Disney’s latest live-action remake, Snow White, recently received its initial critics score from Rotten Tomatoes, proving that no matter how hard Disney tries, their live-action movies peaked a long time ago. Based on the 1937 classic, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, the 2025 remake stars Rachel Zegler as the тιтular princess, who joins forces with a group of kind dwarves to take down her oppressive step-mother. Already, the movie’s critical performance was in flux due to various Snow White controversies, but it is now clear that Snow White has met these poor expectations.

At the moment, Snow White has a 47% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes. Some reviewers have panned the project for being bland and unoriginal, not quite meriting a remake in the first place. Others were mostly satisfied with Snow White, and praised Zegler’s light-hearted rendition of Disney’s original princess. In general, it seems that Snow White was pᴀssable but failed to really wow critics, which leaves many to wonder how audiences will react. Either way, Snow White’s poor Rotten Tomatoes score continues a difficult trend for Disney’s live-action adaptations.

Disney’s Best Live-Action Movies Released In 2015 & 2016

How Disney’s Recent Live-Action Movies Have Failed

The unfortunate truth that Snow White confirms is that Disney’s live-action remakes were at their best a decade ago, in 2015. Disney first began dabbling with live-action movies in the 1990s, but didn’t truly commit to the trend until 2015, when they adapted Cinderella. This movie earned an impressive 83% on Rotten Tomatoes and grossed over $500 million at the box office. The following year, Disney raked in even more praise for The Jungle Book, which boasts the best Rotten Tomatoes score for any Disney live-action movie: 94%. Unfortunately, the movies have only gone downhill from there.

Since the release of Cinderella and The Jungle Book, Disney has failed to make another live-action remake with such strong critical ratings, despite releasing a new movie every year. Some of these films have divided critics and audiences, earning mixed reviews from one group and strong praise from another. Other Disney live-action films have been considered complete duds, like 2022’s Pinocchio. Even films like The Lion King, which brought in incredible amounts of money at the box office, were still heavily criticized and generally disliked. Thus, Disney has struggled to replicate its previous success.

Why Disney Has Struggled With Live-Action Remakes

Disney’s Fight For Accuracy Vs Something New

In some cases, Disney’s live-action remakes simply didn’t do enough to merit their existence. Films like Snow White attempt to refresh the original story, but for critics, that isn’t enough to prove why they were remade when the original is as good as it is. On the other hand, some Disney remakes are bogged down by poor CGI, casting controversies, and plot changes that just don’t bode well with viewers. Disney has the impossible task of maintaining the magic that made their movies successful in the first place while also making enough changes to validate the project’s creation.

In reality, this fight between accuracy and freshness is what really hurts Disney’s live-action movies. Sometimes, radical changes to the original story have led to success for Disney, such as Mulan, which earned a 72% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Cruella, which has a 75%. Meanwhile, other movies have received backlash for the most minute changes, such as The Little Mermaid or Aladdin. All in all, Disney has had a hard time finding the right mix of nostalgia and newness for each of its stories. That is why their live-action movies have had such varying ratings over the past decade.

Every Upcoming Disney Live-Action Remake After Snow White

Why There Is Hope For Disney’s Live-Action Remakes

Since Snow White has continued Disney’s trend of less-than-stellar live-action remakes, the future is looking somewhat bleak. Disney has several live-action remakes on the horizon, and if they follow in Snow White’s footsteps, it might be better for them to be scrapped in favor of something better. Currently, Disney has seven live-action remakes planned, including Lilo & Sтιтch, Moana, Hercules, Robin Hood, The Aristocats, Bambi, and Tangled. Considering how beloved many of these movies are, it is a big risk for Disney to continue on its live-action journey. However, there is one shred of hope.

The only hint that Disney could turn its luck around with its live-action remakes is the recent trailer for Lilo & Sтιтch. Set to be released on May 23, 2025, Lilo & Sтιтch looks like it has the potential to be truly great. With an incredible cast, plenty of nostalgia, and surprisingly perfect animation, this movie could finally redeem Disney and set the company on a path to greatness in live-action. Though it is definitely still too early to tell, Lilo & Sтιтch’s trailer has sparked a flame for many Disney lovers, and hopefully, it can reach the high expectations set for it.

How Disney Can Get Their Live-Action Remakes Back To The Quality We Saw A Decade Ago

Disney Needs To Fix Its CGI

The big question that remains is how Disney can bring its live-action movies to their former glory. Unfortunately, there is no easy answer to this. When looking at the reviews for Cinderella and The Jungle Book, reviewers were most impressed by the movies’ abilities to stick to their original premise while adding subtly new elements such as stronger actors and impressive visuals. Perhaps, subtlety is the key for Disney. Rather than taking big storytelling risks or trying to cater to a modern agenda, the company should focus more on the details: the magic, the cinematography, and the performances.

Beyond this, one change that definitely needs to be made is Disney’s CGI. It is strange that The Jungle Book received incredible praise for its visual effects, but just three years later, The Lion King’s animals looked far too realistic and soulless. Lilo & Sтιтch has already proven that Disney can pull back on its CGI, so hopefully, this trend will continue. If Disney wants to succeed with its live-action films after Snow White, it needs to bring the pure, authentic joy and childlike wonder back into its movies.