Best live action Disney movies

As we prepare for the theatrical release of Disney’s live-action Beauty and the Beast, here’s take a look back at some their best past offerings

| MARCH 15, 2017, 05:57 AM IST



Cinderella (2015)
This version of the oft-told tale stuck closely  to the original animation, fleshing it out here and there, paring back  on the talking mice, but essentially focusing on bringing the classic to  life just as it was. Instead of changing up the narrative, Disney  simply made it the most beautiful version of Cinderella that they could.  Worth watching for the costuming alone, this brightly-colored world  brought that fairy tale feeling to the big screen beautifully. It  doesn’t matter if we all know what will happen, if the audience is  breathless with the sheer beauty and spectacle unfolding, and Lily James  brings the ever-hopeful Cindrella to life like no one else could.

 Alice in Wonderland (2010)
Another re-make of an animated classic, Tim Burton took the helm for this trip down the rabbit hole in 2010. Who better to re-create a world where everything is brightly-colored but just a little bit strange? Alice in Wonderland boasts a star-studded cast, including Johnny Depp (Mad Hatter), Helena Bonham Carter (Red Queen), Anne Hathaway (White Queen) and Alan Rickman (Blue Caterpillar) among others, and creates a whole new Wonderland (sorry, Underland) to explore.  Visually stunning , the sets and costumes inspired audiences to add a little whimsy to their lives, while the storyline changed things up just enough to keep things interesting. 
Enchanted (2007) 
An animation/live-action hybrid, Enchanted begins like all the classic Disney Princess movies – with a stunning young girl, a handsome prince, and a wicked witch. This time, however, the witch’s curse ends up sending the delicate young girl to New York City, where she has to survive until her prince can rescue her. Filled with catchy songs (and people who question the sanity of singing in public!),, it’s a hilarious spoof of the traditional stories, with Patrick Dempsey’s Robert as the perfect cynic won over by love. The ultimate Disney Princess movie for grown ups who understand things like dating and divorce, but still want to believe in happily ever after.

The Princess Diaries (2001)
For many people, Disney is  synonymous with the Cinderella story, so it’s not surprising that  they’ve made a few different versions of it over the years! This one  changes it up and brings Cinders into the modern world, as Mia Thermopolis (Anne Hathaway) becomes an unwilling heir to the throne of Genovia. Yes, it’s rags to riches, yes, she gets a makeover, and yes,  there’s a ball, but this has a heart that goes past the simple princess clichés. Mia is awkward, relatable, and struggles to deal with the news that she is a real-life princess. It’s fun, bright, and an enjoyable  watch – even if it’s a bit of a predictable feel-good flick. It was so popular that it spawned a sequel in 2004,

Honey I Shrunk The Kids (1989)
For every kid who ever wondered what life would be like if you were really, really small, Disney came up with the answer in the form of the slapstick comedy Honey I Shrunk The Kids. When a crackpot inventor of a dad finally makes a shrink-ray that works , he accidentally miniaturizes his kids! What follows is a zany adventure through the house and into the yard, desperately trying to avoid the pitfalls of life when you are under an inch tall. The heart of Honey I Shrunk the Kids is in family – what Disney does best. The kids squabble, but they eventually do realize how much they love each other and have to work together to get back to their normal size. Bonus points for making audiences think an ant was adorable, and making kids everywhere dream of giant oatmeal cream pies.

Herbie The Love Bug (1968 – 2005)
Proving that Disney can anthropomorphize just about anything, Herbie the Love Bug is a series of films about a sentient Volkswagen beetle. A racecar that gets into all kinds of adventures, some are better than others – his initial outings as a zany car with kind and upstanding driver Jim Douglas (Dean Jones) are charming and lighthearted. However, later films, which include Herbie’s origin story and an evil twin (“Herbie the Hate Bug”), or the most recent addition to the franchise (Herbie: Fully Loaded) where Lindsay Lohan buys the beloved car for the demolition derby leave a little to be desired. Still, the majority of the Herbie movies are racing fun for all the family.

Mary Poppins (1964)
The world’s best nanny  has been winning hearts with her magical child care since the ’60s. Her musical story of imagination and positive thinking has been parodied, referenced, and made into a Broadway musical. Often considered the crowning achievement of Walt Disney’s career, Mary Poppins was the only Disney film to receive an Oscar nomination for Best Picture while Walt was still with us, and it won five more statuettes that year. It’s a film that continues to appeal to everyone – Mary Poppins herself is somehow both wholesome and subversive, and her imaginative romps and catchy tunes will get everyone smiling and singing along.

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