7 Animated Disney Classics That Need Live-Action Remakes

7 Disney Animated Movies That Need Live-Action Remakes

With this weekend's release of "Beauty and the Beast," we are about to see a flood of live-action remakes of Disney's animated classics. In fact, it's hard to keep track of all the live-action remakes of Disney animated classics that are currently in development -- there are more than a dozen in various stages of production and some are pretty esoteric (at one point we had a remake of "The Black Cauldron" on this list only to find out that Disney actually reacquired the rights to the original source material just last year). But there are still enough titles that aren't being developed that we think would still make great live-action fare. Here are seven of the titles we'd most love to see make the transition.

'The Hunchback of Notre Dame'

Seen by many as the spiritual successor to "Beauty and the Beast" (it was done by the same filmmaking team, was set in France, and even sees a cameo from Belle in an early musical number), it's the kind of grandiose, serious-minded musical that could easily be translated to the big screen. (It was also successfully adapted for the stage, in a European production that was said to be a favorite of former Disney bigwig Michael Eisner.) What many saw as the film's adult themes and more mature subject matter would be more easily digestible in live-action form. A lost, late-era masterpiece, "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" deserves to be appreciated by a whole new audience.

'Saludos Amigos' / 'The Three Caballeros'

Now, not many people think about Donald Duck's adventures with Brazilian parrot Jose Carioca and Mexican rooster Panchito Pistoles (if they do it's probably in relation to their appearance in the Mexico pavilion at EPCOT), but there's a terrific movie to be mined from their adventures. Instead of a straightforward remake, it would be fascinating to see a dramatization of Walt Disney's adventures in South America during the beginning of World War II. It was a hugely important trip for both the man and the studio, as seen in the terrific documentary "Walt & El Grupo," and would make a heck of a film.

'Bambi'

Just do it like Jon Favreau's "The Jungle Book" or his upcoming, photo-real take on "The Lion King." Maintain everything that was so powerful about the original "Bambi" and use cutting-edge technology to emulate that film's mixture of naturalistic realism and a kind of lyrical beauty. Box office total: $1 billion worldwide. Next.

'The Great Mouse Detective'

A personal favorite of mine and the film that truly kicked off the Disney Renaissance, "The Great Mouse Detective" is about a pair of mice living in Sherlock Holmes's flat that take on his characteristics. The art style is ripe for reinvention and the storyline, which saw a villainous rat (voiced, impeccably, by Vincent Price) plotting to overthrow the mouse society. The material is really rich and would make for a sumptuous makeover, with animated characters on live-action sets (or something). For added oomph, Disney could cast Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman as Basil and Dawson.

'Atlantis: The Lost Empire'

A funny thing happened on the way to "Atlantis: The Lost Empire:" it lost its chutzpah. Originally conceived as a muscular sci-fi throwback to the films of Ray Harryhausen, with design work by "Hellboy" creator Mike Mignola, the movie was eventually watered down to a fraction of what it could (and should) have been. (And the studio had big plans for this movie -- an animated spin-off series, a crazy hybrid coaster for Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, and tons of merchandise.) So remake it like it should have been made the first time, with oil and sweat and gears and monsters galore. This could be the first steampunk masterpiece, if they want it to be.

'Hercules'

Fitting in perfectly with the "Beauty and the Beast" model of straightforward remakes of animated musicals, "Hercules" would benefit from current technology in its ability to augment or even wholly represent characters from the original classic. Hercules could probably be a flesh-and-blood person, but characters like Hades or his minions Pain and Panic would have to be either wholly computer-generated or using some ungodly combination of mo-cap and live-action. Also, the songs from "Hercules" are really, really, ridiculously good and, given the right staging, could really come to life in new and profound ways.

'Lilo & Stitch'

The story of the Elvis Presley-loving alien and his adoptive best friend was one of the most charming Disney animated titles to come out of the studio in the late 1990s. Produced almost in secret at the company's satellite Florida studio, "Lilo & Stitch" was idiosyncratic, odd, and totally lovable. Add the fact that Stitch and his alien brethren are the only things that truly need to be computer-generated and this could be a truly charming little film. Bonus points if they include the original plane-hijacking climax, which was jettisoned after sensitivities following 9/11.