It always seems like Disney can do no wrong, as they constantly hit it out of the park whether it’s a live-action remake of one of the classic cartoons, Indiana Jones-style movies, or even adventure flicks based on theme park rides. However, professional movie critics often cast their judgemental eyes on Disney movies and are quick to dismiss many of the studio’s fills.
Critics exist to inform moviegoers of what they should and shouldn’t watch, but they don’t always get it right, and that’s no different when it comes to Disney movies. In fact, when it comes to Disney movies, fans and critics very rarely see eye to eye. The following movies have a significant difference between the critic score and audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, and they all have huge fan bases, despite their scathing reviews.
National Treasure: Book Of Secrets (2007)
- Critics Score: 36%
- Audience Score: 67%
Just as was the case with the first movie, National Treasure: Book of Secrets was derided by critics, as it holds a miserable 36% on Rotten Tomatoes. However, the audience score is much higher, with an average rating of 3.6 out of 5.
Though critics complained that the movie rides too much on the coattails of the original and the story beats are eerily familiar, general audiences thought it was almost as entertaining as the first movie, and the stakes were higher too. In this case, what the critics say doesn’t matter all that much, as there’s enough interest in the series that National Treasure 3 is currently in production.
Tron: Legacy (2010)
- Critics Score: 51%
- Audience Score: 63%
It’s understandable why critics would dislike Tron: Legacy, but at the same time, it makes sense as to why audiences enjoy it too. Many felt that Tron: Legacy is all style no substance. The plot is stretched thin, and what little plot there is makes no sense.
That said, it’s hard to resist just how stunning every single frame looks. The neon lights are a sight to behold, the competitions are adrenaline-fuelled, and it’s one of the first instances in which de-aging doesn’t look completely terrible, as Jeff Bridges was de-aged to look like Kevin Flynn from the original movie.
Maleficent (2014)
- Critics Score: 54%
- Audience Score: 70%
With the biggest critique being that it justifies the actions of one of the most iconic villains of all time, movie critics may have had a good point, but they were clearly way too harsh on Maleficent. The movie is one of the better live-action Disney remakes, according to Letterboxd, and it has a 70 percent audience score compared to the Rotten 54 percent that critics gave it.
Maleficent was one of the scariest villains out of all the classic Disney animated movies and the spin-off brings the cartoon to life, as the visual effects are genuinely some of the best of the 2010s. And there’s nobody better to play the live-action version of the horned antagonist than Angelina Jolie.
The Lion King (2019)
- Critics Score: 52%
- Audience Score: 88%
The remake of The Lion King has an audience score of 88 percent, which is shockingly close to the score of the original movie. But given how most of the characters have been recast, many recognizable stars lend their voices to the iconic animals.
Between Seth Rogen playing Pumbaa, Beyoncé playing Nala, and Donald Glover’s incredible delivery as Simba, a younger generation of Disney obsessives would understandably love it. And given that it made over $1.6 billion worldwide, its 52 percent critic score barely matters.
Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World’s End (2007)
- Critics Score: 44%
- Audience Score: 72%
The movie’s title is pretty ironic, as At World’s End signified the beginning of the end of the franchise for many movie critics, and the start of what led to the production of a remake, which fans didn’t know was in development.
After the crushingly original Curse of the Black Pearl and the inferior but enormously fun follow up, Dead Man’s Chest, critics complained that the movie was too long and the plot was too convoluted. However, fans of the Pirates series praised it for being a worthy finale to the original characters’ story arcs, and the movie has an admirable 72 percent audience score against the 44 percent critics score.
Night At The Museum (2006)
- Critics Score: 43%
- Audience Score: 67%
Though general audiences started to agree with the critical consensus when it came to the sequels, the very first Night at the Museum movie was harmless fun. And as critics unashamedly bashed the family movie upon its release, audiences loved the Jumanji-like movie where old fossils and cavemen came to life.
Who doesn’t want to see Owen Wilson as a cowboy or Robin Williams as Theodore Roosevelt? The film has a measly 43 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, but its audience score is much better, at 67 percent.
Aladdin (2019)
- Critics Score: 57%
- Audience Score: 94%
There were warning signs about Aladdin’s quality before the first trailer was even released into the world. The first image revealing Will Smith as the blue genie with a top knot was one of the most peculiar things to come from a Disney live-action remake.
Many fans of the original movie think Robin Williams’ portrayal of Genie is irreplaceable and recasting him is blasphemy. So it was almost as if critics had already made up their minds about Aladdin before they saw it, which led to a Rotten 57 percent score. But even with a ton of fans of the original watching the movie along with a new generation of viewers, nobody could resist the movie’s charm, and it has a remarkable 94 percent audience score.
Hocus Pocus (1993)
- Critics Score: 38%
- Audience Score: 71%
Out of all the critically scathed Disney movies, it’s hard to believe that Hocus Pocus is in the same boat, as it stands as one of the most beloved Halloween movies of all time. Not only that, but the movie got it worse than most, as it has a frighteningly low critic score of 38 percent, and the movie was called "unfunny, with wooden acting."
However, though Hocus Pocus would look a lot different if it was remade today, the performances from Bette Midler and Sarah Jessica Parker are why it has become such a cult hit, and it currently has an audience score of 71 percent.
National Treasure (2004)
- Critics Score: 46%
- Audience Score: 76%
Though National Treasure might not be rated quite as bad as its sequel, it still has an unfairly abysmal critic score of 46 percent. It might have some clunky dialogue, but it’s a fun, family-friendly, modern-day Indiana Jones-type movie, and it comes with all of the hilarious Nicolas Cage quirks that he has become known for.
Though it might not be the most intelligent movie of all time, and all of the historical information dished out should be taken at face value, it’s admirable at how unpretentious the whole romp is.
The Mighty Ducks (1992)
- Critics Score: 21%
- Audience Score: 65%
Though it may just be '90s kids who love it, there’s a fanbase of millions when it comes to not just the first Mighty Ducks movie, but the whole franchise, as the series is full of memorable quotes. The original movie has a surprisingly low critic score on Rotten Tomatoes of 21 percent, but critics couldn’t stop the movie from blossoming into an incredibly fun series of movies and TV shows.
The ice-skating movies are so celebrated that there’s even the Disney+ series, The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers, currently airing on the streaming service.