Here's how every character in the new Disney live-action movies compares to the original versions

Gabbi ShawAug 7, 2020, 22:31 IST

Emma Watson as Belle in "Beauty and the Beast."Disney

At the moment, Disney has remade 12 of their animated classics into live-action (or something close to live-action) movies, plus two more live-action sequels.
They also have at least 20 more remakes planned.
Here's how all the live-action — or intensely realistically animated, in the case of "The Lion King" — characters compare to their animated counterparts.

As of late, Disney has been leaning into the live-action remake. In 2019, they released live, or close to live, versions of "Dumbo," "Aladdin," "The Lion King," and "Lady and the Tramp." This year, "Mulan" will officially be released to Disney Plus with an additional $30 rental fee on September 4, after coronavirus-related delays.

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.

The live-action remake of "Mulan" was supposed to be released in March 2020, but was delayed to a September release on Disney Plus due to the pandemic. Mulan is played by Liu Yifei.

Mulan. Disney

The live-action remake of "Mulan" was supposed to be released in March 2020, but was delayed to a September release on Disney Plus due to the pandemic. Mulan is played by Liu Yifei.

Tzi Ma plays Hua Zhou, Mulan's father and army veteran. His name was Fa Zhou in the original.

Hua Zhou. Disney

Rosalind Chao is playing Mulan's mother, Hua Li. Her name in the original was Fa Li.

Hua Li. Disney

The Emperor of China is played by martial arts legend Jet Li.

The Emperor. Disney

The ill-tempered matchmaker will be played by Cheng Pei-pei.

The Matchmaker. Disney

Nelson Lee will play the Chancellor, a character based on Chi Fu, the Emperor's right-hand man.

Chi Fu/The Chancellor. Disney

A live-action "Lady and the Tramp" movie premiered on Disney Plus in 2019. All the animals, including Lady, are rescue animals in real life. She is voiced by Tessa Thompson.

Lady. Disney

A live-action "Lady and the Tramp" movie premiered on Disney Plus in 2019. All the animals, including Lady, are rescue animals in real life. She is voiced by Tessa Thompson.

Her love interest, Tramp, is played by Justin Theroux.

Tramp. Disney

One of the film's most iconic songs, "He's a Tramp" is sung by a Pekingese named Peg. Janelle Monáe lent her voice to the 2019 film.

Peg. Disney

Scottish actress Ashley Jensen plays a gender-swapped version of one of Lady's friends, a Scottish terrier named Jock.

Jock. Disney

Jock's loyal friend Trusty is voiced by Sam Elliott.

Trusty. Disney

Benedict Wong plays another stray, a bulldog fittingly named Bull.

Bull. Disney

Aunt Sarah's Siamese cats, originally named Si and Am, have definitely not aged well. The 2019 versions named Rex and Devon are a welcome update.

Aunt Sarah's cats. Disney

The crotchety Aunt Sarah is played by Yvette Nicole Brown.

Aunt Sarah. Disney

Lady's live-action owners Jim and Darling Dear are played by Thomas Mann and Kiersey Clemons, respectively.

Jim and Darling Dear. Disney

Another "live-action" remake of 2019 was "The Lion King," which premiered in July. Reprising his role as Mufasa is the original king of Pride Rock, James Earl Jones.

Mufasa. Disney

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

Simba. Disney

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

Simba. Disney

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

Nala. Disney

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

Nala. Disney

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.

Timon and Pumbaa. Disney

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

Zazu. Disney

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

Scar. Disney

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

Sarabi. Disney

The mystical mandrill shaman Rafiki is played by John Kani.

Rafiki. Disney

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.

Shenzi. Disney

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

Aladdin. Disney

Princess Jasmine is played by Naomi Scott.

Jasmine. Disney

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

The Genie. Disney

The evil Jafar is played by Marwan Kenzari.

Jafar. Disney

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

The Sultan. Disney

The only characters from "Dumbo" to make the leap from the animated movie to the live-action remake are Dumbo himself and his mother in the first live-action remake of 2019.

Dumbo. Disney

The only characters from "Dumbo" to make the leap from the animated movie to the live-action remake are Dumbo himself and his mother in the first live-action remake of 2019.

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

Christopher Robin. Disney

Veteran voice actor Jim Cummings played Winnie the Pooh.

Winnie the Pooh. Disney

Comedian Nick Mohammed voiced Piglet.

Piglet. Disney

Jim Cummings also voiced the boisterous Tigger.

Tigger. Disney

Brad Garrett played the ever-relatable Eeyore.

Eeyore. Disney

The neurotic Rabbit was played by Peter Capaldi.

Rabbit. Disney

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

Kanga and Roo. Disney

Toby Jones played the wise Owl.

Owl. Disney

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

Belle. Disney

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

The Beast. Disney

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

The Beast in human form. Disney

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

Maurice. Disney

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

Gaston. Disney

Josh Gad played Gaston's loyal henchman, LeFou.

LeFou. Disney

The dashing candelabra Lumiere was voiced by Ewan McGregor.

Lumiere. Disney

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

Cogsworth. Disney

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

Mrs. Potts. Disney

Nathan Mack made his movie debut voicing the adorable chipped teacup, Chip.

Chip. Disney

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

Mowgli. Disney

Bill Murray played lovable bear Baloo.

Baloo. Disney

Iconic British actor Ben Kingsley played Bagheera.

Bagheera. Disney

Christopher Walken played a more frightening version of King Louie.

King Louie. Disney

Idris Elba voiced the vengeful tiger Shere Khan.

Shere Khan. Disney

Scarlett Johansson played a gender-swapped Kaa.

Kaa. Disney

"Breaking Bad" star Giancarlo Esposito voiced Akela.

Akela. Disney

Lupita Nyong'o played Raksha.

Raksha. Disney

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

Cinderella. Disney

Her Prince Charming was played by Richard Madden.

Prince Charming. Disney

Cate Blanchett played evil stepmother Lady Tremaine.

Lady Tremaine. Disney

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

Anastasia and Drisella. Disney

Helena Bonham Carter played the Fairy Godmother.

The Fairy Godmother. Disney

Angelina Jolie put a spin on the villain of "Sleeping Beauty" by making her the focus of her own film, "Maleficent," in 2014.

Maleficent. Disney

Elle Fanning played Aurora, aka Sleeping Beauty.

Aurora. Disney

Aurora's prince Phillip was played by Brenton Thwaites.

Prince Philip. Disney

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

King Stefan. Disney

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

Alice. Disney

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

The Mad Hatter. Disney

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

The Queen of Hearts. Disney

The March Hare was voiced by Welsh actor Paul Whitehouse.

The March Hare. Disney

Michael Sheen voiced the harried White Rabbit.

The White Rabbit. Disney

Comedian Stephen Fry played the smiling Cheshire Cat.

The Cheshire Cat. Disney

Both Tweedledee and Tweedledum were played by Matt Lucas.

Tweedledee and Tweedledum. Disney

Alan Rickman played the Caterpillar.

The Caterpillar. Disney

Glenn Close played the terrifying Cruella de Vil in the 1996 version of "101 Dalmatians" — the very first Disney live-action remake.

Cruella de Vil. Disney

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

Roger. Disney

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

Anita. Disney

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

Horace. Disney

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

Jasper. Disney

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Here's how every character in the new Disney live-action movies compares to the original versions

The live-action remake of "Mulan" was supposed to be released in March 2020, but was delayed to a September release on Disney Plus due to the pandemic. Mulan is played by Liu Yifei.

Tzi Ma plays Hua Zhou, Mulan's father and army veteran. His name was Fa Zhou in the original.

Rosalind Chao is playing Mulan's mother, Hua Li. Her name in the original was Fa Li.

The Emperor of China is played by martial arts legend Jet Li.

The ill-tempered matchmaker will be played by Cheng Pei-pei.

Nelson Lee will play the Chancellor, a character based on Chi Fu, the Emperor's right-hand man.

A live-action "Lady and the Tramp" movie premiered on Disney Plus in 2019. All the animals, including Lady, are rescue animals in real life. She is voiced by Tessa Thompson.

Her love interest, Tramp, is played by Justin Theroux.

One of the film's most iconic songs, "He's a Tramp" is sung by a Pekingese named Peg. Janelle Monáe lent her voice to the 2019 film.

Scottish actress Ashley Jensen plays a gender-swapped version of one of Lady's friends, a Scottish terrier named Jock.

Jock's loyal friend Trusty is voiced by Sam Elliott.

Benedict Wong plays another stray, a bulldog fittingly named Bull.

Aunt Sarah's Siamese cats, originally named Si and Am, have definitely not aged well. The 2019 versions named Rex and Devon are a welcome update.

The crotchety Aunt Sarah is played by Yvette Nicole Brown.

Lady's live-action owners Jim and Darling Dear are played by Thomas Mann and Kiersey Clemons, respectively.

Another "live-action" remake of 2019 was "The Lion King," which premiered in July. Reprising his role as Mufasa is the original king of Pride Rock, James Earl Jones.

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

The mystical mandrill shaman Rafiki is played by John Kani.

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.

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

Princess Jasmine is played by Naomi Scott.

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

The evil Jafar is played by Marwan Kenzari.

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

The only characters from "Dumbo" to make the leap from the animated movie to the live-action remake are Dumbo himself and his mother in the first live-action remake of 2019.

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

Veteran voice actor Jim Cummings played Winnie the Pooh.

Comedian Nick Mohammed voiced Piglet.

Jim Cummings also voiced the boisterous Tigger.

Brad Garrett played the ever-relatable Eeyore.

The neurotic Rabbit was played by Peter Capaldi.

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

Toby Jones played the wise Owl.

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

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

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

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

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

Josh Gad played Gaston's loyal henchman, LeFou.

The dashing candelabra Lumiere was voiced by Ewan McGregor.

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

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

Nathan Mack made his movie debut voicing the adorable chipped teacup, Chip.

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

Bill Murray played lovable bear Baloo.

Iconic British actor Ben Kingsley played Bagheera.

Christopher Walken played a more frightening version of King Louie.

Idris Elba voiced the vengeful tiger Shere Khan.

Scarlett Johansson played a gender-swapped Kaa.

"Breaking Bad" star Giancarlo Esposito voiced Akela.

Lupita Nyong'o played Raksha.

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

Her Prince Charming was played by Richard Madden.

Cate Blanchett played evil stepmother Lady Tremaine.

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

Helena Bonham Carter played the Fairy Godmother.

Angelina Jolie put a spin on the villain of "Sleeping Beauty" by making her the focus of her own film, "Maleficent," in 2014.

Elle Fanning played Aurora, aka Sleeping Beauty.

Aurora's prince Phillip was played by Brenton Thwaites.

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

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

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

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

The March Hare was voiced by Welsh actor Paul Whitehouse.

Michael Sheen voiced the harried White Rabbit.

Comedian Stephen Fry played the smiling Cheshire Cat.

Both Tweedledee and Tweedledum were played by Matt Lucas.

Alan Rickman played the Caterpillar.

Glenn Close played the terrifying Cruella de Vil in the 1996 version of "101 Dalmatians" — the very first Disney live-action remake.

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

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