Movies created by Disney have always had a magic touch. They have the

capability of transforming the viewers world even if it’s just for an hour or two. Lately, the

trend from Disney Studios has been to transform their loved cartoon classics into live

action films that bring the old classics into a brand new light.

Disney’s most recent live action film released, The Jungle Book, made 548.3

million at the box office. This film features Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, Idris Elba,

Ben Kingsley, Christopher Walken, and Neel Sethi who starred as Mowgli. On Rotten

Tomatoes it received a rating of 7.7/10; critic’s stated from the website, “The Jungle

Book is the rare remake that actually improves upon its predecessors — all while setting

a new standard for CGI.” In the new movie the only character that is not created with

CGI technology is Mowgli. Director Jon Favreau had the challenge of recreating one of

Disney fan’s favorite classics, all while bringing it into a brand new light. Luckily for him

it was a smash hit.

The Disney animated classic Aladdin released in 1992 is also being reimagined.

As Disney ventures back into the Arabian landscape of Aladdin they have decided to

focus on the genies. It hasn’t been announced whether or not the film will focus on

Genie from Aladdin or just genies in general. Since Robin Williams passed away in

2014, Disney Studios would have to find a new voice for Genie. According to

RollingStone, James Iglehart who played Genie on Broadway could renact the role well.

Autumn Thatcher

Although Disney has not created a concrete release date for this film, a script is in the

making by Damian Shannon and Mark Swift.

Another film that does have an exact release date is Beauty and the Beast.

Directed by Bill Condon, this film is scheduled to be released on March 17, 2017. It

stars Emma Watson as Belle, Dan Stevens as the Beast, and Luke Evans as Gaston.

This film also features popular Hollywood names like Josh Gad (Olaf from Frozen),

Emma Thompson (Nanny McPhee), Ian McKellen (Gandalf from Lord of the Rings), and

Stanley Tucci (Caesar Flickerman from The Hunger Games).  This new version of

Beauty and the Beast still contains the original songs scored by Alan Menken.

The original Pete’s Dragon film that was created in 1977 is getting revamped for

its new release on August 12, 2016. This new film still features the relationship of Pete

and his Dragon, but in a more modern setting. Director David Lowery has created a

brand new dragon through CGI design. Unlike the earlier version this film won’t feature

any singing. Instead, it will be full of action!

The latest Disney live action films have left Disney fans in awe. They bring the

animated classics back to life for the old and new generations to enjoy.