Disney’s 9 Best Non-Animated Movies, Ranked

For the past 90 years, Walt Disney Studios has remained the dependable cornerstone of family-friendly cinema.

Pioneering the art of animation amidst the industry’s infancy, Walt Disney personally elevated his cartoon creations to mainstream pop culture, kicking off a Golden Age of Animation still going strong to this day. Whether discussing classic films like Snow White and Cinderella or more contemporary movies like Moana and Encanto, there’s little doubt that Disney continues to stand as the peak of children’s entertainment, if only for its impressive array of animated films alone.

As terrific as most of Disney’s animated movies are, it’s worth pointing out just how many fantastic live-action movies the company has produced as well. As with their various animated properties, these non-animated movies cover a wide range of respective genres and settings. From swashbuckling action films to self-referential whodunit mysteries, here are some of the greatest non-animated movies we’ve seen from Walt Disney Studios yet, ranked in order from worst to best.

9. Enchanted (2007)

A self-parody/loving homage to Disney’s earliest animated films, Enchanted asks the all-important question: “What would happen if Disney’s Snow White stepped into the traffic-clogged streets of modern-day New York City?” Sprinkling in references to some of Disney’s most recognizable past movies, Enchanted somehow finds a way to revitalize archetypal fairy tale motifs (the whimsical woodland critters, the evil queen, the doe-eyed princess, the absent-minded prince, etc.) in a new and satisfying way.

8. Hocus Pocus (1993)

When it was first released in 1993, Hocus Pocus earned mostly middling reviews, its dismal box office performance eventually leading it to quickly fade away into pop culture obscurity. By the end of the decade, however, Winifred Sanderson and her two bickering sisters had become global icons in Disney’s canon, their critical popularity seeming only to grow in stature with each passing decade. A favorite Halloween film for Disney fans of every generation, Hocus Pocus’s delightful mix of comedy, light scares, and energetic musical numbers makes it a family-friendly cult classic to watch every time the jack-o-lanterns are lit and the seasonal cider is poured for the holiday.

7. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954)

With the success of 1950’s Treasure Island paving the way, Disney green-lit a variety of live-action films throughout the remainder of the decade, the best of which came with 1954’s equally ambitious 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Transporting viewers from the surface world to the ocean’s deepest depths, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea offers a visually arresting take on Jules Verne’s celebrated sci-fi novel, channeling the same pluckish sense of adventure first presented by Verne in the early 1870s. 

6. The Muppet Movie (1979)

Realistically, almost any Muppets-related film could have earned a spot on this list, from 1996’s light-hearted Muppets Treasure Island to 2011’s satisfying reboot, The Muppets. Yet like so many other things in life, it’s just too hard to beat out the original, especially when you’re talking about a movie as utterly terrific as 1979’s The Muppet Movie. The first of eight Muppets movies Disney has produced over the years, The Muppet Movie proved that Jim Henson’s anarchic puppet brood could make the momentous leap from television into the world of mainstream film. Toss in some strong musical numbers, various branching plotlines, and a bundle of celebrity cameos from the likes of Richard Pryor, Orson Welles, Steve Martin, and Mel Brooks, and you have the makings to an unforgettable comedy fit for viewers of every age and respective demographic.

5. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

Making a feature-length movie about an amusement park attraction from the 1960s couldn’t have been easy, yet the producers behind 2003’s Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl were clearly up for the challenge. Translating its Disneyland source material for the big screen, the initial Pirates of the Caribbean film almost assuredly stands out as the strongest entry in the series. Striking a remarkable balance between mild scares, buoyant adventure, and morally ambiguous characterization (especially when it comes to Johnny Depp’s scene-stealing Jack Sparrow), The Curse of the Black Pearl is an action-packed adventure film we simply can’t recommend enough.

4. Treasure Island (1950)

Disney’s first full-length live-action film, Treasure Island set the standard for practically every swashbuckling pirate film for the next generation, as seen with Robert Newton’s cliche-setting depiction of Long John Silver. An early classic from Disney, Treasure Island remains a timeless adventure movie that bears surprisingly little signs of age, continuing to delight viewers today as much as it had in 1950. In many ways, watching it is akin to riding Pirates of the Caribbean for an hour and a half straight, right down to the same guttural sea dogs and ornery buccaneers populating the attraction’s shores.

3. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)

Nowadays, it’s easy to forget just how big a deal Who Framed Roger Rabbit was when it first came out in 1988. Not only did it mark the first time animated icons like Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny shared the screen together, it also fluidly combined live-action film with meticulously designed 2D animation, earning widespread attention from critics and viewers alike. As impressive as Roger Rabbit’s visuals are, the finished film succeeds first and foremost as a refreshingly dark neo-noir mystery from Disney, unfolding like a dramatic cross between The Big Sleep and a lost episode of Tom and Jerry.

2. Hamilton (2020)

For years, theater fans around the globe crossed their fingers in the hopes of one day seeing a recorded version of Hamilton brought to the small screen. Fortunately, that long-held dream ultimately became a reality in the summer of 2020. Cobbling together a full-length version of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hit Broadway play for release on Disney+, Hamilton offers an ambitious adaptation of its theatrical counterpart, allowing audiences the world over to experience the glamor of Miranda’s award-winning musical for themselves.

1. Mary Poppins (1964)

Walt Disney loaded almost all of his eggs into one basket when it came to 1964’s audacious musical comedy Mary Poppins. But like his previous gambles on Snow White or Pinocchio, the risk ultimately proved well worth the reward, ushering in a beloved Disney classic unlike any other. Merging live-action film with vibrant 2D animated sequences, Mary Poppins manages to bring the colorful world of P.L. Travers’ fantasy children’s novels to startling real life. Whether jumping into a sidewalk drawing or dancing on the rooftops of London with a legion of chimney sweeps, Mary Poppins’ persistent originality and cheerful creativity establish it as a joyous family comedy worthy of continued celebration.