Disney Reassesses Live-Action Remakes After ‘Snow White’ Falters and ‘Lilo & Stitch’ Soars

Uneven results are prompting a tighter, culture‑minded playbook under CEO Josh D’Amaro.

Overview

Disney’s remake strategy, described Friday by three Disney-focused outlets, is shifting under new CEO Josh D’Amaro.
Snow White, delayed to March 2025, earned just over $205 million worldwide against a reported $270 million budget.
A scaled‑back marketing push and reports of friction between Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot complicated the rollout, and the film later picked up Razzie wins for Worst Supporting Actor and Worst Screen Combo.
Lilo & Stitch moved from a planned streaming debut to theaters, topped $1 billion worldwide, and now has a sequel dated for May 2028.
Next up is Moana in 2026 with Dwayne Johnson returning as Maui and Catherine Laga’aia as Moana, with Johnson stressing Polynesian representation across departments, while Tangled remains in development with Teagan Croft, Milo Manheim, and Kathryn Hahn.