For many years, Disney has been considered the quintessential producer of family movies. The company still produces quality content to this day, but many argue that Disney is now set on recycling old ideas instead of creating new ones. Disney regularly fills the box-office with lukewarm live-action remakes of their beloved classic films. While this trend shows no signs of slowing, there are certain films that just wouldn't work as live-action, like The Sword In the Stone.
Certain movies from Disney's impressive filmography simply wouldn't translate well to live-action. Meet the Robinsons is an incredibly zany and fun film, but current special effects limitations would probably hold back a live-action project. Nothing could be produced by modern effects teams that would encompass the crazy technology of Meet the Robinson's future world. That said, there is no telling what Disney might do when they get desperate enough for ideas.
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10 The Black Cauldron Has Potential, But Is Held Back By Its Lack of Notoriety
The Once Popular Film Has Been Almost Forgotten Over the Years
The Black Cauldron is easily one of Disney's most underrated animated films. Those who have actually seen the movie today are few and far between, but it was once considered a cult classic. The movie still has a dedicated set of die-hard fans, but those few fanatics probably couldn't support the budget a box-office release would require. Moreover, the dark tone of the story might be somewhat off-putting for a modern Disney.
The mass media conglomerate is a lot less willing to toe the line these days than it once was. Now that Disney has very real competitors, it has to be strategic with every movie it produces. That means a live-action version of The Black Cauldron is extremely unlikely, unless the rights are bought by another studio. Thankfully, the animated film can still be enjoyed on Disney +.
9 The Sword In The Stone Would Be Boring As a Live-Action Film
The Movie's Charming Animation Is What Makes It Memorable
The Sword In the Stone was one of the last films that Walt Disney would ever produce. The Swords in the Stone is a truly unique movie from a nearly-forgotten period of animation. The art style, score, and voice acting all work in tandem to create a movie unlike any other. Unfortunately, this collaboration is the exact reason why The Sword in the Stone could never make it to live-action.
The animation is one of, if not the most integral part of the movie. If The Sword in the Stone were brought to live-action, it would probably feel like any other medieval picture. Without the whimsical animation and the score to accompany it, there's very little a live-action movie could do to stand out. Fortunately, the movie's obscurity will probably prevent The Sword in the Stone from being made into a live-action for quite some time.
8 Meet The Robinsons' Futuristic Setting Wouldn't Feel As Epic With Real World Effects Limitations
No Real World Set Could Compete With The Animated Film's Incredible Ideas For the Future
When it comes to time-travel movies, one of the most underrated is easily Meet the Robinsons. The film follows a young orphan who is unwillingly taken to the future by a member of his prospective family. When Wilbur, the orphan, does make it to the future, he is utterly astounded by the advancements society has made. Wilbur's amazement is one of the main reasons a live action could never be produced. With current special-effects limitations, no scenery could be created that could rival the animated spectacle that is Meet the Robinsons.
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The future world of Meet the Robinson's defies all physics which throws the use of practical effects somewhat out the window. The buildings are twisted into illogical shapes with irregular sizes, which would be somewhat difficult to make realistic. Ultimately, Meet the Robinson's should stay animated until the technology is ready. Until then, a remake simply wouldn't be doing the original justice.
7 Chicken Little Wouldn't Work As a Live-Action FIlm On Any Level
Chicken Little's Anthropomorphic Animals Are Better Left in the Animated World
As coming of age films go, Chicken Little is certainly unorthodox. The film follows an anthropomorphic chicken's journey to earn the respect of his father, after an accident leaves him the town laughingstock. The story itself would easily translate to live-action, but not the characters themselves. It would be incredibly difficult to recreate the anthropomorphic animals in a realistic way that wasn't also completely terrifying.
Many similar studios have attempted to produce similar pictures with varied results. More often than not, the anthropomorphic creatures more closely resemble the stuff of nightmares than the source material they are attempting to reproduce. There's always a chance that the movie will be remade, but there's little to no possibility that the remake will be live-action. Disney likely understands that a live-action Chicken Little would be nothing but a waste of money.
6 A Live-Action Brother Bear Would Be Too Intense For Younger Viewers
Certain Scenes in the Coming of Age Story Are Almost Too Intense Already
Brother Bear is often considered one of the most underrated Disney films of the early 2000s. Brother Bear features an incredible score by Phil Collins, as well as the voice acting talents of Joaquin Phoenix, Rick Moranis, and the late Michael Clarke Duncan. The film is a brutal tale about the value of life and understanding one's place in the grand scheme of the universe. However, these dark and adult themes are somewhat subverted by the film's lighthearted hand-drawn animation.
A live-action Brother Bear would definitely be too intense for a younger audience. The opening sequences alone are enough for Disney to think twice before recreating the film. Brother Bear deserves to remain untouched as a testament to the extreme care that went into the movie. The film does have a somewhat less-popular sequel, but that doesn't mean it needs another installment anytime soon.
5 Tangled Will Be a CGI Or Practical Effects Nightmare to Pull Off
Rapunzel's Mountains of Hair Would Be Difficult to Coordinate
Tangled has already announced a live-action film is in the works, but there are several reasons the movie will likely struggle critically. One of the main factors is the main princess herself, Rapunzel. Her hair is going to be a relative nightmare to produce, from both a CGI and practical effects standpoint. Wigs are already reportedly difficult to work with, and having a wig with more than several feet of hair behind it would be more than challenging to handle. Even if Disney chooses to use CGI for the hair, creating realistic strands that span entire rooms and move at a central point will be difficult enough to manage.
Since Disney is running out of princesses, it's understandable that they chose Tangled as one of their next live-action projects. Unfortunately, the movie already has significant roadblocks that could stop it from finding box-office success. Both the announced leads, Teagan Croft and Milo Manheim, are talented, but their skills aren't enough to support a movie destined to fail. Hopefully, the talented effects team can come up with some way to manage Rapunzel's hair before fans are completely turned off from the film.
4 The Fox and The Hound Is Sad Enough As it Is
A Live Action Version of the Movie Would Be Heartbreaking
The Fox and The Hound is one of the most heartwarming tales of found friendship in Disney's impressive arsenal – it's also one of the most brutal. At several points in the movie, the audience is either subjected to extreme violence or unfiltered heartbreak. Given Disney's current attempt at a squeaky clean reputation, it's somewhat unlikely a live-action The Fox and the Hound would be produced. Either way, the brilliant film still holds up after more than three decades.
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Although several somewhat realistic live-action films have been produced with animal leads, none of them have been as successful as the original. All Disney is doing is wasting several million dollars on a film that only certain fans will see and even fewer will like. There can be something said about remaking a film so the current generation can enjoy it, but when it comes to The Fox and The Hound, there is nothing wrong with the original.
3 Treasure Planet's Fantastical Scenery Wouldn't Translate Well to Live-Action
CGI Couldn't Compete With the Epic Animated Scenery Created For the Movie
Treasure Planet is actually a retelling of the classic novel Treasure Island. Treasure Island has had several live-action films, but Treasure Planet remains untouched. The movie was an incredible combination of hand-drawn animation in combination with CGI to create an absolutely unforgettable product that couldn't be replicated in live-action. Any scenery a live-action Treasure Planet could produce would fall flat of the incredible artwork from the original film.
While Treasure Planet was technically a box-office failure, modern Disney fans have come to recognize the sheer majesty of the film. The incredible and futuristic scapes coupled with the film's depictions of space are unmatched, even by modern standards. Treasure Planet is one of the last films produced with an iconic 2D style that was unfortunately later abandoned by Disney. Creating a live-action remake would not only fail to do the original justice, but would be a huge waste of time.
2 The Hunchback of Notre Dame Already Uses Its Animation To Get Away With Incredibly Dark Themes
A Live-Action Hunchback Would Be More Similar to a Horror Film Than a Disney Film
If Disney films were ranked by their brutality, The Hunchback of Notre Dame would be one of the highest. The evil Judge Claude Frollo's persecution of Paris simply wouldn't be the same as a live-action. Several scenes from the film were likely only included because animation softened their intensity. A live-action Hunchback would simply be too intense to produce and wouldn't align with Disney's current reputation.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame's music is also one of the best scores in any Disney movie. To recreate the music from the original would only serve to disappoint audiences familiar with the score from the original. The original tale was once made into a live-action film which was in no way suitable for children. Regardless, even the Disney-fied version is brutal enough for the media conglomerate to think twice about rebooting it.
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1 A Realistic A Bug's Life Would Be Utterly Terrifying For Any Viewer
A Story About Realistic Bugs Is a Recipe For Disaster
The main idea behind a live-action film is taking a popular animated movie and making it more realistic. However, doing this with A Bug's Life would create nothing but nightmare fuel. Arachnophobia is one of the most common irrational fears worldwide, and that's just one of the factors filmmakers would have to contend with when recreating this impressive animated picture.
A film centered solely around realistic looking bugs wouldn't work in any other realm aside from animation. A Bug's Life isn't even popular enough to begin justifying a live-action sequel. Sadly, there is no telling what Disney could do in an effort to remain relevant. Only time will tell if they end up making a live-action version of every single one of their films.