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Disney Plus’ new ‘Perks’ pile on discounts and other bonuses

30 May 2025 at 10:19

Disney Plus and Hulu are both launching new Perks programs that offer subscribers discounts, digital freebies, and sweepstakes in an effort to stand out from the streaming competition.

The Disney Plus Perks program is available now in the US, with an international rollout planned later this year. Offers include a six-month DashPass membership from DoorDash, discounted stays at Walt Disney World, and savings when you shop from Adidas or Funko, along with rotating contests. Hulu is launching its own loyalty scheme on June 2nd. Details on that are still to come, but it will include offers from companies including Microsoft, Pure Green, and LG, with new perks dropping weekly over the summer.

To take advantage of the perks you simply have to be a subscriber to either streaming service, and you’ll get access to both programs if you subscribe to one of the company’s Disney Plus and Hulu bundle plans.

Disney Plus first introduced Perks last year with a handful of contests and early access ticket offers, but the new program has been expanded substantially to what Disney calls an “always-on” array of bonuses.

All 19 Disney live-action remakes ranked from tolerable to downright unwatchable

28 May 2025 at 16:34
Stitch spraying a drink dispenser while standing on a bar in "Lilo and Stitch"
"Lilo & Stitch."

Disney

  • In 2010, Disney began releasing live-action remakes of some of its classic animated films in earnest.
  • While most were successful at the box office, their artistic value has been questioned.
  • In almost every case, the original animated film is superior to its live-action remake.

Remaking animated films or TV shows in live-action is becoming more frequent in Hollywood — just look at shows like "Avatar: The Last Airbender," "One Piece," and "Cowboy Bebop."

But the studio that has done this most successfully — and most frequently — is Disney. There have been 19 live-action remakes or reimaginings of its classic animated films, give or take a few additional sequels.

While not all of them have been well-reviewed — and, arguably, they're mediocre at best — most of these movies made a lot of money at the box office. For example, "Beauty and the Beast," "Alice in Wonderland," "Aladdin," and "The Lion King" all crossed the $1 billion mark, according to Box Office Mojo data — and with the way that "Lilo & Stitch" has been overperforming this month, the House of Mouse may have another billion-dollar movie on its hands.

We ranked these movies based on their quality, the changes made from the source material, casting, and more.

Here are all 19 live-action remakes, ranked from worst to best — in our opinion.

19. "Alice in Wonderland" (2010)
a still from the 2016 film alice through the looking glass
"Alice Through the Looking Glass."

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

"Alice in Wonderland" has aged poorly, from its star to its aesthetic. It's been 15 years since it was released in 2010, and since then, director Tim Burton has only become less beloved by audiences ("Wednesday" on Netflix and the nostalgia of "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" aside). His whimsical goth vision ages this movie — everything sort of looks like it came straight out of Hot Topic.

Additionally, Johnny Depp's performance as the Mad Hatter, which was grating at the time, now feels harder to watch after his myriad controversies.

This movie did make over $1 billion worldwide (enough to justify an even worse sequel in 2016, "Alice Through the Looking Glass"), but we venture to say if you turned this on now, you'd barely make it to Alice falling down the rabbit hole.

18. "Pinocchio" (2022)
a still from the 2022 live-action adaptation of Pinocchio
"Pinocchio."

Disney+

Point-blank, "Pinocchio" is scary to look at, and the less we say about this 2022 movie, the better.

Pinocchio, the character, has veered so far into the uncanny valley that it's hard to look at him. Add in a new (and unnecessary) seagull, aggressively voiced by Lorraine Bracco, the sanitation of the original movie's intentionally horrific Pleasure Island sequence, and some bad CGI … and this movie is just a dud.

It went straight to Disney+, so we'll never know how successful it actually was with audiences.

It doesn't help that a superior adaptation of the fairytale this is based on was released the same year: "Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio." If you want to watch a talking puppet, we'd recommend you stick to that version.

17. "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" (2010)
a still from the 2010 film the sorcerer's apprentice
"The Sorcerer's Apprentice."

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

You might not even remember that the 2010 film "The Sorcerer’s Apprentice" exists.

This is a loose adaptation, but we're counting it. It's based on a segment from the 1940 anthology film "Fantasia" and its 1999 sequel, "Fantasia 2000." In the original short, Mickey Mouse plays an impatient apprentice who is sick of doing chores and decides to steal his master's magic hat, to disastrous effect.

The 2010 live-action version stars Nicolas Cage as the wizened sorcerer, while Jay Baruchel takes on the role of the apprentice.

This movie's main issue is that it's forgettable. It suffers from being, above all else, boring. It has very 2010 action and special effects, and as a result, made $215 million against a $150 million budget, the Los Angeles Times reported in 2010.

This movie is also part of why director Jon Turteltaub and Cage never made "National Treasure 3" — at least according to Cage's 2022 interview with GQ — and we'll never be over it.

16. "Dumbo" (2019)
a still from the 2019 live-action adaptation of dumbo
"Dumbo."

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Was anyone desperate for a remake of the 1941 original "Dumbo," which has very questionable racial politics, a harrowing scene in which Dumbo, a baby elephant, gets drunk and hallucinates, and not much else? We think not.

The 2019 remake, once again directed by Tim Burton, pretty much does away with all of that. There are no crows, no Timothy Q. Mouse, or any talking animals at all — Dumbo is silent. Instead, the action is moved to entirely new human characters, who are all forgettable.

That's this movie's biggest sin — it doesn't justify its existence at all. And judging by its poor box-office numbers, audiences weren't sure what to think of it, either.

15. "Lady and the Tramp" (2019)
a still from the 2019 live-action adaptation of lady and the tramp
"Lady and the Tramp."

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

The original "Lady and the Tramp" from 1955 is another example of Disney's problematic past coming back to bite it. "The Siamese Cat Song," sung by cats Si and Am, is so racist that Disney added a disclaimer to the beginning of the film on Disney+.

So, the 2019 remake, which went straight to the streaming service, gets points for fixing that by adding two new cats, Devon and Rex.

Besides that, there's not much else to say about this live-action/CGI hybrid. Unlike "The Lion King" remake, Lady, Tramp, Jock, Trusty, Peg, etc., are played by real dogs and aren't just photorealistic creations. But we'd argue it's just not as fun to see two real dogs doing the famous spaghetti kiss.

14. "101 Dalmatians" (1996)
a still from the 1996 live-action adaptation of 101 dalmatians
"101 Dalmatians."

Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

This 1996 remake was the first true live-action adaptation of a Disney movie. We're not exactly sure why this remake of the 1961 animated film was Disney's first attempt, but we like it: It updates the setting to modern-day London, switching Roger from a composer to a video-game designer.

Glenn Close's deliciously unhinged performance as Cruella is what elevates this movie — it's probably why we got a Cruella prequel 25 years later.

This was a box-office success — grossing $320 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo — and spawned a 2000 sequel, "102 Dalmatians." Only Close returned from the main cast.

13. "Maleficent" (2014)
a still from the 2016 film maleficent
"Maleficent."

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Instead of making a straight-up remake of 1959's "Sleeping Beauty," Disney took a different approach with 2014's "Maleficent."

Rather than centering on Aurora, aka Sleeping Beauty, this film is the story of Maleficent, who is only seen as an evil sorceress in the original. This movie gives her a backstory and a relationship with Aurora's father, Stefan.

While this sounds good in theory, "Maleficent" is perfectly average. Angelina Jolie gives it her all as Maleficent, but the special effects are dated, and the story isn't memorable.

It took five years for a sequel to come out ("Maleficent: Mistress of Evil"), and by then, the momentum from the financial success of "Maleficent" had apparently slowed.

12. "Snow White"
Rachel Zegler as Snow White in "Snow White."
"Snow White."

Disney

It was only a matter of time before Disney took it all the way back to its first animated theatrical release: 1937's "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs."

Sure, Snow White is iconic as the first Disney princess movie, and "Whistle While You Work" and "Heigh-Ho" are permanently part of the Disney canon, but have you watched this movie recently, as an adult? It's boring! That made it ripe for an update.

Unfortunately for almost everyone, the 2025 update just isn't good. Aside from the many, many controversies that plagued this movie from the beginning, there are a few insurmountable problems with the film itself.

First: Gal Gadot. She was compelling in the (first) "Wonder Woman," but she's quite wooden in this role, nowhere near the deliciously evil villain performances we've gotten in other live-action remakes (e.g., Cate Blanchett in "Cinderella" and Melissa McCarthy in "The Little Mermaid). Instead it's what Vulture's Jackson McHenry aptly called a "remarkable anti-performance."

Other issues include the CGI uncanny valley dwarfs (a misguided attempt to reckon with the mistreatment and fetishization of little people across decades of pop culture), confusing (and pointless) lore updates, and new songs that would've been at home in "The Greatest Showman," not paired with songs written in the '30s.

If there's one saving grace in this movie, it's its star, Rachel Zegler. As usual, she is a winning presence on screen, radiating compassion and kindness in every frame. She also has an undeniably beautiful voice, which is more than we can say for some other people who have been cast in these musicals.

11. "Peter Pan & Wendy" (2023)
a still from the 2023 live-action adaptation of peter pan
"Peter Pan & Wendy."

Disney+

"Peter Pan & Wendy" proves that we should probably cool it on "Peter Pan" for a while; did you even know a live-action remake of "Peter Pan" starring Jude Law as Captain Hook, Yara Shahidi as Tinker Bell, and Jim Gaffigan as Mr. Smee was released on Disney+ in 2023?

It's a pity, because this movie is relatively OK. Law is locked in as Captain Hook, and director David Lowery showcases his talent for sweeping landscapes (as seen in "The Green Knight") in his version of Neverland.

Unfortunately, though, this movie just … isn't that interesting.

"Peter Pan" as a story might be cursed — "Hook" is only good if you have nostalgia goggles on; 2003's "Peter Pan" was a flop; "Pan" stars a white woman, Rooney Mara, as the Native American character Tiger Lily; and this adaptation is barely remembered.

Give these characters a break, Hollywood.

10. "The Lion King" (2019)
a still from the 2019 live-action adaptation of the lion king
"The Lion King."

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

If this were a silent film, 2019's "The Lion King" would be an unparalleled achievement in special effects. But, unfortunately, it's not — making the characters photorealistic instead takes all the joy out of the film.

We were forced to sit through some of the most iconic musical sequences in Disney history, like "I Just Can't Wait to Be King," "Hakuna Matata," "Can You Feel the Love Tonight," and "Be Prepared," being sung by photorealistic animals who can't emote, in a relatively colorless virtual desert.

Part of the magic of animation is that you can make the animals do anything you want — that's why we love the 1994 original so much.

We'll always be thankful that we got Beyoncé's "The Lion King: The Gift" companion album out of this movie, but that's it. "Mufasa," the prequel that was released in 2024, wasn't anything to write home about either, even if it was slightly better.

9. "Lilo & Stitch" (2025)
Stitch sitting in a chair wearing sunglasses
"Lilo & Stitch."

Disney

Disney's latest live-action offering, "Lilo & Stitch," is a remake of the 2002 animated original — that makes it the newest animated film to get a live-action remake. And even though this movie is quite charming (in parts), there's an argument that we could've let another 20 years' worth of kids fall in love with the original movie, an underrated gem.

The live-action remake is fun, but it shares many of the same issues as the other remakes. The colors don't pop in the same way, and the character designs of the aliens don't translate to real life.

The biggest issue that many fans have with this movie is that the ending is completely different from the 2002 classic — we won't spoil it for you, but just know that the emphasis on ohana and no one getting left behind from the original is, well, undercut by the resolution the live-action movie finds.

8. "Beauty and the Beast" (2017)
a still from the 2017 live-action adaptation of the beauty and the beast
"Beauty and the Beast."

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

"Beauty and the Beast," released in 2017, was the first of Disney's new wave of live-action remakes. As a result, it was graded on a curve at the time and made $1.2 billion, per Box Office Mojo.

But if you go back and watch this movie eight years later, you might notice something: Emma Watson, for all her charm, is simply not a great singer. And Paige O'Hara, who voiced Belle in the 1991 original, has one of the clearest voices in all of Disney's history.

There are a few other issues with this movie — it's so long, adds unneeded backstory, switches the amazing Beast song from the Broadway adaptation ("I Can't Love Her") in favor of the boring "Evermore," the underwhelming "exclusively gay moment" — but our biggest problem is Belle.

7. "Aladdin" (2019)
a still from the 2019 live-action adaptation of aladdin
"Aladdin."

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

"Aladdin," released in 2019, also made $1 billion around the world. In this case, we have no qualms with Mena Massoud or Naomi Scott, who play Aladdin and Jasmine wonderfully.

Who we can't whole-heartedly support is Will Smith, who plays the Genie. Simply put, no one is competing with Robin Williams' iconic performance in the 1992 original. It's a tour-de-force, one of the best voiceover performances ever.

Smith was never going to be able to compete, and the off-putting design of his character and his rap-singing did him no favors.

Also, this movie was, for some reason, directed by Guy Ritchie. Ritchie is known for his action films, and he tried to inject as much action as he could into "Aladdin." But we'd argue this movie doesn't need it! It's a fairy tale about a street urchin falling in love with a princess!

6. "The Little Mermaid" (2023)
a still from the 2023 live-action adaption of the little mermaid
"The Little Mermaid."

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Halle Bailey was a perfect choice for Ariel. She has an amazing voice, plays the physical comedy of voiceless Ariel well, and has great chemistry with Jonah Hauer-King, who plays Prince Eric. Melissa McCarthy also turns in a solid performance as Ursula.

What prevents this movie from being truly fun to watch is all the underwater stuff. Everything looks so fake and lifeless. The colors aren't bright enough, and we've once again run into the "Lion King"/"Lady and the Tramp" problem: Flounder, Sebastian, and Scuttle can't show any emotions on their faces. That's a shame when compared with the 1989 original, where Sebastian, especially, is hilarious in his exasperation and anxiety.

Plus, the new songs are so obviously written by Lin-Manuel Miranda (see "The Scuttlebutt") that they don't mesh well with Howard Ashman's originals.

5. "Mulan" (2020)
a still from the 2020 live-action adaptation of mulan
"Mulan."

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

"Mulan" is the live-action remake that was released during the COVID-19 pandemic, so we'll never know how it would have fared at the box office.

But we're betting it would have done well. "Mulan" is a true action movie, which fits well with the subject matter, as Mulan secretly takes her father's place in the Chinese army.

The 1998 original film has some of the best Disney songs ("Reflection," "I'll Make a Man Out of You," "Honor to Us All"), but the remake wisely removes them, as the tonal shift from hilarious songs to gritty action would be too jarring. Instead, the songs are subtly worked into the score.

We also like the addition of Xianniang, a witch who identifies with Mulan's feelings that she doesn't belong. Mulan has no female friends at all in the original, and while these two aren't friends, there's a kinship and respect between the two.

4. "Cruella" (2021)
a still from the 2021 film cruella
"Cruella."

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

While a prequel establishing why Cruella de Vil hates Dalmatians so much doesn't sound fun, we'd recommend watching "Cruella," since it's bolstered by the lead performances of Emma Stone and Emma Thompson.

First of all, she actually doesn't hate Dalmatians — she kind of likes them. Does that make sense with the character's future? Not really, but it is fun to watch Stone commit so deeply to the 1970s English punk scene.

Her on-screen nemesis, Baroness von Hellman, as played by Emma Thompson, is a campy delight.

Stone's performance earned her a Golden Globe nomination, and a sequel is in the works. We're excited.

3. "The Jungle Book" (2016)
a still from the 2016 live-action adaptation of the jungle book
"The Jungle Book."

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Jon Favreau directed both 2016's "The Jungle Book" and 2019's "The Lion King," but seemingly learned the wrong lessons from "The Jungle Book," which is a delight.

Mowgli, the lone human character in the film, gives viewers a face to center them as he explores a jungle filled with familiar voices, such as Bill Murray as Baloo, Ben Kingsley as Bagheera, Lupita Nyong'o as Raksha, Scarlett Johansson as Kaa, Christopher Walken as King Louie, and Idris Elba as Shere Khan.

The remake added beautiful effects and exciting action. And — spoiler alert — it also changed the ending so Mowgli could remain in the jungle with his friends.

2. "Christopher Robin" (2018)
a still from the 2018 film christopher robin
"Christopher Robin."

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Maybe we're cheating a little bit since 2018's "Christopher Robin" isn't a specific remake of any "Winnie the Pooh" film but instead, a semi-sequel that brings Pooh and friends out of the Hundred Acre Wood into the real world, but this movie is too good to leave out.

In it, Ewan McGregor plays a grown-up Christopher Robin who has left his friends Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, Piglet, Rabbit, Kanga, Roo, and Owl behind. By chance, he reunites with them and is reminded of the important things in life.

It is always a joy to hang out with Winnie the Pooh, and a disillusioned adult returning to their fun-loving ways is a story Disney does so well, like in "Mary Poppins."

Additionally, the score for this movie rocks. It's so perfectly paired with the film.

1. "Cinderella" (2015)
a still from the 2015 live-action adaptation of cinderella
"Cinderella."

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Maybe this is because we just don't think the original "Cinderella" from 1950 is that good. Yes, "Bibbidi-Bobbidi Boo" is a banger, and the animation of Cinderella's dress turning from a ripped-up rag to a shimmering princess-worthy ball gown is beautiful, but that's really it.

The prince is barely a character, the other songs aren't that memorable, and Cinderella herself has little personality besides being sweet.

The 2015 "Cinderella" rectifies all that. Ella, as played by Lily James, is kind, funny, and has a very strong sense of right and wrong, while Prince Kit, played by a very blue-eyed Richard Madden, gets an arc and a loving relationship with his dad.

The famous blue ball gown is also one of the rare pieces of Disney iconography that looks just as beautiful in real life. We must also mention Cate Blanchett as a fully committed Lady Tremaine and Helena Bonham Carter as the dotty Fairy Godmother.

We'd go as far as to say that "Cinderella," at least for now, is the only true Disney remake worth your time.

Read the original article on Business Insider

CoComelon is headed to Disney Plus in 2027

25 May 2025 at 21:37

Disney Plus will become the new home of CoComelon outside of YouTube starting in 2027, according to Bloomberg. All eight seasons will move over from Netflix, which has hosted the absurdly popular kids show since 2020.

CoComelon, essentially a series of mind-numbingly plotless, CG-animated vignettes set to karaoke-quality nursery rhymes, is a giant in the world of programming for children, having accounted for 601 million Netflix views in 2023. According to Bloomberg, it was the second most-streamed show on the platform last year.

Despite its popularity, Bloomberg reports that CoComelon views fell by “almost 60% over the last couple of years,” and that compared to all of streaming, it went from the fifth most-watched show in 2023 to not even breaking the top 10 last year. Still, it’s probably going to be a good deal for Disney, which will reportedly pay “tens of millions” a year for it. After all, 2027 is also the year that the first CoComelon movie hits theaters.

The empire strikes back with F-bombs: AI Darth Vader goes rogue with profanity, slurs

16 May 2025 at 19:25

For a short period of time on Friday, Darth Vader could drop F-bombs in the video game Fortnite as part of a voice AI implementation gone wrong, reports GameSpot. Epic Games rapidly deployed a hotfix after players encountered the Sith Lord responding to their comments with profanity and strong language.

In Fortnite, the AI-voiced Vader appears as both a boss in battle royale mode and an interactive character. The official Star Wars website encourages players to "ask him all your pressing questions about the Force, the Galactic Empire… or you know, a good strat for the last Storm circle," adding that "the Sith Lord has opinions."

The F-bomb incident involved a Twitch streamer named Loserfruit, who triggered the forceful response when discussing food with the virtual Vader. The Dark Lord of the Sith responded by repeating her words "freaking" and "fucking" before adding, "Such vulgarity does not become you, Padme." The exchange spread virally across social media platforms on Friday.

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DOJ reportedly probes Disney-FuboTV deal over competition concerns

23 April 2025 at 17:39
The U.S. Department of Justice is probing Disney’s deal to take a controlling stake in FuboTV, Bloomberg reports. Fubo is a live TV streaming service known for its extensive sports coverage. Officials are examining whether the deal would create a concentration of power in the sports streaming market. In January, Disney announced that it was going […]

Tron: Ares blends the real world with the digital in its first trailer

5 April 2025 at 16:48
Tron’s Ares character standing by his light cycle.
Get ready for slick light strips and futuristic lightcycles.

Disney just released the first trailer for Tron: Ares, the long-planned Tron: Legacy sequel. The minute-and-a-half trailer doesn’t say much about the story but shows plenty of the movie’s visuals, which look dark, moody, and filled with the series’ signature light trails.

The trailer opens in the physical world at night, as Jared Leto’s Ares, a Program made physical, flees from police on a light cycle, slicing one in half using his light trail as a weapon. The shots that follow show a massive airship hovering over the real-world city, visible only by the red light strips on its outside. The rest has people looking on in horror at the airship, dogfights between human aircraft and fighters from the Tron digital world, and what looks like a clip of Ares being given his physical body.

All of that is set to the music of Nine Inch Nails, which is handling the soundtrack this time around. It ends with a voiceover from Jeff Bridges, reprising his role as Kevin Flynn and saying, “Ready? There’s no going back.” The movie hits theaters on October 10th.

Movie poster

Disney included the poster above in an email to The Verge announcing the trailer’s release. In a YouTube video from Thursday’s CinemaCon presentation about Ares, Leto said his character is “a highly advanced program” who has entered the real world on a “do-or-die mission to fulfill his directive,” and promised that the movie “will hit you right in the grid … wherever that is.” In addition to Leto and Bridges, Tron: Ares is directed by Joachim Rønning and its stars include Gillian Anderson, Greta Lee, Evan Peters, Hasan Minhaj, Jodie Turner-Smith, Arturo Castro, and Cameron Monaghan.

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