The Cosmic Watchdog

Disney has been captivating audiences with their animated films for nearly a century, and in recent years, they’ve brought these beloved characters to life through live-action remakes.

As Disney celebrates the 75th anniversary of the original Cinderella, everyone is saying the same think about Lily James’ portrayal of the beloved character in the live-action remake.

The live-action adaptations have elicited mixed reactions from viewers. While some are enamoured with the reimagined classics, others remain unconvinced. Despite this divide, many of these remakes have enjoyed tremendous box office success, though a few have fallen short of expectations.

The Lion King’s live-action version, featuring Mufasa, recently debuted on Disney Plus after raking in an impressive $700 million (£540million) globally at the box office.

Later this year, fans can look forward to a Lilo & Stitch remake, while just a few weeks ago, the live-action adaptation of Disney’s earliest film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, hit theatres under the title ‘Disney’s Snow White’. 

However, the studio’s latest offering experienced a lacklustre opening weekend at the box office. This has sparked discussions among fans about their favourite live-action remakes and which actress’s rendition of the iconic Disney princesses reigns supreme.

A Disney fan under the username r/disneyprincess queried on Reddit asked: “Which actress portrayed their princes as the best/worst?” Fans were quick to discuss the portrayals from live-action adaptations, with portrayals by Lily James as Cinderella, Elle Fanning as Aurora, Emma Watson as Belle, Naomi Scott as Jasmine, Liu Yifei as Mulan, Halle Bailey as Ariel and Rachel Zegler as Snow White up for debate.

One user exclaimed: “Lily James and Elle Fanning were absolutely delightful, they both brought such a depth and charm to their roles!” Echoing this sentiment, another replied: “Agree completely, those are in my opinion are the best remakes. I definitely don’t blame the other actresses, but I never really got the characters from them.”

Yet another fan divulged their preference, writing: “I think my favourite was Lily James as Cinderella. I felt she really embodied Cinderella’s strength as well as kindness. The only things I didn’t like was that she didn’t sing and the dress was a bit too blue (which were perhaps out of James’ control). Second favourite would probably be Elle Fanning as Aurora.”

A different perspective was shared when one user admitted: “My least favourite was probably Emma Watson as Belle. I wasn’t the biggest fan of her singing voice or what was added to the character.”

Discussing the Cinderella remake featuring Helena Bonham Carter as the fairy godmother, another enthusiast stated: “I like that there were no songs from the movie in Cinderella. It would have cheapened it I think to do copy paste in the movie. I loved the Lavender Blue song and her small hints to the movie like humming Sweet Nightingale.”

On TikTok, fans praised Lily James’ portrayal, with one user declaring she “was perfection” in the lead role. Others hailed the adaptation as “the only good Disney live action”, while another professed: “This is honestly the most accurate and best Cinderella there is.”

Concurring with this opinion, someone else added: “This is the best live action Disney princess movie ever made. I love Lily James, she was perfect for this role!”.

When talking about the Beauty and the Beast live-action on a Reddit thread, a commenter said: “I liked Watson as Belle and liked the movie, but I’ll still admit that they could have chosen better. I’m not sure who, but Watson is just sort of average in this role.”

The portrayal of Naomi Scott as Jasmine in Aladdin drew mixed feelings, as a fan admitted: “This may be a very unpopular opinion, I think Naomi Scott played jasmine wonderfully but she didn’t hit the spot for me in regards to looks at all!”.

Echoing the sentiment, another person agreed, adding: “Yeah I liked Naomi’s performance but she didn’t look like Jasmine at all and they really didn’t even try with her hair styling either.”

Another fan expressed a clear preference: “Aurora was my favourite, Belle was my least favourite. Maleficent was a great retelling of a classic fairy tale and Elle Fanning’s Aurora was full of whimsy the way Aurora should be. When Emma Watson was cast for Belle, though, they didn’t want Belle, they wanted Hermione, and it shows.”

Who do you crown as the finest live-action remake princess? Drop your opinions in the comments section below…