A Different Take on Disney Greats...

WELL!!!!! How little I know! In preparation for compiling my own Disney list I visited Wikipedia’s chronological list of movies. First I knew in order to do this list I would have to compartmentalize the movies into various sections. Three sections cover animated films, Classics, Lost Years, and Golden Age. Following the divisions and associate rankings I shall compile a top 20 list that considers the Disney franchise as a whole. It is here that I must disagree with Kelsen’s methods. Pixar/live action cannot be separated permanently. I think if a movie has characters represented in the Disney parks their related movies must be considered as park of the whole. Also in respecting legal jargon, let it be said that should any characters not be represented by costumed employees they are not excluded from being part of the larger whole.


Classics:
Here’s where I became humbled by how much I didn’t know about when Disney movies were released. In my mind I considered the Classic era (animation only) to begin with Snow White and ending with 101 Dalmatians. However, here I got one of the greater shocks of my life. Robin Hood was released in 1973!! I always thought it was in the time frame of Cinderella. But now I know and therefore, the Classic Era begins with Snow White and ends with Robin Hood. 16 fully animated films are in this era so I’ll cut out six and provide a top ten.
10: Jungle Book. Mowgli always kinda bothered me. I just never connected with him as a main character. The supporting cast is the best part of that show, even the villains despite their failure to eliminate the annoying Mowgli. Also the motivation of all the characters is totally jacked. Shere Kahn? Why does he even care? Baloo? His preoccupation with Mowgli always kinda creeped me. Only the snake is properly motivated by desired caloric intake, but his voice is also shared by Winnie the Pooh and that’s sacrilege. But all its faults considered I still prefer Jungle Book to Snow White and Aristocats. I only like Thumper and Flower in Bambi. Alice and Wonderland was too sycodelic to be allowed in my house, and the other 2 films of this era I’m unfamiliar with.
9: Dumbo. Really great in every way but the competition in this era is just steps above Dumbo.
8: Pinocchio. I didn’t know this was Disney’s 2nd film but that explains the lower animation quality. I also have never been that crazy about Pinocchio I this because of its intensity and frightening sequences which must have bothered me as a child. I hate Monstro!! And the tuna and all the other villains in the film.
7: 101 Dalmatians. I love the little puppies and Cruella Deville is classic.
6: Peter Pan. Shut it Ken. This is becoming difficult. Originally I put Lady and the Tramp at 7 but the more I thought about it the more it the more I liked it. This pushed Peter Pan back which has no flaws but is simply edged out according to my tastes.
5: Lady and the Tramp. Love it all. Jock and Trustee rock, but the truth as to what pushed this film up to number 5 was when I remembered the zoo scene with the lisp laden beaver.
4: Cinderella. Jaq and Gus Gus, nuff said.
3: The Sword and the Stone. This take the Bronze because of Madame Mimm. This movie is quoted by myself and my family constantly. Arthur is a completely pure underdog character that you love to cheer on. Also I first saw this movie when I was 8 years old at my uncle’s house while on vacation with my grandparents, and that trip was awesome.
2: Robin Hood. Everything about this movie rocks my socks all night and day. On and on it goes with coolness. Right now I’m thinking of each scene and as they flash through my mind I just love them more.
1: Sleeping Beauty. This film is a work of art. I love how it has its own style of animation. Even the background is richly drawn. In the Disney villain death match Maleficent would hands down slaughter all takers fool enough to challenge her. But the reason for Sleeping Beauty’s number one status is the fairies. They are respectively my Grandma Carol and her sisters. Aunt Helen the oldest is obviously Flora, Aunt Marie is Fauna (I’m pretty sure they are clones of each other) and my Grandma Carol is Merryweather.

The Lost Years
From the “Lost Years” come some films that are grand and some best left forgotten. For simplicity the Lost Years span from 1974-1989. Here we find the arguable low march in Disney animation history, The Black Cauldron. Also in the Lost Years I will address Winnie the Pooh, the reason for this is that the three films were released as a set during the Lost Years but of course they were released individually during the Classic era, I admit it’s an odd choice but whatever. Also I consider The Rescuers Down Under to be part of the Lost Years despite its having been released in 1990 this is because of its stark contrast to the members of the Golden Age and it is not only a sequel to a Lost Years classic but it also has the feel and lack of songs that characterize films from the Lost Years.
Ranking of this era is quick and simple. Giving consideration to the Lost Years films were mentioning only they are ordered from like to beyond love: The Fox and The Hound, The Rescuers, The Great Mouse Detective, The Rescuers Down Under (Ken this film is absolutely worth a 2nd look. The best part is when the koala lists off what articles of clothing his fellow captives will become, “Frank will be . . . A purse, ooo a lovely lady’s purse.” John Candy also lends voice to Wilbur the Albatross who has his own wonderful side story. Beyond this one day only a couple of years ago (post mission) my siblings and I had a full on craving for this show, and were nearly driven mad when we couldn’t find it because it had been taken to the office in Coalville to entertain my niece. When we realized this we drove instantly to Coalville to retrieve it because there was no other movie in the world that could have satisfied us at that moment.) , and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (I’ll reserve my comments until my overall list where this appears).


Golden Age
The “Golden Age” began with the Little Mermaid. I call it the Golden Age because it marks the renewal of Disney as a filmmaker and the birth of modern Disney. The Golden Age is defined by 4 films, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King. This era is marked by the epic nature of the films and the astounding music, culminating in grand crescendo with The Lion King. They also managed to capture the princess mystic which is no easy task. Pocahontas managed to capture the full feeling and style of a film from the Golden Age but I think all would agree with me that it was a little lacking. Honestly I’m tempted to say that the four films that define the Golden Age are the only ones in the era, but I’ll settle for a bumpy decline beginning with Pocahontas, dropping significantly with The Hunchback of Notre Dame, tanking with Hercules (which I am quite fond of but the sharp change in animation style always bothered me and was a huge departure from the Golden Age style), and making an honorable conclusion with Mulan. It is the Golden Age that the Princess and the Frog tried, with arguable results, to recreate. After the Golden Age of animation is the irrelevant era (Pixar excluded of course), an era still holding an iron grasp today. An era of such shameful trash that if you want to know what they are look them up yourself. One film surprisingly worth mentioning is Lilo and Stitch.

Golden Age Rankings: The Hunchback of Notre Dame don’t like
Bottom-Pocahontas,
The Lion King
Mulan
Aladdin
The Little Mermaid
Hercules
Top-Beauty and the Beast

Pixar:
I’ll be brief (a lie). There are 11 and all are worth consideration, but I think we are all aware of each films merits and by simply ranking them my preferences will become apparent. First let me say that the amazing thing about Pixar is their ability to tell a story with innocence and a complete absence of cheese, (which comes from trying too hard). This genuine innocence and purity is a hallmark of the Classic era whose zenith can be seen in the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. The major flaw with the Golden era, and the reason why none of those films will make it into my top 20, is their failure to achieve this holy grail of animated film making. Even Pixar doesn’t always capture this feeling, but they have and that fact is truly staggering, because the Classic era was created during a more wholesome time. A time when right was right and wrong was wrong and most people knew the difference, where some innocence still remained in the world. To understand what I’m talking about simply watch the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and then watch five minutes of any of its sequels (I know it’s painful). Disney has lost its innocence, and honestly only Pixar out of all film makers in the world are able to create stories that echo purer films.
Now to business
11: Ratatouille. Honestly I don’t really even like this one but it’s nice because every list needs a bottom
10: WALL-E. I agree that WALL-E doesn’t get his due, and his position as number 10 on the Pixar list is nothing to be ashamed of, that’s like taking 10th place in the 100 meter dash at the Olympics, though 10th there are countless behind you. This movie did so many cool things, it was a silent movie for the first half. WALL-E gets pushed behind the others because of his lack of subtlety, he was a bit too preachy, and a bit too obvious about it.
9: A Bug’s Life. A fine film but I don’t think about it very often
8: Monster’s Inc. It has its moments but it seldom jumps of the shelf at me.
7: Cars. Great fun and Lightning McQueen’s journey of self-discovery is well executed.
6: Toy Story. For typical reasons, most notably the mindblowing originality of the film, and the timeless characters created.
Getting more difficult. . .
5: Toy Story 3. I, with all other people possessing souls, cried when our beloved toys inched towards inferno. And yet I put Toy Story 3 in the number 5 spot because I felt that, while appropriate, the constant references to the other two movies didn’t completely satisfy me. And honestly I didn’t like the ending. I don’t feel that I have to grow up and let go of my toys and imagination and transition into a bland adulthood. Obviously this is not what the makers of Pixar did, just look at their “child’s dream” office building.
4: UP. I, with all other people possessing a soul, cried through the opening scene it is high water mark for Pixar’s story telling mastery. I also like that they didn’t try take us to those emotional depths again, they let us rise and ride the winds of fancy. We were able to move on to a new place with the characters.
3: Toy Story 2. Honestly I think this is where Toy Story reached perfection. The characters were fully developed and able to take an airy adventure without the baggage of concluding anything. I cried during 3 because I laughed through 2.
2: Finding Nemo. Pixar at its absolute best. Finding Nemo not only possesses all the aspects that make Pixar great, but takes these aspects to their highest achievement. Originality, Characters, Humor, Correctly Balanced Emotion, they’re all there in unrivaled quantity. I rank Finding Nemo as Pixar’s best work. I saw it opening day and having arrived right on time ended up laying on the floor at the front of the theater, this was beneficial because being already on the floor I couldn’t fall out of my chair with laughter. I simply rolled around on the soda, sugar, and butter soaked floor clutching myself with unbridled laughter.
1: The Incredibles. What? AJ have you lost your small mind? You just said Finding Nemo was the best Pixar movie and yet you put The Incredibles in the number one spot. Ah yes, Finding Nemo is the best but The Incredibles is my favorite. I can and have watched this one the most. I have not tired of the repetition I love it completely every time. It is my soul mate in movie form. Perhaps like me Pixar found itself dissatisfied with X-Men despite their love of the idea. So Pixar decided to do superheroes right, and right the did!!


Live Action:
18: The Rocketeer. This show was on tv the other day and it sparked an investigation. I could not understand how Jennifer Connolly had gotten vastly more attractive with age. A quick internet search followed by a photo comparison revealed how this was possible. She had a nose job! Her brilliant plastic surgeon built up the bridge of her nose. She may have also had her cheeks thinned. Long story short The Rocketteer is a pretty good flick.
17: The Three Musketeers. This movie also came from the 90’s. Charlie Sheen wasn’t crazy then (or at least could conceal it). All the action is actually really good.
16: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Unlike the book this movie is actually good. Great characters and flow.
15: The Parent Trap (original). Hayley Mills did a fine job in this movie and didn’t go crazy (so far as we know) afterwards and become a major ho bag. Besides this emotional stability the movie also doesn’t suck and make me want to claw my bleeding eyes out like the horrible remake.
14: Pollyanna. Can you not love this show? It is an example of the ability Disney used to have to make wholesome entertainment. Could you imagine if they tried to remake Pollyanna?
13: Old Yeller. While this movie is classic I must say it is a classic example of how Disney tries to jack with a person’s emotions. I haven’t read the book but it probably does end the same way but tragic dog deaths are not really needed.
12: The Shaggy Dog. The kid that shot Old Yeller paid his dues by becoming cursed to turn into a dog at inopportune times that result in hilariously awkward moments.
11: Darby O’Gill and the Little People. Before he became Ian Flemming’s James Bond 007 Sir Sean Connery was romping around with leprechauns trying to save his love from the Banshee of death.
10: Herbie Rides Again. A lot of the experience I had in my young years with Disney live action movies was because my Grandma Bell would record them and then give them to us. All these random Disney movies are floating around my house. One of the best of these is Herbie Rides Again. This show climaxes with Herbie chasing a man on the wires of the Golden Gate Bridge.
9: Snowba ll Express. This show was taped on the same tape as 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Here a man is caught in the rat race of New York when he receives a hotel in Colorado from a long lost uncle. He uproots his family and moves them out there only to find that the hotel is a dilapidated disaster. He tries to turn it into a ski resort but disaster ensues. Great Great! Classic Disney live action randomness.
8: In Search of the Castaways. Hayley Mills is back again. Here her father is a sea captain that got lost. A French biologist finds a letter in a bottle inside a shark from this lost father. The children and the Frenchie try to convince their father’s boss to go after him. The Boss turns them down but his snobby son changes his mind because he’s smitten with young Hayley’s beauty and feist. Off they go on a grand adventure around the world.
7: The Ugly Dachshund. One of my favorites, it would have scored higher but the closer you get to the top the more intense the competition gets. In this show a family’s vet gives them a great Dane puppy when their dachshund has puppies. This dog’s large size leads to plenty of zany mayhem. As you’ll see the competition heats up after this point and a lower grade movie like this can’t keep up with the big dogs.
6: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Definitely the greatest pirate movie ever! If there was a genre before it was rewritten by this film. And yet it shows the shamelessness that modern Disney displays when raping their own creations for money.
5: Pete’s Dragon: Ken I can’t believe you forgot this movie in your list. For coming out of the 70’s it is a really solid movie. The music in this is just as impressive as anything Disney has done.
4: The Swiss Family Robinson. How could you go wrong with desert island strandings? You can’t. Never mind that hyenas, zebras and tigers don’t really go together but who cares. The pirates in this movie are Asian which is a nice change. And the family has such a grand time that they when given the chance they don’t want to leave their tree house paradise. A girl even shows up disguised as a cabin boy and provides a love interest for the two sons to fight over. And who plays the dishy Roberta, yes Sean Connery’s love interest in Darby O’Gill and the Little People.
3: Bed Knobs & Broomsticks. Love, love, love this flick!! I don’t have much to say about its greatness but if you’ve seen it you know how rad it is.
2: Mary Poppins. Honestly old Mary sugar goes down just barely squeaked in front of Bed Knobs & Broomsticks. Possibly because she won the best actress academy award for this role and the beyond loveable Angela Lansbury did not.
1: The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men. Surprisingly the best live action Disney movie was only the 2nd live action movie they made. As you can see from this list it’s a good thing they didn’t quit while they were ahead but they hit gold.


Top 20 Overall
Now I’m afraid this list will be rife with hypocrisy because I’m pretty sure I'm going to rank movies in the overall list above movies which they scored under in the categories area. But I have a reasons, for an overall list I’m taking into account the desert island factor. Basically if I can only have 20 Disney movies to watch for the rest of forever what would they be. This changes things, I may like one movie more than another but I watch the other more often. I’m also taking into consideration the quotable factor. But it’s really boiling down to the oddity that a movie may edge out its peers when lumped together into categories, but when the chips are down and the pressures on in the overall group where considerations are different movies pull ahead unexpectedly.
20: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
19: Lady and the Tramp
18: Aladdin (Beauty and the Beast). Here’s a case where a movie that got 4th in the Golden Age oddly becomes the only movie from the Golden Age to even make the final list. OR!! Would have been except that Aladdin is now playing on the Disney channel and Beauty and the Beast is clearly better. Further my roommate and I just had a Belle vs. Jasmine debate which only further pushed Beauty and the Beast ahead. Jasmine was born a princess which means while she may be cute and flirty during courtship her haggy, spoiled claws would come out 6 months into the marriage. But Belle . . . she’s nice from the start and becomes a princess for her ability to love a beast.
17: In Search of the Castaways
16: Pete’s Dragon
15: Peter Pan
14: Cinderella
13: Swiss Family Robison
12: Toy Story 3
11: Up
10: Sleeping Beauty. Here’s where the most hypocrisy comes in. Movies in the Classic Age find themselves all reshuffled for the final cut. Sleeping Beauty which was number one falls back significantly.
9: Mary Poppins. Edged out in the final by Bedknobs and Broomsticks
8: Toy Story 2
7: Finding Nemo
6: Bedknobs and Broomsticks
5: The Sword and the Stone
4: The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men (Live Action)
3: The Incredibles
2: Robin Hood (Animation)
1: Winnie the Pooh. Why is Winnie the Pooh the greatest Disney film ever made? There are countless reasons but I only need cite one. When I first watched The 6th Sense I was properly scared and unable to sleep. My solution? Plug in Winnie the Pooh, its pure entertainment chased all the baddies away.