The most underrated Disney animated movie of all time

[The Disneynerd]

Hey guys )))))))))))))))))) I got bored and thought maybe its interesting to discuss whats the one movie in the animated canon that you think is a classic with great characters,good story and overall good to a great movie, thats nevertheless the most overlooked and underapreciated one and just doesnt get the hype, love and respect that it deserves compared to the others. Im interested in your interpretation of the Subject title

[carolinakid]

For me I would say The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr Toad.

I would also add some personal favorites that I think get overlooked:
Make Mine Music (original version)
Melody Time
The Sword in the Stone
The Aristocats

[Patricier21]

Disney’s Dinosaur! The ultimate Disney movie, as it’s a Walt Disney Feature Animation, A live action remake/adaptation of the Rite of Spring segment from the original Fantasia (1940) and based off of the Disney parks ride, countdown to extinction!

It has been getting a bit of a resurgence in popularity lately, though not as much as a bugs life (of which it has more in common with 10 that…… But it’s still very underrated and deserves to be praised for what it does right with story, characters, storytelling, scope, emotional weight, animation that still holds up even better than most other special effects movies (like the recent Jurassic movies, and even many others), dinosaur or not, it’s music score, and just overall natural genuinity, That even if it may be familiar, it still feels like it’s on thing, even more than other movies that are compared as being “to similar” to others

[Sotiris]

There's a lot of them, but one of my favorite underappreciated ones is Oliver & Company.

[Disney Duster]

I dunno...Dumbo?

[MoonMarc21]

Brother Bear for me. It only has one issue I don't like in the movie witch are the moose guys since they kinda don't do anything, but the rest of the elements in the movie are great.

[Farerb]

The Great Mouse Detective
The Princess and the Frog
Moana

[The Disneynerd]

Thanks for participating guys, your takes are really interseting!

For me I would say The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr Toad.

I would also add some personal favorites that I think get overlooked:
Make Mine Music (original version)
Melody Time
The Sword in the Stone
The Aristocats

Yes!!! Adventures of Ichabod & Mr. Toad is a good one! I remember seeing it the first time on Halloween 2020, so iconic, I especially loved their take on Sleepy Hollow! I LOVE how dark the segment is, but there is another movie in the canon that takes the crown
And you are right Sword in Stone is also criminally overlooked! I just love all the characters in this one and the interactions between Arthur Merlin and Mim, especially the scene where Merlin and Arthur switch their animal forms! I think this movie deserves the same hype as Jungle Book or Dalamations. Aristocats is also great and overlooked!

Disney’s Dinosaur! The ultimate Disney movie, as it’s a Walt Disney Feature Animation, A live action remake/adaptation of the Rite of Spring segment from the original Fantasia (1940) and based off of the Disney parks ride, countdown to extinction!

Oh Dinosaur is also really overlooked, youre right Patrcier21! I remeber watching it on my VHS as a kid but i have to watch it again this year i completely forgot about that one lol I also saw a few Youtube analysis about it being an overlooked gem

There's a lot of them, but one of my favorite underappreciated ones is Oliver & Company.

Great choice Sotiris! I remember watching O&Co only once in 2016 when it aired on Disney Channel, damn this was a great movie. Really great characters and a fresh memorable take on Oliver Twist! If it wasnt for the movie I have in mind, THIS one would definetely be the most underrated Disney Animated movie for me, gotta watch it again!

I dunno...Dumbo?

Yes it isnt talked as much compared to Snow White, Bambi or Pinocchio, I love Dumbo , it makes me cry everytime I see it, especially the Baby mine scene

Brother Bear for me. It only has one issue I don't like in the movie witch are the moose guys since they kinda don't do anything, but the rest of the elements in the movie are great.

Great choice, such an underrated beautiful movie, Koda and Kenais relationship is touching, it should have get the same hype and love as Lilo and Stitch or cult following as Treasure Planet (still a bit underrated). Yes the moose brothers are just for the toddlers to laugh at, but they were alright i guess. I have to confess that I also love the DtV sequel , just because we see more of Kenais past and the overall story was a worthy followup and the animation looks close to the original.

The Great Mouse Detective, The Princess and the Frog, Moana

Yes the tGMD is also really overlooked, it was a solid sucess I think back then but NOONE talks about this one now, great characters and the story is as engaging as the first time watching it, I love Detective stories! The princess and the frog is also a great take Farerb, deserves the same hype and Buzz as Frozen and more, but Im happy it slowly gets the recognition and attention of audiences and Disney itself with the new ride and series, it will soon get the hype it deserved back then

In my opinion there was one movie that was soo good but just was despised by audiences due to not being traditionally "kid friendly", this being the mayor reason why it flopped drastically, meaning the Black Cauldron! So cool unique characters that are so different from one another thrown together (Gurgi is iconic & relatable lol) and the dark atmosphere is what speaks to me, this movie also literally shows that Animation is NOT "juSt a gEnrE foR kIdS" , Disney should really consider promoting the movie during Halloween season in hope it will gain the cult following and recognition it deserves imo, just as Treasure Island and Atlantis have gotten these days.

[blackcauldron85]

Obviously I agree with The Black Cauldron. I'm actually showing it to someone who hadn't seen it since they were a kid (we're at the part where Fflewddur is introduced), and they are liking it so far; I can't think of anyone I've showed it to not liking it.

I also agree with Brother Bear; that movie gets me so emotional, maybe more than any other movie; I just bawl my eyes out watching it. And same; I can't think of anyone I've shown it to not liking it.

I don't think of TP&tF as being underrated, but I think it's such a great movie...I know the music is a divisive topic, but I think the film as a whole is pretty near perfect.

I'd also add Atlantis to the list. It's such a good adventure movie (a good movie in general), with a unique look, great action, exciting...I love it.

[twihard]

[carolinakid]

[DisneyFan09]

Sorry for bumping this thread, but there are many to put on this list.

The Aristocats. For being pure, breezy fun.
The Rescuers Down Under. I always thought it was unfair that it was neglected at the expense of it`s Renaissance counterparts, cause it is a good movie. With great cinematography, a thrilling screenplay and good animation.
Pocahontas. Regardless of the flaws and it`s position in the Renaissance, it`s still an enchanting and mesmerizing movie.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The same reasons as Pocahontas.
Fantasia 2000. It`s great to look at and while it may not be as overall brilliant as it`s predecessor, it`s still a compelling movie with great animation.
Dinosaur. Despite how the story is derivative, it still has great animation and a great score.
Atlantis The Lost Empire. It`s very good, with likeable characters, a thrilling screenplay and a great score.
Treasure Planet. The same reasons as Atlantis.
Home on the Range. Yes, hate me for this, guys. But Home on the Range is genuinely funny and overall a breezy, fun, middle-on-the-Road flick.
Strange World. It`s not the greatest of the Disney canon, but it still was good enough as it was.

[PatchofBlue]

I guess it depends on which crowd we're talking about. Underrated by fans, underrated by the general public, underrated by the Disney Company itself, etc. Disney fans have been rallying behind "Hunchback" and "Treasure Planet" as being underrated for years now, such that it doesn't really feel revelatory to pronounce them as such in fan circles, even as we're still trying to get the mainstream to catch on.

Generally, my mind goes to Bambi as one that tends to get overlooked by both Disney enthusiasts and the larger audience. You see animation as a medium take leaps and bounds with this film, especially where drawing animals is concerned. We went from the wallpaper critters of Snow White to endowing human life and personality to something that was still distinctly "animal." And while the memeing of something like the death of Bambi's mother has almost sucked all the potency out of the moment, the film still floats on a vibrant emotional heartbeat if you just look past pop-culture's abuse of the movie and just WATCH the film.

Relatedly, I actually rewatched "Oliver & Company" a few weeks back, probably for the third time in my life, and certainly my first time as an adult. I think there are some story shortcuts at work, and the characters all feel underused, but I get what people mean when they say this movie's underrated. The music's actually pretty solid for a film that I wouldn't call a "musical" in the vein of "Mermaid" or "Beast." "Once Upon a Time in New York City" has found its way onto my playlist. Hearing Ashman's little audition piece for his Disney career honestly makes me a little tender.

[Patricier21]

I also should add Wish. Seriously, I’ll NEVER understand how and why people can overthink so many things about the movie when like Brave, which many people also realize That it is underrated and that like my best friend has said, “you just have to look at it a little bit deeper”, in regards to a lot of things that it has, especially when other people here have also pointed out a lot of things that people again Overlock such as how Asha Can be considered the villain, when magnifico clearly shows A lot more obvious to see the least evidence that you were just over thinking, which actually has me be a little bit worried about how you few people in real life, as even if what they may be doing may not seem that bad, but they’re very attitude and mannerisms alone show that they would overall be doing something that is bad, even if in principle it may not appear to be that way etc.

[Disney Duster]

I'm changing my answer to The Hunchback of Notre.Dame, because unlike Dumbo, which Disney and fans have called a classic all of its life, Hunchback hasn't been, when actually it is a masterpiece. A film that's underrated has to be not considered a classic and then actually be a good classic, which Hunchback is.