Toonzone's Top 30 Animated Disney Movie Countdown!

[The Cartoon]

So I hoped to countdown all 50 in-canon animated Disney features. But as I expected, not every movie was listed. Top 30 will be great too though. I did end up getting a lot of entries, so I thank everyone who participated. ^_^ I'm going to countdown 3 movies a day, starting right now. Voted by you, the Toonzone community, the countdown begins now!

#30 Treasure Planet
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2502/3801195652_712f10a5a2.jpg

#29 The Sword and the Stone
http://img.listal.com/image/5119/600full-the-sword-in-the-stone-poster.jpg

#28 The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2663/3929103582_06e96bb4ee.jpg

[Blankments]

Just a question: Are you going to mention the twenty honorable mentions?

[The Cartoon]

Nah, I don't think I will. I don't want everyone to know what movies are coming. ;)

Oh, and people, don't be afraid to comment. ^_^ I won't be able to update if I have to double post to do it.

27. Pocahontas
http://www.dominiquebesson.com/photos_gm/pocahontas-us-1sh.jpg

Ah, Pocahontas. I love this one because it sends an important message about appreciating nature. And it helps to have great songs, and writing.

26. Hunchback of Notre Dame
http://www.movieposter.com/posters/archive/main/70/MPW-35227

Been a while since I've seen this one, but it's a fantastic movie. All about not judging a book by its cover. "God Help The Outcasts" is one of the most beautiful Disney songs ever. And "Hellfire" is one of the best Disney villain songs ever. Frollo is pretty underrated as a villain.

25. Robin Hood
http://www.playle.com/KDL/27331.jpg

Wow, I barely remember this one. It's been such a long time. This is my cousin's favorite animated movie. I remember really loving this one though, and the characters were always more appealing to me than the characters in the live action version of the movie. :p

[Ed Liu]

Oh, and people, don't be afraid to comment. ^_^ I won't be able to update if I have to double post to do it.
If you're running the thread, double-posting to continue the countdown is fine.

[Darklordavaitor]

30- Far from perfect, but a little underrated. Not sure if it'd make my top 30, but it's nice to see it get some recognition for a change
29- Another underrated one. SITS is generally overlooked by most people while going over Walt's era, but I think it's still a classic, even if it started the broken narrative structure that Reitherman was notorious for.
28- Easily the best thing to happen to Pooh Bear. If the new movie is anywhere near as entertaining as these featurettes were, I'm game.
27- Meh. One of the few Disney movies I particularly dislike. By far the weak link of the Renaissance.
26- This one, though is a step-up. The gargoyles kill it, but when it works, especially in any scene with Frollo, it works. I'd put it a little higher, but I like seeing Hunchback get recognition in recent years.
25- A few funny scenes aside, this one doesn't do it for me. The characters are especially flat, the songs are weak, and the few funny bits are scattered between a bunch of juvenile scenes. I liked it as a kid, but this doesn't hold up for me much at all.

[suss2it]

I thought Hunchback would have been higher. I do love all the movies from the Disney renaissance era, so maybe I'm just bias.

[defunctzombie]

Aww, Pocahontas is so low. I like that one, it is the only Disney DVD that I prefer to watch with the extra song.

[soundmonkey44]

I thought Hunchback would have been higher. I do love all the movies from the Disney renaissance era, so maybe I'm just bias.


I agree with this.. Hunchback is deffinantly better then #26. But meh, what you gonna do.

[The Cartoon]

24. Great Mouse Detective
http://images.bcdb.com/ad_im/disney/mouse_detective1.jpg?u=

Ah, a great and underrated Disney movie. Ratigan was a fantastic villain. Since I loved to see Disney do a mystery movie, and it was a big success imo.

23. Sleeping Beauty
http://blog.mctimages.com/photos/uncategorized/2007/08/20/sleeping_beauty_movie_poster.jpg

I feel like this one should be ranked way higher. It's one of my favorite Disney movies, defines the Disney feel, and has one of the greatest villains in the history of animation: Maleficent. I love everything about it.

22. Cinderella
http://s11.allstarpics.net/images/orig/6/k/6kfr0pn9cy4yp09k.jpg

I also feel like this one is a little low. Not my very favorite, but it is what Disney is all about. And it's this movie that makes everyone dream about their "Cinderella story." Also pretty funny at parts, and really touching. ^_^

[defunctzombie]

It's funny that Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty are neighbors in the countdown since they share the same actress for antagonist.

[Darklordavaitor]

24- Love this one. Basil is one of the most male fun protagonists in any Disney movie, and Vincent Price's performance as Ratigan is legendary. As far as I'm concerned, this started the Renaissance.
23- Probably my favorite fairy tale. I can understand that it's not for everyone, but the artwork is quite possibly the most lucious I've ever seen in an animated film, and understand Tchaikovsky's ballet especially gave me an appreciation for it. Saddened to see it so low.
22- Not a personal favorite, but it's definitely worthy of a high spot. I could post some of my favorite images from this film all day without even touching the Fairy Godmother sequence.

[Six Year Man]

So, can you give us all 50 once the countdown is over?

[The Cartoon]

Sorry for the delay guys. I'll try to get back on track now.



So, can you give us all 50 once the countdown is over?

Well the reason I didn't give all 50 is to begin with is because not every movie was mentioned. In fact, only 32 were. So I can list the movies that didn't make the cut, but they wouldn't be in any order.

#21 Hercules
http://images2.fanpop.com/images/photos/6600000/Hercules-Movie-Poster-hercules-6603645-300-453.jpg

#20 Lady and the Tramp
http://www.movieposter.com/posters/archive/main/100/MPW-50420

#19 Bambi
http://26.media.tumblr.com/ErmhTrPG1o0so9p5ypm9LumFo1_500.jpg

[Darklordavaitor]

21- James Woods aside, I don't see why this should be ranked as high as it is. Ah well, Herc obviously has strong enough of a devoted fanbase to justify it's ranking.
20- As a dog lover, I adore this film. Just about every detail. While it's not a very very favorite, I come back to it often. I might watch it again tonight or tomorrow, in fact.
19- This one I've always been close to. Even as a kid, I loved tragedy in my film, and Bambi is one of the first examples of it a kid will experience in film. It's still one I watch often, and I'll be getting it's new release soon.

[Six Year Man]

Well, can you just tell us number 31 and number 32?

[The Cartoon]

Well, can you just tell us number 31 and number 32?
Sure. #32 was Bolt. And #31 was The Fox and the Hound. :)

[defunctzombie]

Yay for Hercules!

[ABrown]

23. Sleeping Beauty
I feel like this one should be ranked way higher. It's one of my favorite Disney movies, defines the Disney feel, and has one of the greatest villains in the history of animation: Maleficent. I love everything about it.

This has to be my favorite all time Disney movie. It wasn't too girly. It had just enough darkness and action that it can entertain a guy like myself who tends to prefer action cartoons.

[The Cartoon]

#18 Dumbo

http://images2.fanpop.com/images/photos/8200000/Dumbo-Movie-Poster-disney-classics-8254493-444-696.jpg

#17 101 Dalmations

http://www.moviepostersusa.com/images/product_images/popup_images/G213981.jpg

#16 Alice in Wonderland

http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTiVyMU5dZXndmgWuWswxFcJCE9g86gFPE5i5hU-RPOYTXwh58D&t=1

[Darklordavaitor]

18- Love this one. In terms of narratives, this is the one of the first five that appeals to me the most. I wish Disney would quit stalling the Blu-Ray already.
17- Not an all-time favorite, but one I'm close to and admire greatly. The xerox animation looks fresh here and it's the last pre-Renaissance film with a fully formed story.
16- Again, not a top 10 film for me, but it's a trip. Incredible animation and fun wordplay. Granted, I'm a big fan of the source material anyway, but I've always been a fan of the movie.

[Michael24]

Of course, I'm disappointed to see Robin Hood so low. It's my most favorite Disney movie. The voice cast is perfectly matched with their characters, the songs are fun, and the whole movie is quite charming. At least Alice in Wonderland, my second favorite, is higher.

Dumbo I never really cared for. Besides the trippy Pink Elephants sequence, there's just something about it that never clicked with me. Surprised that Cinderella and Lady and the Tramp are so low as well. :eek:

[Ed Liu]

I have to admit I'm a little surprised to see some classics ending up as low as they did. I suspect this might just be a sign of the average age of a forum member, but that's just a guess on what I expect are going to be in the top 10. I suppose I also have no right to really complain about it since I wasn't able to participate in the voting thread.

Of these, though, I think only Lady and the Tramp and 101 Dalmatians really deserved to be a lot higher than they are. One thing I really reacted to positively with 101 Dalmatians when I watched it again to review it (http://www.toonzone.net/news/articles/22132/101-dalmatians-platinum-edition-dvd-easily-wins-best-in-show) was that it's one of the only Disney films that's NOT oriented around a "boy meets girl" story. For most Disney films, that's the entire movie so it can end with "And they lived happily ever after." In 101 Dalmatians, they do that in the first five minutes and the rest of the movie is about a married couple trying to manage a family (admittedly with the atypical wrinkle of a psychotic, theatrical, and unforgettable villain). I don't think you see that again in any Disney film until The Incredibles.

101 Dalmatians still just completely knocks me out with the look and sound of the whole thing. I adore the soundtrack and I absolutely love Walt Peregoy's color work in the film (http://www.toonzone.net/news/articles/22126/toon-zone-news-presents-an-exclusive-look-behind-the-scenes-at-101-dalmatians). However, it's also not a film that's gets the same kind of attention as a lot of the classics and I think that's a shame.

[Darklordavaitor]

Personally, I think a majority of the voters have more ties to the Renaissance films than the classics, since just about everyone who voted grew up in the time when these movies came out and were big commercial hits.

I grew up in that era myself and a couple of these films made my voting, but I tried to balance my list with Walt and post-Walt era films. Still, I'm almost positive the top 5 will contain the "Big 4" from the Renaissance.

[Daxdiv]

Personally, I just picked my favorites as well. I never said that I was a paragon of good taste. ;) It also has been a while since I watched all the movies, and my votes are biased towards my favorites.

I think that DLA does have a point in the how and why certain movies are ranking high, while others are lower. Since I did grow up in the Reinassance era, that I do have more of an attachment to those movies, despite how looking back on most of my VHS, there does seem to be a good balance of classics in there. I really wasn't expecting something like how Rotten Tomatoes ranks the movies in the Disney Canon, (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/guides/best_disney_animated_movies) with this survey/poll. With polls like this, I find it nice to see what the audience likes, and how they differ from everyone else.

[Darklordavaitor]

I have some disagreements with a few movie's rankings on RT's list, but the top 10 is pretty close to how I'd rank one without putting much personal bias in. I'd change a few rankings, but I'd keep pretty much everything in there.

[The Cartoon]

Yeah, I'm also surprised by some of the classics being ranked somewhat low. Alice in Wonderland is actually my second favorite Disney movie. :p Not the very best, but it's so creative. I love it more every time I see it. Anyway, moving on.

#15 Princess and the Frog
http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTWGPC9QuGZYeyXnD8n2rqPDnVUiCwwowTWSsuqI4RRTlRlur7CXw&t=1

Probably ranked so high up because it just aired recently, and people loved it. Can't say I disagree, I thought that it was incredible. Actually, I'd even say that it's deserving of this spot. Loved everything about it.

#14 The Jungle Book
http://www.moviepostershop.com/the-jungle-book-movie-poster-1020193623.jpg

Haven't seen this one in a couple years, but it's a personal favorite. When I was really little, I'd sing songs from the movie all day, to anyone and everyone that I saw. Ah, memories. :p

#13 Peter Pan
http://www.movieposter.com/posters/archive/main/91/MPW-45759

Ah, my 3rd favorite Disney movie. Love it because it's all about remembering childhood and trying not to grow up too fast. Would've liked to see it ranked higher, but 13 isn't bad.

[Darklordavaitor]

15- Loved it. I think it fixed a couple of flaws that have always bugged me in the Renaissance films and contains a great cast with sharp animation. I'm not a huge fan of the soundtrack, but a few of the songs are pretty good as well.
14- Not a personal favorite, but it's fine. There isn't much of an overlapping story, but the sequences are fun enough.
13- This one has always had a special place in my heart. I'm a little saddened to see it not in the top 10, but I digress.

[Lavenderpaw]

What will Lion King rank?

[defunctzombie]

Peter Pan... I never really liked that one, but I'm not sure why. Was it because I didn't have the tape as a kid?

[Six Year Man]

So far, grouping the list into the eras, we have:

Golden Age- 2 (Bambi and Dumbo)
Package FIlms- 0
Silver Age- All 8 (The Sword and The Stone, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Lady and The Tramp, 101 Dalmations, Alice in Wonderland, The Jungle Book and Peter Pan)
Dark Age- 3 (The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Robin Hood and The Great Mouse Detective, 4 if Fox and The Hound at #31 counts)
Bronze Age- 3 (Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Hercules)
Dork Age- 2 (Treasure Planet and The Princess and The Frog, 3 if Bolt being #32 counts)

[The Cartoon]

Time to get into the Top 10. May be some surprises here.

#12 Emperor's New Groove

http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSiennh3GbKTinTnz5xc2BJQcypaW_Fs6Jkz4Jy5LrKuinfXijPHg&t=1

I really did love this one. In my opinion, one of the funniest films that Disney has ever produced. Maybe ranked a little bit high on that fact alone, but I don't mind seeing it here.

#11 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/pic/MG/191178~Snow-White-and-the-Seven-Dwarfs-Posters.jpg

I was hoping that the first Disney movie ever would be ranked a little bit higher than this. It may not be the very best, but it's still great and important to animation.

#10 Tangled

http://www.shoppingblog.com/pics/tangled_movie_poster.jpg

Even though it's only ranked this high because it was just released and everyone is in that awe zone, I really loved Tangled. I put on my list just so it would make the countdown, and it ended up this high. I really did think it was a fantastic movie, and the best CGI that Disney has ever produced.

[Darklordavaitor]

12- Hilarious. Love it.
11- Not one of my personal favorites, but it should be a little higher. At least top 10.
10- Enjoyed it greatly, but wouldn't put it in the top 10. I'd like to see where it ranks in a few years if we try this again.

[Daxdiv]

All right Emperor's New Groove ranked pretty high. Oh yeah. Also, I do agree with DLA stance on how far Tangled will rank if this poll is done again in a few years. As for Snow White, while I do agree that it is important to the history of animation, I'm just not a big fan of it.

[rattis1]

Aw man, Snow White didn't even make the top 10? :( I think it's possibly the most charming Disney movie of them all, and i was absolutely in love with it as a child.

It almost seems like the truly old school Disney movies rank lower and lower everytime a poll like this is conducted (at least unless it's one of those polls where only "professional" critics gets to vote...).

[Six Year Man]

I'm supprised Tangled is so high and New Groove is so low, but like you said, we're still in the awe phase.

Updating the era list:

Golden Age- 3 (Bambi, Dumbo, and Snow White)
Package FIlms- 0 (And I doubt any will be present.)
Silver Age- All 8 (The Sword and The Stone, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Lady and The Tramp, 101 Dalmations, Alice in Wonderland, The Jungle Book and Peter Pan)
Dark Age- 3 (The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Robin Hood and The Great Mouse Detective, 4 if Fox and The Hound at #31 counts)
Bronze Age- 3 (Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Hercules)
Dork Age- 4 (Treasure Planet, The Princess and The Frog, The Emperor's New Groove, and Tangled. 5 if Bolt being #32 counts)

[defunctzombie]

What do you mean by package films? I've never heard that term before.

[Gorbash]

What do you mean by package films? I've never heard that term before.

I'm sure that package films are the ones made up of mutltiple shorts to attempt making a larger story or sometimes just being shorts compiled into an hour. (Fun and Fancy Free, Ichabod and Mr. Toad, etc.)

[Six Year Man]

I'm sure that package films are the ones made up of mutltiple shorts to attempt making a larger story or sometimes just being shorts compiled into an hour. (Fun and Fancy Free, Ichabod and Mr. Toad, etc.)

Correct answer. I sincerly doubt any of them will be on the list.

[The Cartoon]

#9 Tarzan

http://www.movieposter.com/posters/archive/main/14/A70-7170

#8 The Little Mermaid

http://www.cyber-cinema.com/disney/littlemermaid.jpg

#7 Pinocchio

http://www.movieposter.com/posters/archive/main/74/MPW-37357

[Six Year Man]

Trazan is a great movie, it's been a while since I've seen Little Mermaid, and I never saw Pinocchio.

So, that's two more Bronze Age and one more Golden Age.The remaining films are Fantasia and the rest of the Bronze Age, right? Because outside of those films, the only other possibility is Lilo and Stitch.

[Darklordavaitor]

9- Good, but I wouldn't say great
8- Overrated
7- Classic. While not in my top 10, it definitely deserves a spot.

[rattis1]

9 Seriously? I mean, i love Disney's second golden age as much as anyone but this movie (which should probably be counted as either the last or the second last one of the era) has got to be the blandest of the bunch. I just dont see anything in it that makes it deserve a spot in the top 10.

8 A great movie, it could even have been a little higher IMO.

7 Another great movie that should have been even higher as well, but whatever, good to see that at least this Walt-era film can still put up a good fight against the 90's films in terms of popularity.

[The Cartoon]

6. Mulan

http://filmjournal.net/100films/files/2010/07/mulan-movie-poster-1020268802.jpg

5. Lilo & Stitch

http://www.traileraddict.com/content/walt-disney-pictures/lilostitch.jpg

4. Fantasia

http://www.disneydreaming.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Fantasia-Movie-Poster.jpg

I can't believe that I still haven't seen Mulan. I've been dying to for a while. From what I hear, it's pretty deserving of it's spot. I'm really surprised to see Lilo & Stitch ranked so high. I loved it, but making the Top 5 over Pinocchio suprises me. And then Fantasia, my favorite Disney movie. Fourth is a great spot, even though I would've loved to see it make the Top 3.

And with that, we're onto the Top 3. Most of you can probably guess what the movies are, but maybe not the order.

[Six Year Man]

The top 3 are The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin, but I'm not sure about the order, so I'm fine with any at one.

[KJ Styles]

Lilo & Stitch???? That's crazy! It wouldn't make my Top 50 let alone Top 5.

Snow White should have been Top 10 easily, it's 2nd to me only behind The Lion King. I predict Lion King will win, but I wouldn't be upset if Beauty & The Beast won, that's among my all time favs as well.

[Darklordavaitor]

Lilo & Stitch???? That's crazy! It wouldn't make my Top 50 let alone Top 5.

There are only 50 DACs.:p

I do agree that it and Mulan probably shouldn't make the top 10, but I think they're still good movies.

I'd also put Fantasia a little higher, but I'm happy to see it make at least the top 5.

[defunctzombie]

Yeah Mulan! I LOVE that movie, although I disagree with the premise that Mulan's return wasn't complete without bringing home a man. ;)

[PunkPhantom]

Mulan is my favorite movie so I'm glad to see it at #6! I also like Lilo & Stich. It was a cute movie and one of the more unique Disney movies.:)

[Daxdiv]

I'm happy with this Fantasia is Top 5 material. And I do fancy Lilo and Stitch over Mulan, though I do love both films, I just love the charm more in L&S.

[Michael24]

Happy to see Mulan make it into the Top 10, as it's my third-favorite Disney movie. The Little Mermaid should be higher. Top 5, easily.

[The Cartoon]

And time for the Final 3.

3rd Place: Aladdin

http://www.movieposter.com/posters/archive/main/21/MPW-10542

So you probably know that the Top 2 are The Lion King & Beauty and the Beast. Suspense.


2nd Place: Beauty and the Beast

http://www.sexualfables.com/images/beauty_and_the_beast_movie_poster.jpg

And that means...

WINNER: THE LION KING

http://www.movieposter.com/posters/archive/main/8/A70-4217

Beauty and the Beast was ahead the entire contest, until the very last ballot where The Lion King overtook it. Thanks so much to everyone who participated!

[Darklordavaitor]

Eh. I love all three of these movies, even if I think BATB is grossly overrated, but I'm not all too please with the top 10. Way too post-Walt centered.

Some of these would and did make my list, but I wouldn't make the top 3 Renaissance films or add a few of what made the top 10 into an actual one, but this is only my opinion.

Some of you guys have more ties to the Renaissance films than the actual classics, and that's understandable. I just think that the best of the Walt Disney Studio was made during Walt Disney's time.

[DarthGonzo]

Eh. I love all three of these movies, even if I think BATB is grossly overrated, but I'm not all too please with the top 10. Way too post-Walt centered.

Yeah, but I pretty much predicted the top 3. So this is no surprise.


Some of you guys have more ties to the Renaissance films than the actual classics, and that's understandable. I just think that the best of the Walt Disney Studio was made during Walt Disney's time.

100% agreed.

[Darklordavaitor]

Yeah, but I pretty much predicted the top 3. So this is no surprise.

I did as well, although I thought the top 2 would be switched. I also thought that The Little Mermaid would make the top 5, but I was also wrong in that prediction.

Despite feeling that both of those get a little more recognition than they deserve, I'd put Mermaid and Beauty in my top 10 for the all-time greatest. Lion King as well. The rest would likely be from the Golden Age.

[Six Year Man]

Finishing the era list.

Golden Age- All 5
Package FIlms- 0
Silver Age- All 8
Dark Age- 3, 4 if Fox and The Hound at #31 counts
Bronze Age- 9, All except The Rescuers Down Under,
Dork Age- 5, 6 if Bolt being #32 counts

I don't know if the Bronze and Dork age movies could be concidered classics yet. It's nice to see a movie made while Walt was alive get the top 5.

[Michael24]

No surprises with the Top 3. I love Aladdin, but have never been much a fan of the other two, especially The Lion King, which I always felt was particularly overrated.

[ABrown]

Ya know, I've never actually seen The Lion King. I remember playing some of the songs when i was in band back in middle school. And I remember playing the video game on sega. But I never did see the movie.

[RonDrakenfan17]

Sweet Aladdin high on the list, its one of my favorites too, good music and loveable characters and you fall in love with Aladdin/Jasmins relationship. The series was great to but that's another subject :)