Disney have been doing live-action films almost as long as their animations. While most of their productions look rather dated these days, there's still enough that have stood the test of time.
My top 10 I feel has a nice range both in terms of genre and of release date.
I must mention that I initially had Bridge To Terabithia in my top 10. But as it's distributor for the UK is Icon Film Distribution, it's not in my list. It's seen as a Disney production only in America.
Narrowly missing out on my top 10 that deserves honorable mentions, is Bedknobs And Broomsticks and Swiss Family Robinson. The former is a 1971 animation live-action hybrid is still loved by many. It has catchy songs, a great story, nice use of animation and a terrific mix of history, comedy, fantasy and all suitable for family viewing. Even typing this now makes me want to re-visit it.
As for the latter, this is a thrilling adventure story that I loved as a kid and for me still has the same credibility for today. It has the Caribbean as a backdrop, dangerous pirates and a great family to lead the way.
I must mention that some of the imagery may feel dated and occasionally unsettling, including what may look like animal abuse. But trust me when I say this, all of what you see is due to top animal training and the magic of editing and sound design
But sadly, I felt there were 10 films better than this, and here they are:
10) The Jungle Book (2016) - The live-action remake of the 1967 animation and one of the few that manages to not only work, but surpass the animated version.
The wonderful CGI, well executed story with added depth and the changes made mixed with homages to the animated original.
This is for me is clearly the best of the recent remakes.
9) Saving Mr. Banks - The story about how Mary Poppins was made through two different timelines.
Say what you want about the historical inaccuracies, the emotions it gets out of you makes you forget abut that.
This is a wonderful story with top performances and certainly makes you want to watch the film its covering straight after.
8) Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl - The one that started one of the most successful franchises from this studio.
It sees eccentric pirate be hired by the blacksmith to save his love from a band of undead pirates.
It's great fun, has everything you want in a pirate adventure film and introduces to one of Disney's most iconic characters.
7) Miracle - The biographical drama of the American Ice Hockey team looking to topple the dominant Soviet team at the 1980 Winter Olympics.
Whether you know the story, it does everything you want from an underdog sports film.
It's fronted by a good performance by Kurt Russell, and while my love for the Mighty Ducks trilogy is unparalleled, this is the best Ice Hockey film.
It's multiple story lines for me works and all came to an epic climax. It introduces a terrifying villain and expands the world so beautifully.
This is a pure thrill ride that proved to me that is franchise can go far.
5) The Greatest Game Ever Played - We continue the sports thread with my favourite Golf film, that is also a Disney production.
It tells the true story of the 1913 US Open Golf championships that focuses on a caddy that is looking to fulfill his dream to take on the world's best.
It has a strong Shia LaBeouf performance, has all the underdog magic and a highly emotional moment in the final act.
4) Remember The Titans - The third sports film based on a true story within this list, and the most impactful.
This wonderful story is developed so well, it gives loads of highly engaging characters and that is all lead by Denzel Washington with one of his best performances.
You may need to know American Football to get the full experiences. But the strength of the themes can please anyone.
3) Mary Poppins - What else is there to say that hasn't been said about this 1964 family classic?
This was the film that introduced us to Julie Andrews, and her performance is astonihsing.
Also, the music is wonderfully written and it deals with topics that you can see in a different way the older you get and has the most joyous vibe you could possibly imagine.
If you haven't seen this, then how have you missed this?
2) Bridge To Terabithia - A wonderful and moving fantasy drama that sees a boy become friends with the daughter of a family that have recently moved next door to them.
1) Return To Oz - Long-time followers of mine will have probably have guessed that cult classic would at least be high up on this list.
This unofficial sequel to the 1939 classic, sees Dorothy return to the land of Oz six months after the first visit. Much has changed, and Dorothy along with new friends must take a dangerous being.
While some may deem this too scary for family viewing, the mature themes and more in depth plot to its predecessor gives this a wonderful vibe for any group. Plus, it's truer to the books and has wonderful practical effects that still haunts me to this day in one particular scene.
I must mention that some of the imagery may feel dated and occasionally unsettling, including what may look like animal abuse. But trust me when I say this, all of what you see is due to top animal training and the magic of editing and sound design
But sadly, I felt there were 10 films better than this, and here they are:
The wonderful CGI, well executed story with added depth and the changes made mixed with homages to the animated original.
This is for me is clearly the best of the recent remakes.
Say what you want about the historical inaccuracies, the emotions it gets out of you makes you forget abut that.
This is a wonderful story with top performances and certainly makes you want to watch the film its covering straight after.
It sees eccentric pirate be hired by the blacksmith to save his love from a band of undead pirates.
It's great fun, has everything you want in a pirate adventure film and introduces to one of Disney's most iconic characters.
Whether you know the story, it does everything you want from an underdog sports film.
It's fronted by a good performance by Kurt Russell, and while my love for the Mighty Ducks trilogy is unparalleled, this is the best Ice Hockey film.
6) Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest - The second installment of the POTC franchise, and controversially the best in the series in my view.
It's multiple story lines for me works and all came to an epic climax. It introduces a terrifying villain and expands the world so beautifully.
This is a pure thrill ride that proved to me that is franchise can go far.
5) The Greatest Game Ever Played - We continue the sports thread with my favourite Golf film, that is also a Disney production.It tells the true story of the 1913 US Open Golf championships that focuses on a caddy that is looking to fulfill his dream to take on the world's best.
It has a strong Shia LaBeouf performance, has all the underdog magic and a highly emotional moment in the final act.
This wonderful story is developed so well, it gives loads of highly engaging characters and that is all lead by Denzel Washington with one of his best performances.
You may need to know American Football to get the full experiences. But the strength of the themes can please anyone.
This was the film that introduced us to Julie Andrews, and her performance is astonihsing.
Also, the music is wonderfully written and it deals with topics that you can see in a different way the older you get and has the most joyous vibe you could possibly imagine.
If you haven't seen this, then how have you missed this?
It tells a great message of friendship, childhood and individuality and is told in a very mature way. The performances are great and is one of the only film that makes me cry every time I watch it.
This unofficial sequel to the 1939 classic, sees Dorothy return to the land of Oz six months after the first visit. Much has changed, and Dorothy along with new friends must take a dangerous being.
While some may deem this too scary for family viewing, the mature themes and more in depth plot to its predecessor gives this a wonderful vibe for any group. Plus, it's truer to the books and has wonderful practical effects that still haunts me to this day in one particular scene.
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