Alice in Wonderland
A Rotten Tomatoes score of only 51 percent positive reviews didn't stop Burton's visual feast, which starred Mia Wasikowska as the titular heroine, Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, and Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen, from raking in over $1 billion worldwide in 2010. Not only did audiences throw money at the film, but they also awarded it an A- CinemaScore. A sequel was formally announced in late 2012. As you'll see later in this list, it didn't fare as well.
Maleficent
In 2014, Disney turned the Sleeping Beauty story on its head to tell the tale from the point of view of Maleficent, its iconic villain. Starring Angelina Jolie in the titular role and Elle Fanning as Aurora, the film only notched a 54 percent rating at Rotten Tomatoes, but earned an A from audiences, according to CinemaScore. With worldwide grosses over $758 million, it became Jolie's highest-grossing film ever and the fourth-highest-grossing film of 2014. A sequel, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, will hit theaters on October 18, 2019.
Cinderella
The next Disney classic to get the live-action treatment was Cinderella in 2015. Directed by Kenneth Branagh, the film starred Lily James in the titular role, with Richard Madden as her prince, Helena Bonham Carter as her fairy godmother, and Cate Blanchett as her evil stepmother Lady Tremaine. It's the first of Disney's adaptations this decade to crack 80 percent at Rotten Tomatoes—with a score of 84 percent, to be exact—though it also marked the weakest box office, with a worldwide gross of $543.5 million. Audiences loved the adaptation, though, earning it an A from CinemaScore.
The Jungle Book
Disney took on a massive undertaking for their next adaptation, choosing to bring The Jungle Book to life in 2016. The studio entrusted actor-director Jon Favreau to helm the film, which starred young newcomer Neel Sethi as Mowgli and featured the voice and motion capture performances of Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba, Lupita Nyong'o, Scarlett Johansson, Giancarlo Esposito, and Christopher Walken as Baloo, Bagherra, Shere Khan, Raksha, Kaa, Akela, and King Louie, respectively. Critics and audiences fell for the movie hard, giving it 95 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and an A from CinemaScore, respectively. The film fell just short of a billion, earning $966.5 million worldwide. A sequel is in the works, but was put on hold until Favreau could finish this year's adaptation of The Lion King, which utilizes the same technology to bring the animal kingdom to life.
Alice Through the Looking Glass
Disney's return to Wonderland in 2016—with James Bobin subbing in for Burton as director—was not as magical as its first visit. Critics dogged the sequel, earning it a 30 percent rating at Rotten Tomatoes, and, despite an A- CinemaScore rating, the box office returns dropped precipitously when compared to its predecessor. Earning $299.4 million on a budget of $170 million, it's feels weird to label the sequel a disappointment, but compared to all that had come before, it sure was. Could the six years between releases have been to blame?
Pete's Dragon
Disney's third live-action adaptation to be released in 2016 was this reimagining of a lesser-known live-action/animated hybrid from 1977 of the same name. Starring Bryce Dallas Howard and Robert Redford, the story of an orphaned feral boy who befriends a dragon in the Pacific Northwest charmed critics, earning it an approval rating of 88 percent at Rotten Tomatoes and a CimeaScore grade of A. Pete's Dragon grossed $144 million against a $65 million budget, making it a modest success.
Beauty and the Beast
The crown jewel of Disney's live-action adaptations, Beauty and the Beast was an unbelievable success. The musical, directed by Bill Condon and starring Emma Watson and Dan Stevens as the titular characters, grossed over $1.2 billion worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing live-action musical of all time and the 14th-highest-grossing film ever. While critics only gave it a 71 percent score at Rotten Tomatoes, audiences clearly loved it, earning it an A from CinemaScore.
Christopher Robin
This adorable little adaptation of the Winnie the Pooh franchise, which starred Ewan McGregor as the grown version of the titular character who'd lost his sense of imagination, only to be reunited with all his old stuffed friends, was a modest success for the studio. It grossed $197.2 million worldwide on a budget of $70 million, earning an A from CinemaScore. Critics were slightly less enthusiastic, landing Christopher Robin a 72 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Dumbo
Released in late March 2019, this adaptation of the beloved 1941 animated film centered on a young elephant with extremely large ears and extremely sad eyes separated from his mother and forced into becoming a circus performer thanks to his astounding ability of flight saw director Tim Burton return to the Disney fold nearly a decade after helping kick off the Mouse House's live adaptation craze—to diminishing effects. To date, the film has grossed $347 million worldwide, which, while nothing to sniff at, definitely falls short of projected earnings. The film, which starred Danny DeVito, Colin Farrell, Eva Green and Michael Keaton, didn't exactly win critics over, notching only a 47 percent rating at Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences were a bit kinder, awarding it an average grade of A-, according to CinemaScore.
Aladdin
This adaptation of the 1992 animated classic centered on the titular street urchin who, along with the help of a wish-granting Genie and a magic carpet, wins the heart of princess Jasmine and defeats the wicked Jafar, is an absolute box office smash. Released on May 24, 2019, the film has already grossed over #1 billion worldwide, becoming the sixth highest-grossing film of the year and the highest grossing film of star Will Smith's career. Critics weren't so taken with director Guy Ritchie's vision for the film, earning it an approval rating of 57 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences, however, were a bit more smitten, giving the film an average grade of A, according to CinemaScore.
The Lion King
Though its photo-realistic digital animation hardly counts as "live action," Jon Favreau's adaptation of the beloved 1994 animated classic set in the Pride Lands of Africa, with Donald Glover and Beyonce providing the voices for Simba and Nala, was perhaps the year's most anticipated of all of Disney's releases. And the box office receipts prove it. Since its release on July 19, 2019, the film has grossed over $1.6 billion worldwide, ranking as the second highest-grossing film of the year and the seventh-highest of all-time, surpassing Frozen as the highest-grossing animated film ever. Critics were mixed on the film, earning it an approval rating of 53 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, while audiences were more smitten. It earned an average grade of A, according to CinemaScore.