
While the internet is losing its mind over Will Smith as the Genie is the upcoming live-action remake of Aladdin, it’s easy to forget that Disney has produced far more live-action movies than animated ones since the company started making films back in 1937, with the debut of Snow White And The Seven Dwarves.
Disney’s first live-action movie–that wasn’t an animation hybrid–was the 1950 adaptation of Treasure Island. Jump ahead to the 60s, and Disney was pumping out, on average, six movies a year, and the vast majority were live-action as animated films were coming out roughly every three years or so. And there were a few memorable films you’ve surely seen like 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, The Parent Trap, or one of the million Herbie the Lovebug movies.
Then, there was a short period of time where Disney got a bit weird. Before the studio established Touchstone Pictures, Disney dove into making more mature titles, stepping away from movies that that were zany family comedies about birds that laid golden eggs or any of the other movies that teamed up someone with a wacky animal. This seven-year period saw Disney going out on a limb to explore new avenues in storytelling, which meant more adult content. We’re not talking about rated-R material, but the films Disney produced during this time weren’t your typical comedy retreat.
And no, we’re not taking look at Tron, the company’s most successful live-action movie during this period, as it’s a hybrid animated/live-action movie, and also, it’s awesome, and everyone reading this knows what it is. We’re taking a look at the weirdest live-action movies from that time period, presented in order of “least weird” to “what was Disney thinking?

