It all started with a dream, a wish and a heart’s desire. Walt Disney was a man with many ideas and dreams and with one creation of Mickey Mouse, his dreams became a reality and the work he and all the animators in Disney’s history have become iconic. There is no question that the juggernaut of animation is Disney as many of the production’s animated films have gone down to become legendary and some of the biggest animated films of all time. Sure not every film under the House of Mouse is amazing and perfect but that’s okay. And yes Disney has made some horrible animated films, not to name and names…..Chicken Little, Home on the Range and a good portion of their straight to VHS/DVD films but hey nobody is perfect. We are in Week 3 of animation month and this week I am going to somehow rank 10 of the best Disney animated films of all time. Now I have wanted to make this list for a while, more with the sense of naming my 10 favorite Disney animated films of all time but just like my last two lists I will be straight forward and still be a bit opinionated. Now keep this in mind some of these films I have watched hundreds of times, other’s I haven’t seen in a long time. Regardless this is an honest 10 films that are the best for Disney. Comment below and let me know your favorite Disney animated film of all time and Be My Guest as we Make Dreams Come True and rank the Top 10 Disney Animated Films of All Time.
Top 10 Disney Animated Films of All Time
10. Hercules (1997) – While the characters of the film aren’t plastered anymore all over the Disney Parks, the film Hercules holds a special place in many hearts of Disney fans. Hercules was one of the films during the Renaissance Era that took off and had amazing talents working on the film. The film was directed by long time Disney directors Ron Clements and John Musker and is based on the Greek God Hercules, in case you didn’t know and weren’t paying attention to the title of the film. Hercules has a very amazing voice cast including Tate Donovan as Hercules, James Woods as Hades, Danny DeVito as Phil, Susan Egan as Megera and Rip Torn as Zeus. The film has really incredible animation and one of the best visuals in Disney animation history and then there are the songs in the film. While they have gotten mixed reviews over the years, Hercules soundtrack is very engaging and moving. Most importantly “Go the Distance”, performed by Roger Bart, is a very powerful song that plays well with the movies theme and story. There’s a lot about this movie that is loveable from the characters to the comedic moments but by far it’s the fact that this film is a great adaption to the Greek God that makes it one of the best films for Disney. The film was different as it wasn’t about a princess or animals that could talk, rather it was about a God that needed to become a full God in order to go back home to Mount Olympus. The film was a critical and commercial success, gaining Disney $252.7 million. Now I remember this film was merchandised everywhere, especially McDonald’s. Raise your hand if you still have the collectible McDonald’s Hercules plates….nope just me okay lol. It was also all over the Disney Parks as Hercules characters were apart of meet and greets and Disney World had a stage show for the film in Hollywood Studios. Surprisingly this film has stayed relevant in today’s age and is going to be making a comeback on Broadway in the near future and there have been plans of a live-action remake directed by the Russo brothers in the works. Hercules can go the distance as we can see and is one of the most popular Disney animated films of all time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwS7h2uTAuo
9. Fantasia (1940) - It has been one hell of a minute since I have seen Fantasia but man was this animated film a game changer for animation and for Disney. If you have seen Fantasmic then you know how iconic and legendary this film is as this film not only inspired Fantasmic but it inspired Mickey’s Philharmagic at the Disney Parks. The animated film was even a part of the classic defunct The Great Movie Ride. Fantasia has amazing visuals and beautiful animations that is still talked about today and while the film is mostly a film without dialogue, music makes up for it and does it in such a beautiful way. Also the film feels like an actual stage show as it has sections as each part of the film is different from one another. Some of these very iconic scenes/sections include The Nutcracker Suite, The Pastoral Symphony, Night on Bald Mountain (featuring the horrifying Disney villain Chernobag) and the iconic The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (featuring Mickey Mouse with his most iconic look as Sorcerer Mickey). At its time this was one of Hollywood’s most famous films, let alone animation and even today it has stayed to relevancy as one of the most legendary films of all time. The film failed to make a profit back in 1940 – 1942 thanks to WWII but within the next 40 years it would make some bank. It made up to $76.4 – 83.3 million in the box office, which is also with the re-releases. It would have made with today’s inflation anywhere close from $800 million to almost close to a billion dollars. That’s how expensive and legendary this film is today. If you love hearing some classic Disney music with one of the most beautiful uses of animation in Disney history then Fantasia is the film for you. It’s not a film for everyone but for many Disney lovers this film is up their alley as one of the best to most iconic films in Disney’s history. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b756FPiLlp8
8. Moana (2016) – Disney in the last 10 years have put out some amazing animated films and by while films like Frozen, Big Hero 6 and Zootopia all won the Best Animated Feature in the Academy Awards, the best film in the 2010’s for Disney was Moana. Ron Clements and John Musker return once again with an unbelievably amazing animated film about a young Polynesian woman who is chosen by the ocean to reunite a mystical gem with the goddess named Te Fiti. The film is jammed packed with amazing visuals, a lot of bright colors, outstanding storytelling and of course an incredibly put together soundtrack. The soundtrack and music of this film was written by Opetaia Foa’i, Mark Mancina and former Tony Award winner and creator of Broadway’s In the Heights and Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda. These three wrote beautiful songs for the film including How Far I’ll Go, You’re Welcome, We Know the Way and... *pauses*….SHINY! Yes I am a stan for Shiny and the character Tamatoa. As for the characters, each one of them are very wonderful. The voice cast really does a great job in this film but without a doubt the two that carried this film was Auli’i Cravahlo as Moana and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as Maui. The critics highly praised this film and it was very big in the box office, bringing in just over $690 million. While it didn’t win any of the huge film awards it was nominated for, it did have the chance to win Lin-Manuel Miranda a Grammy. Regardless of if it won any huge awards or not, Moana deserves to be ranked higher than any of the Disney films in the 2010’s as the film felt like a classical Disney animated film from the Golden Age and even the Renaissance Era. And while the film is heading to its 5th anniversary later this year, the film will defiantly be ranked higher within the next decade as the film is a very popular film for Disney fans and it already is in an iconic class of Disney films. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbCl6m4gDR0
7. Mulan (1998) – Finally I can talk about a real adaptation of Mulan and not that piece of shit live action “remake” of this classic animated film. Mulan is one of Disney’s best films to date as it has one of the most powerful stories in animation history. Now I am going to say something controversial but hear me out, Mulan is said to be a Disney princess but quite frankly, she isn’t. Mulan was never a princess in the beginning or in the end of this film. If anything she is a warrior and I honestly want the Disney princess characteristic in her lore to be deleted and add in Disney badass warrior into its place. Mulan was a huge success for Disney as it was received very well with the critics as they praised the animation, plot of the film, the loveable characters, and the music. It also made bank for the company as it brought in $304 million. Just like Hercules it wasn’t a whole lot of money like the first half or Renaissance Era films brought in but it was still a whole lot of money. The film has beautiful animation, the music is incredible, a lot of great characters, including loveable characters that add in comedic moments. Characters like Mushu and Cricket to Yao, Ling and Po, characters that needed to be in this film to make it still enjoyable but also have some sort of soul and not seem like it’s being a dark serious film. Don’t get me wrong I like the enthusiasm but the remake was too dull and serious. Plus had it been a serious film and been a whole lot different than this amazing animated film then maybe I wouldn’t have to talk shit about it. I’m rambling here but yeah this version of Mulan is badass. This film knows how to change tones, from comedic to serious, as we see it when Mulan runs away or even with the Burnt Village scene. The timing and storytelling is a strong strength for this film, unlike its 2020 remake…okay I still have a bit of vinegar and salt left after reviewing it and having it as my worst film of 2020. In the end Mulan is one of the best animated films in Disney’s history. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEQNUIBDcIA
6. The Little Mermaid (1989) – The film that started the Renaissance Era, The Little Mermaid is by far one of the most loveable Disney movies ever. Ron Clements and John Musker returns once again on this list as they put together this amazing animated film. The Little Mermaid is based off the Hans Christian Andersen novel of the same name. The film is about a princess mermaid named Ariel who dreams of becoming a human and falls in love with a human prince. I have a secret to tell, I had a crush on Ariel as a kid because of her red hair and she is my favorite princess. I’m not embarrassed to say that but I mean come on, she’s fucking hot lmao. The film has an amazing plot, incredible animation, some of the most loveable characters in Disney’s history and one of the best villains ever, Ursula. I love Ursula as much as the next person but this villain reminded me of my Grandmother, not her characteristics but more of the way she looked. My Grandmother had the same body type, Gray hair like Ursula’s, she would sometimes wear blue eye shadow and had long earrings. So yeah Rest in Peace Grandma Gloria, I will always love you and believe you were Ursula in real life lol, just kidding. But in general this film was really big and popular. It was very successful as it did very well in the box office and critics praised this film so highly from the characters to the animation. But more so they praised the music in this film and my god is the music in this film amazing. Of course it wouldn’t have been as great as it was without Alan Menken and the late great Howard Ashman. The songs they wrote for this film is beautiful. Under the Sea, Pour Unfortunate Souls, Kiss the Girl, Part of That World, every song in this film is top tier amazing and beautiful. This film was so popular that it found its way everywhere in the Disney Parks. At the moment there is a live stage show in Hollywood Studios, multiple rides and attractions in multiple Disney parks and there is a meet and greet with Ariel in every Disney Park. It’s not so hard to say that this film is huge, even today. Like I said earlier this film started the biggest era for Disney and brought Disney back to its glory days. I guess a film that brings us under the sea can make a huge difference for an animation company. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GC_mV1IpjWA
5. Pinocchio (1940) - Oh Jiminy Cricket, this movie is iconic and legendary. Pinocchio is based off the 1883 Italian children’s novel, The Adventures of Pinocchio and it is Disney’s 2nd animated full length feature film. Now this film has a lot of history for Disney. First off the most famous song from the film, When You Wish Upon A Star, has become Disney’s theme song as the song itself represents the magic of what Disney is presenting to the world (film and in the theme parks), so it’s only fitting to have the most magical song from Pinocchio as the theme song for Disney. Second is how it changed animation. The 2nd animated feature film from Disney changed the game for animation as for one it became the first animated film to win an Academy Award (Best Music, Original Score and Original Song), but it also had very dark visuals in the film, aka the donkey scene, but since then a good portion of animated films have used dark visuals in its animation. Finally this was the first animated film to reach the perfect score of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. Now while that happened around when Rotten Tomaotes launched back in 1998, its still was critically praised and said to be a perfect film. Now the film did bomb in the box office that’s to WWII, but in 1945 it made a profit and after multiple re-releases the film has brought in $164 million and for a film that had a budget of $2.6 million, that is a huge profit and a film that made a lot of bank. The film in 1994 made its way into the United States National Film Registry as it was deemed culturally, historically and aesthetically significant. There is no argument there as Pinocchio was a game changer and to this day it still is one of the most beloved Disney animated films. You can’t go into Disneyland or World and not see the puppet who wanted to be a boy or the cricket that was the secondary mascot for Disney. The film is all over the Disney Parks and many young children today know who the characters are and love them. The film is set to have a live action adaptation set to come out in 2021 or 2022 and it is being directed by Robert Zemeckis and starring Tom Hanks as Geppetto. Pinocchio is going to be around for a long time and no matter what happens just know that this film made sure Dreams Come True. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2zzXBg3FcI
4. Aladdin (1992) – I can show you the world, when Aladdin first was released….bet you started singing that sentence in the melody of A Whole New World and if you didn’t then you have no soul or childhood lol. Aladdin is one of the most famous Disney films ever and without a question one of the most iconic films ever. Clements, Musker, come on back I need you again to talk about another great film as this duo quite frankly might be the best director’s in Disney’s history. Aladdin is based on the Arabic folklore from One Thousands and One Nights, but the film is about a young Arabian man who finds a magic lamp that contains a Genie. Do I really need to say what this film is about, I mean like for real? The film has a very unique cast but without a doubt they are all carried by the amazing talented late great Robin Williams. Williams by far took this film to the heavens as he put so much work into this work, including hours of unused voice over work. But another huge strength this film had was the music and Menken and the late Ashman put together one final soundtrack. Ashman passed away a year before the film came out, but his lyrics were used in the film to honor the late great lyricist. And the music of this film gained two Academy Awards and A Whole New World became the 1st and only Disney song to earn a Grammy Award for Song of the Year. The film was loved by many critics as they praised the animation, story, voice acting and music and in the box office the film became the highest grossed film in 1992 and at the time was the highest grossed animated film with $504.1 million. This film was so popular that it gained $500 million in VHS sales, just in the United States, for Disney…talk about a huge film. Aladdin gained two straight to VHS sequels, a Disney channel animated show, a successful Broadway adaptation and a not needed but pretty fun and enjoyable live action remake. Aladdin is one of Disney’s most successful and popular films and continues to this day to be one of the best films under the House of Mouse. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qx91ff77yzM
3. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) – What would a top 10 list of the best Disney films of all time be without the one that started it all. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was Disney’s first full length animated feature film and without the success of this film all the films we grew up with as kids would never have been created and thought of. The film is based on the 1812 German fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm and is about a young princess who hides from her evil Stepmother, aka the Evil Queen, after she orders her to be murdered. During its release to theaters the film gained more than $8 million, which at its time was the highest grossing sound film of all time and after many re-releases over the years the film brought in $418 million to Disney. Snow White is one of the most successful films of all time and for a film back in 1937 to still be highly praised and ranked so high shows how huge and successful the film is. The film was nominated for an Academy Award (Best Musical Score), but lost. However the next year Walt Disney would be awarded an Oscar for the film. In 1989 the United States Film Registry selected Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs as one of the first films to be inducted into the registry. The film was in the same class with Citizen Kane, Dr. Strangelove, The Grapes of Wrath, Casablanca, Star Wars, Some Like It Hot and many more huge Hollywood hits. This film is iconic and a legendary film as it changed the way people look at animation and made people believe that an animated film can stand tall with huge Hollywood live action films and be just as good, possibly even better than a live action film. Mickey Mouse might be Walt Disney’s iconic character, but Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is Walt’s most successful thing he ever created. There might be more successful films that came out under the Disney name, but Walt Disney didn’t touch those films and help create them. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs however is that iconic film that changed the lives for Walt Disney, the Disney Company and animated films. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZhrEKaUsgo
2. Beauty and the Beast (1991) – How does one talk about a film that historically speaking changed animation completely? Beauty and the Beast simply was the biggest film ever created by Disney. The film legit changed the company and lit the fire even more for the Renaissance. Beauty and the Beast became the first animated film to not only win the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, but was the first animated film to ever be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. The film has beautiful animation, one of the best for Disney, an amazing voice cast, incredible storytelling and one of and possibly the best soundtrack and music in Disney’s history. Menken and Ashman are at it again and pretty much delivered a beautiful soundtrack and musical score for this film. Be Our Guest, Something There, Gaston, Belle and of course the most famous song Beauty and the Beast. Honesty this is an outstanding soundtrack and without a doubt this film is outstanding as the film as a whole represents the magic of Disney. Now look while I love me Ariel and The Little Mermaid, this is the greatest princess film ever. I love everything about this film, the story, the songs, the animations, the visuals, the colors, but most of all…..GASTON<3. Oh My Gaston, I love Gaston and possibly in a homosexual way. Like I am 100 percent straight but Gaston is one sexy brute. No one is strong like Gaston, no one hits like Gaston, in a wrestling match no one fights like….oh boy I have started singing the song lol. Look all jokes aside this film is purely the one of if not the greatest animated film of all time and in Disney’s history. I can even argue that the film deserves to be the top ranked Disney film but for this list it’s at number 2. The film was so successful that it gained a very successful Broadway show, to this day still has a live stage show in Hollywood Studios and in 2017 had a very successful live action remake. Tale as old as time, songs as old as rhyme, Beauty and the Beast. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDUhINW3SPs
1. The Lion King (1994) – Look let’s be real while it might be my favorite animated film ever, there is no question that The Lion King is the greatest Disney movie and possibly animated movie of all time. The Lion King is the 1st film that comes to mind when talking about Disney animated films and the reason is pretty self aware. The Lion King is Disney’s most iconic and most successful film ever. It was at one point the highest grossing animated film of all time, grossing $988.6 million, it was the inspiration and film that pretty much began the driving force of the creation of Animal Kingdom, it has the longest running Broadway show based off of a Disney animated film and the film has the greatest soundtrack in Disney’s history. Disney put together a film that was basing its narrative to Shakespeare’s Hamlet and made an enjoyable and loveable story that has become so iconic and loved by so many people. The animation in this film is so perfect and beautiful. Like you can see so much great detail work from the colors to the lighting and shadows, the whole film is animated so perfectly. Then there is the voice cast, the most perfect voice casting in Disney’s history, at least one of the best. I need to come back to the soundtrack because each song on this soundtrack is a fucking BOP. Hakuna Matata is such a legendary track, Circle of Life is literally the most perfect introduction song to a beautifully put together movie, Can You Feel the Love Tonight is such a great love song, I Just Can’t Wait To Be King is a classic song that we all love and Be Prepared is a loveable villain song but yet is such a re-playable tune. Everything about this movie is perfect and I’m not just saying that because it is my favorite Disney movie, I’m saying it because I fell in love with this movie because everything in it pulled me in and never let go. This film put the biggest smile on my face from the first viewing and after 9 billion more that smile, that twinkle in my eye, has never left my side when watching this movie. I’m over exaggerating with the amount of times I have actually watched it but in general this film was purely made with love for animation and if Walt was alive when it was released and was still being thought of I most certainly believe he would have loved it. I will say this for everyone but we all love this movie because it is a perfectly put together film and we all know how iconic this film is. From the beginning lyrics of Circle of Life to the credits where Elton John plays us off with Can You Feel the Love Tonight, everything about this film is perfectly beautiful and Iconic. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GibiNy4d4gc
These last 3 weeks have been getting harder and harder to rank. But now we need to take things to the next level. I have to now put these last 3 lists (Non-Disney/Pixar, Pixar and Disney Animated Films of All Time) and rank the ten best with all 3 lists together. It’s going to take some time so it will be posted on the 31st of January. However that doesn’t mean I’m taking a Sunday off for next week. We talked about the Best but we need to talk about the Worst. Tune in next week for my opinionated Top 10 Worst Animated Films of All Time!
Video Version of the list:
Honorable Mentions:
Peter Pan The Emperor’s New Groove The Great Mouse Detective Big Hero 6 Frozen Sleeping Beauty The Princess and the Frog Tangled Lilo and Stitch Zootopia
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