Which Disney film has the best or worst script?

[DisneyFan09]

Which Disney animated film do you think has the best or worst script? And why?

To share my thoughts; Best; Mulan. It has a real solid and clever script. Worst: Lilo & Stitch. Not that I have anything against the movie, but the script could've been better.

[PixarFan2006]

Best: Beauty and the Beast
Worst: Chicken Little

[PatrickvD]

Best: Pinocchio
Worst: The Black Cauldron

[DisneyFan09]

Best: Beauty and the Beast
Worst: Chicken Little

Agreed that "Chicken Little" had a awful script, although the script wasn't the worst problem (the pacing and the overall schizofrenic tone of the movie was the biggest problem)

[estefan]

Best: Beauty and the Beast
Worst: Chicken Little

Pretty much agreed with PixarFan09 on this one. Though, if we're also including direct-to-video releases, Pocahontas II and The Little Mermaid II has some pretty terrible writing, too. And when it comes to live-action, My Favourite Martian and High School Musical are just embarrassing screenplays all around, in my opinion.

[Goliath]

I don't know about the best, but the worst would have to be The Aristocats. First of all, the 'journey back home' storyline, with the episodic structure and the brief encounters with secondary characters who disappears afterwards, is a direct copy of The Jungle Book. Second, there's far too much filler material, far too much slapstick that isn't needed. It's distracting and it takes away time from any character development the real main characters *could* have had.

[SpringHeelJack]

It has a real solid and clever script. Worst: Lilo & Stitch. Not that I have anything against the movie, but the script could've been better.

I'm curious, what do you think needed to be changed about "Lilo & Stitch"?

I don't know what I'd say has the best script, but worst is easily either "Chicken Little" (it's woefully unfunny and dull) or "The Black Cauldron". As much as I like "TBC", the screenplay is mostly an unmitigated mess.

[REINIER]

Best: Lion King
Worst: Home on the Range/chicken little/dinosaur

I mean Home on the range is a rather nice movie but I can't seem to get myself rewatching it or even sitting through to the end of it
It's a shame really cause I like the songs

Chicken Little for all reasons already mentioned,

Dinosaur: I mean, Little Foot in cgi, am I right?

[ichabod]

you know I love how so far half of the members that have posted in this thread have based their best and worst on how much they like the movie rather than the actual quality of the script.

Not that I'm suprised.

[DisneyFan09]

It has a real solid and clever script. Worst: Lilo & Stitch. Not that I have anything against the movie, but the script could've been better.

I'm curious, what do you think needed to be changed about "Lilo & Stitch"?

I don't know what I'd say has the best script, but worst is easily either "Chicken Little" (it's woefully unfunny and dull) or "The Black Cauldron". As much as I like "TBC", the screenplay is mostly an unmitigated mess.

Hi there. I think the script of "Lilo & Stitch" lacks structure and coherense. There are many things going on, mostly at the same time; Lilo and Nani are working out on their situation and Nani has three days to make a good impression to Cobra Bubbles. If she doesn't, Lilo is gonna be taken away. And there Stitch arrives, who's a trouble maker of his own and the sisters have some struggle to handle him. Then Nani looses her job (because of Stitch). And not to mention the fact that Stitch is using Lilo to not get caught by Jumba and Pleakley. And then comes Gantu. You see what I mean? There's a lot of things going on, but there's no real structure to the script. The story is poorly structured and very rushed, although it had a potential to be really great.

I'm not saying that I hate "Lilo & Stitch", but it fails from it potential. Lilo and Stitch themselves shares no chemistry at all and the film seems to force it's audience to feel more sorry for Stitch, while Lilo is the one who really suffers.

[Goliath]

Worst: Home on the Range

OF COURSE!!! I'm sorry now that I named those poor Aristocats. Home on the Range is, without a shadow of a doubt, the worst Disney-film ever. Absolutely everything is awful about it. Yes, definitly the worst script.

*goes to hide for Margos*

[Goliath]

Hi there. I think the script of "Lilo & Stitch" lacks structure and coherense. There are many things going on, mostly at the same time; Lilo and Nani are working out on their situation and Nani has three days to make a good impression to Cobra Bubbles. If she doesn't, Lilo is gonna be taken away. And there Stitch arrives, who's a trouble maker of his own and the sisters have some struggle to handle him. Then Nani looses her job (because of Stitch). And not to mention the fact that Stitch is using Lilo to not get caught by Jumba and Pleakley. And then comes Gantu. You see what I mean? There's a lot of things going on, but there's no real structure to the script. The story is poorly structured and very rushed, although it had a potential to be really great.

Nonsense. The way you describe the film in itself already proves how well the film is structured. You, yourself, have made it clear that all storylines are needed for the film, and how they all affect each other. Lots of films have multiple storylines. The thing is: you have to weave them all into one coherent film, and that's what Lilo & Stitch has done so perfectly. You proved yourself wrong.

[Polizzi]

Best: The Lion King
Worst: Home on the Range

The Lion King's script has a combination of the bible and Shakespear in it. Home on the Range has too many slapsticks in the script.

[Super Aurora]

Best: The Lion King
Worst: Home on the Range

The Lion King's script has a combination of the bible and Shakespear in it.

The bible is a over glorified fan-fiction, and Shakespeare is overrated.

[Disney Duster]

The bible is a over glorified fan-fiction, and Shakespeare is overrated.

NO it's not. At least you don't know about the first one.

And second, as someone who has finally grown to understand and love Shakespeare more fully being in theater, I think it deserves most if not all of it's praise.

BUT neither of those things are reasons for The Lion King to have the best script because....

ALL of Walt's fairy tales have elements of Shakespeare (fate, fairies, stars, royalty, love at first sight, a ball, forced marrige and awakening from death or death driving them apart) and many elements of the Bible. In fact, some of those things are in most of Walt's films, period!

[pap64]

In my honest opinion, just because a script has elements of the Bible or any other written it doesn't make it the best. It enhances it, sure, but doesn't make it better. If you want an example of what I am talking about, watch both Matrix sequels. All that philosophy for absolutely nothing.

[Escapay]

Yeah, but when it's a Disney film on a Disney board, then it's a sign of the Second Coming.

Anyways...

Best Script - The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. I think because it's intentionally presented as stories within a book itself (yes, other DACs are too, but this one uses the book itself within the movie), that there is a higher quality to its writing compared to the other films. You have a narrator who doesn't pander to kids, characters who - while simple-minded - are quite intelligent and eloquent, and there's an even balance between scenes and songs, both support each other without overshadowing the other. In addition, it's a fun and inventive use of the original AA Milne stories that the movie is adapted from. Of course, I'm not saying this is the best script solely because it's something based on a book (most other DACs are based on existing material), but because of how it was made using both the book as a source and as a "character" within the film. Also, the writers had to turn a book into a movie without betraying the character portrayals in the book, whilst making such portrayals and dialogue and stories work within a movie (well, 3 featurettes tied together, but the same concept applies). And again, it still did it whilst retaining the book itself as a part of the movie. You don't see that in other Disney films (understandably). It's a unique situation and amazing end-result to the question "Can you turn this book into a movie, but keep it a book?" Plus, it doesn't have any villains that are one-dimensional or hard to write for properly, and that's often the weak point in several Disney films.

Worst Script - Sleeping Beauty. Hear me out before you attack. The movie is very nice to look at. It's very nice to listen to. But it's got such a weak script and story that it makes Home on the Range look like Shakespeare. Lines like "You're living in the past, this is the 14th century!" just sticks out like a sore thumb, and the plotline inconsistencies are worse. Wouldn't Maleficent suspect something after the first five years of her goons searching for babies? When the fairies return to the cottage and see a hat on the ground, how do they know that it's Maleficent who took Phillip? Why doesn't the queen say anything at all beyond "Then you're not offended, Your Excellency" and "Oh, no!" and why do the fairies leave her alone minutes before sunset? So many "wtf" moments in the entire story. Also, while the movie is titled Sleeping Beauty and she is the focal point of the entire thing, the catalyst for everything that happens, the character itself is very very dull and more or less mute in the second half of the film. Everyone else is then structured to be fighting for or against her that their own character doesn't develop beyond being all-good or all-evil. Yes, it could simply be a way of saying "this is the archetypal good v. evil" but it simply doesn't work (for me) the way it may have been intended to. Like I said, it's very nice to look at, very nice to listen to, but it makes for a lousy read.

Honorable mention goes to Aladdin for having a good balance between scripted dialogue and improvisation (mainly due to Robin Williams) whilst still telling a balanced story and creating a protagonist that has an edge and flaws but is still inherently good.

Dishonorable mention goes to Chicken Little. As much as I love the film, half the conversations sound cliched and "This is the part where we realize Plot Point C, then have a discussion on Plot Point D". I still enjoy it, because it's a meta-fictional mockery of animated CGI comedies of its time (whilst still trying to be an animated CGI comedy). Plus, the story itself (how does Chicken Little "redeem himself" after the sky-is-falling faux pas, and will people accept him?) is a worthwhile story to be told. It just needed to be told better.

albert

[slave2moonlight]

Like most people, I don't even want to begin to get into trying to figure out which Disney film has the best script. Too many are excellent in my opinion. However, as for worst, I gotta say that while there were some things I liked here and there, I thought in general Atlantis was terrible. There wasn't enough story for me. It played out like watching someone else play a video game. Chicken Little was terrible too, but I remember that one even less and all my Disney films are back at my parents' house right now, so...

Incidentally, that "we're living in the 14th century" line from Sleeping Beauty I always thought was great. It's just meant to be a bit of humor as well as giving the prince some identity, and I thought it worked. Basically, both Sleeping Beauty and Phillip are portrayed very much as typical teenagers, which is pretty interesting really, since it wasn't like today when that's all we see in cartoons.

Oh, yeah, and while it has some good qualities, Dinosaur was severely lacking for me too. There wasn't much in that story for me to get really jazzed about. It was just watching dinosaurs for an hour and a half, or whatever.

[TheValentineBros]

The bible is a over glorified fan-fiction, and Shakespeare is overrated.

[DisneyFan09]

Hi there. I think the script of "Lilo & Stitch" lacks structure and coherense. There are many things going on, mostly at the same time; Lilo and Nani are working out on their situation and Nani has three days to make a good impression to Cobra Bubbles. If she doesn't, Lilo is gonna be taken away. And there Stitch arrives, who's a trouble maker of his own and the sisters have some struggle to handle him. Then Nani looses her job (because of Stitch). And not to mention the fact that Stitch is using Lilo to not get caught by Jumba and Pleakley. And then comes Gantu. You see what I mean? There's a lot of things going on, but there's no real structure to the script. The story is poorly structured and very rushed, although it had a potential to be really great.

Nonsense. The way you describe the film in itself already proves how well the film is structured. You, yourself, have made it clear that all storylines are needed for the film, and how they all affect each other. Lots of films have multiple storylines. The thing is: you have to weave them all into one coherent film, and that's what Lilo & Stitch has done so perfectly. You proved yourself wrong.

How am I proving myself wrong? I'm just stating my opinion. Besides, "Lilo & Stitch" would've been better (screenplay-wise) if the storylines were more structured. It would be better if the Stitch for example didn't created all the chaos for Lilo's family and actually showed more tender moments between Lilo and Stitch. They don't have chemistry at all.

You should be more careful with stating that other people's words are nonsense.