The Disney Animated Classics that haven’t been remade (yet)

In recent years, The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Dumbo and Lady and the Tramp have all joined a growing list of Walt Disney Animated Classics to be remade into live-action. And I say “growing list”, because Disney is working its way through its back catalogue to revisit former glories and update them for a new generation.

But what Walt Disney Animated Classics haven’t been turned into live-action films? Surely there must be a few?

Well, you might be surprised to learn that despite the sheer amount of remakes we have seen, there are quite a lot still to be remade!

Below is a list of all the Walt Disney Animated Classics that have yet to be turned into live-action, covering the ‘30s/‘40s, ‘50s/‘60s, etc. Some are in the works, while others not so much.

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1930s/1940s

Of the Walt Disney Animated Classics from the ’30s and ’40s there are nine movies which have yet to be updated for the modern era. They are:

• Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
• Fantasia (1940)
• Bambi (1942)
• Saludos Amigos (1943)
• The Three Caballeros (1945)
• Make Mine Music (1946)
• Fun and Fancy Free (1947)
• Melody Time (1948)
• The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949)

Of these nine, there have been remake rumblings for Snow White, with certain ‘segments’ of Fantasia also a possibility for the remake treatment. No word on any of the others, but don’t expect much to come from any of the films from 1943 – 1949, as these are not particularly well remembered.

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1950s/1960s

When it comes to Disney movies from the ’50s and ’60s, most have already been turned into live action, including Alice in Wonderland, multiple Jungle Book films and Peter Pan. This only really leaves one major Disney film unaccounted for:

• The Sword in the Stone (1963)

I certainly wouldn’t rule this one out, but it isn’t at the top of the remake list at present.

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1970s/1980s

Into the ’70s & ’80s and there are quite a few movies to choose from that have yet to be adapted into live-action.

• The Aristocats (1970)
• Robin Hood (1973)
• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977)*
• The Rescuers (1977)
• The Fox and the Hound (1981)
• The Black Cauldron (1985)
• The Great Mouse Detective (1986)
• Oliver & Company (1988)

Of the above titles, none have been mentioned for remake status. With the exception of 1989’s The Little Mermaid, the ‘80s wasn’t a particularly great decade for Disney Animated films, so there is perhaps less of a desire to revisit these movies.

Please note: *I’ve included The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, but in truth I doubt this will get remade. Disney already (sort of) made a live-action Pooh movie, via 2018’s Christopher Robin, which was bloody good, so that kind of covers this film.

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1990s/2000s

Picking up with the ’90s and the ’00s and there are lots of movies that have yet to be turned into live action – especially during the ’00s. This could be because the ’00s was not seen as a particular strong time for Walt Disney Animated Classics, or it could simply be that the studio hasn’t gotten around to these projects yet.

But nostalgia for things of the past tends to move in 20-year cycles, meaning nostalgia for the ‘00s is imminent. Expect to see more of these movies get the remake treatment soon.

• The Rescuers Down Under (1990)
• Pocahontas (1995)
• The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)
• Hercules (1997)
• Tarzan (1999)
• Fantasia 2000 (1999)
• Dinosaur (2000)
• The Emperor’s New Groove (2000)
• Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)
• Lilo & Stitch (2002)
• Treasure Planet (2002)
• Brother Bear (2003)
• Home on the Range (2004)
• Chicken Little (2005)
• Meet the Robinsons (2007)
• Bolt (2008)
• The Princess & the Frog (2009)

Of the above titles, Hunchback has been rumoured for the live-action treatment, and Lilo and Stitch is in the works.

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2010/2020

Now to the more recent movies, and of the films released after 2010, not surprisingly, none of them have been adapted for live-action. However, Disney has announced a Moana remake, so this is likely to be a front runner from this list.

• Tangled (2010)
• Winnie the Pooh (2011)**
• Wreck-It Ralph (2012)
• Frozen (2013)
• Big Hero 6 (2014)
• Zootopia (2016)
• Moana (2016)
• Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018)
• Frozen 2 (2019)
• Raya and the Last Dragon (2021)
• Encanto (2021)
• Strange World (2022)
• Wish (2023)

**Once again, it is worth noting the movie, Christopher Robin, sort of covers the Winnie the Pooh movie listed above.

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From all the lists above, it is clear to see that Disney still has a lot of films left to turn into live-action. Despite a significant lack of creativity, the live-action remakes are proving profitable it’s likely we’ll be getting more of these sooner rather than later.

Personally I’m rapidly losing interest in all these remakes, but I’m aware many people like them. So, which Disney movie would you like to see remade into live-action?

Wreck-It Ralph? The Black Cauldron? Maybe you’re hankering to see a remake of The Fox and the Hound? Whatever your thoughts, sound off in the comments section below and let me know.

Oh, and for those wondering, here is a list of the Disney Animated Classics that have been remade so far:

• Pinocchio
• Dumbo
• Cinderella
• Alice in Wonderland
• Peter Pan
• Lady and the Tramp
• Sleeping Beauty
• One Hundred and One Dalmatians
• The Jungle Book
• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
• The Little Mermaid
• Beauty and the Beast
• Aladdin
• The Lion King
• Mulan

Please note: Sleeping Beauty was remade as Maleficent, while Winnie the Pooh has been covered by the Christopher Robin movie (as previously mentioned).

And if you want a full list of all the Walt Disney Animated Classics to see what animated films you still need to see, check out my guide which offers a rundown of all the films, from 1937 through to today.

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