Favourite Disney movies

Do I even need to talk about this one? Most people have already explained why this film is so amazing that I don´t really have anything to add to it. It´s not called Disney´s greatest fairy tale and love story for nothing. Beauty and the Beast is an almost flawless five star movie, both in story and animation. Truly deserves all the respect it has gotten over the years.

Simply a masterpiece. Coming of age stories mixed with Shakespearean drama don´t get much better than this. This is an important movie to many of my generation, and I still have nothing but respect to it. The characters, the story, the songs, the lessons, all of these are among the finest one can find in a family film. Still don´t understand how an average movie like Frozen surpassed the success of this movie, though.

This is one of those movies that I´ve really started to appreciate as I´ve grown older. Of all the Disney movies that were made when Walt was alive, Bambi has aged the most gracefully. The animation and the atmosphere are so gorgeous that the viewer can feel like being in the forest too. Pretty much everything in this movie has appeal that can touch all generations. And who wasn´t traumatized when Bambi´s mom died, though?

Besides The Thief of Baghdad, Aladdin is possibly one of the greatest adventures set in the Arabian Nights. It was also one of the first Disney movies that blended great modern comedy with a great timeless story, and many films of the kind followed suit. Aladdin is still the pinnacle of that genre, with its breathtaking visuals, iconic musical numbers and easily the funniest character in Disney history ever, The Genie himself.

Fantasia is pretty much the 2001 of animated features, where the focus is not that much on the story but more on the experience the film gives. This really is a film unlike any other. It brings classical music to life with spectacular animation that no computer animation can hold a candle to. The scenes themselves have already become so classic I don´t even need to describe them. Night in Bald Mountain in particular is simply legendary.

Zootopia is called by many as one of the best Disney movies of this decade, and rightfully so. In an era where most CGI-animated films feel like the same, this felt like a huge breath of fresh air when I saw it. Judy and Nick quickly became two of my favourite Disney characters, and the humor, imagination and heart of the film really struck a chord with me. The relevant social commentary on discrimination and prejudice was wonderful too. Really hope this wins Best Animated Feature in the next Academy Awards.

This is one of the Disney movies I´ve watched the most when I was a child, and even today, its charms are still undeniable. While the film is very modest with its story and the animation isn´t anything spectacular, the film has still a very strong aura of likability all around it. It shows in its characters, its humor, its romance, its action and in the overall feel of the film. I also really love the "forest animals in medieval setting"-thing that´s going on here, as it gives the film a very charming storybook-like feel.

Who would´ve known that a Victor Hugo novel would also make for a great Disney movie that would still have its dark and twisted themes strongly present there? As one of the company´s darkest movies, this is something really impressive. Alan Menken´s operatic musical numbers give me chills every time I see this, and the epic scope shows in the animation too. The film also features hands down the most sinister and dramatic Disney villain of all time.

Now we´re in really classic territory here. Pinocchio is a wonderful moral-driven fairy tale where we follow a child-like character learn important lessons and overcome all sorts of dangers in order to reach the happy ending. All of this is done in such a timeless and classic fashion that it´s no wonder why so many call this one of Disney´s best. Like many great family movies, it doesn´t shy away from sad or scary moments either, and there are plenty of both here.

A forgotten and underrated Disney movie from one of the most troublesome decades in the company´s history, The Great Mouse Detective serves as a fun and charming tribute to Sherlock Holmes that feels refreshingly different to so many other Disney movies. Really love the more eerie and mysterious tone that the film has going on, and Vincent Price makes for a fantastic villain that totally steals the show in here. Basil also serves his role as the film´s equivalent to Sherlock more than well.

Groovy and laid-back are the first words that come to mind when describing this movie. It uses its episodic and musical-heavy narrative to its advantage very well with its unforgettable characters and the amazing songs by the Sherman brothers. I Wanna Be Like You and Bare Necessities in particular are pretty much classic tunes that always stick in my head. It may not be the most faithful interpretation of Kipling´s masterpiece (still waiting for that film to come, though), but definitely one of the most fun and unique ones.

After many rather passive Disney heroines, Mulan was a big step in the right direction. Her struggle against both the boundaries of her culture and the war with the Huns makes for one great heroine´s journey story, with both thrills and laughs aplenty. The visual style of the movie also captures the Chinese feel wonderfully, and Jerry Goldsmith does a great job with the musical score. Not to mention this was one of the first Disney movies I ever say in the theater, too.

This was always one of my childhood favourites, and even today, it´s still one of the best adaptations of J.M Barrie´s classic tale regardless of its liberties to the source material. It´s funny, energetic, adventurous and has that childlike sense of whimsy which works in stories like that very well. Even though it has its weaknesses in the form of weak character development and laughably racist portrayal of Native Americans, it still has the nostalgic charm and sense of adventure that keeps it afloat still today.

The art direction in this movie is unbelievable. Combining its unique animation style and epic scope with Tschaikovsky´s music creates a stunning atmosphere that oozes throughout the movie. The other strength of this movie lies in its supporting characters, ranging from the three fairies to Maleficent, who´s still deservedly one of the finest villainesses out there. While not groundbreaking story-wise, it still does its job as an artistic interpretation of a fairy tale wonderfully.

Hands down the most underrated Disney movie of the 90s. Whether viewed as a sequel to The Rescuers or as a film on its own, this works as a simple but great animated adventure. Bernard and Miss Bianca are still the wonderful characters they were in the first movie, the flight scenes with the eagle contain some of the best animation I´ve ever seen in a Disney movie, and the film and it balances comedy and adventure very seamlessly in its very straightforward story. Bonus points for not having unnecessary song numbers this time, too.