12 Pics To Compare Disney Princesses To The Actresses That Were Chosen To Embody Them In Live-Action Adaptations
If you were one of the countless children who grew up singing along with Disney princesses and fantasizing about experiencing “part of that world,” you were likely thrilled to see these iconic ladies come to life in live action adaptations of their stories.
From Mulan to Snow White, Disney has been working hard to create new versions of many of the princesses we know and love, so below, you can meet the women who had the chance to turn their childhood dreams into a reality. Enjoy learning a bit about these actors and the iconic roles they were able to portray, and keep reading to find a conversation with Lisa Dawn, the woman behind The Princess Blog!
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Emma Watson As Belle
Emma Watson might be most well known for her portrayal of Hermione Granger, but in 2017, she shined on the big screen as the “most peculiar mademoiselle” Princess Belle. When discussing this live action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast with ABC News, director Bill Condon said, “Emma Watson was our first, and really our only, choice for Belle for a lot of reasons: her talent, her beauty, her intelligence."
Belle is known for having her head buried in books, and Watson, who has an English literature degree from Brown University and is set to complete her master’s degree in creative writing at Oxford University, is also an avid reader. “I grew up on film sets, and books were my connection to the outside world,” she told Vanity Fair. “Later in life, they became an escape, a means of empowerment, a friend I could rely on.” Both the princess and actor are also passionate about feminism, as Belle always asserts her opinions, and Watson has championed the UN Women’s HeforShe campaign.
To learn more about these iconic princesses from an expert, we reached out to author and the woman behind The Princess Blog, Lisa Dawn. Lucky for us, Lisa was kind enough to have a chat with Bored Panda about what she loves most about Disney princesses. “I love that [they] encourage us to be the best version of ourselves through kindness, compassion, and ingenuity,” she shared. “They provide inspiration and encourage us not to give up on our dreams, even in the most dire of circumstances. For instance, if Cinderella had given in to the abuse of her wicked stepfamily, she never would have had the opportunity to go to the ball and become a princess. These stories represent hope for a better tomorrow.”
Naomi Scott As Jasmine
In 2019, Disney released their live action version of Aladdin, starring English singer and actor Naomi Scott as Jasmine. Scott, whose mother is from Uganda and of Gujarati Indian descent, is proud of her Indian roots and has sported traditional Indian jewelry on Instagram before. An accomplished actor who’s also starred in Charlie’s Angels and Power Rangers, Scott was a welcomed casting choice for the princess who finds ‘A Whole New World’.
Erum Salam at The Guardian explained how meaningful it was to see a brown princess be deemed beautiful by Disney when she was a child, and how great it is to have a live action version now too. “As an adult, I’m well aware I don’t need that validation, but for a younger generation, it’s a chance to finally see themselves represented on screen by a real person playing a character they have also probably been compared to their entire life.”
I loved the life action. People are hating on Will Smith' Genie but I thought he did a great job. I especially liked that he did NOT try to just copy Robin Williams Genie and that he toned his acting down and didn't try to make it into something else. And they gave the story back to the titular hero and gave us a great princess on the way. I thought it was well balanced and really respectful. I also thought it was very decent to give that role to a person of colour. It should have been a black person all along. They were better fitting into the cultural context since the story came from their geographical region and is part of their inheritance. Although Robin William's Genie was great!
We were also curious which Disney princess Lisa loves the most, and she shared that her favorite is Ariel. “Her passion and bravery in taking risks to chase after her dreams was an inspiration to me when I transitioned into adulthood,” Lisa explained. “Not only does she rescue her own prince, but she was also willing to make a deal with the nefarious sea witch to seek her own happiness. Many people wouldn't have the courage to do that and settle for mediocre lives.”
Elle Fanning As Sleeping Beauty
Although there hasn’t yet been a live action remake of the 1959 classic Sleeping Beauty, the princess Briar Rose has been portrayed by actor Elle Fanning in the 2014 film Maleficent, which tells the story of the vengeful witch who curses Sleeping Beauty. And lucky for Fanning, she actually had the chance to portray the princess she was always partial to. “Of the Disney princesses, Sleeping Beauty was my favorite because I looked like her the most,” she told the Daily Beast in 2014. “So I’d always gravitate towards her items at the toy store.
The first Maleficent was filmed when Fanning was only 14 years old, but she managed to impress audiences, as well as her co-star Angelina Jolie. “She always held herself so well and she always had such grace and she's such a strong actor that you never seemed like a child,” Jolie told ET in 2019. "You've also maintained -- which I think is almost unheard of in this business -- such sweetness and gratitude for the job and for every minute and for everybody.”
On the other hand, however, Lisa noted that her least favorite princess is Merida, “which is ironic because she's the other fellow redhead,” she added. “I felt like Merida didn't embody most of the traits that make princesses so special. Instead of being compassionate, she was selfish and rejected the opportunity to help her family and her kingdom.”
Lily James As Cinderella
Cinderella has been deemed the most popular Disney princess of all time, being the fan favorite in 76 countries, so finding a real life actress who was able to capture her essence certainly wasn't taken lightly. But lucky for fans all over the world, Downton Abbey star Lily James was able to perfectly fill the glass slippers of this princess. In fact, James originally auditioned for a stepsister role in the 2015 film, but director Kenneth Branagh knew she deserved to find her Prince Charming.
“She's a funny kid. She knew there's a beautiful absurdity about [the story] as well,” Branagh told ABC News. “Ultimately, it need not be taken that seriously, and that was a Cinderella quality that we wanted. She still was completely professional and committed to it, but she had a lightness of spirit about it which we thought was perfect for our Cinderella.”
When it comes to the live action adaptations, Lisa said they generally don’t measure up to the original animated classics. “They're a lazy way to copy and paste popular movies in the hopes that they benefit from the success of the originals,” she explained. “The remakes also draw attention away from the beautiful animated art form that made Disney such a successful company in the first place.”
Instead, Lisa says she would prefer to see new adaptations of these stories, many of which are very different from the Disney versions. “Did you know that in the Perrault version of ‘Sleeping Beauty,’ the prince's mother turned out to be an ogre who tried to eat their children?”
Mia Wasikowska As Alice
Now, we know that Alice is not technically a princess, but she’s another iconic Disney leading lady that we just couldn’t resist including on this list! Australian actress Mia Wasikowska starred as the leading role in Tim Burton’s whimsical 2010 rendition of Alice in Wonderland.
Wasikowska, who was a relatively unknown actor at the time, shared with The Guardian in 2010 that it was “kind of bizarre” seeing all of the film’s posters and merchandise come out, and admitted that she experienced a bit of anxiety “playing a character so beloved by so many people.” But her portrayal undoubtedly captivated audiences around the world. “All of [Tim Burton’s] films are so beautiful, works of art in their own right,” the leading actress noted, and Alice in Wonderland was certainly no exception.
The movie was OK, but that wasn't the fault of the actress - she did a very good job
We also asked the expert who she would like to see star in the next live action Disney princess film, but she noted that it’s best to see “new faces” make their acting debuts as fairy tale princesses. “For instance, Halle Bailey had a small role in Grown-ish and was in a singing duo with her sister, Chloe, before she got cast as Ariel, but it wasn't until after Disney announced her casting that she became a household name,” Lisa explained. “I think it's partly due to that fact that she seems to capture the wide-eyed innocence of the character so well.”
Drew Barrymore As Cinderella
Many women have had the honor of playing the beloved princess Cinderella, including Drew Barrymore, who took on the role in the 1998 film Ever After. And although Barrymore has had an extensive career in Hollywood, she mentioned in 2023 that her experience playing Cinderella actually “changed [her] life forever.”
“You know, when you have those very clear times in your life — incidences, situations, circumstances — that you know your life went in a better direction for and from, and this is that for me,” Barrymore said recently on her talk show, while discussing Ever After. “There’s no question."
“In terms of remakes that haven't been made yet, I'd love to see an enthusiastic little girl start her career in the role of Sofia the First, another one of my favorites,” Lisa continued. “Back in 2013, Annie Leibowitz added this photograph of Taylor Swift as Rapunzel to her ‘Year of a Million Dreams’ series depicting celebrities as Disney characters. I thought it was a perfect fit because Taylor's personality is such a good match for the character.”
Wei Zhao As Mulan
The iconic warrior princess Mulan has been portrayed in live action films twice now, but the first one, which was released in 2009 and features a nearly entirely Chinese cast, stars Zhao Wei as the protagonist. Mulan: Rise of a Warrior has been praised as the more realistic version of the story, and director Jingle Ma said Zhao was “perfect for [her] role” because she possesses all of the traits he imagined for his film.
Zhao has starred in many Chinese blockbuster films, including Shaolin Soccer, Red Cliff, and The Founding of a Republic, and her more traditional portrayal of Mulan is certainly worth checking out if you’re a fan of this beloved warrior woman.
The life action was horrible. Not the actresses fault but they completely botched the story. Mulan was a real life girl fighting to fit into the world and learning to expand her abilities and grow. At the end she was an encouragement for everyone. The animated movie showed trie equality between men and women, it showed that everyone struggles and has to learn and grow to become their best. The real life action made her a brat with supernatural powers who looked down at everyone. I hated it.
“From what I've seen, I find that Disney fans are generally burnt out from all the remakes and would prefer to see more original stories or new adaptations that incorporate the animated art form,” Lisa went on to note. “I'm particularly excited about Wish, which is coming out this November and is meant to pay tribute to a century of Disney animation. It will feature a new heroine/princess named Asha who embarks on a quest to save the magical kingdom of Rosas from a wicked king. I've also heard rumors of an animated Disney adaptation of ‘The Princess and the Pea’ in the works, which has been attempted by other studios in the past.”
If you’d like to hear more from the princess expert and keep up with all of the news she shares, be sure to visit Lisa’s website The Princess Blog right here!
Liu Yifei As Mulan
The second live action adaptation of Mulan, which premiered in 2020, stars Chinese-American actress Liu Yifei. And landing the role of this warrior princess was no easy feat, as the casting directors for the film searched across five continents to find the perfect actor. “They looked to hire a young Chinese woman who had credible martial arts skills, was able to speak English, and had star quality,” Elle reported.
In the film, Yifei sings and performs 90% of her own stunts. About her role, she told Interview Magazine, “Her motivation was love, her love for her father, and her journey of finding out who she truly is. That was my homework, and I would say that it motivated me to prepare myself mentally, but also physically, with a lot of gym stuff, fight training, horse training. But at its core, Mulan is really about the character, the spirit. She is such a famous character, but I also wanted to be myself. It was all about balance and choice. It’s always brave to be yourself.”
I don't really like the actor for mulan as a person. She supports police brutality, and the movie was shot in the area the Uyghur Muslims are being detained. Edit: Lots are pointing out that that may have not been her actual opinion, so I understand that now. Sorry for putting that in the first place.
Lily Collins As Snow White
We may still be awaiting a proper live action adaptation of Snow White, but we were granted the film Mirror Mirror in 2012, where actress Lily Collins took on the role of the beloved princess. This version of the story focuses more on the Queen’s story, who was played by Julia Roberts, but Collins was still thrilled to take part in the film. So happy, in fact, that she actually couldn’t believe she had been given the role at first.
“I thought it was an April Fools joke,” she revealed in a 2012 interview. “When I found out it wasn’t, I screamed and I started crying and laughing at the same time. They were horrific tears, laughter, and screaming combined. I couldn’t believe it. It’s definitely bizarre seeing your face on a bus or billboard.”
Halle Bailey As Ariel
This live action adaptation of The Little Mermaid was released on May 26, 2023, and stars 23-year-old actor Halle Bailey. And although Halle may not be twins with her cartoon counterpart, she has been called “as naturally Disneyfied as real human beings can get,” and has been celebrated for bringing a beautiful portrayal of Ariel that many more children can see themselves in.
Singer Kelly Rowland called the new film an “epic watch,” and Bailey’s ability to “belt like a Broadway star” has been praised. In fact, she even received support from the original voice of Ariel in the 1989 film, Jodi Benson. “Halle's interpretation of Ariel is absolutely beautiful," she told People. "The casting has been done so perfectly. It's about the heart of the character."
Virtue Signaling - It's easier to swap out characters than creating original ones. "We stand with you, but not so much that it would be worth the effort"
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Yeah, there are some very racist people in this comments section. I love how people are complaining about the skin colour of a mythical creature. Ariel being black affects these people in absolutely no way. They are just trying to hide their racism behind week arguments like “this is a European tale”
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I still can't get over the fact that people are upset by the race of the imaginary fish person. I get why people were upset when Netflix cast a black woman as Cleopatra because that was a real person who actually lived, but Ariel is a fantasy character from a race of people that never existed.
Who downvoted???? I agree with you, and it'd make sense that the merfolk would have darker skin, hanging out by the surface all day, by the sun
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My bestie just came back from seeing this movie with her daughter, who is a HUGE Disney's Little Mermaid fan, and they ADORED it. They said it was SO GOOD, and all the changes were for the better--developing the romance more so it wasn't so much love-at-first-sight, explaining Ursula's backstory more, changing how Ursula dies. The only thing they didn't like was Scuttlebutt's rap, but they said everything else was FANTASTIC. That Halle Bailey was at LEAST as good a singer as Jody Benson (voice of the animated Ariel) and that Melissa McCarthy delivered a fantastic performance as Ursula. I'm looking forward to seeing it.
I don't understand why people complain about this Black actress playing this part, MERMAIDS DON'T EXIST. They can use any skin color they want, from Green to purple, it's fiction.
Because these people have nothing better to do with their lives than complain about a beautiful black actress playing a mythical sea creature. They keep on spitting out the same articles about their European myths being stolen and Ariel being a red-head. I’m more disturbed at how many upvoted these people are getting. I find it odd that they complain about a black mermaid in a movie with damned singing sea creatures.
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The comments on here are insane. It’s a disney-fied version of a Danish fictional character based on a mythical being. Who the f**k cares about the race of the actor (other than proud boy racist twats).
I feel like this was an amazing casting decision. Based on the advertisements for the movie, she looks great for the part and I think she will do wonderful in the movie!
Yeah, people really don’t like it, but I feel it will benefit from the casting decision.
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Lame argument by grown adults over a movie for children. Not a single one of them express outrage when white people play natives. It's only when it doesn't fit their narrative do they get all dumb about it. It's racism pure and simple but they will argue til the end of time " I'm not racist I'm just trying to point out something that shouldn't be". Oh boo hoo black washing but no mention of white washing, gotcha. In the end arguing with these people is like playing chess with a pigeon. Good day. I SAID good day.
I says the same thing and was called woke or PC by angry ol’ adults who are complaining about the skin colour of a mythical being.
Load More Replies... I absolutely LOVE Halle Bailey as Ariel. She's a gorgeous actress with an EXCELLENT voice. And the movie was better than many thought it would be.
Ariel was described as red headed and blue eyed. She’s half fish, half human. Why are people so hung up on the skin colour?
"There's no way that Triton's daughters all came from the same mom." It's GOOD to be the king.
Seven daughters for seven seas, they had to adapt to the region of the world they are in. This is why they look different, they are old af so time has had time to adapt them.
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I can’t wait for this one ❤️ my mermaid friends across the see blixunami has been flown around for the premier in London and all over (he’s a US merman)
I have personally seen the movie and I think it's great. It's a nice spin off of the original which is racially diverse and extremely entertaining. All of the songs were great and I personally loved the storyline. I know people are hating on it but in my opinion, it is really a great movie 🤷♂️
I haven't seen it quite yet, but I think it makes sense for a live action. I'd assume they really wouldn't have access to hair dyes, and in the live action her hair is closer to a ginger. I think they might have done the same thing if the actor who was cast was white or another race. I kinda do wish that too tho lol
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I watched the movie, and it was beautiful. URSLA WAS A QUEEN, and halle slayed her role
I personally don't care what an actors race is but I think that why people are mad is because they want the actor to be just like the one in the animated movie. If there older they want a hit of nostalgia and if there younger I still don't understands but that is why I think people are having problems with her being black
You are probably right about this, and I get it on some level, these things are precious to us so we want them the same... but people need to get over it. We have like, 10± white Disney princesses and like 3 persons of colour-- Mulan, Jasmine and Tiana in the original lineup and it's important little kids see their skin colour represented. POC are constantly asked to relate to white characters and when the opposite happens people treat it like they are mortally offended, like we aren't all just humans. Honestly I watched the 50th anniversary special of Beauty and the Beast, which has a black Gaston and Belle in it, and both actors killed it and were so good! H.E.R. (that's the singers name) had way more personality than Emma Watson. I would have preferred this version of the movie.
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Just saw this movie. I have to say the media really likes to play up controversy that isn't actually there. Halle played Ariel well. Melissa McCarthy played Ursula flat and same with the guy who play Triton. Ariel's sisters were played by various raced actors. It wasn't terribly in your face, but the choosing of ethnic actors playing some of the characters wasn't well thought out. DNA and genes was not considered, js. However, as a movie in whole it wasn't bad. I'm more disappointed Les Poisson song was omitted from the movie, and the fight between Sebastian and Chef Louis. That was always the best song and scene in the animated version.
seven daughters for seven seas, they are old and had time to adapt to where they were located. I thought it was very clever to have them represent the seven seas. but what evs...
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Everybody's talking about this character, but when Will Smith was Robert Neville in I Am Legend, nobody says anything?
I’m guessing there’s a book version first yeah?
Load More Replies... The obvious aside - the movie is too dark, the CGI sucks, the song "Scuttlebutt" is vomit inducing and the pacing is off. Disney really hit rock bottom lately. And of course Jodi Benson praised the cast, no actress wants to land on the "Do not hire" list written by Disney
Halle Bailey was BEAUTIFUL as Ariel and many others think so too. If you don't like it thats YOUR problem
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I haven't seen it, I'm Disney phobic, but I'm keen to watch it. I saw the animated film when I was 6, and promptly told my aunt (who took my cousins and I to see it) that it was the biggest load of c**p I'd ever seen. I had a copy of the Hans Christian Andersen book, and no one died, so it was disappointed.
The life action is even worse. Don't watch it. The fairytale was gruesome but had a beautiful message and in the end she didn't die, she just lost her body but got a chance to win a soul as reward for her kindness. It's quite sad but still uplifting. The message of the story was: true love means sacrifice and letting go instead of doing harm. The message of both movies is: run away at 16 to fling yourself at a stranger who doesn't even know you exist and make him fall in love with you and marry you after three days.
Load More Replies... I'm going to say it AGAIN. Halle Bailey is a Drop dead BEAUTIFUL actress with an astoundingly wonderful voice, and she nailed the role PERFECTLY. It's insanely enraging when I hear confused and simple minded trolls ask why they "race-swapped" Ariel, a FICTIONAL character.
Literally the only thing wrong with her being portrayed by halle bailey is that her hair isn't vibrant red. And it's not ever her fault, it's the costume department's. Red hair is the most iconic part of the character loll
Ok, at first, I didn’t like the idea of her being Ariel because of the appearance. It then I actually watched the movie, and it was amazing. She did such a great job and her mannerisms were on spot. Thanks for being a great actor despite your skin color, because the acting quality itself matters more than the color of her skin.
By now I would settle for the new Disney remakes changing all characters to cyborg wizard foxes if the end movie's story wasn't a badly rewritten mess with added on bits. Sure the stories care old an you think "princesses" should be doing it for themselves. But that doesn't mean the princes should be helpless buffoons. Make em more equal if you want to change anything. F.e. Tangled.
Halle did an amazing job! I'm a lifelong Ariel fan and I loved the movie.
No, it's part of when she's singing "Part of that World" in her cave. It's dim lighting so it makes sense that would reflect on her skin
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This is one of the dumbest comments I've seen in a while lmao, if they made the actress wear white makeup all over her body would that be better for you?? No, because your problem is that she's black and you have a problem with black people.
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Ah bless, why can’t Ariel be black? What is it to you that a mythical sea creature be played be a talented African American actress. You do know that the original author Hans Christian Andersen never mentioned the hair colour of the character. Is your world going to end if Ariel is black and not a red head? No, then stop freaking complaining.
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And why doesn’t it work, Raven? Would you say the same thing if Ariel was played by a Hispanic or Asian actress?
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She's 16. She even sais so in the movie itself. But in the story she was of age and her coming to the surface and seeing the world above was a coming of age ritual that all mermaids did. Her father hating humans was made up by Disney for extra drama and making her younger was a marketing trick.
Load More Replies... How the hell is it cultural appropriation, Joe. It’s a movie about a freaking mythical sea creature and a bunch of talking animals.
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Anna Kendrick As Cinderella
Another unique adaptation of Cinderella’s story takes place in the Stephen Sondheim musical Into the Woods, which received a film version in 2014, directed by Rob Marshall. In this version, Anna Kendrick plays the classic princess who loses a shoe, and who, in the end, doesn’t even end up with her prince.
"What’s interesting about this version, and what’s very modern about this one, is that not only does Cinderella leave her prince, but she leaves with forgiveness and respect and compassion for [him],” Kendrick told Vulture in 2014. “It’s not black and white for her. It’s not even black and white for the prince, who lives a pretty black-and-white life… There is something extremely relevant and modern about the idea of civility in separation.”
Rachel Zegler As Snow White
Disney’s live action Snow White won’t be appearing on screens near you until 2024, but we can fill you in on who will be starring as this beloved princess. Rachel Zegler, the radiant star of West Side Story, will be gracing audiences with her rendition of ‘Some Day My Prince Will Come’.
And while there have not been too many details about the film released just yet, Rachel has been spotted in her iconic dress on set already. This glimpse is just enough to get audiences excited about the new movie, as we’ve had to wait over 80 years for Disney to finally give us a live action rendition of their very first princess.
Audiences have shared some of their thoughts on these live action Disney adaptations, specifically the 2023 The Little Mermaid
When will Disney stop with all the unnecessary “live action” remakes and make better new stories? Disney has been losing its charm for the past few years and each new movie sucks more than the previous
I'm gobsmacked that they're ALREADY making a live-action Moana. The animated one only came out in 2016! That was only SEVEN years ago! Cripes!
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No definitely not. But Disney deserves hate for not adapting the story with more of the original message of selflessness and reason but stick with the horrible story of a 26 year old throwing herself at a stranger. And Disney deserves hate gor abusing Halle's skin colour to distract from that
Load More Replies... I saw the clip of Sebastian singing under the sea. We all need to accept the fact that there are a laundry list of reasons why the remake will suck that have nothing to do with ethnicity of the actress playing Ariel.
But every criticism will be blamed on racism anyways
Load More Replies... All of those stories aren't original Disney though, they are century old fairytales adapted by Disney
This worries me, bored panda seem to be under the assumption that as soon as Disney make a film then that story belongs to Disney.
Load More Replies... Why am I not surprised that people are being ridiculous and disgusting about Halle Bailey being cast as Ariel? Yes! They changed her race! CONGRATULATIONS YOU NOTICED. And yeah, all her sisters are different races/ethnicities. Just like in the Brandy Cinderella. It's a fairy tale, a movie, and a fantasy story, any of which is a perfectly good reason why you don't have to be SCRUPULOUSLY genetically accurate in casting. JFC. The reception of this movie has been SO racist.
It's because they represented 'the seven seas', right? It's been so long since I've watched the little mermaid, but I seem to remember something about each daughter representing a different sea. Might be a conspiracy theory of some kind though. :D
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I think the biggest problem for me is that they try to be the same movie, so none of the live action actresses quite work. That being said, one of my favorite Cinderellas is Brandy Norwood. That was a fun movie.
There’s really someone in these comments going off about “European stories why the need to disrespect all that heritage”…. I want to and am eager to learn more about your mermaid heritage. Once, someone else was mad at Zoe Saldana for her role as Gamora because she wasn’t Zen-Whoberis and she was doing green face.
I know this isn't what you're talking about, but the history of mermaid stories really is interesting. They've been around for thousands of years. Not just in European folklore either, but all around the world in different forms. Makes you wonder what those sailors were drinking. :D
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This list quickly derived from Disneys live adaptations to comparing Disney animated adaptations to live action adaptations of the same fairy tale (or legend in Mulans case) that are completely unrelated to Disney. What the... these were not all Disney movies and Disney does not own the original tales they based their animations on...
The reason why live action remakes sucks, is because the old Disney movies are SO GOOD. Videogame remakes generally works because they have better technology now, so they can make 2D games into 3D, or 3D games to look way better with more polygons and whatnot. Disney's already amazing cartoons don't need that. Also I'm a comic book nerd, so visual appearance matters for me. That's how we recognize fictional characters in the comics: by the shapes, by the colors. If they change black panther to a white dude I will be pissed. The same that i will be pissed if they change sang chi to an american, or ariel to an african descendant. If they want a black protagonists they should just make one instead of blackwasing already existed characters. We have so many great ones like miles morales or james rhodes.
Yeah but you could argue that there should have been a black Disney princesses way before Tiana, given they had so many white girls in the 2D movies. We got Snow White, Aurora, Cindy, Belle, Ariel, and it took forever to have a black one-- I think Jasmine being the first. Then after that it got better, with Pocahontas and Mulan. But Tiana was SO long after that. 2009. Belle was in 1991. You could argue why were they all white? Just because they're European stories? I would have loved to see a black Ariel in 1989. They should have gone for it.
Load More Replies... I've been told Disney keeps doing the remakes to keep the licensing current for the properties. No one else can make their own version if it stays out of public domain.
They actually can't. Most of these fairytales are OLD, before licensing was a thing, and thus are all public domain. The way that Disney portrays them is owned by Disney, but the fairytales themselves are fair game. You could make Cinderella totally fairytale accurate and have the birds talk to Cinderella instead and the step sisters cut off their toes and heels to fit the shoes and have the step family all die in the end, but most people aren't gonna want to see that. Maybe. So Disney's very G versions of these movies are theirs. They're doing it to rake in some money for...whatever, and that's it. They're banking off nostalgia, and the idiots are totally eating it up, hand over fist.
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Disney, in my opinion, should have let the animations stand as the classics they are, and not bothered with the life action films at all. I understand the money aspect, but still, especially with the older ones, there is a legacy which should be respected.
The little mermaid movie was beautiful tho and I personally thought it was great. I thought i would hate Sebastian bc of how realistic they made him but he was one of my favorites because his humor and personality was still there. Halle's singing was absolutely gorgeous and Melissa McCarthy made an amazing Ursula. Yes it's different, they missed a few iconic scenes and the ending was a little different. But that change wasn't terrible. it was a good movie and as long as her hair is still red i couldn't give a s**t about her skin color because either way it's pretty. And it's giving black kids someone to look up to.
These remakes are a waste of time. They’re all terrible. Why is Hollywood trying to remake everything or turn every movie into a massive series? Original stories don’t exist anymore.
I LOVED Halle as Ariel! She did a phenomenal job of capturing the essence of the original character while also making it her own, and I almost cried because I was so happy to see all the little black girls in the theater dressed up as Ariel! 😍 Those little girls are the only thing that matters when thinking about a change in race. To you it's just a movie, for all the little girls seeing a black actress playing a beautiful princess, it's everything.
That's the thing, I'm not black but I look unique and when I was a kid I never saw people who looked like me in mainstream media. It made me feel very small and wrong. It's important to have diversity and to see yourself represented.
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Like every other movie studio, Disney's priority is money. If you want creativity, you need to look at small studios and underground film makers. The YT channel "Dust" makes some excellent science fiction short films, for example. I'm sure there are channels for other film genres as well.
I totally thought Ariel was Halle Berry! No wonder I was confused!
These people saying Mulan was good lololololol clearly they have no critical thinking then. I don't either, but I do watch others who do and man...the actress was fine, but they totally hacked the story to bits. Anyways, hate the company, not the actor/esses. Also, I'm very shocked that they didn't have the """live-action""" lion king up there, seeing how many idiots keep saying "It'S tOo ReAl To Be AnImAtEd". Many of these movies were p**s poor adaptations to being with, and they've just gotten so much worse with their "live-action" counterparts. At least when fully animated, they were bright, colorful, beautifully animated, and very fun with the songs. They've stripped everything away to be "adult" and have ruined their own products. I swear to Frith Disney, if you remake The Fox and the Hound, you better kill the damn dog if you're wanting it to be adult.
Incredulous how most people, offended at Halle Bailey being Ariel, are middle-aged white men. Like WTF? Kids don’t f****n care if Ariel is pink, purple, blue, green OR BLACK, if you insist on a white Ariel, make the movie yourselves or better still go f**k yourselves or get a life!
i think people are fed up with the general trend of making everyone multicultural nowadays. these are European stories why the need to disrespect all that heritage? Netflix is guilty of the exact same thing and rings of power made the same mistake. its like a box that they want to tick to show they are woke instead of thinking how it fits into the narrative
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Bless your heart. Why are you so freaking triggered about the skin colour of a mythical creature? Is your childhood ruined? Is the world ending? No? Then stop complaining. My God you people need a life.
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When will Disney stop with all the unnecessary “live action” remakes and make better new stories? Disney has been losing its charm for the past few years and each new movie sucks more than the previous
I'm gobsmacked that they're ALREADY making a live-action Moana. The animated one only came out in 2016! That was only SEVEN years ago! Cripes!
Load More Replies... No definitely not. But Disney deserves hate for not adapting the story with more of the original message of selflessness and reason but stick with the horrible story of a 26 year old throwing herself at a stranger. And Disney deserves hate gor abusing Halle's skin colour to distract from that
Load More Replies... I saw the clip of Sebastian singing under the sea. We all need to accept the fact that there are a laundry list of reasons why the remake will suck that have nothing to do with ethnicity of the actress playing Ariel.
But every criticism will be blamed on racism anyways
Load More Replies... All of those stories aren't original Disney though, they are century old fairytales adapted by Disney
This worries me, bored panda seem to be under the assumption that as soon as Disney make a film then that story belongs to Disney.
Load More Replies... Why am I not surprised that people are being ridiculous and disgusting about Halle Bailey being cast as Ariel? Yes! They changed her race! CONGRATULATIONS YOU NOTICED. And yeah, all her sisters are different races/ethnicities. Just like in the Brandy Cinderella. It's a fairy tale, a movie, and a fantasy story, any of which is a perfectly good reason why you don't have to be SCRUPULOUSLY genetically accurate in casting. JFC. The reception of this movie has been SO racist.
It's because they represented 'the seven seas', right? It's been so long since I've watched the little mermaid, but I seem to remember something about each daughter representing a different sea. Might be a conspiracy theory of some kind though. :D
Load More Replies... I think the biggest problem for me is that they try to be the same movie, so none of the live action actresses quite work. That being said, one of my favorite Cinderellas is Brandy Norwood. That was a fun movie.
There’s really someone in these comments going off about “European stories why the need to disrespect all that heritage”…. I want to and am eager to learn more about your mermaid heritage. Once, someone else was mad at Zoe Saldana for her role as Gamora because she wasn’t Zen-Whoberis and she was doing green face.
I know this isn't what you're talking about, but the history of mermaid stories really is interesting. They've been around for thousands of years. Not just in European folklore either, but all around the world in different forms. Makes you wonder what those sailors were drinking. :D
Load More Replies... This list quickly derived from Disneys live adaptations to comparing Disney animated adaptations to live action adaptations of the same fairy tale (or legend in Mulans case) that are completely unrelated to Disney. What the... these were not all Disney movies and Disney does not own the original tales they based their animations on...
The reason why live action remakes sucks, is because the old Disney movies are SO GOOD. Videogame remakes generally works because they have better technology now, so they can make 2D games into 3D, or 3D games to look way better with more polygons and whatnot. Disney's already amazing cartoons don't need that. Also I'm a comic book nerd, so visual appearance matters for me. That's how we recognize fictional characters in the comics: by the shapes, by the colors. If they change black panther to a white dude I will be pissed. The same that i will be pissed if they change sang chi to an american, or ariel to an african descendant. If they want a black protagonists they should just make one instead of blackwasing already existed characters. We have so many great ones like miles morales or james rhodes.
Yeah but you could argue that there should have been a black Disney princesses way before Tiana, given they had so many white girls in the 2D movies. We got Snow White, Aurora, Cindy, Belle, Ariel, and it took forever to have a black one-- I think Jasmine being the first. Then after that it got better, with Pocahontas and Mulan. But Tiana was SO long after that. 2009. Belle was in 1991. You could argue why were they all white? Just because they're European stories? I would have loved to see a black Ariel in 1989. They should have gone for it.
Load More Replies... I've been told Disney keeps doing the remakes to keep the licensing current for the properties. No one else can make their own version if it stays out of public domain.
They actually can't. Most of these fairytales are OLD, before licensing was a thing, and thus are all public domain. The way that Disney portrays them is owned by Disney, but the fairytales themselves are fair game. You could make Cinderella totally fairytale accurate and have the birds talk to Cinderella instead and the step sisters cut off their toes and heels to fit the shoes and have the step family all die in the end, but most people aren't gonna want to see that. Maybe. So Disney's very G versions of these movies are theirs. They're doing it to rake in some money for...whatever, and that's it. They're banking off nostalgia, and the idiots are totally eating it up, hand over fist.
Load More Replies... Disney, in my opinion, should have let the animations stand as the classics they are, and not bothered with the life action films at all. I understand the money aspect, but still, especially with the older ones, there is a legacy which should be respected.
The little mermaid movie was beautiful tho and I personally thought it was great. I thought i would hate Sebastian bc of how realistic they made him but he was one of my favorites because his humor and personality was still there. Halle's singing was absolutely gorgeous and Melissa McCarthy made an amazing Ursula. Yes it's different, they missed a few iconic scenes and the ending was a little different. But that change wasn't terrible. it was a good movie and as long as her hair is still red i couldn't give a s**t about her skin color because either way it's pretty. And it's giving black kids someone to look up to.
These remakes are a waste of time. They’re all terrible. Why is Hollywood trying to remake everything or turn every movie into a massive series? Original stories don’t exist anymore.
I LOVED Halle as Ariel! She did a phenomenal job of capturing the essence of the original character while also making it her own, and I almost cried because I was so happy to see all the little black girls in the theater dressed up as Ariel! 😍 Those little girls are the only thing that matters when thinking about a change in race. To you it's just a movie, for all the little girls seeing a black actress playing a beautiful princess, it's everything.
That's the thing, I'm not black but I look unique and when I was a kid I never saw people who looked like me in mainstream media. It made me feel very small and wrong. It's important to have diversity and to see yourself represented.
Load More Replies... Like every other movie studio, Disney's priority is money. If you want creativity, you need to look at small studios and underground film makers. The YT channel "Dust" makes some excellent science fiction short films, for example. I'm sure there are channels for other film genres as well.
I totally thought Ariel was Halle Berry! No wonder I was confused!
These people saying Mulan was good lololololol clearly they have no critical thinking then. I don't either, but I do watch others who do and man...the actress was fine, but they totally hacked the story to bits. Anyways, hate the company, not the actor/esses. Also, I'm very shocked that they didn't have the """live-action""" lion king up there, seeing how many idiots keep saying "It'S tOo ReAl To Be AnImAtEd". Many of these movies were p**s poor adaptations to being with, and they've just gotten so much worse with their "live-action" counterparts. At least when fully animated, they were bright, colorful, beautifully animated, and very fun with the songs. They've stripped everything away to be "adult" and have ruined their own products. I swear to Frith Disney, if you remake The Fox and the Hound, you better kill the damn dog if you're wanting it to be adult.
Incredulous how most people, offended at Halle Bailey being Ariel, are middle-aged white men. Like WTF? Kids don’t f****n care if Ariel is pink, purple, blue, green OR BLACK, if you insist on a white Ariel, make the movie yourselves or better still go f**k yourselves or get a life!
i think people are fed up with the general trend of making everyone multicultural nowadays. these are European stories why the need to disrespect all that heritage? Netflix is guilty of the exact same thing and rings of power made the same mistake. its like a box that they want to tick to show they are woke instead of thinking how it fits into the narrative
Load More Replies... Bless your heart. Why are you so freaking triggered about the skin colour of a mythical creature? Is your childhood ruined? Is the world ending? No? Then stop complaining. My God you people need a life.
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