When fans think of Disney, they usually lean towards the animated films. In fact, when people mention Disney’s live-action films, the first thing that comes to mind is often the live-action remakes and spin-offs of the studio’s animated films. However, Disney has been producing live-action films since the 1950s. In addition, there have been a few live-action television films connected to Disney over the years. This includes all sorts of different stories, from action thrillers to urban fantasy films.
While Disney’s live-action films haven’t always had the best reputation, there have been a few hidden gems among the studio’s non-animated filmography. Some did not receive the best reception when they were originally released, often becoming box office bombs or seemingly being forgotten. However, many of these films have also developed cult followings over the years. In fact, some of these films would go on to inspire spin-offs and sequels even years later.
10 The Journey of Natty Gann (1985)
The Journey of Natty Gann is an adventure film from 1985 set in the 1930s. A young tomboy, Natty Gann, lives with her father, Sol, who is struggling to find work in the Great Depression. Sol manages to get a job in Washington as a lumberjack and arranges for Natty to stay at a boarding house until he can send for her. Unfortunately, the innkeeper, Connie, eventually reports Natty as an abandoned child, causing her to run away to reach her father on her own.
A Girl & Her Wolf…
Along the way, she befriends a wolfdog she names “Wolf,” who becomes her protector throughout the story. Meanwhile, Sol starts to believe his daughter has been killed in an accident and starts taking dangerous assignments, believing he has nothing left to live for.
The dog who played Wolf, Jed, actually had a prominent career, also appearing in Disney’s White Fang, its sequel, and The Thing.
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9 Newsies (1992)
Newsies is a musical film that revolves around a group of newsboys in 1899 New York City. David and Les Jacobs join the newsboys after their father gets injured at work, with one newsboy, Jack “Cowboy” Kelly, taking him under his wing. When the prices required to buy newspapers go up, Jack and David organize a strike.
“The World Will Know…”
Meanwhile, a reporter, Bryan Denton, takes an interest in the boys’ story. With the “newsies” risking the threat of the orphanage and the Refuge, a corrupt juvenile detention center, it might take the intervention of Governor Theodore Roosevelt to save the day.
Newsies was a box office bomb upon its original release, but home releases helped it develop a cult following. Its popularity eventually led to it being adapted into a Tony Award-winning Broadway musical. The show was later filmed for a limited theatrical release and was eventually released for streaming.
8 The Greatest Game Ever Played (2005)
The Greatest Game Ever Played is a biographical sports film based around Francis Ouimet, played by Shia LaBeouf, and the 1913 U.S. Open. As a young boy, Ouimet becomes inspired by golfer Harry Vardon to take on the sport himself. Living in a time when golf is considered a game for the elite, Ouimet starts out his golf career by working as a caddie at a posh country club.
“Read It, Roll It, Hole It”
In time, Ouimet’s talent starts to make an impression. However, with his working class background contrasting what is seen as a posh game, Ouimet feels pressure to give up his dreams in favor of more practical work, especially when he can’t afford the entry fee for the U.S. Amateur. When he fails to qualify for the championship, Ouimet gives up on his dreams. However, years later, he is invited to play in the U.S. Open, giving him another chance to showcase his talent.
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7 Susie Q (1996)
Susie Q is a fantasy film starting out in the 1950s starring Power Rangers alum Amy Jo Johnson. Susie Quinn and her boyfriend, Johnny Angel are hit by a drunk driver while driving to their winter formal, forcing them into a waterway. Decades later, a young man dealing with the loss of his father, Zach Sands, finds a bracelet belonging to Susie. This gives him the power to see Susie’s spirit, who is on a mission from Heaven to save her parents find a missing deed.
“She Was an Angel…She Was a Dream”
With Susie’s help, Zach manages to help her parents, all the while moving past his own trauma, in addition to falling in love with Susie. In the end, Susie reunites with Johnny and drives off into the afterlife, but the story still manages a surprisingly happy twist ending.
The film was commissioned by Disney for Super RTL and the Disney Channel, though it was produced by Saban’s Libra Pictures. Although it was released as a Disney Channel Premiere Film, Disney only obtained the film’s copyright in 2001.
6 The Finest Hours (2016)
The Finest Hours is a thriller film and historical dramatization of the 1952 rescue of the SS Pendleton by the U.S. Coast Guard. With much of the crew already involved with another rescue, a crew member, Bernard “Bernie” Webber, is dispatched to rescue the Pendleton crew with three other volunteers. All the while, the Pendleton‘s surviving senior officer organizes the surviving crew to steer the ship onto a reef.
“Just More Water”
Ultimately, what already seems like an impossible task is further complicated by a storm. In the end, however, the mission sees the rescue of 32 survivors.
At the time of its release, the film was a box office bomb, with many critics disliking a romantic subplot between Bernie and his love-interest Miriam. That said, the film has been noted for its visuals and for exploring themes of what it must be like to be, or have a loved one be, at the center of a disaster.
5 Saving Mr. Banks (2013)
Saving Mr. Banks is a period drama based around the production of another famous live-action Disney film, Mary Poppins. Tom Hanks plays Walt Disney himself, who works with the original book’s author P. L. Travers, played by Emma Thompson, to develop the Mary Poppins film adaptation. However, Travers, who obtained creative control in exchange for the movie rights, doesn’t agree with the direction of the film.
“It’s Not the Children She Comes To Save…”
The story is intertwined with Travers’ childhood in rural Australia, focusing on her relationship with her father as well as her mother’s sister, who served as the inspiration for the Mary Poppins character. Learning about her past convinces Disney that the heart of the story is that Poppins is meant to save the children’s father, not the children themselves. This also inspires Disney to share stories from his past as well, finally convincing Travers to give Disney the rights to her story.
While not the most historically accurate piece, the film does end on a poignant note, with Travers crying while watching the film during its premiere, touched by the scenes of George Banks.
4 Tuck Everlasting (2002)
Tuck Everlasting is a fantasy film based on the Natalie Babbitt book of the same name. Starting in 1914, Winnie Foster is a teenager from a wealthy family who runs away from home after learning she will be sent to boarding school. She is soon kidnapped by a mysterious family, the Tucks, who she learns have become ageless and immortal after drinking a supernatural spring.
Who Wants To Live Forever?
During her stay, Winnie learns the gift of living forever can be more painful than it seems. All the while, the Tuck family fears the water will fall into the wrong hands.
When a mysterious man attacks the family, Mae, the family matriarch, kills him to protect her son. Things get complicated when she is sentenced to be hanged for killing the man, which risks exposing the family’s secret. Throughout the story, the driving question is whether or not Winnie will drink the water and share in the family’s immortality.
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3 Christopher Robin (2018)
Christopher Robin is a fantasy film revolving around A. A. Milne’s famous Winnie the Pooh characters. Christopher Robin has long grown up, having grown up quickly after a rough experience at boarding school and the loss of his father. Thanks to this, he has lost his sense of imagination, even forgetting his friends from the Hundred Acre Wood.
Of course, Pooh himself hasn’t forgotten his friend and the famous honey-loving bear ventures to London where he reunites with his former playmate.
“Silly Old Bear”
While the film is often grouped with Disney’s live-action adaptations of the studio’s animated films, it sets itself apart by being a distant sequel rather than a direct adaptation. The story is ultimately a metaphor for the pains of growing up. The scene of Pooh reuniting with the adult Christopher Robin has been especially known for making viewers tear up.
2 Life-Size (2000)
Life-Size is a television film that aired on ABC as part of The Wonderful World of Disney block. Lindsay Lohan plays Casey Stuart, a young tomboy who is dealing with the death of her mother. After stealing a magic book, she hopes to cast a spell to bring her mother back to life. However, the ritual ends up bringing a Barbie-like fashion doll known as Eve to life, now played with Tyra Banks.
“Shine Bright, Shine Far, Be a Star”
Eve adjusts to life as a human, often underestimating the challenges of everyday life but somehow winning people over with her own personal charms. During this time, Eve begins to befriend Casey and help her deal with her feelings of loss. However, the Eve toyline is in danger of ending unless Eve can take her newfound experiences into the doll world.
The film has garnered a cult following over the years. The film’s popularity eventually led to a sequel, Life-Size 2, which once again saw Banks play Eve.
1 Tron: Legacy (2010)
Tron: Legacy is a science-fiction film that serves as a sequel to 1982’s Tron. Kevin Flynn, the protagonist of the original film, disappears. Twenty years later, his son Sam, the primary shareholder of ENCOM, has released the company’s OS system for free, causing him to be arrested for trespassing. His father’s friend, Alan, bails him out and gives him a note, which leads to Sam finding a powerful computer inside hidden basement that sends him into the Grid, a virtual world his father created.
Became a Cult Film, Much Like the Original
Sam explores this new world, aided by the warrior Quorra, as he reunites with his father, tries to escape, and contends with Clu, the new ruler of the virtual reality.
Over the years, Tron: Legacy has become something of a cult film. This is somewhat fitting, as the cult following the original Tron developed over the years is what inspired the sequel in the first place.
