The company has had its fair share of ups and downs throughout the years (sadly, many would agree that they’re currently in a “down” stage), but the fact is that Disney is the king of Hollywood entertainment for a reason. With a library packed with some of the most iconic and influential movies in history, it’s no surprise that they often have pretty good performances by actors who fit their roles perfectly.
Every now and then, though, casting teams mess up more than a little bit. Whether it’s a live-action performance in one of the House of Mouse’s infamous remakes, or a voice performance in an animated flop, there are quite a few Disney films that have castings that are either uninspired or just plain silly. Bad casting doesn’t always result in a bad performance; it simply means that the actor put in the role doesn’t really fit it all that well.
Emma Watson as Belle
‘Beauty and the Best’ (2017)
Emma Watson as Belle looking at the rose in Beauty and the Beast
The craze of Disney live-action remakes of the studio’s classic animated films from the past started in the 2010s with Tim Burton‘s Alice in Wonderland. It performed so well at the box office that Disney saw dollar signs and hasn’t stopped this wave of films ever since. One of the least-terrible of them, though, is 2017’s Beauty and the Beast, which cast Emma Watson (then only six years fresh off of the Harry Potter saga) in the role of Belle.
In dramatic scenes, Watson does a pretty okay job of portraying this iconic Disney princess, even if she lacks the charm and emotional range that made the original character so beloved. It’s as soon as she starts singing that one has to start wondering whether the casting team ever even asked her to perform at least one musical number. Watson can’t sing, and if she got any coaching for this movie, you can’t really tell. What makes it worse is the painfully obvious autotune that was added to her voice. When casting for a musical, it’s generally a good rule of thumb that your lead needs to be able to at least be in tune.
Chiwetel Ejiofor as Scar
‘The Lion King’ (2019)
Scar in The Lion King (2019)
Whereas the original Lion King from 1994 is one of Disney’s most essential films, the pinnacle of Disney Animation’s work, 2019’s version is anything but that. With animation so obsessed with being photorealistic that they forgot to give the characters any emotion, this remake is entirely lifeless and poorly paced, lacking the inimitable magic that makes the original one of the greatest animated movies of all time.
It’s usually agreed that Jeremy Irons‘s voice performance as Scar in the original is not only the best Disney villain voice performance, but one of the best voice performances ever, period. Chiwetel Ejiofor is a phenomenal actor, but his Scar lacks the scariness, elegance, and imposing presence (and don’t forget the queer undertones) that made Irons’s Scar an icon. And with Irons perfectly available (the late James Earl Jones was brought back to play Mufasa again), it’s a puzzle why they went with an actor with zero voice acting experience instead.
Gal Gadot as Shank
‘Ralph Breaks the Internet’ (2018)
While Wreck-It Ralph is one of the best Disney Animation movies of the 21st century so far, the consensus seems to be that its sequel, Ralph Breaks the Internet, isn’t particularly good. This is in spite of the many new characters, both original and from iconic media, that it introduced to the series, like the Disney princesses and the tough-as-nails online racing game hero Shank.
There’s no getting around it: Ralph Breaks the Internet is overall pretty awful, so it’s surprising that Gal Gadot‘s voice performance as Shank is so bad that it manages to be one of the worst elements of the film. Any time Shank speaks, it’s clear that Gadot, clearly not cut out for voice acting and clearly cast in the role just because of her badass performance in 2017’s Wonder Woman, is reading from a script. Voice acting should be transparent and contribute to the audience’s suspension of disbelief. This performance certainly doesn’t meet those qualities.
Dwayne Johnson as Frank Wolff
‘Jungle Cruise’ (2021)
Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt in ‘Jungle Cruise’
Wrestler, businessman, and international movie star, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is undeniably one of the most charismatic actors in Hollywood. There are, however, more than a few issues that today’s audiences have with him. One of those issues is that it seems that charismatic is all he can be; his lack of range is painfully conspicuous every time he plays a role that demands more emotional nuance. The other issue is that his whole “charismatic hero” shtick has gotten a bit old after so many years of him doing it. Case in point: Jungle Cruise.
Based on the beloved ride in several Disney theme parks, the movie’s overinflated budget and terrible distribution plan led to it becoming one of the biggest box office combs of the 2020s. The Rock is definitely in it, playing the same kind of hero that he always plays. And with an actor as talented as Emily Blunt and a comedian as funny as Jack Whitehall doing their best alongside him, Johnson seems all the more out of place in a film where he sticks out like a sore thumb.
Jake Gyllenhaal
‘Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time’ (2010)
Prince Dastan (Jake Gyllenhaal) runs through the streets of a fort armed with two swords in ‘Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time’ (2010).
Disney has a long history of racial insensitivity, including whitewashed casting practices that still continue to this day. There are very few cases of whitewashing in modern film history more egregious, though, than Jake Gyllenhaal as the Persian prince of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. One of the worst video game adaptations in movie history, this Disney flop let down fans of the source material and newcomers alike.
It’s not just Gyllenhaal not being Iranian (and sporting a British accent, for some reason) that makes this casting so ill-suited and one of the worst ever, though. Gyllenhaal, being the great actor that he is, is definitely believable in the role. He does a fine job in action sequences, too. But he still doesn’t have the presence or seriousness that an action hero role like this one requires — and yes, it’s hard to look past the whole whitewashing of it all.
Liu Yifei as Mulan
‘Mulan’ (2020)
Another one of the 2020s’ biggest box office failures (the reason being pretty obvious looking at the movie’s release year), Mulan would probably still have been a financial flop even if it had been released in 2019. People simply didn’t like how different this remake was from the original, and how badly it contorted the 1998 classic’s message of female empowerment.
But it’s not just the bad script and complete creative bastardization of the original that make this version of Mulan one of the worst action movies of modern times: Another big issue is Liu Yifei‘s casting as the titular heroine. To be perfectly fair, the script doesn’t really give her much to work with, but a better-cast actress would nevertheless have been able to elevate such material. Yifei is completely expressionless, making her performance forgettable. One of Disney’s strongest female heroes definitely deserved better.
Mila Kunis as Theodora / Wicked Witch of the West
‘Oz the Great and Powerful’ (2013)
Mila Kunis, frowning, as the Wicked Witch of the West in ‘Oz the Great and Powerful’
Probably one of the worst Wizard of Oz movies ever, Oz the Great and Powerful is about as dumb and forgettable as high-caliber prequels get. Audiences get to see Disney’s version of what led to the characters of the legendary MGM 1939 classic to become who they are in that movie, with varying degrees of success. As for the Wicked Witch of the West… the success just isn’t there.
Once again, fairness calls for admitting that Mila Kunis wasn’t given a particularly good script to work with, but the point still stands that her version of this iconic character is more laughable than it is intimidating. As Theodora, the Witch before she turns evil, she’s basically just playing herself. Then she turns green and everything goes awry. Kunis is an actress that seems not to have the internal wrath that this explosive villain required, making it a mystery why they even decided to go with her in the first place.
Awkwafina as Sisu
‘Raya and the Last Dragon’ (2021)
There’s no denying that Awkwafina is a hugely talented comedian, who has delivered fantastic performances in movies like The Farewell, Crazy Rich Asians, and Swan Song. What do those movies have in common? That they’re live-action films. Animation fans tend to agree that Awkwafina’s voice acting work is vastly inferior and even a little bit grating — and there’s no Awkwafina casting worse than as the dragon Sisu in Raya and the Last Dragon.
It’s largely because of the over-the-topness of Awkwafina’s performance and the forced way in which she delivers jokes that Sisu is one of the most annoying characters in any Disney movie. This is yet another case of the screenplay doing the voice actor no favors, but Awkwafina’s casting as such a pivotal character that required a bit more emotional range still feels a little out of place.
Marwan Kenzari as Jafar
‘Aladdin’ (2019)
Jafar (Marwan Kenzari) stands in an extravagant set of armor while holding a snake spectre in ‘Aladdin’ (2019).
The original Aladdin is many people’s favorite Disney Renaissance movie, so there was a lot of pressure on Guy Ritchie‘s shoulders when making a live-action adaptation. The movie overall is quite all right for a Disney remake, and the casting that everyone thought would be the most disastrous when the trailers came out (that being Will Smith as the Genie) ended up proving quite serviceable.
It’s Kenzari’s Jafar that simply doesn’t work though. Even setting aside that he’s too good-looking and too young for the role, meaning that he looks and sounds more like a hipster than a wise and conniving vizier, he just doesn’t have what it takes to play such a larger-than-life villain. He’s not menacing, he’s not scary, and he has pretty much no chemistry with anyone in the cast.
Johnny Depp as Tonto
‘The Lone Ranger’ (2013)
Johnny Depp as Tonto in ‘The Lone Ranger’ (2013)
There are few (if any) cases of whitewashing in modern high-caliber Hollywood movies more egregious than the very-white Johnny Depp being cast as the Native American hero Tonto in The Lone Ranger. Based on the Western TV show that aired on NBC from 1949 to 1957, the movie is told through Tonto’s perspective, as he meets and joins the titular vigilante in his quest for justice in the Wild West.
Though The Lone Ranger has some pretty good action sequences and one of Hans Zimmer‘s most underrated scores, it’s still one of the weakest Disney films of recent years, and that’s in no small measure due to Depp being so terribly ill-suited to play Tonto. Whitewashing aside, the actor brings too much bombastic Jack Sparrow energy to the role. As such, it’s hard to see Tonto come to life; instead, you only see Depp doing his typical shtick. It’s a bad performance, but more than anything, it’s terrible casting.
KEEP READING:The Biggest Disney Disappointments of the 2010s, Ranked
Unexpected Team-Up: Prince William and Emma Watson Unite for Change
Prince William had plenty to celebrate this weekend, but his latest public appearance quickly turned heads for a very different reason. After marking his 44th birthday and Father's Day with his family, the future king returned to royal duties—and made a surprisingly personal confession about the emotional toll of climate change.
William joined Hollywood stars Emma Watson and Benedict Cumberbatch at a United for Wildlife forum in London, an initiative he launched with the Royal Foundation in 2013. The organization works around the world to combat wildlife trafficking, environmental crime, and the destruction of endangered species.
But it was William's candid admission about his own fears that stole the spotlight.
The Prince of Wales revealed that climate change has caused him "sleepless nights," admitting he has struggled with anxiety about what the future could look like. Yet instead of allowing those fears to overwhelm him, William said seeing real progress through conservation efforts has helped keep his environmental anxiety under control.
He also delivered a powerful message to business leaders, urging them to become the kind of leaders they admired when they were children. With technology and innovation transforming the world at an incredible pace, William challenged CEOs to use their influence to create meaningful change.
The event launched London Climate Action Week, with more royal appearances expected, including the Earthshot Prize assembly.
Emma Watson also delivered a surprising revelation of her own. The Harry Potter star highlighted the fashion industry's enormous environmental impact, pointing out that it produces more emissions than aviation and ranks behind only oil among major polluting industries.
Watson, who is also pursuing a doctorate in philosophy at Oxford, shared a hilarious story about mistakenly believing paparazzi were following her. After spotting photographers with telephoto lenses, she arranged a distraction and escaped through another exit. The twist? They weren't photographing her at all. They were waiting to capture a red kite.
Meanwhile, Benedict Cumberbatch praised William as "a great guy" and urged businesses and individuals to recognize that they can still make a difference, even when global environmental challenges appear overwhelming.
With William, Watson, and Cumberbatch joining forces on the issue, the London forum delivered a clear message: the fight against environmental destruction is becoming impossible for the world's biggest names to ignore.
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