Here's how every character in the new Disney remakes compares to the original animated versions

Gabbi Shaw
Updated
scar lion king
scar lion king

Disney

As of late, Disney has been leaning into the live-action remake. In 2019, they've released live, or close to live, versions of "Dumbo," "Aladdin," and "The Lion King."

Some of these remakes make major changes to their source material, while others are pretty much a shot for shot copy.

We've compared all the major live-action Disney characters to their original, animated counterparts. You might be surprised how similar — or different — they are.

Emma Watson played Belle in the 2017 remake of "Beauty and the Beast."

Disney

The 2017 film was pretty much a shot-for-shot remake of the 1991 classic, so there wasn't much difference between the two.

Read more: How the live-action 'Beauty and the Beast' cast compares to the original animated characters



Dan Stevens wore a comically large motion capture suit to shoot his scenes as the Beast.

Disney

It was "an ordeal," Stevens told Clevver News.



But Stevens also got to show off his real face towards the end.

Disney

Canonically speaking, the Beast doesn't have a real name.



Kevin Kline played a slightly more normal version of Belle's father, Maurice.

Disney

The 2017 film also gave Belle's deceased mother more of a backstory, and delved into Maurice's love for her.



The villainous — and comically vain — Gaston was played by Luke Evans.

Disney

No word if Evans ate five dozen eggs every day to get in character.



Josh Gad played Gaston's loyal henchman, LeFou.

Disney

LeFou was also supposed to be Disney's first gay character, but some fans were less than impressed with the scene that was supposed to convey that.



The dashing candelabra Lumiere was voiced by Ewan McGregor.

Disney

Lumiere's best known for the iconic Disney anthem "Be Our Guest." Human Lumiere was just as charming.



And Ian McKellan voiced the clock version of the anxious Cogsworth.

Disney

He ended up being a softy at heart, though.



Emma Thompson took over for Angela Lansbury as talking teapot Mrs. Potts.

Disney

Just like in the original, Mrs. Potts sings "Beauty and the Beast" during the famous ballroom dancing scene.



Lily James starred as Cinderella in the 2015 remake of the same name.

Disney

The biggest difference between the "Cinderella" films is that the live action version isn't a musical. Say goodbye to all your faves like "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes" and "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo."

James' dress took 4,000 hours to create.



Her Prince Charming was played by Richard Madden.

Disney

In the 1950 original, the prince is just referred to as The Prince. Madden's prince gets a name: Kit.



Cate Blanchett played evil stepmother Lady Tremaine.

Disney

The remake tried to give her more dimension, but she was still just plain despicable.



Evil stepsisters Anastasia and Drisella were played by Holliday Grainger and Sophie McShera.

Disney

Their costumes are even more outlandish than their animated counterparts'.



Helena Bonham Carter played the Fairy Godmother.

Disney

After a few years of playing villains (Bellatrix Lestrange in "Harry Potter" and Madame Thénardier in "Les Mis," to name a few), Carter got to play the magical and benevolent Fairy Godmother.



Angelina Jolie put a spin on the villain of "Sleeping Beauty" by making her the focus of her own film, "Maleficent."

Disney

The 2014 film rehashed the same story, but from Maleficent's perspective. Turns out, Maleficent was way more complicated than the original allowed her to be.



Elle Fanning played Aurora, aka Sleeping Beauty.

Disney

In this version, Aurora saw Maleficent as her guardian angel, not a villain.



Aurora's father, King Stefan, was played by South African actor Sharlto Copley.

Disney

The King wasn't so developed in the original, but he's downright malicious in "Maleficent."



Aurora's prince Phillip was played by Brenton Thwaites.

Disney

Thwaites was replaced by Harris Dickinson for the upcoming sequel "Maleficent: Mistress of Evil."



Tim Burton remade the 1951 "Alice in Wonderland" in 2010 starring Mia Wasikowska as Alice.

Disney

The 2010 movie aged up Alice from a young girl to 19 years old, and combined the original animated movie with scenes from Lewis Carroll's "Alice" books by adding in the White Queen and the beastly Jabberwocky.



Johnny Depp played a more tortured version of the Mad Hatter.

Disney

The Mad Hatter's backstory was explored more in the 2016 sequel, "Alice Through the Looking Glass."



Helena Bonham Carter reunited with Depp and Burton once again to play the Queen of Hearts.

Disney

The trio had previously worked together in "Sweeney Todd," "Corpse Bride," "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," and "Dark Shadows."



The March Hare was voiced by Welsh actor Paul Whitehouse.

Disney

Whitehouse also appeared in deleted scenes of "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" as Sir Cadogan, a bumbling knight inside a painting.



Michael Sheen voiced the harried White Rabbit.

Disney

Sheen said playing the White Rabbit was "just like a dream come true."



Comedian Stephen Fry played the smiling Cheshire Cat.

Disney

Burton's Cheshire Cat has a more muted color palette.



Both Tweedledee and Tweedledum were played by Matt Lucas.

Disney

Their names have since become shorthand for two people who act and dress in the exact same way — it's usually not a compliment.



Alan Rickman played the Caterpillar.

Disney

"Alice Through the Looking Glass" was Rickman's last film role. It was released four months after his death in January 2016.



The only characters from "Dumbo" to make the leap from the animated movie to the live action remake are Dumbo himself and his mother.

Disney

In both the 1941 original and the 2019 remake, Dumbo is a silent character. The rest of the movie drastically differs by adding multiple new human characters, both heroic and villainous, and taking away some problematic aspects of the animated film, like the crows and the scary scene in which Dumbo hallucinates.

Read more: Here's what the cast of Disney's live-action 'Dumbo' looks like in real life



Newcomer Neel Sethi played Mowgli in the 2016 remake of "The Jungle Book."

Disney

This is not to be confused with the 2018 Netflix film "Mowgli." The 2016 movie adheres closely to the animated movie, while "Mowgli" is more loosely based on Rudyard Kipling's original books.

 



Bill Murray played lovable bear Baloo.

Disney

"I just couldn’t say no to playing Baloo," said Murray in the film's press kit.



Iconic British actor Ben Kingsley played Bagheera.

Disney

"Jungle Book" director Jon Favreau has worked with Kingsley before in "Iron Man 3." Favreau played loyal Iron Man sidekick Happy Hogan, and Kingsley took on the mantle of The Mandarin, one of Iron Man's most famous adversaries.



Christopher Walken played a more frightening version of King Louie.

Disney

For the remake, King Louie was changed from an orangutan to an extinct species, Gigantopithecus, which is essentially a giant ape.



Idris Elba voiced the vengeful tiger Shere Khan.

Disney

Elba was so impressed with the technology that he had to ask the filmmakers if it was a real tiger on screen.



Scarlett Johansson played a gender-swapped Kaa.

Disney

In the original, Kaa was voiced by a man, Sterling Holloway, but Johansson took over the role because Favreau felt the film was too male-heavy.



"Breaking Bad" star Giancarlo Esposito voiced Akela.

Disney

Akela, the leader of the wolf pack Mowgli is adopted by, played a smaller role in the 1967 version.



Lupita Nyong'o played Raksha.

Disney

Raksha is the adoptive mother of Mowgli who discovers him as an abandoned baby — though she doesn't speak in the original.



Glenn Close played the terrifying Cruella de Vil in the 1996 version of "101 Dalmatians."

Disney

Close was one of two actors to reprise her role in the 2000 sequel "102 Dalmatians." Besides changing the time period from the '60s to the '90s, the live action remake sticks to the plot of the original.



Jeff Daniels played Roger, one of the owners of the titular Dalmatians.

Disney

Roger is the owner of Pongo, the father of all the puppies.



Joely Richardson played Anita, Roger's wife and employee of Cruella.

Disney

Anita owns Perdy, the mother of all the puppies. Anita and Roger, like Pongo and Perdy, are married.



Mark Williams played one of Cruella's henchman, Horace.

Disney

You might recognize Williams from his role as Arthur Weasley in the "Harry Potter" films.



And that's Hugh Laurie as Jasper, Cruella's other henchman.

Disney

Laurie, of course, is best known for his role as Dr. Gregory House in "House."



Ewan McGregor played a grown-up version of Christopher Robin in 2018's "Christopher Robin."

Disney

Traditionally, Winnie the Pooh's human bestie is a child, but this movie aged him up quite a bit. "Christopher Robin" shows Christopher after he's grown up and left the One Hundred Acre Wood behind, so it's not based on any specific animated movie, but rather the characters themselves.

Read more: Here's the cast of 'Christopher Robin' and who they're playing



Veteran voice actor Jim Cummings played Winnie the Pooh.

Disney

Cummings has been voicing the honey-loving bear since 1988 when he took over for Hal Smith.

 



Comedian Nick Mohammed voiced Piglet.

Disney

This was Mohammed's first time voicing Piglet, who has most recently been played by Travis Oates.



The neurotic Rabbit was played by Peter Capaldi.

Disney

Capaldi is known around the world for his stint as the Twelfth Doctor in "Doctor Who."



Mother and daughter duo Kanga and Roo were played by Sophie Okonedo and Sara Sheen, respectively.

Disney

Roo is normally a boy, but the film gender-swapped her for a girl.



Brad Garrett played the ever-relatable Eeyore.

Disney

The perpetually morose Eeyore has been voiced by Garrett previously in an animated special for Disney.



Jim Cummings also voiced the boisterous Tigger.

Disney

Cummings began voicing Tigger in 1990, taking over for longtime voice actor Paul Winchell.



Toby Jones played the wise Owl.

Disney

Owl, like Rabbit, Kanga, and Roo, doesn't make the trek from the One Hundred Acre Wood to the real world.



In the May 2019 remake of the 1992 version of "Aladdin," the titular character is played by Mena Massoud.

Disney

Massoud might be familiar to "Jack Ryan" fans. He plays Ryan's colleague, Tarek Kassar. As INSIDER's Kirsten Acuna noted, Massoud's portrayal of Aladdin is one of the movie's high notes.

Read more: Here's the cast of Disney's live-action 'Aladdin' and who they're playing



Princess Jasmine is played by Naomi Scott.

Disney

Jasmine differentiates herself from other Disney princesses by actually refusing to get married, as opposed to aspiring to it. In the 2019 version, the princess even gets her own song, and a brand-new motivation to become the first female sultan of Agrabah.



Will Smith has giant shoes to fill in his role as the Genie.

Disney

The Genie was made iconic by the late Robin Williams in the animated version. While Smith doesn't come close to Williams' hyperactive, pop culture loving, frequently transfigured Genie, he successfully puts his own spin on the character. He even gets to rap!



The evil Jafar is played by Marwan Kenzari.

Disney

The biggest change that the live action movie makes is ... turning the villainous Grand Vizier Jafar into what the internet has dubbed "Hot Jafar." We can't disagree — Kenzari is clearly a good looking guy.



A decidedly wiser version of the Sultan was played by Navid Negahban.

Disney

In the original animated classic, the Sultan is essentially a bumbling old man — he means well, but he's not exactly a commanding presence.

Negahban's Sultan is wiser and less easily manipulated by Jafar. He's stubborn about forcing his daughter to marry a prince and not letting Jasmine succeed him as sultan, but they're on more equal footing intellectually than their animated counterparts.

  •  



Disney's third "live-action" remake of 2019 is "The Lion King," which premieres on July 18. Reprising his role as Mufasa is the original king of Pride Rock, James Earl Jones.

Disney

Jones' commanding yet warm voice was the obvious choice for Mufasa in 1994, and there's still no one better to voice the character, so he just did it again.

This movie isn't literally "live-action," it's filled with photorealistic, animated animals. But even director Jon Favreau isn't sure if the movie should be considered "animated" or not.

 



The younger version of Simba, the eventual titular Lion King, is voiced by JD McCrary.

Disney

Little Simba goes through a lot over the course of this movie, including learning about the circle of life, surviving a wildebeest stampede, watching his father die, grappling with being the cause of his father's death — or so he thinks — and exiling himself away from his family, all within the first hour of the movie.

Read more: Here's the cast of Disney's 'The Lion King' remake and who they're playing



The adult version of Simba is played by Donald Glover, aka Childish Gambino.

Disney

Glover's friend, collaborator, and apparent "Lion King" enthusiast Chance the Rapper was brought on as a "nostalgia consultant" during the making of the film, to make sure it retained the same spirit as the original.



Simba's childhood friend Nala is played by "Us" star Shahadi Wright Joseph.

Disney

At first, Simba and Nala are grossed out by the prospect of falling in love, but as they grow up, their relationship matures.



The grown-up Nala is played by the Queen Bey herself, Beyoncé. Once Simba and Nala grow up, they develop feelings for each other.

Disney

She also released a new song for the movie's soundtrack called "Spirit." Additionally, Beyoncé produced and curated an album that will be "steeped in the sounds of Africa" called "The Lion King: The Gift."

Read more: Listen to Beyoncé's touching new anthem for 'The Lion King' soundtrack



Seth Rogen and Billy Eichner play the dynamic duo of meerkat Timon and warthog Pumbaa. They add some much needed comic relief to the movie.

Disney

Timon and Pumbaa became breakout stars of the original 1994 version. They narrate the direct-to-video sequel/prequel "The Lion King 1 1/2," and received their own animated TV show, "The Lion King's Timon & Pumbaa."



"Last Week Tonight" host John Oliver voices Mufasa's second-in-command, Zazu.

Disney

While Mufasa is busy attending to kingly business, he acts as a guardian for Simba. After Mufasa's death, Zazu remains loyal to the rightful king, Simba.



The film's villain, Scar, is played by Chiwetel Ejiofor.

Disney

Scar is actually Mufasa's brother and Simba's uncle, making his betrayal all the more painful.



Simba's mother, Sarabi, is played by Alfre Woodard.

Disney

Sarabi doesn't have much to do in the original film, so here's hoping this 2019 update gives the queen of the Pride Lands her due.



The mystical mandrill shaman Rafiki is played by John Kani.

Disney

Rafiki plays an integral role in helping Simba understand his rightful place as king of the Pride Lands.

Kani was last seen in "Black Panther" as T'Challa's deceased father King T'Chaka. The movie had a scene that reminded many viewers of a pivotal Rafiki scene in the original "Lion King."



The only hyena from the original version that makes the jump to 2019 is Shenzi, played by Florence Kasumba. Her other two sidekicks are switched up for the remake.

Disney

Originally, the three hyenas were Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed. But the 2019 film switches Banzai and Ed out for Azizi, played by Eric André, and Kamari, played by Keegan-Michael Key.