From stunning gowns to disappointing redesigns, Disney's live-action adaptations have given us a mix of princess looks. Join us as we explore the best upgrades and biggest letdowns in costume design, comparing animated classics to their real-world counterparts. Which princess got the royal treatment, and who deserved better?
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00:00Now, let's see what I've got in my drawers.
00:03Oh, how embarrassing.
00:06Welcome to Ms. Mojo.
00:08And today, we're counting down our picks for the Disney princess costumes
00:11that got a major upgrade,
00:13or a massive downgrade in their live-action counterparts.
00:16I can't go in this dress.
00:18Can you mend it?
00:19Mend it?
00:20Yeah, I'll turn it into something new.
00:23Number five.
00:24Should have left alone.
00:25Mulan's fighting suit.
00:26Mulan.
00:27You took away my victory.
00:30No, I did.
00:33Disney fans remained divided on this particular live-action adaptation.
00:37If cutting songs and Mushu the dragon weren't enough,
00:40the 2020 film also made some changes to the overall design that got mixed reactions.
00:45Despite an Oscar nomination for its costumes,
00:48one look did disappoint some fans.
00:50I understand.
00:51I was a girl like you when people turned on me.
00:59In the climactic scenes,
01:00Mulan fights in a more historically accurate red suit.
01:03While the 2020 movie claimed to go for historical accuracy,
01:07although its success has been debated since its release,
01:10it's one of the moments where we missed out on style.
01:12As well-made as it is,
01:14it's less striking than the draped look from the original.
01:17It looks like you're out of ideas.
01:22Not quite.
01:24Number five.
01:25Improved.
01:26Belle's blue and white dress.
01:28Beauty and the Beast.
01:29The first time we see Belle,
01:30the protagonist of Beauty and the Beast,
01:32in the original animated movie,
01:34it's in her blue and white provincial look.
01:36Look, there she goes, that girl is so peculiar.
01:40I wonder if she's really Belle.
01:43With a dreamy fall.
01:45And her nose snapping up.
01:46What a muzzle to the rest of us is Belle.
01:50Her outfit is as quiet and unassuming
01:52as the village she's straining to get out of.
01:55When Emma Watson donned a version of the same dress
01:57in the 2017 live-action remake,
02:00it's quite similar.
02:01But with live-action, we can really get a sense of texture.
02:04And for once it might be grand
02:09to have someone understand.
02:14Costume designer Jacqueline Duren added patterns
02:16to the blue bodice and aprons and rags at the waist.
02:19It doesn't just look more interesting,
02:21it also honors the character and her circumstances.
02:24For simple folk like us, it doesn't get any better.
02:28I might be a farm girl, but I'm not simple.
02:32Number four.
02:33Should have left alone.
02:35Ariel's pink dress.
02:36The Little Mermaid.
02:37Oh, Ariel.
02:39Isn't she a visual?
02:43You look wonderful.
02:44As far as redesigns go,
02:45Ariel got the short end of the stick.
02:47The Little Mermaid went harder on being period-accurate
02:50than a lot of the other live-action remakes,
02:52but it wasn't always successful.
02:55Somehow it made everything she wears
02:56seem much less eye-catching.
02:58One costume fans particularly disliked
03:00was Ariel's pink dinner dress.
03:02Oh, what's all this, queen?
03:04Oh, the queen wanted the two of you
03:05to have a proper send-off, sire.
03:08Thank you, your majesty.
03:09Although it doesn't show up until she's married to her prince,
03:12it's not nearly as stunning,
03:13and it's almost completely washed out by sunlight.
03:16Period costuming is all well and good,
03:18but this is Disney, after all.
03:21If there's no spectacle, why bother?
03:23There we go.
03:24Ah, that's better.
03:25Ah, quite comfy?
03:27It's, uh, it's, uh,
03:29not often that we have such a lovely dinner guest,
03:31eh, Eric?
03:32Number four.
03:33Improved.
03:34Matchmaker dress.
03:35Mulan.
03:36I'm truly blessed to be in the presence
03:38of such enchanting women.
03:40I have no doubt today will be a momentous day for the-
03:43Never mind that.
03:44We must be on time.
03:46One costume that absolutely dazzled fans in the live-action Mulan
03:49is the traditional garb she meets the matchmaker in.
03:52The 1998 design is more Disney-fied,
03:55with its pinks and deep blue accents.
03:57You must proudly show it.
04:02Now add a cricket.
04:06Just for luck.
04:08And even you can't blow it.
04:11The 2020 film features a look by costume designer Bina Daigler,
04:15who was inspired by an idea that Mulan could twirl into the dress.
04:19Daigler's dress, purple with red details along the neck and sleeves,
04:23is a beautifully embroidered, elegant piece that comes alive in motion.
04:27Judging by her discomfort throughout the scene,
04:29Mulan's clearly not feeling this ensemble.
04:31But it is so gorgeous.
04:33Look at my face.
04:34What am I feeling?
04:36I have no idea.
04:38Exactly.
04:39This is my sad face.
04:41This is my curious face.
04:43And I'm confused.
04:453. Should Have Left Alone
04:48Ariel's mermaid look.
04:50The Little Mermaid.
04:51This one was always gonna be tricky.
04:53Ariel's unforgettable design is pretty simple,
04:56and that might be the problem.
04:58Nothing happened.
05:00Ariel, how many times must we go through this?
05:04A seashell bikini top and a mermaid tail is a particularly hard sell
05:07on a realistic mermaid.
05:09The 2023 live-action remake just doesn't do enough to remake the outfit.
05:13And I'm only here to help.
05:17I don't need your help.
05:19Whatever you say, darling.
05:26Wait.
05:27Yes?
05:31How can you help me?
05:33Replacing the seashells with a bikini top made of scales,
05:36Ariel's modernized live-action appearance is just completely unremarkable.
05:41It might have been better to redesign her look completely than to even try.
05:45Whatever they came up with would probably be much better
05:47than the shimmering CGI effect we ended up with.
05:50We're ready to know what the people know.
05:55Ask them my questions and get some answers.
06:00Number 3. Improved.
06:01Aurora's pink dress.
06:03Maleficent, Mistress of Evil.
06:05Aurora, this is truly an honor.
06:12Welcome to Wellstead.
06:13In Sleeping Beauty, Princess Aurora's fairy godmothers can't decide
06:17whether to give her a blue dress or a pink dress.
06:19With its sculptural neckline and classic silhouette,
06:22her happily-ever-after look is incredible in either color.
06:26Costume designer Ellen Mirojnick took just enough inspiration from the animated original
06:30for her work in Maleficent, Mistress of Evil to stand apart.
06:41You look lovely.
06:47Aurora's look here is a great example of how to do something a bit more
06:50period-inspired without sacrificing on wow factor.
06:53Delicate lacing and just enough shimmer to look elegant but not tacky or synthetic.
06:58Let's not forget why we're here.
07:00The start of a new life for Aurora.
07:03Number 2. Should have left alone.
07:06Snow White's dress.
07:07Snow White.
07:08It may be a little unfair to include a movie that hasn't been released yet,
07:12but fans have already formed some pretty strong opinions
07:14about the live-action rendition of Snow White's outfit.
07:17They're full of Wicked Wiles.
07:20What are Wicked Wiles?
07:22I don't know, but I'm a Ginnom.
07:24The original look has almost become synonymous with Disney princesses,
07:27but it has to be said that her blue bodice, puffy sleeves,
07:30raised collar, and yellow skirt is a bold statement that just looks better as a cartoon.
07:35In real life, it skews gaudy.
07:39So whistle while you work.
07:48Behind-the-scenes photos are not kind to it, but even under the studio lights,
07:52the skirt reads a little on the cheap side.
07:55Fans also took issue with the character's bob.
07:58Let's just say it's a case where they probably should have gone for something more modern.
08:02You said you were bringing a modern edge to it on stage.
08:05What do you mean by that?
08:06I just mean that it's no longer 1937.
08:08Number 2.
08:10Improved.
08:10Jasmine's Aqua Ensemble.
08:12Aladdin.
08:19Jasmine doesn't get nearly enough credit for serving some of the most gorgeous animated
08:23looks in Disney's history.
08:25In a prime example of how entering the real world can make iconic fashions even better,
08:30Jasmine's turquoise-colored ensemble really got an upgrade in the 2019 remake.
08:34Care to show me?
08:36I'd love to.
08:39Raja, let's not eat the prince today.
08:41He needs his legs for dancing.
08:42It takes a lot to make a signature look even more unforgettable.
08:46The details are what make it here.
08:48Costume designer Michael Wilkinson introduces intricate lacing,
08:52glimmering embroidery, and rich, vibrant colors and accents.
08:55He also added a striking peacock motif to the bottom half
08:58that takes it to a whole new level of beauty.
09:07Number 1.
09:08Should have left alone.
09:09Belle's Ballgown.
09:10Beauty and the Beast.
09:12Some Disney movies live and die by a transformation scene.
09:152017's Beauty and the Beast's Belle is not the Belle of the ball.
09:19At least her gown isn't.
09:21Oh beautiful, but something is missing.
09:25It's almost unfair to compare, as the 1991 original is one of the most dynamic,
09:30sumptuous costume designs ever done for an animated character.
09:33In close-up, the gold skirt that was once a shining,
09:36twirling marvel now looks limp and lifeless.
09:39Tale as old as time.
09:45True as it can be.
09:48Far shots of Belle and the Beast's dance don't do it any favors either.
09:52The skirt itself is so light and pale that it just looks like
09:55a sudden wind could unravel it.
09:57After the outstanding designs of a previous Princesses remake,
10:00this was an unforgivably lackluster take on an all-time great Disney design.
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10:26Number 1.
10:27Improved.
10:28Cinderella's Ballgown.
10:30The thing about the put-upon Princesses' Ballgown
10:33is that if it isn't the most spectacular thing you've ever seen,
10:36it ruins the magic of the whole scene.
10:382015's Cinderella update rises to the task.
10:42She wouldn't mind if I teared half of it?
10:44Wouldn't mind an ice blue?
10:46Oscar winner Sandy Powell took inspiration from mid-century period pieces,
10:50paying special attention to how it looked in motion.
10:53The final look took nearly a month to make, and it shows.
10:57They're all looking at you.
10:59Believe me, they're all looking at you.
11:11Constructed out of over 250 yards of fabric and layered within an inch of its life,
11:16Powell's hard work paid off.
11:18It's an absolutely stunning look that uses the original as a jumping-off point,
11:22but doesn't make the mistake of doing a one-to-one redesign of a 2D costume.
11:26Who's that, Mama?
11:27I'm not exactly sure, but this does not bode well.
11:30That's a lovely dress she's got on.
11:31And how pretty she is.
11:32Concentrate!
11:33What's your favorite Disney princess look?
11:35Let us know in the comments.
11:37It's beautiful.
11:39She'd love it.
11:42Now come on, off you go!
11:44Do you agree with our picks?
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