Top 10 Disney Animated Movies (No Pixar)

[Hunter Rider]

Since neither of my boys @DarthSkywalker or @Iceman got this made I figured I might as well do it.

Simple as it sounds just list your personal top 10 favourites. I've put a list below of them all in case you need any memory refreshers.

Spoiler

Snow White 1937
Pinocchio 1940
Fantasia 1940
Dumbo 1941
Bambi 1942
Saludos Amigos 1942
The Three Caballeros 1944
Make Mine Music 1946
Fun & Fancy Free 1947
Melody Time 1948
Ichabod & Mr Toad 1949
Cinderella 1950
Alice In Wonderland 1951
Peter Pan 1953
Lady & The Tramp 1955
Sleeping Beauty 1959
101 Dalmatians 1961
The Sword in the Stone 1963
The Jungle Book 1967
The Aristocats 1970
Robin Hood 1973
The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh 1977
The Rescuers 1977
The Fox & The Hound 1981
The Black Cauldron 1985
Basil The Great Mouse Detective 1986
Oliver & Company 1988
The Little Mermaid 1989
Rescuers Down Under 1990
Beauty & the Beast 1991
Aladdin 1992
The Lion King 1994
Pocahontas 1995
The Hunchback of Notre Dame 1996
Hercules 1997
Mulan 1998
Tarzan 1999
Fantasia 2000 2000
The Emperor's New Groove 2001
Atlantis 2001
Lilo & Stitch 2002
Treasure Planet 2002
Brother Bear 2003
Home On The Range 2004
Chicken Little 2005
The Wild 2006
Meet The Robinsons 2007
Bolt 2008
The Princess & the Frog 2009
Tangled 2010
Wreck-It Ralph 2012
Frozen 2013
Big Hero 6 2014
Zootropolis 2016
Moana 2016

I'll start us off!


10. The Rescuers



9. The Black Cauldron



8. Tangled



7. Wreck-It Ralph



6. Moana



5. Beauty & the Beast



4. Zootropolis



3. The Lion King



2. Frozen



1. Aladdin

 

[Drizzle]

1 and 2 are pretty much tied for me but my top three will probably remain unchanged for life.

1. The Lion King
2. Beauty and the Beast
3. Aladdin
4. Frozen
5. The Little Mermaid
6. The Jungle Book
7. Tarzan
8. Zootopia
9. Tangled
10. Wreck-It Ralph

Honorable Mentions: Moana, One Hundred and One Dalmatians, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, Bambi

Disney animation has been at their most on point this decade and the early ‘90s.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Nice thread Hunter!

I totally forgot Zootopia was named something else outside of the USA.

 

[Mandon Knight]

Mine's gonna be quite unconventional me thinks...not sure of my top 10 currently but can do my Top 3 for now....

1) Pinocchio
2) Alice in Wonderland
3) Robin Hood

 

[Kahran Ramsus]

10. Mulan - A Disney war movie and a shockingly high body count that reflects that. I rewatched this again recently and it was better than I remembered. Mulan herself makes for a great lead and is the anchor that holds this movie together. She's one of the best Disney protagonists. Shan Yu makes for interesting villain too. No villain songs here. He's just a violent, yet cagey brute who slaughters everything in his path, including children. The jarring transition from "A Girl Worth Fighting For" to the burnt out husk of a village (with implied piles of corpses just out of camera) is the best part of the movie.

9. The Hunchback of Notre Dame - The one and only Disney film with a true villain protagonist. This movie is all about Frollo, his struggle with his faith, and his eventual descent into damnation. It is a shame it didn't do very well, but I can understand why as it was way too serious of a subject matter for what was undoubtedly a family company by the 90s. Those talking gargoyles are awful though, and this movie might be higher on this list if they weren't in the movie.

8. The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad - Yes, a package film makes my list. The Wind and the Willows is mostly known for the Disney World ride, but is a fun story with a good moral lesson about a rich idiot who jumps without looking into the latest fad that comes along. The relationship between Toad and his exasperated friends and handlers makes it work, and like any good sitcom Toad forgets everything he learned in the last two minutes. The real winner though is The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, a pretty accurate retelling of the Irving story turned into a musical starring Bing Crosby. That final confrontation with the Headless Horseman is one of the best things Disney has ever done. That laugh still haunts my nightmares.

7. Beauty and the Beast - Unfortunate Stockholm Syndrome undertones aside, this is simply a nice story of two people who don't fit in finding love in each other. What is there to really say about this movie that hasn't been. It looks great, it sounds great, the characters are great. It deserved its Best Picture nomination.

6. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs - A do have a couple of issues with it. First, I don't particularly like Snow White's singing voice. Second, I do think it stalls a little too long in the middle with the dwarfs getting ready for dinner. But the rest of it is amazing. The Queen, the songs, the forest scene, Snow White's "death," the awakening... there is a reason this was the biggest movie of all-time when it came out.

5. Sleeping Beauty - A different take on the classic princess fable, from the perspective of the usual supporting cast. Make no mistake, the fairies are the main characters here, not Aurora (she only has a handful of lines in the entire film). Notable for the presence of Maleficent, the greatest of all Disney villains. It is worth it just for that opening scene at Aurora's Christening.

4. Lady and the Tramp - Unlike most of the other films near the top of my list, this isn't serious drama. Just a fun romantic comedy, but one of the best. Despite that I find it strangely adult in places, especially when it comes to Tramp's sex life. The best Disney romance. Also, for being the first Disney film in Cinemascope, it looks amazing.

3. Pinocchio - One of the weirdest Disney films, which makes it standout. It would be also too easy to hate Pinocchio as he falls for all sorts of bad influences and snake oil salesmen, but he is just so lovably bubbly and naive it is hard not to love him even when he is turning into a jackass (literally). Speaking of which, The Coachman is maybe Disney's most frightening villain, and unlike basically every other main villain they've done, he gets completely away with everything and gets to continue kidnapping kids to sell into slavery. These early Disney movies could be dark. Also, I love the songs in this. "When You Wish Upon a Star," "There Ain't No Strings on Me," and "Hey Diddly Dee, An Actor's Life for Me" are three of Disney's biggest earworms.

2. Fantasia - 2 is probably understating things. This is more of a 1A. It lacks the emotional punch of #1, but is one of the most rewatchable movies ever. I never get tired of it. It is just pure bliss to sit back and listen to some of the best music ever written, set to some breathtaking animation. The Arabian Dance sequence with the fish is my favorite bit of animation ever.

1. Bambi - I don't know of any other movie that has captured the experience of going through life as well as this one. There is no real plot and no villain to defeat, which in this case works to its benefit. Nothing to distract from the actual point. It is raw, emotional, and sometimes brutal. I can barely get through it without crying. It also contains some of the most gorgeous animation ever put to film. A masterpiece.

HM: Dumbo, Tarzan, The Little Mermaid, One Hundred and One Dalmatians, The Three Caballeros

 

[Fincher]

So going by the list, we're talking Walt Disney Animation Studios films (a.k.a. Disney Canon)?

1. Tangled
2. The Lion King
3. The Little Mermaid
4. Winnie the Pooh (2011)
5. Big Hero 6
6. The Princess and the Frog
7. Frozen
8. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
9. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
10. Peter Pan

There's a number of them I haven't seen.

 

[childeroland]

1. Fantasia. Essentially pure cinema, right up there with La Jetee and The Mirror.

2. Bambi. Heartbreaking, also closer to an experience than to a conventional movie.

3. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. Almost as good as the classic Peanuts specials. Simple adventures that create a world you can immerse yourself in no matter what your age. Sometimes happiness CAN be interesting, and these are just characters you want to spend time with.

4. Dumbo. An almost perfectly paced, edited, written, scored animated piece with not a word wasted. The acid sequence and the crows just add to the weirdness, which makes this film stand out. Not as raw as Bambi only because of the ending.

5. Pinocchio. Another more-or-less perfect film. And a great adaptation which softens the brutal original, drops the things that would not work on film, and yet remains credibly dark and entertaining. A better AI than Spielberg's movie, fresher even though it came out in 1940.

6. Sleeping Beauty. Better than Perrault's fairy tale because its brevity and cleaner storyline make it sharper.

7. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Mostly because of the animation, the dwarfs, the huntsman and the very nasty evil queen. Snow White herself works more as a MacGuffin force of goodness than a character, but she doesn't have to be more.

8. Winnie the Pooh (2011). An absolutely lovely sequel to the Many Adventures. Shares that film's idyllic slice-of-life, comedy, and warmth.

9. Lady and the Tramp. Makes great use of its setting and boasts interesting animal AND human characters.

10. The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad. Mostly for the faithful adaptation of The Wind in the Willows.

 

[lime]

1. Beauty and the Beast
2. The Lion King
all the rest...

 

[Breogan]

8. The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad - Yes, a package film makes my list. The Wind and the Willows is mostly known for the Disney World ride, but is a fun story with a good moral lesson about a rich idiot who jumps without looking into the latest fad that comes along. The relationship between Toad and his exasperated friends and handlers makes it work, and like any good sitcom Toad forgets everything he learned in the last two minutes. The real winner though is The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, a pretty accurate retelling of the Irving story turned into a musical starring Bing Crosby. That final confrontation with the Headless Horseman is one of the best things Disney has ever done. That laugh still haunts my nightmares.

10. The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad. Mostly for the faithful adaptation of The Wind in the Willows.

Can't believe I've still never seen this movie, I've even been on the ride!

 

[Abudefduf]

It would be easier to make a list of the ones that I don't like, lol.
My personal list only includes old movies because my brain is poisoned by nostalgia. It's a miracle that it allowed me to leave The Aristocats out of it.

Not in order,

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
The Lion King
Bambi
Alice in Wonderland
Peter Pan
The Little Mermaid
Pinocchio
Sleeping Beauty
The Jungle Book

Honorable mentions: The Aristocats and The Sword in the Stone. These two might not be great (or even good) movies, but they are without a doubt the most rewatchable ones to me.

 

[tanita_mors]

01. Beauty and the Beast - untouchable No.1
02. The Lion King
03. The Great Mouse Detective
04. Aladdin
05. The Little Mermaid
06. Mulan
07. Robin Hood
08. The Rescuers 1 & 2
09. Hunchback of Notre Dame
10. 101 Dalmatians

Honorable mentions go to: The Black Cauldron, The Sword in the Stone, Atlantis and Frozen

 

[2kt09]

 

[Breogan]

Pinocchio

Robin Hood

Beauty & the Beast

Tarzan

Mulan

The Three Caballeros (surprised the OP counts it as for it's format)

Zootopia

Fantasia

Atlantis

Sleeping Beauty

Fav short: Galloping Gaucho

 

[CJ]

10.

Spoiler

Wreck-It Ralph

A love letter to gaming, with lots of humor & heart. I love all the little details crammed into this movie, from the 8-bit styled sprites when the movie opens, the cameos by icons like Sonic the Hedgehog, Pac-Man, the cast of Street Fighter and Bowser (I find it odd that Disney couldn't afford Mario though)

The soundtrack by Henry Jackman is really great. I love how the music builds and builds as the camera slowly pans into Fix-It Felix Jr's game, revealing the large world they inhabit. Feels so reminiscent of an 80's arcade game. The music also gets me in the feels too when Ralph and Vanellope say goodbye at the end.

Of course I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Skrillex's contributions. The Hero's Duty scene was not only visually stunning, but Skrillex's fast beats had my adrenaline pumping. Wish we could've seen more of that game.

It's a shame Ralph Breaks the Internet didn't quite live up to the original.

9.

Spoiler

The Emperor's New Groove

One of the funniest movies I've ever seen, and a criminally overlooked one at that.

I'm sure you all know the premise, but just as a refresher: A greedy Emperor is accidentally transformed into a Llama is a botched assassination attempt by the film's villian, Yzma.

David Spade was perfectly cast as the smug, self-absorbed Emperor Kuzco. But Patrick Warburton was the one who stole the show as Kronk. The scene with his shoulder Angel kills me everytime.

If you haven't seen this movie, do yourself a favor and do it, like NOW.

8.

Spoiler

Tarzan

The classic story retold with a Disney spin. Even though this movie is nearly 20 years old, I still believe it is the most gorgeous to look at. I love all of the scenery in this film. It's simply beautiful, as is the excellent soundtrack by Phil Collins

7.

Spoiler

101 Dalmatians

I rented this from the video store so many times in my childhood. I don't know what it is about this movie that I enjoy so much. It's a rather simple tale of puppies trying to elude capture by a crazed Fashion Designer, but I will always watch it if it's on (which isn't very often, actually)

The live-action version with Glenn Close was fine, but can never top the original.

6.

Spoiler

The Great Mouse Detective

Again, this is one I rented a lot from the video store as a kid. I actually haven't seen this movie in quite a while, and I cannot remember it very much. I'm including it here mostly for Nostalgia, I guess. The scene that stands out in my mind the most was the finale atop Big Ben. It was an exciting scene for me as a kid that I rewound again and again.

5.

Spoiler

The Sword in the Stone

The ultimate underdog story, with a touch of magic thrown in. Poor Arthur (Or Wart, as he is often called around the castle) is picked on relentlessly, and bullied by everyone, but in the end his pure heart is what makes him worthy of pulling the Sword from the Stone.

A classic.

4.

Spoiler

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

I remember watching this a lot as a young kid before bedtime. These fun little tales are enjoyable for both kids and adults.

3.

Spoiler

Rescuers Down Under

One of my first cinema experiences as a young kid growing up in the 90's. I loved this movie. The scenery was pretty darn impressive for a film released in 1990. One of my childhood favorites.

2.

Spoiler

Beauty and the Beast

I often have a hard time trying to figure out which one I like best. This film or the next one on my list..

Beauty and the Beast was the first animated film nominated for an Oscar (Before the 'Best Animated Feature' category was introduced in 2001) and for good reason. It perfectly captures the essence of a Fairy Tale, with magnificent backdrops, and magical characters.

1.

Spoiler

Aladdin

I regretably missed out on the cinema experience of this movie and instead saw it on video. I remember coming home from Elementary School one weekend wayyyy back in 1993. My Mom surprised my sister and I with the VHS of this movie, and I loved every second of it.

The songs were the best, and funniest, of any Disney film ever made. I rewound the 'Friend Like Me' and 'Prince Ali' scenes again and again and again.

Robin Williams was ingenious casting for the character of the Genie. His fast timing and energy made the Genie such a lovable and iconic character. I played the Sega Genesis game a lot, and got the Soundtrack for Christmas. Just a great movie, that, imo, is Disney perfection.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

10.

9.

8.

7.

6.

5.

4.

3.

2.

1.

 

[Kahran Ramsus]

Fav short: Galloping Gaucho

My favorite short is How to Play Football.

 

[AResistor]

Aladdin.
Lion King
Jungle Book
Pinnochio
Peter Pan
101 Dalmations
Fox and the Hound
The Great Mouse Detective
The Rescuers Down Under
Robin Hood

 

[Vapor]

1. The Lion King
2. Zootropolis
3. Alice In Wonderland
4. 101 Dalmations
5. The Aristocats
6. Robin Hood
7. Tangled
8. Wreck-it-Ralph
9. Fox and the Hound
10. The Jungle Book

Honourable mentions to Aladdin, Hercules, Big Hero 6 and The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh.