Top 10 live-action Disney films (that prove Star Wars is in safe hands)

2. FLIGHT OF THE NAVIGATOR

Flight of the Navigator was one of the first films to use CGI effects as well as traditional model and puppetry work and the overall effect has aged surprisingly well. With its combination of artificially intelligent alien spacecraft, the young protagonist losing several years of his life due to the effects of faster than light travel and ruthless government forces, Flight of the Navigator deals with some complex concepts while still being an exciting family film. More of this, please.

Again balancing adult themes with child-friendly action, it was pitched exactly where we would hope a new Star Wars film might be. Although anyone that watched the original trilogy in the cinema has long since grown up, each film was always designed to appeal to new audiences as well as existing fans – it would be a mistake to ignore this with a new trilogy, so we’re counting on Disney to get the balance right.

1. THE AVENGERS

If there’s one group that’s more rabid and protective of its subject matter than Star Wars fans, it’s comic book fans. Turning beloved comic book characters into big-screen movie heroes can be a recipe for disaster (Daredevil and Green Lantern jump to mind) but Disney proved it knew what it was doing with The Avengers. Wisely putting it in the hands of Joss Whedon, it became one of the biggest blockbusters of all time and received almost unanimous praise.

With so much source material, there’s little doubt that a similarly passionate director would be able to work wonders with the Star Wars license. It’s one of the greatest movie franchises of all time, so Disney would have no qualms throwing money at the project, getting the biggest name stars and most mind-blowing special effects you could imagine.