In the wake of the huge success of The Jungle Book, Jon Favreau's pseudo live-action remake of the Disney animated classic, fans are eagerly awaiting the studio's next big live action project. Currently, Disney is prepping the release of Alice Through the Looking Glass , Pete's Dragon, and Beauty and the Beast, and the studio has already announced live-action films based on classics. There's the Emma Stone-starring Cruella , a take on the infamous 101 Dalmations villain; Dumbo; and a Tinkerbell movie in the works, not to mention a Maleficent sequel, Jungle Book 2, a Mary Poppins sequel, and The Little Mermaid. Clearly, Disney doesn't need more suggestions for what animated films they should turn into big, live-action features, but on on the off chance they do (*cough* Mulan *cough*), below are 13 Disney classics that should be remade and/or re-imagined by the studio.
Choosing which Disney classics to be redone is tough. A lot of Disney animated films exclusively star animals, like Bambi, or have problematic racial undertones, like Pocahontas, or, in some rare cases, feature both animals and a side or racism (see: Lady and the Tramp). Still, that doesn't mean there's not a lot of greatness to choose from, and these 13 Disney classics totally deserve to be remade, or at least awarded a live-action spinoff.
1. The Rescuers
Disney's The Rescuers could be the perfect animated classic to receive the remake treatment. Like The Jungle Book, it has a mix of human and animal characters — it's the story of two mice who try to rescue a little girl who has been kidnapped — which could definitely lend itself to the new animation/live-action hybrid style. And, is it just me, or would Ruth Wilson make an excellent Madame Medusa?
2. Pinocchio
Pinocchio is an obvious choice for a live action Disney adaptation, though it's clear why it hasn't been brought up in the reboot discussion — it is absolutely terrifying. Not only does the movie include the infamous getting-eaten-by-a-whale trope, it also involves themes of child slavery and creepy donkeys. That said, a movie about Geppetto's struggle and desire to have a child could be a new, mature take on the classic.
3. Robin Hood
Yes, the Robin Hood cast is exclusively made made of animals, which makes a live-action version essentially impossible. That said, you could easily adapt the story with human characters or remake the film using modern, motion-capture technology. Whether it would be any good is another story.
4. The Hunchback Of Notre Dame
The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a classic story — it's written by Victor Hugo — but its themes of real beauty, forbidden love and feeling like an outsider are still relevant today.
5. Pocahontas
OK, this is a selfish one: Pocahontas is my favorite Disney movie, and I would love nothing more than an excuse to go see a version of it in theaters. That said, Pocahontas would need a lot, and I mean a lot, of work to be feature-film ready. If it were to be remade as live-action, the film should probably get a story makeover, preferably one that gives the Native Americans a bigger role.
6. Sleeping Beauty
Though Princess Aurora does appear in Maleficent, she's really a supporting player at best, and rebooting the classic tale as a musical would make the film totally separate from the Angelina Jolie franchise. And, hey, maybe if Disney is feeling risky they'd consider doing a gender flip and make Prince Phillip fall under the sleeping curse.
7. Hercules
Now, should Disney produce a live-action Hercules, it should be strictly not-300 like and be a musical with the Greek chorus. There's really no other way Disney's Hercules can be done. (Please, for the love of Mickey Mouse, don't make this an R-rated action movie.)
8. Lady Tremaine — Cinderella Origin Movie
Cate Blanchett's Lady Tremaine (aka Evil Stepmother) in the 2015 version of Cinderella would make an excellent subject for a spinoff movie. Though her story was only hinted at in the film, it was clear that Lady Tremaine's evil ways came from a desperate need to rely on men to survive in an old-fashioned and sexist world. It would be great to see how she came to be Cinderella's stepmother, or what she did after.
9. The Emperor's New Groove
The Emperor's New Groove is a modern Disney classic, but a Disney classic nonetheless. With its outlandish characters and wild plot, it's a perfect fit for the big screen.
10. Mulan
There's already been talk of a live-action Mulan movie, but it's worth repeating that this absolutely needs to happen, and it needs to have a nice, preferably ass-kicking, cameo for the original Mulan, Ming-Na Wen. There's absolutely no doubt in my mind that a Mulan live-action movie would be perfection...as long as it features an Asian actor in the lead role.
11. Lilo & Stitch
Lilo & Stitch is another of those animated movies that could get a fun live-action/animation reboot, à la Jungle Book. It might be tricky to make the aliens look not ridiculous, but the Elvis soundtrack would probably make up for it.
12. Tangled
It's definitely way too soon for Disney to even think about a live-action Tangled remake, but a new take on the story could help if the studio is looking for more male-driven content. Whether it's a Flynn Rider origin story, or an action adventure staring Rapunzel and Flynn, a live-action Tangled movie could give the studio a fun new protagonist to play with.
13. The Princess And The Frog
Like Tangled, it's too soon for Disney to remake The Princess and the Frog (same goes with Frozen, we clear?). However, if they really wanted to, it would probably translate best to live-action/animation.
The only movie not on this list that also could, in theory, warrant a remake? Aladdin. Yet while the movie features lovely songs are lovely and funny characters, there's one very specific reason why Aladdin doesn't need a remake — you just can't have that movie without Robin Williams' Genie.
Images: Disney; Giphy (13); lauramkelly/tumblr
