Top 10 Disney Movies

I recently watched a WatchMojo list of their top 10 Disney (non-Pixar) films and i was upset at their list so much that I came up with my own. Once again, these movies do not include Pixar productions. That list will have to be done another time.

#10 Aladdin (1992)

#9 Cinderella (1950)

#8 Tangled (2010)

#7 Frozen (2013)

#6 Lady and the Tramp (1955)

#5 The Lion King (1994)

Here is the movie that will cause the most contention with other Disney fans. Just the mere fact that it is in my top 5 tells you that I think it is a great Disney movie, but I think that it is grossly over rated. I have never thought of it as one of the very best. Watchmojo had it at #1 and that I disagree with. It sure did make Disney a lot of money, but I don't really like many of the characters in it. I don't think the animation other than the wildebeest scene is any better than Aladdin did a few years before. I think the plot is basically Hamlet with animals until the end. It is predicable though because it was using the same formula that the Little mermaid had started years before. My question is what sets this film apart from the rest? If you can tell me why then we have a debate, but I just don't see it. The thing that I do love about it is the score by Hans Zimmer. At first he didn't want to do an animated movie, and I am glad he changed his mind. The movie would be mediocre with a different score. It is one of the best Disney films, but certainly not the very best.

#4 Sleeping Beauty (1959)

This film is absolutely stunning. I think this is one of the most underrated Disney films of all time. In the watchmojo video, this one was not even in the honorable mentioned. That really shocked me. The score by George Bruns is one of the best ever done for an animated movie. I know that it is predictable and formulaic, but also has one of the most memorable villains of all time. I really hate how Maleficent is being portrayed in this age of reboots. I love that she is upset because she didn't get an invitation. Go back and look at this one. I think a lot of people forget how beautiful the art direction is with the backgrounds and the shading and colors.

#3 The Little Mermaid (1989)

Many people have claimed that this is the film that saved the Disney Animation Studios, and I think they are correct. At the time, most productions were being profitable but not nearly as much as they had done in the past and many were not critically acclaimed as well. After the Black Cauldron (1985) the studio only turned out 2 pictures and both were decent, but not great. The company was in trouble. They moved them to a parking lot from what I remember and this did not look good. The Little Mermaid brought in over 200 million dollars compared to Oliver and Company that only brought in 74 million. Aside from the financial differences, the film is beautiful and the score was brilliant. Some of the songs are still the best they have ever made. It was the movie that I saw in the theater multiple times and was not afraid to tell my other friends about.

#2 Moana (2016)

I think enough time has gone by to evaluate this one. It is a masterpiece. I love that it is so different from other traditional Disney animated movies. It is a hero journey like may more before it, but done through the lens of a young lady that controls the story and does not need to be rescued by a male protagonist. I appreciated that it was not another Euro-centric Disney princess. I think they showed real thought and reverence to the cultural story. There were many parts of this film that felt like all the other characters were a distant second to what she was trying to accomplish. I almost felt like Maui was basically unnecessary at the end and only Moana's grandmother and the ocean were truly on her side. I really loved that she accomplished everything. It also had a very non traditional antagonist from what Disney had done in the past. I still watch this film and am surprised at the new things that I think about to this day.

#1 Beauty and the Beast (1991)

This is not only the best Disney animated movie, but the best animated movie period. Where the Little Mermaid saved the company and started the formula that Disney would use in the future, this movie perfected it and added some amazing CGI for its time, which I think still holds up to this day. I love all of the characters, I believe that Belle loves the beast which I think is harder to show than some might think. The score is also brilliant. I think this is Alan Menkin and Howard Ashman's finest work. It is also the first film that I know of that was nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. It's that good. There is no way another Disney animated film will even come close to this one. Watch the opening scene and tell me that you are not instantly pulled into this world. It doesn't even feel like an animated movie.

honorable mentions:

  • Zootopia
  • Wreck-it-Ralph
  • Hercules
  • Mulan
  • The Rescuers Down Under