Your top 5 favorite and least favorite Disney movies...and

[Disney Duster]

Thank you, Amy! And yes, there's actually a bunch of movies where the characters die but come back to life, including Caudron!

Avaitor, I read your post. Interesting choices! I really enjoyed reading your views!

[Avaitor]

@Avaitor: That's true about TLK not being popular here; I blame it on the film being so enormously beloved off-line. Films like that draw this strange aura from some people, the need to deride the film and point out all the ways it's really awful if you overthink it and the public just don't understand. L&tT was always my favorite of the 1950's after Cinderella, although I probably would've ranked it higher on my list of the 50+ classics years back. I'm not sure it's that I like L&tT any less than I ever did so much as I've come to like some other films more than I once did, which ended up causing my rank of L&tT to fall down some spots. It feels very domestic compared to most other Disney films.

That's fair, and I'll admit that there are definitely a lot of fair points to call out on TLK, but that's true about a lot of other movies that aren't criticized as often, like Beauty and the Beast. Which again, also great, but it almost feels like there's a double standard sometimes. But I do understand the over-saturation- I feel similarly about Finding Nemo, and I know Frozen is having a similar reaction now.

And it's interesting to see that you've come to appreciate other films more! I think that's the magical thing of something like movies- they don't change, but you do, so something that doesn't seem as appealing years ago can be just what you need a little later in life. I know my list would've looked different a few years ago.

Avaitor, I read your post. Interesting choices! I really enjoyed reading your views!

Thanks! I enjoy your views, too, as I do most of the people on this site, even if I don't say that enough. You and Amy had some really nice posts, yourselves.

[blackcauldron85]

Thank you! <3 I was really excited to see Dumbo and TENG on your favorites list, and TP&tF & Atlantis on your "Lovable" list.

with even smaller characters like Pacha's family and the waitress from the diner being exceptional.

Since I had just mentioned Chicha in another thread, I was going to comment on your quote initially but didn't but I will say, again, how much Chicha and the kids and Pacha are amazing, playing off of each other. Really great character performances in TENG.

[Disney Duster]

Thanks! I enjoy your views, too, as I do most of the people on this site, even if I don't say that enough. You and Amy had some really nice posts, yourselves.

Aw, shucks!

[Disney's Divinity]

I feel that I've had mixed feelings on Dr. Facilier. I think initially he wasn't one of my favorite villains because we don't have much backstory on him, and I wanted more of him in the film, but I really have come to love him as far as being a villain goes.

I agree that another scene or two would've made him stronger. I think if they had kept the deleted story about Louis being one of the Shadow Man's victims, it would've boosted both Facilier and the overall story, too. The reason I only quoted this now is I remembered it when I had a stray thought earlier which is that I've always found villains in stories, Disney or otherwise, more successful as characters when they are, well, (temporarily at least) successful in achieving their plans... We get to see all the consequences of what them winning would look like. And most of M&C's villains are examples of that (Ratigan, Ursula, Jafar, and Hades all take over in the climax, even Silver finds Flint's treasure even if he ultimately decides Jim is more important)--except for Facilier. I guess his plans requiring Charlotte's father to die may be the reason we didn't see that happen, since they may not have wanted to go that far. Even if Charlotte's father was revived after-the-fact via magical shenanigans / Odie once Facilier is dragged to Hell, I have a feeling Lasseter wouldn't have wanted the plot to have that much life-or-death tension at the end. Which is a shame, imo. That might be part of the reason the character feels sort of incomplete.

[blackcauldron85]

^ Yes, I think those are good points, that Facilier was meant to be more than he is. And I mean, he did commit a murder, but yeah, Ray would be more acceptable than Mr. LaBouff. (RIP Ray <3) I wonder how "dastardly" and murderous a Disney villain would be allowed to be these days.

The Queen (though she came back to life), "Man," Scar, & Frollo murdered. Maleficent's, Cruella's, Shere Khan's, Edgar's, Amos Slade's, The Horned King's, Ratigan's, Sykes', Gaston's, Hades', Clayton's, Yzma's, Rourke's, Jumbaa's & Gantu's, Hans', Callaghan's (though not initially), & Te Ka's intention was to murder.

[Disney's Divinity]

^ Yes, I think those are good points, that Facilier was meant to be more than he is. And I mean, he did commit a murder, but yeah, Ray would be more acceptable than Mr. LaBouff. (RIP Ray <3) I wonder how "dastardly" and murderous a Disney villain would be allowed to be these days.

That's true. Maybe because Ray being offscreen, it's more acceptable. All I remember is Facilier holding that pin up to the doll's heart when he was watching the wedding, I assumed that death would've been a little rougher to watch with Charlotte crying and everything else.

[Rumpelstiltskin]

I can not add any of the older classics on the list, because of nostalgia and because you as a child love pretty much everything Disney release. Choosing behind all of them would be impossible.

So just to make it easier, I'll start with the CAPS era, which represents a more modern Disney age compared to what came before.

Five that I like:

Aladdin

Lilo & Stitch

Treasure Planet (only saw it on Disney channel, but it was surprisingly good)

Wreck-It Ralph

Big Hero 6

Five that I am less fond of. It's difficult to decide, but I'll go for these:

Pocahontas

Brother Bear

Dinosaur (most of all because it doesn't belong in the canon, despite what Disney says)

Bolt (a very bland movie, and frustrating to think about what I could have been if Chris Sanders had been allowed to complete his project)

Frozen II

(Haven't seen Winnie the Pooh and Ralph Breaks the Internet yet)

[Disney Duster]

I didn't expect those movies to be your favorites, just because your name is Rumplestiltskin which is a fairy tale. Those are what I call guy movies!

[Rumpelstiltskin]

Like I said, I didn't include any of the older movies like Pinocchio, Snow White, Peter Pan or Sword in the Stone and so on because they are an essential part of my childhood, and I never thought of any as them being better than the others. Trying to see them through the eyes of the adult me would not have been appreciated by the younger me. Which is why I focused on the more recent features.

I didn't include any of the newer fairytale movies because I feel they are too modern. Like Frozen 2. Instead of "once upon a time, in a country far away", we get a more or less specific location and a moment in time. It's not timeless, they are living in a changing world where new inventions like the photography has just been introduced. Which in my eyes makes it fantasy, for more than one reason, not fairytale. And if you're going to have fantasy, then make it fantasy, don't disguise it as something else.
For a movie like Moana I personally felt it I was being exposed to too much of the culture. In my memory, it took up almost the first half of the movie. In Lilo & Stitch, I got a feeling of Hawaii. In Aladdin, it felt like we were in an old Arabian story. In Tangled or Beauty and the Beast, it was clearly in a pre-industrial Europe. An overdose, for the lack of a better word, of Hawaiian, Arabian or European culture was not required to give you a feeling of time and place. Just my opinion, and there are probably those who disagree with me.

Science fiction and superheroes is what it is, and it's what you get, so I like them for what they are. I did not include Meet the Robinsons. Not because I didn't like it, but because it was not entirely my cup of tea. As for being guy movies, well, I am a guy. What speculative fiction is concerned, I have never preferred on genre over another. They're all equal to me, even if I'm not equally fond of all the different subgenres.

[Widdi]

Favourites:
1. The Hunchback of Notre Dame: As I approach my mid-thirties I find myself often losing interest in a lot of Disney films because they just don't have enough maturity to keep me invested. Hunchback has aged like a fine wine and continues to dazzle the cynical adult that I have become.

2. Aladdin: Aladdin has climbed my ranks a fair bit (it's always been a Top 10 for me, but usually on the lower end of the list), I find myself enjoying the music a lot more than I did years ago, and the humor continues to be engaging.

3. Beauty and the Beast: A masterpiece as far as movie musicals go. I revisit the soundtrack for more often than the film, but still when the mood strikes it's one of the few Disney movies I can watch start to finish without getting distracted.

4. Lilo & Stitch: Stitch may be one of the most bankable Disney characters of all time, but it is the human characters who really drive this film. Nani and Lilo's relationship is so fiercely endearing and I find spending time with them very enjoyable. It is the crown jewel among Disney's non-musicals as far as I'm concerned.

5. The Little Mermaid: This movie has not aged well story-wise, but it's characters are it's true strength. Ursula is easily my favourite villain, if not favourite all-out character in the Disney canon. She alone makes the TLM maintain a heavy rotation in my rewatches, but truthfully I find myself less interested in non-Ursula moments each time I watch.

Least Favourites:

1. Brother Bear: It fails at absolutely everything it tries to do. I can think of few movies I like less.

2. Chicken Little: Absolute drivel.

3. Home on the Range: Tries way to hard. Absolutely nothing worth visiting for anyone old enough to read the title on the DVD case.

4. Wreck-It Ralph: I am definitely in the minority when I say that the sequel is superior in every way, but there was just nothing in this movie that spoke to me as a human. It really just comes across as a bad kid's movie. Reminds me a lot of how I feel about Cars.

5. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: I appreciate this movie for all the doors it opened and it's artistic importance. It's story and music are both absolute garbage though. Should be mandatory viewing for all animation students and lovers. Anyone looking to have an enjoyable time should look elsewhere.

Five I like, but don't watch very often:

1. The Sword in the Stone: I watched this for the first time in at least 15 years a couple of weeks ago and I was quite surprised by just how much I enjoyed it. I remember not liking it much as a kid, but something about it just really charmed me this time. Merlin and Archimedes are both extremely lovable in their own way, and despite being extremely episodic, the movie kept me engaged in it's story.

2. The Great Mouse Detective: I find that every time I watch this I like it less than the time before, however it was one of my absolute favourites as a kid and the memories of begging my grandparents to rent it for me over and over again are very dear to my heart. I think it is one of those movies that is best left to my memory, because sadly it just doesn't hold up to my standards anymore.

3. Ralph Breaks the Internet: I absolutely loved this movie the one, and probably only, time I've watched it. I was so thoroughly impressed that I find myself not wanting to revisit it and risk tainting the memory of my enjoyment.

4. The Jungle Book: The Jungle Book is a movie I watch once every ten years or so, keep heaps of enjoyment from and then don't really think about for years after.

5. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: I enjoyed watching this with young relatives, but it's not one I would ever watch just for me. As there really aren't any young kids in my family anymore I doubt I will ever revisit it again, but the memories are nice.

[blackcauldron85]

I remember not liking it much as a kid

(regarding TSitS)
Did you watch a lot of the '60s & '70s DACs growing up? Was it just TSitS you didn't like much?

Widdi, what was it about RBtI that you liked, when you didn't like WIR? Did you prefer the non-WIR characters?

Rumpelstiltskin, not taking into consideration Dinosaur's place in the canon, how do you feel about the film?

[Disney Duster]

Hmmm...Rumplestiltskin, I like what you said about timelessness and fairy tales. I myself love when a story is set "once upon a time", too, but I also really love historical accuracy and a historical fiction kind of take, so, you know, I love both.

Yes, I figured you were a guy. You know, I like that you think the older movies are so good and none are really better than the other. You also still mentioned very "guy" older movies lol.

Widdi, I am sad that you find so little enjoyment from some of the best movies of all time. Snow White is one of AFI's 100 best movies and they wouldn't have a movie in their list just because it was the first hand-drawn animated film. The film still has to be good! And I can't believe how you think The Little Mermaid's story sucks! It's also sad that your so cycnical you want that maturity from Hunchback so much. Hunchback is a masterpiece and I love it, I just mean, that you need your films to be so mature. Your post almost makes me wonder why you are still a Disney fan. I am not attacking you, I am just saying you almost seem like you don't like Disney movies anymore.

[Widdi]

AFI's Top 100 Movies is a list that contains many films I do not enjoy, so Snow White is not alone in that regard. Again I recognize their importance to film, and understand why all 100 make the list, but by no means does that make any of the movies featured there a film that would rank on my personal Top 100.

The Little Mermaid has many, many story issues. I suspend my disbelief every time I watch it (usually two or three times a year) and I accept that fully. Story is not why I love that movie. Characters and Music is why I love that movie. I realize I sound a little harsh, but honestly all 5 of my top 5 movies easily rank in my Top 50 films of all time. I LOVE them, but I accept that they do have flaws.

When it comes to maturity, it isn't that I need things to be dark, or "adult" I just prefer things that aren't dumbed down. Even as a kid I hated being pandered to or talked down to. Yes Hunchback has the gargoyles, who are obviously meant for children, but the movie doesn't really play that well towards kids. As an adult I like that. I liked it as a kid too, but I appreciate it more as a grown man.

I am a hardcore Disney fan, my house is stuffed to the brim with Disney everything. I host Disney Trivia every second month at a local bar. I have Disney tattoos and have a standing appointment for another rather large Disney piece as soon as quarantine is lifted. But as I'm getting older I'm finding myself less inclined to revisit a lot of Disney movies anymore, because I'm realizing that it is the memories of how the movies and tv shows made me feel that I cherish more-so than the actual films themselves. I still watch several Disney movies a month and usually try to include at least one I haven't seen in a while, and new (Animated) Disney and Pixar releases are always going to be on my list of must-see-in-theatres films, but yes, sadly, some of the magic is wearing off for me.

When it comes to Ralph Breaks the Internet VS Wreck-It Ralph I think what really bumped up my enjoyment of the sequel was the vast cast of secondary characters. I enjoyed the Princesses a lot, but also the original characters. Plus there were so many nods and easter eggs that kept me glued to the screen. I know WIR had those too, but they were very video-game centric and I am not a gamer at all, so it was less fun for me. The Internet I know. I also don't like Ralph or Vanelope as characters all that much, though honestly both were toned down for the sequel. It's not really something I feel the need to watch again, but I know I left the theatre much happier with RBTI than I did with WIR.

I never owned The Sword in the Stone as a kid, so it was never really an option to watch for me way back when. I remember renting it and being bored by it, and my cousins definitely owned it and I watched it with them. I did own The Jungle Book, The Aristocats and The Rescuers and One Hundred and One Dalmatians would be my number 6 if they had asked for more than 5, so I don't think it was really the era. Dalmatians was definitely the most watched film of my childhood, but the others get a fair number of views. I just never had a personal connection with The Sword in the Stone. I watched in on DVD (I had the Gold Classic Edition) at least once as a teenager, but again I don't think it made much of an impression at the time. I never really had much interest in Arthurian Legends until my mid-twenties. Maybe I have more appreciation for the source material now than I did then and that boosted my enjoyment? Hard to say.

[blackcauldron85]

I can understand your appreciation of secondary characters more; I love the first 2 Toy Stories, but I love TS3 the most because of Bonnie's toys. I'm pleased that TSitS made a better impression on you this time around!

[Disney Duster]

Hmmm... I see, Widdi. I don't get why The Little Mermaid's story requires so much dispension of disbelief than other Disney movies, or really is bad in any way other than Ariel should have seen and known more of Eric to love him before she goes after him, but it's your opinion. I am sad that you find yourself loving just the memories and a few parts of Disney movies than the whole things. Then again, Cinderella is my favorite film and I think the animals could be in a little less and the romance and animation better, so maybe I get you. But I think stuff like The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast are perfect. I find few movies to really be absolutely perfect, though. At least you do still love the Disney films, even if you love your memories of them more.

[Rumpelstiltskin]

Rumpelstiltskin, not taking into consideration Dinosaur's place in the canon, how do you feel about the film?

It's a very long time since I saw it, and since it was shown in TV, I honestly just watched the last half or so. Except from the fact that it was live action backgrounds, I seem to remember that there was a dying dinosaur talking (Gene Hackman) and some herbivors attacking a carnivore. Standing on its own feet, it would probably have been an OK popcorn movie, except the idea of portraying carnivores as evil. T-Rex didn't eat other animals because it was cruel.

Hmmm...Rumplestiltskin, I like what you said about timelessness and fairy tales. I myself love when a story is set "once upon a time", too, but I also really love historical accuracy and a historical fiction kind of take, so, you know, I love both.

But it's a problem when a movie is presented as a fairytale and is more like a period piece, or when the sequel crash with the original. Imagine if Disney made a theatrical Cinderella 2 some years after the first one, where the prince gives Cinderella a steam engine toy: "It's from England, based on the James Watts invention. There is also this interesting new thing called electricity, and soon a ship from America arrives and brings with it all kinds of interesting goods."

Like I said, I didn't like Pocahontas. Not because it is historical fiction (which I didn't knew when I saw it the first and so far only time), but because it's a dull and boring movie in my eyes. It was a real disappointment. Also, the animal sidekicks contributed to nothing, and I really disliked the talking ancestor trees. Disney seem to have a fondness for the "wacky but spiritual grandmother" thing, and we also see her in Brother Bear and Moana.

About a couple of the other films:

The world of Meet the Robinsons was something I liked, but considering that I hardly remember anything from the actual movie except the basic plotlines means it is a forgettable movie, at least for me, so the story is clearly not that extraordinary.

I actually doesn't mind Home on the Range, even if it's not on my top five movies. It's not a typical Disney film, but it never pretends to be something more than what it is. And who doesn't find the dumb triplets amusing?

Chicken Little tried a little too hard to ride the Dreamworks wave with the humor and all that. Read somewhere that it was originally meant to be a talking animals movie where aliens came to Earth, and because one of the characters was a chicken, they got the idea of making him the chicken from Chicken Little, and from there the rest of the characters followed. Had Disney tried to stay more loyal to their own traditions, it could have a better legacy. But I feel it's the aliens that alienated some of the audience.

[The Disneynerd]

My Top 10 WDAS flicks because i cant rank 5

1. The Little Mermaid
2. Aladdin
3. Lilo and Stitch
4. Cinderella
5. Beauty and the Beast
6. Sleeping Beauty
7. The Emperors New Groove
8. Lady and the Tramp
9. Mulan
10. Princess and the Frog

Love them all almost equally, thats why I couldnt leave any of them out. Most of them are perfect and timeless. Aside from only WDAS, the list would be the same except Ratatouille and Enchanted would have probably taken the 9th and 10th spot, love them both a hint more.

Least favourite WDAS films:

1. Strange World: ugliest character designs in WDASs history, and an extremely boring pointless story. Not even Disney Toon Studios would have approved this.

2. Ralph Breaks the Internet: ew. I remember seeing it in theatres and really loving it. Back then as a young Disneynerd, I was hungry for Disney Cameos, references and more. I would have been OBSESSED with Wish back then, but now i admire the artistry of fleshed out characters and great plots more. The movie really aged horrible. From now troubled Youtuber cameos, Websites that dont exist anymore and trends that everyone wants to forget, it really tried so hard to follow the newest trends that it therefore aged in the speed of light. The first one feels way more timeless with the Arcade games. At least the ending is emotional enough.

3. Wish: Wow what a surprise. I basically said everything about this soulless thing already in the Wish forum.

4. Frozen 2: same with this one. It was so lucky that it was the sequel to the highest grossing Animated movie ever, otherwise it would flop as a standalone Film. Not saying that the first one is a timeless masterpiece, but it had a lot of heart and got its message across really well, and had 2 loveable protagonists, all things the sequel didnt had.

5: any movie of the 40s package films EXCEPT Fun and Fancy Free, and the Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad. Those 2 are really entertaining and only consist of 2 movies stitched together, while the other ones have too many shorts where you Lose the overview for them. Dont like to force myself to watch multiple specific shorts at once.

[Sotiris]

Top 10 WDAS Films:

1. The Little Mermaid
2. Aladdin
3. Beauty and the Beast
4. The Hunchback of Notre Dame
5. Pocahontas
6. Hercules
7. Mulan
8. Sleeping Beauty
9. Cinderella
10. Tarzan

Bottom 10 WDAS Films:

1. Strange World
2. Big Hero 6
3. Wreck-It Ralph
4. Zootopia
5. Chicken Little
6. Ralph Breaks the Internet
7. Meet the Robinsons
8. Bolt
9. Wish
10. Encanto

[PatchofBlue]

Top 5

1. The Little Mermaid - Seldom in history have music, art, and story worked together to make something so moving. Everything works in this film.
2. Beauty and the Beast - Okay, like one other time.
3. The Jungle Book - The character animation is as good as anything Disney has ever done, and the film captures the experience of what it feels like to grow up from a perspective that just makes sense to a kid.
4. Tangled - This somehow ends up being the movie Wish should have been, a sort of distillation of everything Disney had done before that still stands on its own.
5. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs - Majestic and intimate in equal measure.


Bottom 3

3. Home on the Range
2. Ralph Breaks the Internet
1. Chicken Little

I honestly can't think of two other movies to round out my bottom five. Ralph Breaks the Internet is just commercialized nonsense. The only thing I can really say about Home on the Range and Chicken Little is that they were just made when Disney was at its least confident--when it was still embarrassed by the box office of Treasure Planet and when everyone was making fun of them for being the "princess studio." You just saw them playing to the lowest common denominator of storytelling just hoping someone would love them for it, and the whole viewing experience is just uncomfortable.

Chicken Little Atrocity.jpg (143.78 KiB) Viewed 94 times