Live action - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.

org/wiki/Live_action

Live action
Live action is a form of cinematography or videography that uses photography instead of animation. Some works
combine live action with animation. Live-action is used to define film, video games or similar visual media.[1]
Photorealistic animation, particularly modern computer animation, is sometimes erroneously described as “live-
action” as in the case of some media reports about Disney's 2019 remake of The Lion King.[2][3] According to the
Cambridge English Dictionary, live action "[involves] real people or animals, not models, or images that are drawn,
or produced by computer".[4]

Contents
Overview
Live action vs. animation
Disney's live action
See also
References

Overview
As the normal process of making visual media involves live action, the term itself is usually superfluous. However,
it makes an important distinction in situations in which one might normally expect animation, as in a Pixar film, a
video game, or when the work is adapted from an animated cartoon, such as Scooby-Doo, The Flintstones, 101
Dalmatians films, or The Tick television program.

The phrase "live action" also occurs within an animation context to refer to non-animated characters: in a live-
action/animated film such as Space Jam, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Looney Tunes: Back in Action, or Mary
Poppins in which humans and cartoons co-exist. In this case the "live-action" characters are the "real" actors, such
as Michael Jordan, Bob Hoskins and Julie Andrews, as opposed to the animated "actors", such as Roger Rabbit
himself.

As use of computer-generated imagery (CGI) in films has become a major trend, some critics, such as Mark Langer,
have discussed the relationship and overlap between live action and animation. New films that use computer-
generated special effects can not be compared to live action films using cartoon characters because of the perceived
realism of both styles combined.[5]

Live action vs. animation

In producing a movie, both live action and animation present their own pros and cons. Unlike animation, live
action involves the photography of actors and actresses, as well as sets and props making the movie seem personal
and as close to reality as possible. The only drawback being one's budget. On the other hand, animation works well
in conveying abstract ideas and it generally takes longer to produce.[6]

Disney's live action

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Live action - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_action

Disney's first live action movie was Treasure Island in 1950. Both Mary Poppins (1964) and Who Framed Roger
Rabbit (1988) are examples of Disney's live action and animation combination movies. After witnessing the success
of Marvel and Pixar, The Walt Disney Company decided to produce re-makes of earlier subjects, such as The
Jungle Book in 1994 (and in 2016, another re-make was made, this time combining live action with realistic
computer animation). Other successful films, such as 101 Dalmatians and Alice in Wonderland, as well as their
respected sequels would again become live action movies, followed by Sleeping Beauty (narrated from Maleficent's
point of view this time), Cinderella, and Beauty and the Beast.[7]

See also
Animated cartoon
Films with live action and animation
Footage
List of live-action films based on cartoons and comics
List of live-action puppet films
Live action role-playing game
List of short live-action films

References
1. "Merriam Webster Online Dictionary" (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/live-action). Merriam-
Webster.
2. "Get It Right: Disney Is Doing An Animated—Not Live-Action—Remake of 'The Lion King' "
(https://www.cartoonbrew.com/feature-film/get-right-disney-animated-not-live-action-remake-lion-
king-143343.html). Cartoon Brew. 2016-09-28. Retrieved 2018-11-23.
3. "No, Disney Isn't Making a 'Live-Action' Lion King Movie - Mandatory" (https://www.mandatory.com/culture
/1129001-no-disney-isnt-making-live-action-lion-king-movie). Mandatory. 2016-09-28. Retrieved 2018-11-23.
4. "live action Meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary" (https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english
/live-action). dictionary.cambridge.org. Retrieved 2017-11-14.
5. McMahan, Alison (2014-08-21). "Hollywood's Transition to CGI". The Films of Tim Burton: Animating Live
Action in Contemporary Hollywood (https://books.google.nl/books?id=D6UMBAAAQBAJ). Bloomsbury
Publishing USA. ISBN 013210475X. Retrieved 2014-12-19.
6. "Animation vs Live Action: Which Makes the Best Corporate Video?" (https://www.skeletonproductions.com
/insights/animation-vs-live-action). Retrieved 2018-03-23.
7. "Here Are All of Disney's Upcoming Live-Action Remakes" (http://collider.com/upcoming-live-action-disney-
movies-release-dates/#the-lion-king). Collider. 2017-09-14. Retrieved 2017-11-14.

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