Meet the Stars Bringing Your Childhood Dreams to Life as Live-Action Disney Characters

Dwayne Johnson, Moana

The 2016 hit Moana will soon be taking live action form, and Dwayne Johnson will be reprising his role as demigod Maui. The actor was the first to launch news of the remake on his Instagram.

"This story is my culture, and this story is emblematic of our people's grace, mana and warrior strength," Johnson captioned his announcement. "I wear our culture proudly on my skin and in my soul, and this once in a lifetime opportunity to reunite with MAUI, inspired by the spirit of my late grandfather, High Chief Peter Maivia, is one that runs very deep for me."

Maia Kealoha, Lilo & Stitch

While no official release date has been set, Disney has confirmed that Lilo & Stitch will be getting the live-action treatment. The Hollywood Reporter unveiled a few names featured on the cast list, including newcomer Maia Kealoha, who we'll see in the lead role of Lilo.

Sydney Agudong, Lilo & Sitch

Lilo's big sister, Nani, will be played by Hawaiian actress Sydney Agudong.

Zach Galifinakis, Lilo & Sitch

The Hangover star is set to appear in the live-action adaptation of the 2002 animation. His actual role is yet to be confirmed, but The Wrap reported that he'll play Pleakley, one of the aliens on a mission to track down Stitch.

Rachel Zegler, Snow White

The live-action adaption of Snow White isn't set to hit screens until 2024, but Disney's already found its lead actress. West Side Story star Rachel Zegler will betaking on the role of Disney's first animated princess.

Gal Gadot, Snow White

Gal Gadot is swapping her heroic Wonder Woman title for something sinister as she steps into the role of the Evil Queen. In 2021, the actress spoke to PEOPLE about her villainous stint.

"I can't say much other than the fact that I'm so excited and I cannot wait to get into the shoes and the crown of the Evil Queen," she teased.

Martin Klebba, Snow White

Pirates of the Caribbean alum Martin Klebba is set to play Grumpy, one of the seven dwarves from the original 1937 animation.

Halle Bailey, The Little Mermaid

Halle Bailey gave the 1989 animated heroine new life with a widely acclaimed performance. Critics have effusively praised the multi-hyphenate's "epic" performance blowing naysayers out of the water. The voice of the original Ariel, Jodi Benson, applauded Bailey as well, calling her portrayal "absolutely amazing!"

Bailey shared some emotional words of gratitude for the role when the official Little Mermaid poster debuted a few months ahead of the movie's release.

"Words can't describe how immensely honored I feel to play the mermaid of my dreams, Ariel, in Disney's The Little Mermaid," she tweeted alongside her undersea portrait.

Melissa McCarthy, The Little Mermaid

Melissa McCarthy told PEOPLE she "begged"The Little Mermaid director Rob Marshall to let her play Ursula in the recent adaptation of the beloved Disney film. The Bridesmaids star felt a special connection to Ariel's sea witch nemesis, despite her evil nature.

"She's such a broad, I just wanted to have a drink with her," McCarthy explained in conversation with PEOPLE. "And yes, she's the villain, but I was like, I think I get her. She's been ostracized. Especially after COVID, I think we all get Ursula a little bit more. Spending all that time alone."

Javier Bardem, The Little Mermaid

Javier Bardem rules as the king of the sea in Disney's 2023 remake, a role that certainly excited one major fan – his daughter, Luna. The actor shared his nine-year-old's reaction to his casting on The Jess Cagle Show.

"My daughter got so emotional, and I said, 'But I am not playing Ariel, Luna,' and she said, 'Of course not, Dad, you will be Triton, right?" Bardem explained. "That is one of the reasons why I did [The Little Mermaid]."

Jonah Hauer-King, The Little Mermaid

Jonah Hauer-King stepped into the role of Ariel's love interest, Prince Eric (a part initially turned down by Harry Styles).

Hauer-King was previously in relatively small roles on TV, so preparing for The Little Mermaidrequired an entirely fresh set of skills. Luckily, he had Halle Bailey on his team.

"We were both experiencing something very new, doing a film like this," the actor said. "She obviously had vast experience in the music world, much more than I did, and I've probably done a few more acting gigs than she had, but in terms of doing a film like this, there was nothing that really could have prepared us."

Jacob Tremblay, The Little Mermaid

Room actor Jacob Tremblay lent his voice to The Little Mermaid as Flounder, Ariel's best friend and fishy confidant. At the premiere of the 2023 flick, the 16-year-old spoke to PEOPLE about his character's updated live-action look.

"I was shown the design when I went in for the audition and I saw the movie last night, and I have to say that I think it really, really worked," he said. "I think that they were geniuses and they knew exactly what they were doing."

Tremblay recorded his parts when he was only 13-years-old.

Daveed Diggs, The Little Mermaid

The Hamilton alum put plenty of effort to ensure his vocal performance as Sebastian lived up to the original animated crustacean. While he's not of Caribbean dissent himself, Diggs told Collider that he made an effort to "immerse [himself]" in the culture of his character.

"I've spent a lot of time in Trinidad and I went to Jamaica to research, and I did a lot of voice work with Chris Walker and with the late Tony Hall, to try to get the voice right," said Diggs.

"But more than the voice, the thing about a dialect is that everybody's voice is actually very different, so consistency is really more important than accuracy. Your speech pattern is based on culture, and that was the thing I didn't want to let down."

Awkwafina, The Little Mermaid

The Crazy Rich Asians star voiced the outspoken seagull, Scuttle in the revisited mermaid tale.

Jessica Alexander, The Little Mermaid

The British actress played Ursula's out-of-water alter ego, Vanessa, who tries to woo Prince Eric away from Ariel.

Yara Shahidi, Peter Pan and Wendy

Speaking to PEOPLE ahead of the film's release in April 2023, the black-ish star said playing Tinker Bell "was just a no-brainer."

"It’s such an iconic part. The character has a long lineage of really incredible actresses playing her," said Shahidi, adding that her favorite portrayal was by Julia Roberts in Stephen Spielberg's 1991 film, Hook.

The actress also expressed her commitment to diversifying Disney worlds with live-action remakes: “It’s about telling a story that feels reflective of the times that we’re in. I think every change was extremely intentional," she said.

Jude Law, Peter Pan and Wendy

Jude Law is the most recent actor to play Captain Hook in three-dimensional form, but he's hardly the first. Dustin Hoffman was the nefarious pirate in Hook, and Jason Isaacs took on the role in the 2003 film Peter Pan.

Alexander Molony, Peter Pan & Wendy

Newcomer Alexander Molony became the boy who refused to grow up in the most recent take on Peter Pan.

Ever Anderson, Peter Pan & Wendy

Ever Anderson played Wendy Darling in the latest adaptation of the 1953 animation. Her mom, Milla Jovovich, announced that the teen actress was cast in Peter Pan & Wendy on Instagram.

"We’re so proud of our baby!" Jovovich wrote in 2020. "Ever has been wanting to act since she was 5 and she’s put the time, focus and energy into making her dream come true!"

Jim Gaffigan, Peter Pan & Wendy

The comic climbed aboard Peter Pan & Wendy as Captain Hook's right-hand man, Mr. Smee. During a Good Morning Americaappearance alongside costar Jude Law, Gaffigan opened up about his interpretation of the character and how it differed from previous portrayals.

"This version they establish backstory to justify some of the characterizations we know," said the stand-up star. "It explores almost a parental relationship. Anyone who has a teenager is treated the same way that Captain Hook treats Smee. Essentially Captain Hook is the teenager and Smee is any parent."

Alyssa Wapanatâhk, Peter Pan & Wendy

The Native actor didn't just play live-action Tiger Lily in Peter Pan & Wendy – she also had a hand in shaping the updated character. Wapanatâhk told NPR that she "was able to bring my culture into it and bring my language into it and just do what I wanted with the role."

Her Tiger Lily, for example, speaks both Cree and English and wears clothing based on real "dance regalia that we would use in powwow," Wapanatâhk explained.

Beyoncé, The Lion King

Queen Bey voiced Nala, Simba's childhood-friend-turned-love-interest, in the 2019 remake.

Bey was director Jon Favreau's top choice, with the Favreau even willing to work the production schedule around the birth of her twins, according to Variety.

John Oliver, The Lion King

The British Last Week Tonight host tackled the part of Zazu, the uptight hornbill who serves as King Mufasa's majordomo. Rowan Atkinson originated the voice role in the beloved 1994 original.

Seth Rogen, The Lion King

Rogen played stinky, lovable warthog Pumbaa in the live-action Lion King. As expected, the comedian brought his own humorous flare to a new version of "Hakuna Matata."

Billy Eichner, The Lion King

Joining Rogen as the other half of the duo? Billy on the Street's hilarious Eichner.

Donald Glover, The Lion King

He's going to be a mighty king! Glover starred in the Favreau-directed film, which used performance-capture technology and computer-generated imagery - and also included many of the hit songs from the beloved 1994 animated film.

James Earl Jones, The Lion King

This one doesn't require much imagination: Jones once again lent his voice to the original king of the jungle, a role he defined in the 1994 animated classic.

Keegan-Michael Key, Florence Kasumba and Eric André, The Lion King

The Lion King's ragtag group of hyenas were be played by a talented trio.

From left to right, Key (who also cameos in Disney's Toy Story 4) played Kamari, Marvel's Kasumba voiced Shenzi and André will took on Aziz.

Will Smith, Aladdin

TheFresh Prince of Bel-Air star nailed his performance of the Genie in Guy Richie's reboot of the 1992 cartoon classic. Smith tried to make the role his own, rapping in new versions of the movie's most famous songs.

Smith went on to thank fans on Instagram for making Aladdin the highest-grossing film of his career.

Marwan Kenzari, Aladdin

Fans were excited to see Kenzari put a new (and attractive) twist on everyone's favorite villain, Jafar.

While many on social media were loving the actor for his looks, he still played a convincingly evil sorcerer in the new live-action remake.

Mena Massoud, Aladdin

Make way for this relative newcomer. Born in Egypt but raised in Canada, Massoud told PEOPLE that "people who look like me struggle to get roles."

With a cast lauded for its talent and diversity, Massoud hopes the movie will inspire others.

"I want to look back 20 years from now and be like, 'This movie affected people,' " he said.

Naomi Scott, Aladdin

In this 21st-century remake, Scott played a strongly independent, feminist Princess Jasmine. Already a Disney Channel alumna, the actress landed her roles on Life Bites in 2008 and Lemonade Mouth in 2011.

Scott followed the role by starring in a new reboot of Charlie's Angels.

Danny DeVito, Dumbo

DeVito played circus owner Max Medici in the new live-action remake of the 1941 hit.

"I was so excited when I found out that Tim [Burton] was gonna do it," DeVito told PEOPLE. "He captured the charm of the original that we loved and he kept all the values of the story, and what happens when you're born different."

Emma Watson, Beauty and the Beast

With beauty and brains, it didn't take a bookworm to know to cast Watson in the lead role of the smash hit Disney blockbuster.

Dan Stevens, Beauty and the Beast

The Downton Abbey actor went back to familiar territory - a big, European-set, castle-like house - in Beauty and the Beast.

Josh Gad, Beauty and the Beast

"[Director] Bill Condon did an amazing job of giving us an opportunity to create a version of LeFou that isn't like the original, that expands on what the original did, but that makes him more human and makes him a wonderfully complex character to some extent," Gad told the Associated Press of his on-screen alter ego, who had Disney's first "gay moment" in film.

Luke Evans, Beauty and the Beast

My what a guy, that Evans! He's an intimidating figure off-screen, and on-screen, gave Gaston his muscles and determination. "[He] uses his charm offensive to whip other people into a frenzy to go and attack somebody they've never met. Somebody that's different. Somebody that only represents a danger because [Gaston] says that he represents a danger," Gad shared of his counterpart.

Lily James, Cinderella

James didn't need a fairy godmother to perfect the Cinderella look for the 2015 adaptation.

Richard Madden, Cinderella

He may have lost the Game of Thrones, but Madden certainly made the perfect Prince Charming in Cinderella.

Cate Blanchett, Cinderella

The animated version of Cinderella's evil stepmother was intimidating, but Blanchett's portrayal of her in Cinderella took the fear factor to a new level.

Bill Murray, The Jungle Book

Murray took on the role of the big friendly bear, Baloo, in 2016's adaptation of The Jungle Book.

Alexander Skarsgard, Tarzan

The live-action adaptation, The Legend of Tarzan, wasn't produced by Disney, but there's no denying that the character is a Disney classic. To prepare for the role, Skarsgard got even more chiseled than animators could have imagined.

Margot Robbie, Tarzan

Robbie joined the cast as Tarzan's love interest, jungle visitor Jane Porter.

Angelina Jolie, Maleficent

Jolie, on the other hand, showed a different side to the famous dragon lady in Maleficent.

Elle Fanning, Maleficent

When Disney animators drew up Sleeping Beauty back in 1959, we imagine they had someone like Fanning in Maleficent in mind.