
“The Little Mermaid” was the first Disney live-action film to be released post-pandemic. With an estimated budget of $355 million it had an opening weekend domestic debut of nearly $96 million.
Despite a slow start to the box office, the film ended up grossing $570 million worldwide, according to IMDb.
‘Snow White’ (2025)
Rated: PG
Streaming: Not yet streaming, but available to rent on AppleTV and Prime Video
“Snow White” had the longest gap between the original animated films release and its live-action remake with 88 years between the 1937 original and the 2025 adaptation, according to IMDb.
How did it perform at the box office?
Surrounded with controversy, this live-action installment did not perform nearly as well as Disney’s previous live-action adaptations, and was a box office disappointment, according to Deadline.
The film had an estimated budget of $250 million and raked in $42 million in the domestic box office opening weekend, and went on to gross $205 million worldwide, according to IMDb.
‘Lilo & Stitch’ (2025)
Rated: PG
Streaming: See it now in theaters
Alien Experiment 626 and his Ohana returned to the big screen last weekend in their big debut.
Fans were pleased to see the new film stay true to the original, but with an ending that left some disappointed, according to Forbes.
How did it perform at the box office?
“Lilo and Stitch” broke records at the box office in its opening debut, as previously reported by Deseret News.
The film now ranks as the second-biggest release of 2025, earning $280.1 million domestically and $610 million worldwide, according to Variety, and is expected to continue to increase in revenue as it remains in theaters.