It’s always a pleasure and essential task to play and embrace a character in a true sense by the actors. It’s a whole other level when you are playing a part as unique as a princess in live-action princess movies that fans have adored for years. But Disney, with its strong stories, direction, high budget, and more, get it right almost every time. 

Top Live-Action Disney Princess Movies

Halle Bailey as Ariel in The little mermaid (2023)

Released just this year in May, the new little mermaid is the latest Disney Princess live-action adaptation based on the 1989 Disney animated movie. This little mermaid live-action musical first received backlash when the first look and trailers were released because a black person played Ariel the little mermaid. But Halle Bailey got a lot of support from fans for the little mermaid live-action too. After release, she, alongside other actors, got a lot of praise for their performances. 

Liu Yifei as Mulan in Mulan (2020)

Mulan is one of those live-action princess movies that are more on the side of action than romance, making it unique! The film was praised for its cinematography and performances but critiqued for the need for a Chinese crew and the director, Niki Caro, being non-Chinese.

Even though the movie wasn’t a financial success, a big part of this goes to the Covid-19 pandemic since its release on Disney+, an OTT site, instead of theaters. A second Disney live-action is in production right now.

Ella Fanning as Aurora in Maleficent (2015)

Ella Fanning played the part of Sleeping Beauty, aka Aurora, in this 2015 live-action princess movie. Even though the titular character is about the Disney Villain, played by Angelina Jolie, Ella Fanning is still the only star to bring Princess Aurora to the list of live-action princess movies now. In another Disney live-action, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, she returned as her character in 2019. It is where the story picks up after five years of the first part, and later we see her as the ruler of the Moors. 

Emma Watson as Beauty in Beauty and the Beast (2016)

Everybody’s favorite, Emma Watson, played Belle in the Disney live-action movie that hit the theaters in 2016. It is on the list of the highest-grossing live-action princess movies, as it collected approx $1.05B during its run. Emma Watson was the only choice for the prominent role of Belle by the chairman of Disney Studios.

Like so many other live-action princess movies, the Disney live-action was a commercial and critical success, with praises given to the performances, songs, direction, and other aspects.

Lily James as Cinderella in Cinderella (2015)

The second oldest animated Disney princess movie, first released in 1950, was adapted in 2015 with Lily James playing the titular character. One of the earliest live-action princess movies to be adapted by Disney, Cinderella was a commercial and critical hit. 

Trivia: The directors chose Lily James from hundreds of auditioners, including Emma Watson, who ultimately turned down this role and eventually got the part of Belle in the 2016 version of Beauty and the Beast.

Summing it up

These were the top live-action princess movies that Disney has produced until now, with little mermaid live-action being the latest. But there are a lot of live-action princess movies in the works as we speak! For instance, we will get an adaptation of Snow White, played by West Side Story Fame Rachel Zegler, Moana, Maleficent is supposed to get a third part, and who knows how many more!