Well folks, it’s about time that I open up my latest section of this blog: my “Top 13” Lists! Face it, we all love lists and love reading other people’s opinions, and I’m no exception. So I thought to myself that I should start making a few lists and hopefully some people would be interested in reading them!
So I went ahead and decided my first list to be, “My Top 13 Favorite Animated Disney (Canon) Films”! It seemed an appropriate list to start with seeing as I’m already doing a project involving the Disney Canon. Maybe some of you were curious as to which films are my personal favorite?
After looking through the list of the Disney Canon films and after much painstaking editing and re-arranging (I never realized how hard ranking things can be! To those of you who make lists often, I tip my hat to you!),
I’m ready to share the results with you all!
Note: I personally find one’s favorites and preferences can vary over time, minutely, if not majorly! So keep in mind that as of January 2013, this is my list! Maybe when I look back at this list in the future, I’ll wonder why my #6 film was not #12? Or why my #10 film was not my #3? Or why my #7 film was even on the list to begin with?
Also, I have not seen “Wreck-It Ralph” yet, but I have seen all the other films in the Disney Canon! Hopefully, I don’t love “Wreck-It Ralph” so much that it affects my top 13! Oh, you’re probably wondering to yourself, “Why top 13?” Well, it’s because I’m not superstitious!
With that said, sit back and enjoy my top 13 favorite animated Disney (Canon) films!
#13: MEET THE ROBINSONS
I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I know you’re all here to see which one of the great masterpieces of Disney I personally adore, and I start off with this less than credible creation.
I understand that it’s not a good film. I understand that it has problems. But what can I say? I am quite fond of it, and that’s what this list is about: my FAVORITES, not the ones that I think are best!
Anyway,“Meet the Robinsons”, based on a book by William Joyce, is about a young inventor orphan named Lewis whose inventions don’t work as he plans.
At his school’s science fair, a boy named Wilbur approaches him and tells him that he’s a time cop from the future and has to take Lewis back to the future with him. Lewis of course doesn’t believe Wilbur, until he actually sees the time machine that Wilbur used to travel into the past.
After that, they both climb aboard the machine and whisk their way into the future where a villain by the name of the “Bowler Hat Guy” is close behind them!
In the future, Lewis meets Wilbur’s family after agreeing to repair the time machine due to a crash landing. All this occurs while our villain is in the background trying to…do what villains do! And that’s pretty much the gist of the story!
I’m not sure why I like this film so much! (Well, obviously not so much, since it’s at my thirteenth spot)! I guess I’m a fan of time travel in fiction and this movie provides that outlet for me. The animation, of course not stellar, is actually quite enjoyable, colorful, and creative. The main characters are memorable, the minor ones aren’t (good for my project 😀 ), and the villain is enjoyable although not menacing. Sort of like Edgar from “The Aristocats”, except more likable!
The film was Disney’s 2nd CGI film that they produced themselves after “Chicken Little”. (Somehow they don’t consider “Dinosaur” as their first CGI film; maybe it’s because the backgrounds were real and not computer animated, oh well!)
Regardless, I think it was quite a good effort on their part. I agree that story-wise and substance-wise, the film isn’t much; but heart-wise and enjoyment-wise, I believe this film packs a punch! Well, it entertained me, at least! I’ve seen it a few times and I’m sure I’ll watch it many times more!
#12: PINOCCHIO
This timeless classic definitely has to be on my list. It’s one of the Disney films that I grew up watching and it’s a joy of darkness every time!
The film is about a wood-carver who creates a marionette and wishes for him to be a real boy. That night, the Blue Fairy comes and grants the wood-carver’s wish; and the marionette, named Pinocchio, comes to life! If he can prove himself worthy, he will become a real boy later. The rest of the movie is about Pinocchio falling into temptation numerous times and coming across some of the darkest characters and scenes that the Disney Canon has to offer.
Kids transform into donkeys! The kid-donkeys are taken and sold to use in heavy work!
Kids are drinking and smoking!
The movie is downright freaky, and that’s why it’s so awesome!
The animation is perfect and the atmosphere gets as dark as the tone of the film. The voice acting is precise and the characters are lovable! The lessons and morals that Pinocchio learns throughout the movie are still applicable today. The songs are extremely catchy, although I wouldn’t rank them as Disney’s best.
All in all, Disney’s take on this rather dark tale is exceptional and it still manages to please me till this day!
#11: TARZAN
This is actually a film that I didn’t grow up watching. I’ve only seen this film twice. The first time was maybe 6 or 7 years ago and I don’t remember much except for the fact that I DIDN’T LIKE IT! I was actually planning on making a list, “Top 13 Animated Films that I Don’t Like, But Everyone Else Does!” and was going to include this film in it. However, I decided to re-watch this film in late 2012, and….I was like OMG!
How could I have hated this movie before?! It’s amazing! The main thing is the animation! Oh my goodness, the animation literally blows you away! The 3D painting and rendering technique called “Deep Canvas” really brings the movie to life!
What about the story? The story is the basic “Tarzan” story: an orphaned boy grows up amongst the animals of the jungle!
Well ok, maybe Edgar Rice Burroughs was inspired by Rudyard Kipling.
But nonetheless, the story is precise, concise, and enjoyable!
The characters are likable and relatable! Everyone can understand how Tarzan feels because we’ve all felt different from everybody else at one point or another in our lives. So we relate totally with this character!
The side characters range from annoying apes
to incredible supporting roles!
The voice casting is excellent with the exception of Minnie Driver as Jane. I don’t hate her performance, but I believe someone else would have been a better choice than her. But it’s not a big issue!
The only complaint that I have now with this movie is the songs. I don’t like the songs at all. I believe they are quite forgettable. And I personally don’t like “background songs”. But hey, I can’t be expected to like everything.
So all in all, that second viewing of “Tarzan” has made my feelings towards this movie transform from “hate” into “adoration”! And the adoration level was sooooo high that I had to put it on my top 13 list!
#10: ALADDIN
I actually spent some time battling with myself whether my newfound love for “Tarzan” was greater than my love for “Aladdin”. I kept switching their places back and forth, until I decided that my love for “Aladdin” was older and hence, it deserved the higher ranking.
“Aladdin” was a childhood film that I loved since I first saw it and watched innumerable times since! And what’s not to love? It has a likable character who wants something more in life,
it has a beautiful princess who also wants something more in life,
it has one of the best Disney villains ever,
it has fights,
it has humor,
it has Robin Williams,
and it has Gilbert Gottfried!
And although I love this film, I do agree with “The Nostalgia Critic” that the novelty of this film wears out over the years as opposed to other classics like “The Little Mermaid” and “Beauty and the Beast”.
And maybe that’s the reason why it’s near the end of my list.
But other than that, the animation is what you expect from the Disney Renaissance,
the songs are classic Alan Menken, Howard Ashman, and Tim Rice fare, and other than its wearing novelty; I have no further problems with this film! I loved it, I love it, and hopefully will still continue to love it!
#9: THE GREAT MOUSE DETECTIVE
I believe this is one of the most underrated of the animated Disney films. But at least I’m giving it honor by placing it in my list!
The story is basically a traditional “Sherlock Holmes” story that takes place in the world of rodents. A mouse detective named Basil along with a doctor mouse named Dawson work on a case that involves them reuniting a young girl mouse with her Scottish father and taking on the criminal mastermind himself, VINCENT PRICE!
This is an example of a celebrity voice done right! Vincent Price plays the villain, Ratigan, so perfectly! You can tell he’s having fun with the character and has even said that Ratigan was his favorite role that he’s every played!
Now, why do I enjoy this film so much? Well, first it’s a mystery/detective story which is a genre that I adore! And I’m a huge fan of the Sherlock Holmes stories, although my favorite detective is somebody else!
Secondly, the characters are enjoyable! You have to love Basil’s ego and haughtiness! You have to love Dawson’s kindness and trying to comprehend everything! You have to love Ratigan and just how happily evil he is!
And lastly, the film is just fun! Every twist and turn of the movie keeps you entertained and loving it! The animation is great too with one of the first usages of CGI in animated Disney films!
All in all, this film is an entertaining journey of fun that I’ve went on many times before and hope to experience many times more!
#8: THE SWORD IN THE STONE
Disney’s last animated film released during his life, “The Sword in the Stone” has always been a personal favorite of mine! I grew up with it, so nostalgia plays a part in this. But the film is so unique when compared to the other animated Disney films that it stands out on its own!
The film is about a young King Arthur (pre-kingdom) who happens upon an enjoyable old wizard named Merlin and his pet owl Archimedes. They both take it upon themselves to educate Arthur and teach him…things! And that’s pretty much the whole story!
The movie doesn’t really have a villain. The movie doesn’t have a princess to be rescued. The movie is more like “Alice in Wonderland”. It’s just a character going through different experiences and learning from them. Only this time, the character has two mentors to guide him along the way.
This was also the first animated Disney film to use the classic Sherman Brothers’ work and admittedly it’s not their best, but even that is exemplary!
So is nostalgia the main reason I love this film? Is the simplicity of the story the reason I love this film? Is it the lovable characters and great voice acting? Is it the catchy songs? Is it the sketchy animation? All of the above play a part, but my number one reason that I love this film is because of….THE WIZARDS’ DUEL!!!
The scene is just so creative! So many animals to choose from, so many cards to play, etc. You can tell that the animators had a blast animating that scene! This is probably my second favorite scene (non-song) in any animated Disney film! My number one will come later on in the list!
Wrapping up, although the actual sword in the stone is loosely relevant to the story, the other parts make up for it perfectly!
#7: THE LION KING
Hakuna Matata! I couldn’t and didn’t forget to include this one! Arguably, the most famous animated Disney film, it still holds the record (as of January 2013) for the highest-grossing traditional animated film! It’s hard to believe that very few people actually wanted to work on this film. Pretty much everyone loves it now! And what’s not to love?
The story is about a young lion cub who believes he’s killed his father and runs away from everything. After learning that he can’t run away from his problems, he decides to head back to his homeland and regain control of the kingdom from his evil uncle!
The animation is first-class Disney Renaissance fare with a great scene involving the CAPS process!
The voice actors, albeit a bit more celebrity-based than usual for Disney standards, are quite enjoyable. And the songs range from extremely awesome
to pretty basic and possibly annoying!
Some people, like the “Nostalgia Critic”, consider this film overrated; and although I can see the arguments they make, I don’t believe they’re enough to stamp this film with the overrated seal!
Why do I love this film? Well basically for all the reasons listed above, not to mention that I grew up with this (as did almost everyone else reading this) and watched this numerous times. I don’t really know what else to say about this film. What else can one say? It’s “The Lion King”!
#6: THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME
This film, like “Tarzan”, is one that I didn’t grow up watching and have only seen twice. But unlike “Tarzan”, I absolutely LOVED this film both times that I saw it! Based on the novel by Victor Hugo, the story is about a hunchbacked bell-ringer of Notre Dame Cathedral, a gypsy, a Captain of the Guard, and a lust-filled evil judge!
Considered to be Disney’s most adult animated feature, the film could easily have been an extreme blockbuster and instant classic! The animation is awesome and beyond belief (just watch its pathetic sequel and you’ll appreciate it),
the voice acting is stupendous,
and the songs for the most part are pure awesomeness!
Sadly, for every good thing that the movie has, it has bad aspects as well. And that’s the reason why it’s not as revered a classic as it could have been or as high a blockbuster as it could have been. The film has some petty humor thrown into it (mostly from the gargoyles) that backfires most of the time. The plot has a few holes here and there. And there are other problems with the movie. But I’m pretty forgiving and know that every cloud has to have its silver lining (I think I just misused that phrase), so the bad things don’t bother me much.
This movie is a masterpiece in my opinion, and I hope to view it more times!
#5: THE JUNGLE BOOK
The last animated film that Walt Disney worked on before he died is definitely on my list as well! The film, loosely based on Rudyard Kipling’s book, is about an orphaned boy who grows up amongst the animals of the jungle!
When the enemy Shere Khan hears of the boy’s existence, it’s up to Bagheera the panther and Baloo the bear to help take the boy safely to the “man village”. Why do I like this movie?
Well, one reason I think is its simplicity. It’s just about taking a boy to safety. There’s no kingdom involved, no overcomplicated plot; it’s just a mission. And that’s not to say that the mission is free of colorful characters or free of danger. Oh, no! Although he’s not on-screen for the majority of the time, Shere Khan just leaves a formidable impression on one! Probably my favorite Disney villain, he’s evil and he knows he’s evil and is proud of it! Also being voiced by George Sanders helps a lot!
And the other characters are extremely likable and enjoyable: Bagheera,
Baloo,
Colonel Hathi and his elephant brigade,
King Louie and the monkeys, etc.
The songs are classic Sherman Brothers and Terry Gilkyson and are instantly memorable and hummable.
Every time I watch this film, I’m pleased and I hope to continue to experience the same feeling!
#4: ROBIN HOOD
This has always been a cherished film of mine since childhood. And now that I’m older, I hear many people considering it one of the WORSE Disney movies! And I’m like:
I mean, what possible reasons can you provide that make it bad? I mean I can understand how “The Aristocats” may be a bad movie, although I personally like it; but “Robin Hood”?! Really?! “Home on the Range” is bad, “The Black Cauldron” is bad, you can even consider “Saludos Amigos” as one of the weaker Disney films, but “Robin Hood”?! The only case I can see that one can make is the fact that a lot of animation was re-used as was the tradition of director Wolfgang Reitherman and that the animation studios were on a tight budget.
But I don’t believe that’s enough to stamp this film with the mark of disapproval. Anyway, that’s just my two cents!
The film is the legend of “Robin Hood” as portrayed by animals. Walt Disney had always wanted to make an animated film about Robin Hood or Reynard the Fox; so this film killed both of those birds with one stone, so to speak.
And this film is the one that contains my favorite Disney scene that I mentioned earlier: THE CLIMAX! The film itself has many fun and fast fight scenes which are enjoyable, but the climax alone gives you a high! It starts out all quiet and quickly moves into a fast-paced escape scene! I’d put a picture of it, but sadly can find none 😦 ! For those of you who haven’t seen this movie, watch it at least for the climax!
The film has fun villains,
“Well, S-s-sire, it’s-s-s you of cours-s-s-e!”
fun heroes,
dark moments,
happy moments,
and songs written by Roger Miller.
What else can I say about this film except “Oo-de-lally!”
#3: ONE HUNDRED AND ONE DALMATIANS
It’s interesting to see that so many of the “sketchy animation Disney films” from the ’60s and ’70s are on my top 13 list! Maybe I quite enjoy this type of illustrated work.
Oh well, whatever the case, “One Hundred and One Dalmatians”, is a pure classic! The story we all know is about a mad woman named Cruella De Vil
who steals Dalmatians in order to make beautiful fur coats. I personally see this movie as the story of Pongo and Perdita and how far parents would go for the sake of their children! I think the emotional aspect of the film is the main reason why I love it so much!
You can see the 101 Dalmatians dead tired, about to collapse, and extremely grateful when shelter is provided for them. You can see the camaraderie between all the canines and how each one is concerned about the stolen puppies. You can see how each one of them is willing to do whatever they can to help and protect Pongo, Perdita, and the other 99.
All that and more are why this film holds a special place in my heart.
#2: ALICE IN WONDERLAND
“Alice in Wonderland” is a film that I’ve always loved and adored. But only after re-watching it recently for my Forgotten/Minor Characters Project, did I realize exactly HOW MUCH I loved this film! This film is just…perfect!
You have a young schoolgirl who wishes for a world of nonsense and gets exactly what she wishes.
She ventures through Wonderland meeting strange, frustrating creatures (see my Forgotten/Minor Characters article for pictures). She’s trying her best to find her way home, but nobody is willing to help her. She’s trying her best to understand the logic of this place, but understandably, keeps getting frustrated. She’s trying her best to dodge certain characters only to meet them again later on or bump into even weirder characters.
I personally can relate with Alice a lot, and I think I’d consider her to be my favorite Disney female. The Tim Burton movie has nothing on this film.
This movie is amazing and always will be.
AND MY #1 FAVORITE ANIMATED DISNEY (CANON) FILM IS:
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
It would be an act of insanity to not include this masterpiece on anyone’s favorite animated Disney films list! This film is probably the most perfect Disney film! The animation is incredible,
the songs are incredible,
the voice acting is incredible, the characters are incredible,
everything about this film is incredible!
This was the first animated film to get nominated for an Oscar for Best Picture! And in my opinion, it would have continued to be the only animated film to be nominated for that award if they hadn’t change the rules to allow for more nominees! This was the film that cemented the Disney Renaissance in my opinion! This was the film that had us emotionally connected with it! This was the film that had us laughing, this was the film that had us crying!
This was THE film! ‘Nuff Said!
Well, I hope you’ve enjoyed that incredibly long post! Feel free to leave a comment and/or tell me what your favorite animated Disney films are! Also if you liked this, feel free to give me a suggestion for another top 13 list that you’d like to see! Thanks!
The Animation Commendation 
I love your list!! Most of these are dear favorites of mine too. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Beauty and the Beast. It’s definitely one of my top favorites. I get goosebumps every time I hear that song…. I watched this movie hundreds of times. I also absolutely loved The Jungle Book, Aladdin, 101 Dalmations, Tarzan, and Alice in Wonderland when I was a child. I still cherish them all now. One of my other favorites not mentioned, was The Rescuers. Saving Penny from that horrible woman! And the cute little mice. I loved it. Was not so much a fan of The Rescuers Down Under though. Weird. Lol. Love your list though. 🙂
Oh and I forgot The Little Mermaid. Absolutely love this movie too. Watched it a million times as a kid. And I love the Lion King. I love everything about it. The story line, the characters, the songs. It’s just great. 🙂
Thanks for reading my list, lol! I know it’s long, but it was meant to be long and I enjoyed making it! Do you think I should continue to make more of these lists in the future? And if so, do you have any advice to give me on how to make it better or a complaint that I can take care of?
The “Rescuers” films are great! I’m not sure which of the two I like better. I don’t HATE any animated Disney Canon film, but my least favorites are like “The Black Cauldron”, “Home on the Range”, “Saludos Amigos”, “The Three Caballeros”, “Fantasia” (Sorry, I don’t like this one at all), and “Fun and Fancy Free”.
I didn’t grow up watching “The Little Mermaid”. I actually have only seen it once. I liked it and admired it for its role in fueling the Disney Renaissance; but it didn’t make my top 13 list.
I totally think you should keep making lists like this one. I really enjoy reading them and hearing your opinions! I’m not quite sure how to organize them more though lol. Maybe by groups of years? Like 1980-1985 or something?! Lol
Thanks for your feedback again! I quite enjoy making lists like these and have a few more ideas for lists. The problem is they take quite a long time to make; but I’d rather have quality than quantity.
Yeah, I don’t really wanna categorize them by years. I know they’re kinda long to read, but everyone can read them at their own pace. Thanks again though!
Loved the list! Now I really want to see The Sword in the Stone again, just to take a little nostalgia trip. I haven’t seen it in about ten years…
Also, Hunckback of Notre Dame! Yay! He’s my second-favourite social outcast…And I agree, that sequel was awful.
xxx
I’m currently re-watching “The Sword in the Stone” for my Forgotten/Minor Characters Project.
Wouldn’t you like Disney to make a “Phantom of the Opera” movie?
A Disney Phantom movie? That’d be awesome! He’d look so cute once he was all animated…
Of course, Disney did make “Phantom of the Megaplex”, and that was kind of about POTO…
xxx
Wow, never heard of this film before! Then again, the Disney channel is my weakest link in regards to Disney knowledge.
Wow you mentioned some good ones that aren’t typically on everyone’s top lists. Nice work!
Also, thanks for following Kidz Showz! You have good taste in blogs!
You’re welcome! Glad you enjoyed my post! And yes, I do have good taste in blogs 😀 !
I’m glad to see so many underrated films on this! ESPECIALLY Great Mouse Detective and Robin Hood.
I personally am not a huge fan of Meet the Robinsons, but the villain does make me laugh. (I like it when he’s having his flashback and all these kids are inviting him to play and stuff and he’s like “They all HATED me”
And I see what you mean about Minnie Driver’s voice. It’s not so much the voice itself for me, but it’s that it’s English not American. I read the original Tarzan books, and she is actually American. I see why they changed it to British (to reflect the stories heritage) but idk, still kind of bugs me. (Not as bad as the voice casting in Rio however)
I don’t mind Jane having an English accent, in fact, I’d rather her be a Brit than an American. I just think Minnie Driver’s particular British accent didn’t work well with the character of Jane in Disney’s “Tarzan”. Let’s see how that new motion-capture “Tarzan” movie will be like!
……there’s going to me a mocap Tarzan? I didn’t know that!
It’s being made by a German company, but it’ll be in English language. It currently stars Kellan Lutz and Spencer Locke as Tarzan and Jane respectively. See more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarzan_(2013_film)
That film’s getting pretty lousy ratings on imdb. LOL.
Yeah, it looks quite bad.
GREAT list! I’m a Hunchback fan, too — I feel like it gets overlooked a lot. And I love that you included Robin Hood, too! One of my favorites :)! Looking forward to following your blog!
Wendy
Thanks for following my blog! Always a pleasure meeting fellow Disney lovers and fanatics!
Yeah, “Robin Hood” gets overlooked sooo much and I hate that!
Well….remove Aladdin (not timeless enough), Meet the Robinsons, The Jungle Book, Alice in Wonderland, Hunchback and Pinocchio (this movie scares the shit out of me, and not in a good way) and put instead Sleeping Beauty, Fantasia, Tangled, Treasure Island, Mulan and Wreck it Ralph on it, and you get more or less my list…well, I guess I would also pick Lilo and Stitch over Sword in the Stone, but I really like both movies, so this would be a really hard decision to make. And there is also Dumbo….I guess, those are not enough top-spots for me….
I think you mean “Treasure Planet” instead of “Treasure Island”. I too would put “Treasure Planet” somewhere on that list had I made the list now.
I actually didn’t like “Wreck-It Ralph” (shocking, I know)! It would have definitely made my “Top 13 Animated Movies that I don’t like, but everyone else does” list had I seen it when I wrote the list.
This list is so different from mine, mine goes like this: 13 – The Emperor’s New Groove, 12 – 101 Dalmatians, 11 – The Princess and the Frog, 10 – Cinderella, 9 – Beauty and the Beast, 8 – Aladdin, 7 – Sleeping Beauty, 6 – Tarzan, 5 – Lilo & Stitch, 4 – Dinosaur, 3 – Pocahontas, 2 – Mulan, 1 – The Lion King
Glad you found my blog 🙂 !
Wow, “Dinosaur” and “Pocahontas” make your top 5?! Well, everybody’s different!
That’s my sister with “Pocahontas,” as well! I don’t like it that much, as I find it quite dull and boring (as far as characters go). I will admit though, it is very well-animated.
LUMIERE! excellent list, love Meet The Robinsons. 🙂
Thanks 😀 !
Hate to burst your bubble though, but after re-watching “Treasure Planet”, I’d have to include it somewhere in the Top 13, so “Meet the Robinsons” would be struck off if I made this list today 😦 !
ever changing, due to the brilliance of Disney, i hear ya. 🙂
My list would be like 13 – Lilo & Stitch, 12 – The Princess & the Frog, 11 – Mulan, 10 – Aladdin, 9 – Atlantis: The Lost Empire, 8 – Alice in Wonderland, 7 – Tarzan, 6 – Lion King, 5 – Aristocats, 4 – Tangled, 3 – Cinderella, 2 – The Little Mermaid , 1 – Meet the Robinsons
It’s actually a toss up for me which one I like more, MTR or TLM but since my oldest daughter made me watch TLM over and over and over 7 billion times and I can recite the movie word for word… The Robinsons win today 🙂
Can we still be friends?
Wow, somebody who considers “Meet the Robinsons” as their favorite Disney Canon film! Nothing wrong with that, it’s just uncommon, lol! Of course, we can still be friends!
And what do you have against “Beauty and the Beast”, lol?
Well, I don’t hate it and our local high school did a great version of it a couple years ago. I guess most of my list is comprised more of movies that I enjoyed with my girls, or the ones they made me watch over and over. Neither of them really did the Disney “princess” thing either.
Lol, I see! If I ever get kids, I’m forcing them to watch “Beauty and the Beast” and liking it 😀 !
Wow, a lot of lesser-known movies are on your list! It seems like you didn’t really enjoy the princess movies, omitting popular choices Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Little Mermaid, and Mulan. I just didn’t expect that from someone who put Beauty and the Beast at #1. Although, this makes me curious as to why you omitted Bambi, which doesn’t follow the princess formula. I look forward to commenting on more of your posts!
Thanks for reading and commenting!
Again, these are my FAVORITES, not the ones that I think are the BEST or most INSPIRING or PERFECT! And my top 13 favorite films are extremely tight choices, so it’s not like I love my #7 film WAYYY more than my #10 film for example! So there are many Disney Canon films that I LOVE (Cinderella, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, The Aristocats, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, etc.), but they just didn’t make it to the top 13. And then again, they’re not FAR behind the top 13 either. Does that make sense?
I’ve never been a fan of “Mulan” and didn’t grow up with “The Little Mermaid”, so I don’t love the latter really.
Oh man, what a shame: The Little Mermaid is a superb movie. Maybe my review can convince you of so?
http://taestfulreviews.wordpress.com/2013/06/18/the-little-mermaid-1989-full-review/
In any case, keep sticking up for your favorite movies. I do agree that Hunchback is often over-looked in terms of its artistic merits, and your list kind of makes me want to revisit The Great Mouse Detective, Sword in the Stone, and Robin Hood; movies I decided not to include in my Disney segment for popularity reasons. Keep up the detailed work!
Thanks and I’m enjoying your blog every day, so keep up YOUR good work as well!
The Great Mouse Detective is on Netfix and I watched it like two weeks ago. Still love it!
You can’t go wrong with a “Sherlock Holmes” story and Vincent Price voice acting.
This is true.
Yeah, Ratigan rules!
If you don’t think Aladdin is on the caliber of classics such as The Little Mermaid, then why is The Little Mermaid nowhere to be found on this list?
I agree that “The Little Mermaid” is a classic film in the sense that it doesn’t lose its novelty, but this is a list of my FAVORITE films, not the ones that I think are the BEST. I never grew up watching “The Little Mermaid” and I’ve only seen it twice, but I appreciate its timelessness and what it did for the Disney Renaissance.
But again, I never considered “The Little Mermaid” to be a favorite.
“Beauty and the Beast” is my favorite, as well. “Hunchback” is number 6 on my list, too! Would’ve put “Aladdin,” “Lion King,” and “Pinocchio” a lot higher on the list, though and included “Fantasia,” “Little Mermaid,” “Sleeping Beauty,”and “The Princess and the Frog.” Also would’ve lowered “Alice in Wonderland” down a bit.
Yeah, I tend to find that nobody else shares my intense love for “Alice in Wonderland”, lol!
“Fantasia” is my LEAST favorite film in the Canon; it bores me dreadfully! And “The Princess and the Frog” is one that I’d re-watch again and again, but ONLY for its animation, nothing else!
And I do like “The Little Mermaid” and “Sleeping Beauty”, but I don’t love them.
Also, I will admit to liking “Hunchback” a lot because I can really relate to Quasimodo. I haven’t had a lot of friends, yet one girl I hardly knew showed an act of kindness towards me. My life parallels his like a mirror!
Well, you’ll always find kindness on this blog.
I can relate to Quasimodo somewhat because I’m not exactly the best looking guy amongst a group.
Fun list! I’m not a big fan of hunchbach but we will see what I think when it comes up to watch.
Thanks for reading!
I’ve since decided to put ‘Treasure Planet’ in the ‘Meet the Robinsons’ spot.
Considering your love for Alice in Wonderland I would love to see a Top 13 Disney heroines list detailing why you think so highly of Alice, or maybe even a post dedicated solely to Alice herself.
Thanks for the comment!
And hmm…that’s an idea; I’ll keep it in mind.
I totally agree that Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland has nothing on the original.
I have studied animation and watched animated movies for over 60 years. I met Friz Freeling once and talked with Chuck Jones for a minute or two. I have watched all kinds of animated films ranging from very early Porky Pig and Daffy Duck cartoons to Batman TV shows, to all Animaniac TV shows to Pinky and the Brain Shows.. Yes all of the above and more..
……The very best full length animated film I have ever seen is “Beauty and the Beast” Not only is the story outstanding in terms of pace and involvement, but the characters tug at our hearts in a way that few animated characters do. By the time we get to the last 10 minutes, the creators, directors and animators have done their magic, and we are totally with the beast and rooting for him in every way. We care for him and want him to win. We want the bad guy to lose , and when the beast transfers to a human after the key scene and we know that he has won the love of the beauty, we are happy in a very special and deep way that we seldom feel in any kind of movie. This is a great movie. I love to watch this film again and again. It is wonderful. The characters are great, the story is great, and the ending is great and happy in a way almost impossible to describe. This is my favorite animated film, and that says a whole lot for someone who knows and cares about animation and has since 1956 when our local movie theater had 25 cartoons for 25 cents on special occasions. Then and afterwards, I learned to love animation of all kinds. Again, Beauty and the Beast is my favorite, now and always.
Wow, what an introduction! It’s nice to talk to someone who can remember a time when cartoons were 25 cents at the local theater!
So glad you also love Beauty and the Beast this much! Thanks for the comment!
Meet the Robinsons was an underrated Disney movie with some quirky moments. I wouldn’t call it my favorite movie ever, but I certainly wasn’t ticked off my it when I first saw that film. You don’t really see that movie in many top Disney movie lists.
The Lion King, eh? That used to be one of my favorite movies growing up and I saw it in theaters when I was very little. As an adult, I freaking hate it. I realized how racist the hyenas were with them playing up negative Black and Latinx stereotypes of how the elephant graveyard was genocide against them if you know anything about genocides against Africans (Namibia and the Congo being big examples). Disney had the audacity to trademark the phrase “Hakuna Matata” which is shameless cultural appropriation against the Swahili-speaking parts of Africa. “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” is also a work of plagiarism against a song by South African singer Solomon Linda called “Mbube”. I learned that from the documentary The Lion’s Share and you will never look at that song or potentially The Lion King the same way again. I also got exposed to the 60s anime series Kimba the White Lion and Disney totally stole most Lion King characters from that Japanese cartoon and still deny it to this day. I hate to be that guy, but your favorite evil lion was the biggest rip-off of them all: https://iridiumeye.wordpress.com/2021/04/06/top-7-characters-that-fans-are-reluctant-to-call-blatant-ripoffs/
Were you aware of these things about that movie franchise?
Thanks for the response!
Yes, I was aware of the Kimba the White Lion controversy, the origin of The Lion Sleeps Tonight as Mbube, and Disney’s trying to trademark the Hakuna Matata phrase.
I don’t have a problem with the hyenas; I feel they’re just Whoopi Goldberg and Cheech Marin playing themselves, nothing more than that. And I don’t see the elephant graveyard and genocide connections.
No problem!
I was wondering if you knew about those issues. Kimba and The Lion King aren’t identical, but it was SO obvious what they stole from with the characters, some plot points, and even certain scenes. The big one for me was the scene of Kimba’s murdered father Caesar’s spirit in the sky in the show to motivate his son when he doesn’t think he can save his kingdom. Disney even tried to ban Jungle Emperor Leo (1997) from North America which was heinous. If Kimba came out AFTER The Lion King, then you know Disney fans would trash that anime even more and Mickey Mouse would sue the crap out of Tezuka Productions. They did succeed in securing the trademark and the fact they can legally sue anyone who uses that phrase the wrong way including someone who would know it as their first language is sickening. Do you defend these actions I mentioned?
Is that so? I understand that Whoopi and Cheech have used those voices for other characters even though they don’t sound like that in real life, but they still play up negative racial coding. It doesn’t help that hyenas don’t have fur that dark in real life. When I reviewed the Mickey Mouse Monopoly documentary, there was a section that talked about racism in Disney movies and the hyenas were mentioned. One interviewee was a Black woman who talked about a time where her white woman friend told her that her three-year-old child associated some Black children with the hyenas just because of how they talked and assumed they were automatically evil. That story legitimately disturbed me, but it did prove me right that even Disney fans can think that way about certain ethnic groups. Also, just because James Earl Jones played Mufasa doesn’t give Disney a free pass to play up negative imagery for those animals.
Going to the elephant graveyard and genocide issues, I saw parallels to those places when I researched the Namibian Genocide, Congolese Genocide, and The Devil’s Punchbowl to name a few. The Namibian one was very striking when the Germans were killing off several people in that country in the 1900s. One place was Shark Island Concentration Camp where they punished the Africans by annexing them away from their homes, enforcing starvation in a deserted area, and it was filled with bones. This was something I instantly noticed when I saw a documentary on that little-known historical event (Germany still hasn’t been punished for it). Even in the context of The Lion King, that makes Mufasa a giant hypocrite and a genocidaire not just because of the forced starvation aspect or having the hyenas in a ghetto, but those actions contradict his famous circle of life speech. He might as well say that every creature has a place there except the hyenas with his actions, but he gets away with it because he’s the good guy and the movie portrays it as a good thing which makes him suffer from protagonist centered morality.
Hm… now I have to do my own list…
1. Robin Hood
2. Beauty and the Beast
3. Sleeping Beauty
4. Aristocats
5. Lady and the Tramp
6. The Lion King
7. The Great Mouse Detective
8. The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
9. The Little Mermaid
10. Aladdin
11. Winnie the Pooh (the originals)
12. The Jungle Book
13. Cinderella
Great post! So glad that you like so many of the ones I do!!! =D Robin Hood and Beauty and the Beast were my main obsessions growing up… My closet is full of fan stuff XD (And the music!!!)
Love your list, those are all such great films! Ichabod and Mr. Toad doesn’t get enough love!
BATB and Robin Hood are great obsessions!