Five Animated Disney films that deserve a live-action remake

Over the last few years, Walt Disney Pictures has made reboots of their animated classics and announced more are in development. Some of them, like “The Jungle Book (2016)” and “Beauty and the Beast (2017),” had the same plot as the animated classics and ended up as cash grabs.

Like the rest of Hollywood, Disney should focus on creating new original stories without rehashing the same material. But since Disney will continue to make remakes as long as they make money off of them, the company should focus on stories that build off the original films, not duplicate them.

Here are five animated Disney films that deserve a live-action remake.

#1 – “The Sword in the Stone”

Back in 1963, Disney released a kid-friendly version of the King Arthur legends. “The Sword in the Stone” focused on a young King Arthur up to the moment he pulled Excalibur from the stone and became king.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, a live-action version of “Sword in the Stone” is in development. It would be interesting if the filmmakers decide to pick up where the original film left off, with the kid Arthur ascending to the throne, or if they choose to go Disney’s route of rewriting the same story from the original classic.

#2 – Treasure Planet

It's Robert Louis Stevenson's classic novel “Treasure Island” in space. The 2002 film took a serious tone about Jim Hawkins’ adventure by presenting it as a coming-of-age story where he goes on a perilous journey and ends up a better man as a result of it. It was a good feature film for kids and adults alike that stepped away from a Disney musical. It's about time we get another movie based on the Robert Louis Stevenson classic.

Instead of being a direct remake, this movie could be a live-action sequel to the original film and focus on Jim's adventures after returning from Treasure Planet. That's a combination worth making again with a live-action cast. Just don’t sacrifice plot and character development for mindless action.

#3 – Atlantis: The Lost Empire

The original animated film starring Michael J. Fox was set in the World War I era. Technology has made many advances since the 1910s, especially in undersea travel. The filmmakers can use the “Atlantis” plot to adapt the changing human tech in a compelling story about finding this lost civilization and reflect on these trends.

A live-action reboot can take place in our present-day America and give a modern version of a non-musical Disney feature film. And what if there was more than one team of mostly everyday Americans trying to find the lost city of Atlantis?

And if this film should be successful, it could span into a Disney Extended Universe where a young lion has to reclaim his throne, a street rat gets the deal of a lifetime, and share continuity with a galaxy far, far away. It would be great seeing Star Wars characters from our present day react to modern-day life on Earth in the mid-2010s and how far us humans have come.

Hey, it worked for Marvel.

It certainly can’t do worse than Universal Studio’s "Dark Universe" franchise.

#4 – The Hunchback of Notre Dame

The original animated feature film about the famous hunchback of Paris is a classic of the Disney Renaissance. But the more I examine it, the more I find it carries anti-Catholic tones.

The villain is a religious fanatic in the judiciary system (though not of the clergy), and uses his power and authority to oppress the middle and working classes of France. This is how anti-Catholics view the Church.

Yet the film also has a kind priest who saves Quasimodo from the antagonist when he’s only a baby. This scene shows that at one point in the protagonist’s life, the Church is the only state (the three states being the Church, the Government, and the Market) actually helping the protagonist when he or she needs it the most. It’s probably no coincidence that author Victor Hugo wrote both “Les Misérables” and “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” because this theme comes up in movie adaptations of them.

With the right script, directing, and storytelling, the filmmakers can use a remake of “Hunchback” to show that Catholics make up a majority of all social classes during the story’s set period without sacrificing realism.

#5 – Lilo and Stitch

The 2002 animated film focused on a Hawaiian girl and her pet alien monster spawned a couple direct-to-video sequels and TV shows. Some of the episodes on "Lilo and Stitch: The Series" featured cameos from several other Disney shows, including "Kim Possible" and "American Dragon: Jake Long."

A new "Lilo and Stitch" film can focus on developing the characters outside their cartoon counterparts from a decade ago. Disney could use a reboot of “Lilo and Stitch” to start another film franchise outside the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) by developing these characters for the 2010s and beyond, with Lilo, Stitch, Kim Possible and Jake Long sharing the same universe. And if Disney makes a deal with CBS, they can get Steve McGarrett  and Danno from "Hawaii Five-O" into a live-action “Lilo and Stitch” feature film. Hey, it worked for Spiderman. 

One theory I like to believe is that Lilo has special needs or disabilities. This theory does have merit. Whether the filmmakers intended that connection during the film’s production is another story. It would explain why Nani, Lilo’s sister, works hard to gain full custody of Lilo instead of having Lilo taken away from her family. This theme can give her and Lilo more depth. A reboot film could show the struggles the two sisters face from Lilo’s disability and Lilo overcomes that.