So this is where I put an end to my adventure through Disney's Animated film, Frozen. At this point, I think it's become obvious that Disney is pretty much just a decent movie maker content to just keep making good films, but nothing is going to stand up to their classics.
That said, I did like going back through the movies. It was nice to see a lot of the ones I missed, and it was interesting to see how certain movies I ended up looking at in a different light. I am surprised by where I ranked certain movies in the top ten, and if you had asked me before I started revisiting all these movies what they were, four of them wouldn't have even been considered.
That said, I've talked enough about Disney as a whole in the last few reviews, so on to the list!
10.) Cinderella
This is one that surprised me, cause I never liked this film growing up. I don't think Disney does Love Stories very well, and this is no exception. That said, I enjoyed that Cinderella herself was a lot more expressive and showcased a lot more emotions and personality than the movies that came before it. I got to see Disney evolve as a studio by watching this film after the others, and it helped me to appreciate it more than when I was younger.
It also had a lot more funny moments than I remember, and it's a good example of Disney making use of its comic side relief when a lot of their later movies seemed to rely too heavily on it. Just a good and solid story, and a good example of telling a simple tale well.
9.) Tarzan
While I always liked this movie, I found myself liking it a lot more now for some reason. I can't tell you why it didn't hit as hard with me when I was younger, but it's probably the Disney movie that best uses Montage to show characters growing. Yes, it uses that trick a little too much, but it does it wonderfully. Tarzan and Jane end up feeling like one of the most realistic couples in Disney as a result.
I also adore Jane, and that is where I started to feel the movie picked up for me now. She's not incompetent, just out of her depth in the Jungle. She's a very well-rounded character, very expressive, and I have a thing for characters with such a great curiosity. And unlike Ariel from Little Mermaid, it never feels like that curiosity suddenly becomes an irrelevant character trait for her story and character.
It's not enough to save the movie from feeling a bit odd that Phil Collins sings every song, no matter what character perceptive it comes from, or some of the odd leaps of Logic you have to go through to enjoy the story, but I still walked away really liking this one.
8.) Sleeping Beauty
This one shocked me more than any other because I straight hated this film growing up. I saw it as one of, if not the, worst Disney Love stories they ever did. Now, I do think that is still true, but I realized Aurora wasn't the main character of the show watching it this time. The story isn't really about finding true love or anything of the sort, it's about learning to let go.
As bad as the love story is, you're not following her around, you follow around the Fairy Godparents as they try to shelter and protect their little girl. It's not even really the prince that saves her, though he is part of it, it's mostly carried by the Godparents.
Once I saw the movie like that, I was more able to forgive a lot of its flaws and enjoy it. Plus, Maleficent remains one of the film's greatest 'Evil for the sake of evil' villains. Yeah, she's one-note, but she hits that note perfectly.
7.) Alice in Wonderland
There is no real deep analysis as to why I like this movie, though there is room for that. This one works because of how wonderfully imaginative it is. It's such a strange world, yet everyone in it takes it so seriously. You get this great contrast where even Alice, who loves the whimsical, can't handle how strange it all is. From beginning to end it is just fun to watch, without a dull scene to be found.
6.) Hercules
From beginning to end, I think Hercules probably has the best soundtrack of any of the Disney Animated features. Every song is great, and even the worst one is made enjoyable because of the strangely bizarre charm of Danny Devito. If anyone else did that song as Phil, I don't know if it would have worked.
And as far as pure comedy goes, this is probably the movie that got the most laughs out of me. And a lot of good laughs can go a long way in making characters likable. Honestly, this is the movie I think Emperor's New Groove most took after, but whereas that movie forgot you had to have an interesting and engaging plot to support the barrage of Jokes, Hercules manages to keep you invested in the story as well. It's just a solid cast of characters you want to root for.
5.) Robin Hood
Of Disney movies I never had a high opinion of, this is the one I turned the most around on. I like every movie on the list before this, but this is when I start saying I love these movies. Much like Sleeping Beauty, I didn't get what this one was about when I was younger, and it wasn't until this little retrospective that I had given it a second chance.
King Richards was never a great villain, and to a degree, I still stand by that, but Robin Hood was never about Robin besting Richards. No matter how often you beat him, he's currently the King. No victory was ever going to be permanent. Robin Hood was about surviving the dark times under him. Weathering the storm as it were. In a lot of ways, the more laid-back atmosphere of the movie, something I use to think hindered it, actually hits a whole lot harder now that I'm older.
The small victories that they seemed this grateful and happy for weren't being celebrated because they won, they were celebrating because they managed to keep moving and survive. It didn't matter how tiny or brief the respites were, they were just grateful to be there and had learned to enjoy the happiness they had in the dark times.
4.) The Rescuers Down Under
Sometimes you don't need some deep or meaningful message to win me over, sometimes you just want an epic adventure, and by gods, you get that here. The visuals in this movie are some of the greatest Disney has ever produced, it is just visually thrilling from beginning to end. I always knew this was in my top ten, but after this watch, I ended up rating it even higher on the list than I ever thought I would have.
The shocking thing is that it was the sequel to one of the most boring movies I have ever seen in my life. There was no reason that movie should have gotten a sequel, nonetheless a sequel that is this good.
3.) Aladdin
I was sure Aladdin was going to place number two before I started this retrospective. But the re-watch did kind of highlight some flaws for me. A big one being is a comedy isn't as good as a lot of other Disney Films, but at the same time, I feel they were starting to put a lot more in. It's fine with Hercules where that is a core focus, but here it can feel a bit overbearing. And as great as Genie is, a lot of his jokes do feel dated after all these years.
All that said it's up to them with Tarzan as one of the better love stories, and Alladin himself is arguably the most likable lead in any Disney film. Ignoring the street rat looking like a pretty boy (Which is a bit distracting considering the movie's message), it's easy to care about the guy and his struggles. And the movie does a good job at giving him and an actual Princess some common ground to connect on.
Throw in some of the company's funniest action sequences, a great final battle between Aladdin and Jaffar pitting their wits against each other, and a couple of great songs and you end up with a classic. Even if I am more critical of the movie now than ever before, I still love it all these years later.
2.) Mulan
I had this list ordered, and as I started writing I got to what was my number two and had to stop myself and think.... is this going to be my favorite movie? Up until I started writing this list, and years before I would have told you Mulan was my favorite Disney film. Mulan is relatable to just about anyone because her struggle is about finding out what it is she wants in the world despite their expectations for her. I love her character, I liked that the love story never took precedent over her struggles, and while Hercules I felt was stronger overall in terms of the Soundtrack this movie has my two favorite Disney Songs, Reflection and I'll Make a Man Out of You.
The one that inevitably overtook this one, however, I have always loved. And it's not one that I think got a lot of high acclaims compared to many other movies they have done. I always thought it was overlooked, but it's not until today I am thinking it is indeed my favorite movie they have ever done.
1.) The Great Mouse Detective
I am in awe of how much I loved this movie. The creative way they made use of everyday items as small rats, the bizarre nature of Basil himself, the lead character, having largely unlikable characteristics but still being extremely charming and endearing, and a Villain who seems to be primarily motivated purely out of self-hatred. It's a perfect foil for an incredibly narcissistic lead character.
His villain song is also rather underrated in Disney I feel, as it's not like many other Disney Musical numbers that seem to happen in an almost meta way where it's not happening but more a representation in musical form (As are most musical numbers in Disney), but he is forcing his men to cheerily sing this upbeat and wonderfully positive-sounding song about how wonderful Rattigan is. It's kind of demented in a way, and it's interrupted by a fairly gruesome-looking murder before getting kick-started once again. I would say this is the darkest Disney Movie we have ever had.
It's also got the best action scenes in any Disney Film. Seeing Rattigan finally snap and completely lose his cool at the end created an incredibly intense climax, and is one of the more satisfying ends to a Disney villain.
I am surprised by how a lot of this list ended up. Originally I was thinking The Great Mouse Detective would have ended in sixth, and movies like Cinderella, Robin Hood, and Sleeping Beauty would never have made the list at all. It's interesting to see how time can change your views on certain things.
Anyway, it may be a little while as I'm working on other things as well, but I hope to see you back when I release my ten least favorite films of Disney.
It would be hard for me to put in order a top 10 but I would say that Aladdin is my favorite.
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