Disney’s Live-Action Remake of a 66-Year-Old Animated Classic Is Bad News for Its $1.2Bn Franchise

The live-action Disney remake train is still chugging along. In 2025, Lilo & Stitch hit theaters, and despite featuring some controversial changes to the story, it still made a killing at the box office, earning over $1 billion worldwide. That haul got a sequel greenlit and let the powers that be at Disney know that remaking classics isn’t off the table just yet. Their next venture will also feature its fair share of water, as a live-action version of Moana is coming to theaters in 2026. While many people believe it’s absurd to remake a movie that’s about to celebrate its tenth anniversary, the box office will do all the talking.

After Moana and the Lilo & Stitch sequel come and go, though, the path isn’t all that clear for the House of Mouse. The Tangled remake appears to have some momentum, but that’s about it. All the other information about live-action movies comes from rumors. But there’s only one rumor making the rounds that has the potential to do real damage, as it spells doom for a franchise that’s had a lot of success.

Disney Is Apparently Looking to Remake One of Its Oldest Movies At the Cost of Another

It might seem like Disney would want to stay away from its classic princess stories following the failure of Snow White, but at least one insider believes that the company still thinks there’s potential in that well. Daniel Ritchman claims that a Sleeping Beauty remake is in the works at Disney, with drastic changes to the source material. Rather than taking place in France in the 1300s, the setting will shift to Mexico, where it’s sure to draw inspiration from the region’s rich folklore. Making the change will help push back against the narrative that Disney’s remakes are nothing more than crash grabs, afraid to take risks.

Remaking Sleeping Beauty would likely come with some collateral damage, though. Back in 2014, Disney released a reimaging of the Sleeping Beauty story called Maleficent, starring Angelina Jolie and Elle Fanning. The movie focuses on the dark fairy from the original film, now with a tragic backstory that makes her far more sympathetic. Rather than tormenting Aurora, she builds a bond with the young woman, and they work together to protect their kingdom. The sequel, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, picks up the baton from there, putting the titular fairy and Queen Aurora through a trial that makes them stronger. Mistress of Evil leaves room for a follow-up, but it’s hard to imagine it coming to fruition with another adaptation hot on its trail.

Read Next

15 Years Ago Today, This 10/10 Disney Classic Kicked Off a New Era for Princesses

Disney Can Make Two Sleeping Beauty Franchises Work

Since Mistress of Evil’s release, Jolie has continuously voiced her interest in reprising her role in a third installment. Disney seemingly wants to take her up on her offer because, as recently as March 2025, a script for the movie was in development. But any delays or bumps in the road could mean the end of Maleficent, especially if the remake is looking to cast its own version of the fairy and Aurora. Studios rarely like to have two versions of the same character active at the same time; just look at what DC did when it was time for the Suicide Squad to make its big-screen debut while the Arrowverse had its own version of the team running around.

Disney shouldn’t be as rash as its friends over at DC, though. There’s a lot of wiggle room with the House of Mouse’s catalog of characters because they’re for the children. Suppose a good script for Maleficent 3 comes across a higher-up’s desk. In that case, they shouldn’t be afraid that it will interfere with what the potential remake is doing, especially if their settings are totally different. Parents just want to be able to take their kids to see movies that they can enjoy as well, and if that means seeing two films that cover the same ground, so be it. That’s far better than the alternative of only seeing a shot-for-shot remake of Sleeping Beauty that brings nothing new to the table.

Are you worried about a Sleeping Beauty remake taking Maleficent 3 off the board? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!