Disney

What are your favorite disney movies, or your least favorite and why?

The Lion King and Tangled are my favorites, the former because of the music and visuals and the latter because of its characters.

My least favorite would have to be The Princess And The Frog. I think they were trying too hard to make a "classic Disney movie" and as a result fell victim to their own formula. For example, the death of Ray felt very shoehorned in and made me feel like they just did it because they hadn't had any Tear Jerker death scenes yet. The musical numbers all felt very awkward, too. There was almost never any kind of lead-in, they just sort of happened. Could have been better.

But you have to admit the villain was great. :)

Thanks for your feedback. ^^

Top 10 Favorites(in no order):

• Lion King - probably my overall favorite. Would watch it all the time as a kid.
• Hercules - just a very fun movie with a cool style. Hades was amazing.
• Toy Story - this blew me away the first time I saw it, I loved this movie. Watching it now(and especially comparing it to 3), one can definitely see how far 3D animation has come.
• Mulan - I just really enjoy watching this one, it's funny and Mulan was a pretty cool character. Eddie Murphy did kind of kill the mood a bit but I won't lie, I laughed at him a few times, at least when I was little.
• The Incredibles - IMO this movie gets rather undeserved hate. I loved it and it's probably my favorite from Pixar, aside from Toy Story. On a side note, Syndrome sort of looks like Purge◊ from Space Channel 5 Part 2. In fact, that same game has a bit of a similar aesthetic feel in a few ways, mainly the robot designs and some of the levels. It's kind of funny.
• Atlantis - underrated indeed, Atlantis while not one of the best Disney movies was certainly above average for animated films in general. I really liked the whole sense of adventure the movie had as well, something which IMO a lot of animated films these days kind of lack.
• Treasure Planet - another underrated film which I kind of consider Atlantis' brother in a way. I'm a big fan of flying ships and spin on the pirate genre, so this movie was right up my alley from the beginning. I really like the characters(except BEN) and the relationship between Jim and Silver. In fact, Silver was badass and one of my favorite Disney "antagonists."
• Jungle Book - has some of the catchiest tunes in a disney movie till this day, this movie is like the sort of film every little boy should see. The ending kind of made me sad the first time I watched it though. Still does, cause it's so true :(
• Hunchback of Notre Dame - when I was little I HATED this movie, but that's because I didn't get it. I watched it earlier this year and LOVED it(except the gargoyles who had no business being in it, also Quasimoto's song was terribly BORING). Frollo is probably my favorite Disney villain now(used to be Scar and Hades) due to his wickedness being more realistic compared to other disney villains. Also his song was awesome, one of the best in animation history.
• Emperor's New Groove - IMO still the funniest animated movie out there, Shrek tries really hard but to me this one got it right. I thought it looked stupid when it was in theaters but once I saw it on video, it was just one laugh after another.

Top 5 Least Favorites:

• Dinosaur- I cried when I had to see this movie, it was that bad lol. Most people don't remember it because well...it sucked. It's easily my most hated Disney movie of all time. Might be my most hated animated film of all time in fact.
• Monsters Inc - yeah this one...eh it was an alright movie until Boo showed up, who ruined the rest of the film for me. I don't like any of the characters except for Randall, and that's mostly because he looked badass. Overall, it was a very unlikable film.
• Brother Bear - It's pretty much the epitome of mediocrity for Disney movies. Nothing about it was really that great, which sucks because it'd be nice to see a western animated picture which focuses on big brother/little brother relationships but sadly, this one is just too meh to do that justice.
• Toy Story 2 - ugh one of my least favorite sequels ever. You know this isn't the worst disney/pixar movie, but it's one of my most hated for being a bad sequel to a movie which I really loved as a kid. Plus it was pretty stupid.
• A Bug's Life - didn't care for this one much, I remember it and Antz were often compared to one another and Bug's Life would get most of the love, though personally I felt Anzt was a lot better. Bug's Life was just...annoying.

I want to Put Meet the Robinsons under least favorites, except I haven't seen it yet.

edited 17th Dec '11 1:21:25 AM by VertigoHigh

What do you expect not to like about Meet the Robinsons?

The previews were awful and the character designs put me off totally. The black haired kid's face just really pisses me off, plus the premise of the movie doesn't grab me all that much.

5 of those films are Pixar NOT Disney

Also, if you hated Toy Story 2, I'm curious as to what your thoughts were on Cars 2.

edited 17th Dec '11 10:26:26 AM by Mattonymy

The Jungle Book grabs me for some reason, maybe because of it's usage of the cast in later projects. Plus the animation is top notch and the majority of the characters, while little like their novel versions, are brimming with personality and likeable in their own right (even if they demoted the wolves to a cameo). Kind of odd watching it the first time though, since I'd known about Talespin first (actually wondered why non-anthro Kit and Rebecca weren't there).

A few Pixar movies such as Up and Toy Story just need to be mentioned as well. I thought Toy Story 2 was a good enough sequel, not better but a worthy enough follow up (it did give characters other than Buzz and Woody a chance to shine though, which made it a bit fresh from the original). I have to agree I didn't think A Bugs Life was as good though.

I've watched the first Cars. It was kinda uneventful but likeable enough. Not seen Cars 2 but my little brother has and ADORES it.

I also have to admit Winnie The Pooh is a Guilty Pleasure. It's about the one project Disney consistantly knows how to bring to life, in contrast to most other features which are bastardized after a single sequel. Even the later projects like The Tigger Movie are pretty decent and true to the first film.

Would features technically owned by Disney count as well (eg. The Muppets and Nightmare Before Xmas)? If so, put just about EVERYTHING Muppet related on the list as well.

edited 17th Dec '11 10:34:39 AM by Psi001

Neh, I'd only really consider the latest Muppets and the Treasure Island movie to be Disney, and even that's just from distributional purposes. Everything else is by the Jim Henson Studio, Disney only really got them from inheritance.

TNMBC was originally Touchstone not Disney (at least under the brand) either. By that same vein Spy Kids, Roger Rabbit and Monk are all Disney.

edited 17th Dec '11 10:41:21 AM by Mattonymy

@Matt: I think your definition of what a Disney movie is and well...mostly everyone else's are completely different. Yes Pixar made Toy story/incredibles etc. And yes they're still considered Disney Movies.

Also does anyone else hate when people say King Louie is racist? I never saw him as an offensive stereotype really. I always thought he was really cool. Racist is more like, the red man scene from Peter Pan. Okay yeah that's offensive, but King Louie? That's "walt hatez Jews" kind of talk.

Disney films don't just have to be from the Animated Canon

Ok, well if we're including films not specifically made by Disney, feel free to add to my list every single PIXAR film, Spirited Away, Ponyo, Porco Rosso, Howls Moving Castle, Laputa, Totoro, Kikis Delivery Service, Ed Wood, The Counte Of Monte Cristo, Signs, The Prestige, and of course Pulp Fiction.

edited 17th Dec '11 3:24:39 PM by Mattonymy

I never really got that either, especially since Louie was voiced and based on an Italian singer, Louis Prima. The film was making fun of different music genres (eg. The Beatles-esque Vultures) rather than ethnic stereotypes (I think the problem was pointed out by Disney, but they figured kids wouldn't bother with such offensive undertones).

Louie didn't end up "retired" due to racism anyway, Prima's widow was annoyed by his likeness being used by the character in later works, so they had to make a court settlement. Hense why he isn't in the sequel as well as that King Larry gag in House Of Mouse.

In that case I repeat my statement of just about everything Muppet related and Nightmare Before Xmas.

edited 17th Dec '11 3:36:34 PM by Psi001

How is King Louie racist?

People tend think that King Louie's actor is black, and that his song is about the relations between white and black people. That's the bare-bones version, anyway.

Why, because he's an orange chimp that wants to learn the knowledge of making fire......am I missing something deeper?

edited 17th Dec '11 3:50:42 PM by Mattonymy

As far as Disney Animated Canon goes, I like The Lion King and am glad it is one of their most popular movies, though I don't particularly like that Beauty And The Beast is often compared to it. Don't get me wrong, I like the latter as well, but it just strikes me as (relatively) bland in comparison to the former. Lion King just seems to tell a much bigger story in about the same amount of time.

As for other favourites of mine, I also liked Oliver And Company, and I liked both The Rescuers movies but especially the second one. I consider all three to be very underappreciated.

Apart from the animated canon, I also like all the Pixar movies, but especially Wall E and Toy Story 3. I was very impressed with how Wall E managed to be so otherworldly and yet so relatable; that they could come up with so many convincing analogues between robots and humans like that. Toy Story 3 seems to be more well-rounded in general, though, making good use of nostalgia and sentimentality along with being quite imaginative. I also like how it managed to be memorably dark, but in a fairly meaningful way, calling attention to real issues. (Corrupt prisons, child abuse, etc... though granted, it's pretty dilute portrayal of them, but still stronger than one would expect from a G-rated Pixar movie.)

edited 17th Dec '11 4:29:40 PM by HiddenFacedMatt

They're looking at it metaphorically, with Louie's rat a tat bee da bam bazooo jazzy soulful attitude reflecting that of black people at the time, the fact he's an ape(which is kind of racist in itself, assuming that means he's a caricature of black people) and like someone mentioned earlier the lyrics of his song sending the message that the less evolved, apes/monkeys(blacks) want to mimic the more intelligent and civilized humans(whites).

There's a similar case with the Siamese cats from Lady And The Tramp in that it carries tones of the Yellow Peril. Granted this one is a bit more understandable...the lyrics can definitely be taken as suggestive and their appearance just speaks for itself. Doesn't help the Aristrocats Siamese Cat wasn't much better. (just pause at 2:34 lol). Then there's the part where he plays piano with chopsticks while chanting CHINGCHINCHANG type gibberish. You'll have to make your own judgement on those two.

Well, fine, but the way I see it, Disney owns Pixar, so Pixar movies are Disney movies. Are they part of the canon? No, and I know that. It's like Nintendo and Pokemon, isn't it? Pokemon is developed by Game Freak, but it still belongs to Nintendo.

edited 17th Dec '11 8:44:26 PM by HidingGames

^^ I'm generally the first person to point out racist stigmas in film and animation, but I've long felt that this particular view on The Jungle Book is kind of hurt by the fact that King Louie is directly based off of Louis Prima's antics, and, in fact, Disney basically went straight to him once they conceived the role. Whether or not Prima's antics were caricaturing black people, it isn't exactly Disney's fault as they were intending to reflect him, not a racial group. Unfortunate Implications at its best.

I'd rather point at the crows in Dumbo as one that's particularly noticeably a stereotype, without much excuse. The Siamese Cats as well, but not quite as much given that they thankfully didn't show up much.

As for my favorite Disney films?

I'd have to say I like all of them, there's very few Disney movies I don't, and my appreciation of them, including ones I initially didn't like (like Beauty And The Beast) has only enhanced as got more mature. Aladdin is up there, as is The Jungle Book, Tangled and The Three Caballeros. My least favorite is definitely The Little Mermaid.

Disney has a lot of underrated classics. Treasure Planet, Atlantis The Lost Empire, Brother Bear, Oliver And Company...

Just last week I went on a Lilo And Stitch binge, watching all the movies and some of the

Is this thread about the films or can we talk about their specials, cartoons, and tv shows as well?

edited 17th Dec '11 9:47:48 PM by KnownUnknown

The thing is, most Disney characters are based on stereotypes, you could find an offensive undertone in nearly every one of them. Even the crows in Dumbo I find hard to resent since they are too over the top wacky characters (not to mention rather sympathetic) to be considered that directly cruel a jibe. As said Disney once pointed out this problem with the characters they make, but figured kids wouldn't make the connection and just see a bunch of whimsical loveable characters.

I'm sure you could find some demeaning facets in some white based characters as well (eg. does anyone complain about the slothenly blundering swing dancer Baloo who endorses slacking off and treating life like a big game?).

As pointed out though Louie isn't that controversial due to racial matters, he's retired due to a lawsuit with Prima's family and even then is still used in merchandise which doesn't require his voice.

edited 18th Dec '11 4:14:21 AM by Psi001

Stereotypes or archetypes? Most Disney characters seem based off the latter for sure, which can(and does sometimes) overlap with the former but not necessarily. I wouldn't call Mowgli a stereotype, or even Baloo for that matter. And then for characters that are even based off stereotypes, that doesn't necessarily make them offensive. Like as stereotypical as the crows were, had they been pigeons they wouldn't be looked at as negatively a portrayal as they are now. But since the racial undertones for that one are so blatant, it doesn't sit as well today. And that reasoning: kids won't get it, so its okay if the material is stereotypical, even borderline/outright racist! Remember, Disney made FAMILY movies, not just stuff for kids. The kids won't get it, but their moms and dads sure would.

If a character demonstrates the stereotypes associated with a certain race, but the character is not of that race, doesn't that count as working against racial stereotyping?

Oh, and for me, there can be no question: The Lion King reigns supreme.

The thing about racial stereotypes in things like film, especially old Disney movies, is that people often see them as people trying to hate on the movies, and their response to that is to either ignore them or try to claim they don't matter.

My stance on it is this - despite that ridiculous Chinese stereotype cat in The Aristocats I still love the scene he's in, and regardless of but the fact that it's a stereotype must be understood and acknowledged.

The Crows in Dumbo are often referred to as positive characters in that they are helpful and intelligent, but their antics are representative of a kind of entertainment that originated in minstrelsy - audiences back then were expected to laugh at the goofy black antics as comic relief. That's pretty much a fact, you can't change it. Understand, but don't let it overtake everything, even their role in the story - their role in the story and the stereotypes involved in their portrayal are often not directly related.

There's pretty much nothing we can do but acknowledge that the stereotypes are there and move on. It's helpful that Disney major motion pictures didn't tend to revolve whole plots around stereotypes, so they're easy to simply note.

Agreed. Besides, the siamese cat song had a great beat.