Disney Rankings

As promised, here is the final rankings and ratings of the Disney films from my re-watch series:

1. Pinocchio – 8.75/10
2. Peter Pan – 8.5/10
3. Alice in Wonderland – 8.25/10
4. The Black Cauldron – 8.25/10
5. Sleeping Beauty – 8.25/10
6. The Lion King – 8.25/10
7. Dumbo – 8/10
8. The Little Mermaid – 8/10
9. The Rescuers – 7.75/10
10. Aladdin – 7.75/10
11. Bambi – 7.5/10
12. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs – 7.5/10
13. The Sword in the Stone – 7.5/10
14. The Aristocats – 7.25/10
15. The Great Mouse Detective – 7/10
16. Beauty and the Beast – 6.75/10
17. The Jungle Book – 6.5/10
18. Robin Hood – 6.25/10
19. Lady and the Tramp – 6.25/10
20. The Fox and the Hound – 6/10
21. 101 Dalmatians – 5.75/10
22. Cinderella – 5.5/10
23. Oliver & Company – 5.25/10

The Lion King (Allers, Minkoff, 1994)

I was born and raised a Disney child and I never have grown out of it. Despite this, it has been a while since I’ve seen almost all of the classic animated Disney movies I grew up with. So I have decided I want to watch them all again – in order of release. When I finish, I will rank them all, and hand out my number scores from there.

The Lion King (Roger Allers & Rob Minkoff, 1994)

The hiatus is over. I’ve finally finished as far as I’m going to go in my Disney animated feature re-watch series. I wish I could say I’m ending on a bang – with a flick that was nothing like what I remembered and totally changed the way I view film. But, alas, this is almost exactly like I recall. The story is a mix of happiness and sorrow, of friendship and romantic love, and of beauty both visually and spiritually. Simba’s story of working through guilt and repressed emotions to find a redemption he never knew he needed is extremely profound for a ‘child’s movie’.

Again, though, the humor slightly misses the mark. Bits and pieces of humor fit right in, but the character of Timon rivals Aladdin’s Genie as most annoying character that I once thought I loved. Honestly, he sucks the life out of many scenes by being entirely too loud and important. His counterpart, Pumbaa, somehow manages to present the same type of humor and make it tolerable. This is still one of my favorites though. And without further ado, my first rating.  8.25/10

Aladdin (Clements, Musker, 1992)

I was born and raised a Disney child and I never have grown out of it. Despite this, it has been a while since I’ve seen almost all of the classic animated Disney movies I grew up with. So I have decided I want to watch them all again – in order of release. When I finish, I will rank them all, and hand out my number scores from there.

Aladdin (Ron Clements & John Musker, 1992)

In a surprising turn of events, Aladdin does not quite live up to the glorious memories I have of it. I was 9 when this movie came out and because I grew up on it being one of those I probably watched more than any, I think I will always enjoy it. But there is much that is grating on a re-watch. The genie, despite his infinite fame, could be one of the most disappointing characters in any of these movies. Why they felt the need to have him impersonate Groucho Marx, Jack Nicholson, Pinocchio, and many other modern-day figures is beyond me. It removes viewers from the Arabian setting completely is a complete swing-and-a-miss on the humor front. The film thrives in the adventure and romance genres. Aladdin, Jasmine, and Jafar are strong enough characters in helping bring the story to life that the genie could have easily been much more toned down. Despite all this, nostalgia often wins out, and I did like seeing this again. The film’s last act is extremely creative both in its no-limits approach and its dark and dangerous animation. It helps make up for what the genie almost ruins.  7.75/10

Beauty and the Beast (Trousdale, Wise, 1991)

I was born and raised a Disney child and I never have grown out of it. Despite this, it has been a while since I’ve seen almost all of the classic animated Disney movies I grew up with. So I have decided I want to watch them all again – in order of release. When I finish, I will rank them all, and hand out my number scores from there.

Beauty and the Beast (Gary Trousdale & Kirk Wise, 1991)

You know, I still don’t get the love for this one. After rewatching it, I can safely say that to me this will always be a middle-of-the-pack Disney film. There is a bit too much cartoonism for my liking. I know, complaining about a cartoon being too cartoony doesn’t really seem fair, but when you have so many other Disney films that somehow avoid this flaw, it’s noticeable when it exists. And, truthfully, it might be the entirely-too-heavy contrast of cartoon features with realism features that is actually throwing me off. (At one moment, the servants have genuine fear of the beast, and the next they are barking orders at him as he looks at them submissively.) But even with all that, I do enjoy the love story, especially how it’s told mostly through song-accompanied montage. So, all in all, this is very hit or miss, and I’d have to describe this as only slightly above average.  6.75/10

The Little Mermaid (Clements, Musker, 1989)

I was born and raised a Disney child and I never have grown out of it. Despite this, it has been a while since I’ve seen almost all of the classic animated Disney movies I grew up with. So I have decided I want to watch them all again – in order of release. When I finish, I will rank them all, and hand out my number scores from there.

The Little Mermaid (Ron Clements & John Musker, 1989)

Sorry it has taken me so long to get back to this series. I had a slight bit of trouble obtaining a dvd of this movie that didn’t look like it had been through a meat grinder. Again, better than I remembered. Similar to what I liked about Sleeping Beauty, this is an unashamed fairy tale that just happens to cross two worlds – our world at land, and a world under the sea. No, there is absolutely no development to the central relationship. Ariel ‘falls in love’ with the prince based on two encounters, neither of which involved them speaking to each other. But after she arrives on land to spend a few days with him, their romantic and playful activities feel genuine. (Still, the whole ‘you have three days to get true love’s kiss’ schtick deserves at least a slight eye-roll.) But couple this playfulness with an exciting, adventurous story, arguably the scariest villain in a Disney film yet, and a great collection of songs, and this is a step back in the right direction after several questionable efforts from the 80s.  8/10