# Favorite Post-1985 Animated Disney Flick?? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 10, 2002, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-post-1985-animated-disney-flick/127835 "2002-09-10T19:34:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2002, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-post-1985-animated-disney-flick/127835/1 "2002-09-10T19:34:38Z")
There are some great choices out there. I really like both _Toy Story_ movies. They featured a great ensemble cast and funny scripts, as far as Disney flicks go. I also liked _Beauty and the Beast_ but it was formulaic. _The Little Mermaid_ was great because you just can’t beat Ursula the Sea Witch (those poor unfortunate souls!). _The Lion King_, _Tarzan_, _A Bug’s Life_ (Waiter! I’m in my soup!), _Aladdin_ (Yo! Rug man! Gimme some tassel) and _Hercules_ (I’m an action figure!) were also a good movies. There are some movies I haven’t seen yet but want to (_Monsters Inc._, for example) and some I haven’t seen and probably won’t (_Pocahontas_, _The Hunchback of Notre Dame_ and _The Emperor’s New Groove_ come to mind). There are also countless straight-to-video sequels I’m sure I’ll never see. But to answer my own question, my favorite animated Disney film made after 1985 is _Mulan_ The story was so moving and, not like usual, I didn’t feel the urge to fast forward through the songs. Eddie Murphy was so darn funny, too (Dishonor on _you_! Dishonor on your _cow_!). No matter how many times I watch it, I well up when Fa Zhou tells his daughter, “the greatest gift and honor is having you as a daughter.”\ Ok, your turn. Favorite new-ish Disney flick? ---
**Author:** ![MrVisible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@MrVisible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrVisible)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2002, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-post-1985-animated-disney-flick/127835/2 "2002-09-10T19:58:31Z")
Give _The Emperor’s New Groove_ a chance, **JuanitaTech**. I don’t know if it’s the best recent Disney film, but it’s one of the funniest. The funniest and best being, IMHO, _Lilo and Stitch_. Bluuuuuue… _punch_buggy! ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2002, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-post-1985-animated-disney-flick/127835/3 "2002-09-10T20:06:06Z")
Of those, all I’ve seen are Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Lion King, Bug’s Life and Toy Story. Of them, I’ve got to give Aladdin the nod. Robin Williams’ genie was just too funny for words. Lion King is a close second…meatier plot, but Pumbaa and Timon are not nearly as fun to watch as that genie. ---
**Author:** ![Avalonian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@Avalonian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avalonian)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2002, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-post-1985-animated-disney-flick/127835/4 "2002-09-10T20:09:31Z")
I don’t really count the _Toy Story_ movies, though I love them. Those are more Pixar than Disney, IMO. _Emperor’s New Groove_ is my favorite recent Disney comedy… it wins points for all-out wackiness. Me and the girls watch it over and over. For their more “serious” films, I’m torn between _Atlantis_ or _The Lion King_. I like _Atlantis_ for trusting the audience a little more than most Disney films do, but _Lion King_ genuinely mved me more. Tough call, but one of those two. ---
**Author:** ![Orual](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/779978/32.png) [@Orual](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orual)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2002, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-post-1985-animated-disney-flick/127835/5 "2002-09-10T20:17:56Z")
I second the suggestion to try out _Emperor’s New Groove_. It’s one of the most unexpectedly hilarious movies I’ve ever seen. For the best Disney movie, I’d say it’s a tossup between _Mulan_ and _'Groove_. Though _Tarzan_ and _Lilo and Stich_ are way up there in the running. ---
**Author:** ![pldennison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@pldennison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pldennison)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2002, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-post-1985-animated-disney-flick/127835/6 "2002-09-10T20:26:15Z")
I’d go with _Toy Story_ (I even bought the big box set on DVD), but if we’re required to stick with traditional Disney animation, I’d definitely go with _The Emperor’s New Groove_. It was a highly unexpected treat. ---
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2002, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-post-1985-animated-disney-flick/127835/7 "2002-09-10T20:42:25Z")
I will buy _The Emperor’s New Groove_ this weekend and give it a whirl. Even if I don’t like it, I’m sure the kids will. I forgot about _Atlantis_! I don’t think I wanted to see it, though, because, based on the commercials, it didn’t look funny. When _Lilo and Stitch_ is available on (evil) Disney DVD, I’ll certainly buy it. I may even do one of those advanced purchase dealies. ---
**Author:** ![Avalonian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@Avalonian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avalonian)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2002, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-post-1985-animated-disney-flick/127835/8 "2002-09-10T22:26:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by JuanitaTech \* > \*\*I forgot about _Atlantis_! I don’t think I wanted to see it, though, because, based on the commercials, it didn’t look funny. \*\* It’s not funny… and it isn’t meant to be. I see it at Disney’s first real stab at a more mature movie, though kids can still watch it (my girls love it). For some reason, a very small thing impressed me about it. At one point, one of the bad guys, disgusted, mutters “P.T. Barnum was right.” And he _never finishes the line!_ The audience is just expected to know Barnum’s famous line and be able to draw it out of the context of the scene. I’ve gotten so used to Disney insulting the audience’s intelligence with a total lack of subtlety that I waited for several minutes before I realized that they just let the line ride as it was. I was shocked. This very simple example is indicative of the kind of writing Disney has avoided up until _Atlantis_… the kind that challenges the audience just a little bit. It’s a big reason why _Atlantis_ is one of my favorite “new” Disney movies. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2002, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-post-1985-animated-disney-flick/127835/9 "2002-09-10T23:01:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Avalonian \* > **At one point, one of the bad guys, disgusted, mutters “P.T. Barnum was right.” And he _never finishes the line!_ The audience is just expected to know Barnum’s famous line and be able to draw it out of the context of the scene.** Although the line was actually said by David Hannum, the line-attributed to Barnum-is well known. Why people thought Barnum said it, I’ll never know-maybe because he made a career of swindling people. Anyway, the line became _very_ well-known. I haven’t even seen the film and I know what you’re talking about. It’s true, you know: There’s a sucker born every minute. ---
**Author:** ![SolGrundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@SolGrundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SolGrundy)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2002, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-post-1985-animated-disney-flick/127835/10 "2002-09-11T00:32:52Z")
For the longest time, it was _Tarzan_ even despite Rosie O’Donnell and Phil Collins’ involvement. It’s such a beautifully-made movie. But now I think _Lilo and Stitch_ wins. I can’t think of any flaw in the movie. And I can’t think of another Disney movie that’s gone from comedy to drama as well as that one. _Mulan_ is another great one, and is extremely underappreciated I think. That line you mention, **JuanitaTech** , gets me _every time_ as well. And another recommendation for _The Emperor’s New Groove_. It’s far from being my favorite, just because it’s just trivial entertainment and doesn’t really try to be anything more than that, but it definitely works. One of the few genuinely funny, as opposed to “heartwarming family fun” funny, Disney movies – _Lilo and Stitch_ being another. ---
**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2002, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-post-1985-animated-disney-flick/127835/11 "2002-09-12T05:07:07Z")
I haven’t seen _The Emperor’s New Groove_, _Tarzan_ or _Lilo and Stitch_, so I’m at a disadvantage, but my favorite recent Disney movie that I’ve seen is _Mulan_, then _Beauty and the Beast_ and _The Lion King_ (they switch places periodically between second and third, depending on my mood). ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2002, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-post-1985-animated-disney-flick/127835/12 "2002-09-12T05:37:21Z")
1. The Little Mermaid - Even I, a 15 year old male really enjoyed this movie when it came out. It is wierd to think now that Ariel was older then me. I played the DVD for my 3 year old niece this weekend and all she wanted to afterwards was roll on the floor pretending she was the Little Mermaid swimming. 2. Aladdin - Some people think the beginning is slow but only compared to after the Genie shows up. I can’t wait for the DVD. 3. Lilo & Stitch - Fun, new and a very good capture of Kauai’s look. 4. The Emperor’s New Groove - A really fun movie that merrily breaks rules in fun ways. 5. The Great Mouse Detective - A surprisingly tight story with a hairraising climax. 6. Atlantis: The Lost Empire - While it’s usually a big negative to me to so blatantly break with possibility and history it was an exciting (although cliched) movie where nearly 99% of the expedition members died. 7. Mulan - Some of the early songs were really jarring and threw me out of the movie but once she left her parents home I thought it was a really good movie. 8. Beauty and the Beast - A little too mushy for me but entertaining. 9. The Lion King - This one I haven’t seen in quite some time and am looking forward to its IMAX premier in 2 months. But I always felt it was a decent movie although I never connected with it like I did with Aladdin and the Little Mermaid. 10. The Rescuers Down Under - Boy I wanted to smack Bernard (Newhart playing Newhart) but a good adventure that, while it 11. Hercules - I liked the way they presented the movie. I thought they dealt poorly with the Meg character. Maybe if they read their Homer before making the movie I might have enjoyed it more. 12. Tarzan - Rosie, Rosie, Rosie, sigh. And the surfing on branches annoyed me. Other then that it was allright. 13. Oliver & Company - A little to 80s New York attitudy. 14. Fantasia 2000 - I know it came out for IMAX but it was just so short. 15. The Hunchback of Notre Dame - Some things were good, some were real head shakers. Did you know all Gypsies are barefoot all the time? 16. The Black Cauldron - If this was 30 minutes longer and got rid of the stupid little Gurky it could have been an awesome dark adventure of a movie. Instead it feels like a movie that was created lovingly by a talented director who was then fired and the product given to a hack who refocused its target audience 10 years down and cut out half the script. 17. Pocahontas - At times painful to watch. Definately a product of its times. ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2002, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-post-1985-animated-disney-flick/127835/13 "2002-09-12T05:40:52Z")
Oh and Treasure Planet (which comes out in December I think)looks really interesting and I think has a good chance of making my top 5. ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2002, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-post-1985-animated-disney-flick/127835/14 "2002-09-12T05:46:28Z")
Allow me to finish my Rescuers Down under bit. … played fast and loose with Australian geography and wildlife, it did manage to make me care about the characters. ---
**Author:** ![Matt\_Decker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b487fb/32.png) [@Matt\_Decker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Matt_Decker)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2002, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-post-1985-animated-disney-flick/127835/15 "2002-09-12T05:48:07Z")
No debate in my mind… The greatest recent Disney film is “Beauty & The Beast”. Or maybe it’s “The Lion King”. Or was it “Toy Story”… or, wait… “Toy Story 2” even!!! 😃 To be perfectly serious, here… While I do consider BOTH of them to be masterpieces, I – like someone above said – don’t really consider the “Toy Story” movies to be Disney films. Sure, Disney OWNS Pixar. But you might as well call them Lucasfilm movies since Pixar started out as a division of Lucasfilm. Doesn’t really matter who owns them or distributes their films. Pixar made them. Not Disney. Period. And when it comes to animation, I look for a wonderful heartwarming story and beautiful animation. Maybe a love story that tugs at my heartstrings. “Lilo & Stitch”, “Aladdin” and “Emperor’s New Groove” ARE hysterical films… but if I want animation comedy, I never go to Disney. I go to the classic Looney Tunes shorts. And while I appreciate “Tarzan” and “Mulan”, I don’t think they hold a candle to “Beauty & The Beast” and “The Lion King”. They aren’t even in the same LEAGUE as them, as far as I’m concerned. In my opinion, both are just powerful, amazing films… which just HAPPEN to be animated. All the other movies that have been mentioned so far in this talkback are cartoons. Those two are MOVIES. And let you not forget that “Beauty & The Beast” was the only film EVER to be nominated for Best Picture and “Lion King” is STILL the highest grossing animated film ever made. Incidentally, my favorite animated films from the last decade or so also include the (non-Disney) “Iron Giant”, which is an unrecognized-by-the-general-public masterpiece, as well as “Prince of Egypt” and Hyao Miyazaki’s anime “Princess Mononoke”. All three are powerful. Soooooooooooooo… For for my favorite, post-1985, traditionally-cel-animated, non-comedy, Disney film… 🙂 … I will pick… … “Beauty & The Beast” … ``` ... with "The Lion King" a very, very, very close second. I guess I'm being wishy-washy here. Sorry. :rolleyes: ``` ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2002, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-post-1985-animated-disney-flick/127835/16 "2002-09-12T05:52:07Z")
In order of preference: _Little Mermaid_ Got it bad for Ariel and it has my favorite Disney music _Lilo & Stitch_ _Beauty and the Beast_ _Lion King_ Didn’t expect to like it, but… _The Hunchback of Notre Dame_ love the music (hate the gargoyles though) _The Emperor’s New Groove_ damn funny _Aladdin_ _Pocahontas_ is my least favorite Pixar: _Toy Story 2_ _Toy Story_ _Monsters Inc._ _A Bug’s Life_ ---
**Author:** ![MamaHen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c89c15/32.png) [@MamaHen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MamaHen)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2002, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-post-1985-animated-disney-flick/127835/17 "2002-09-12T06:07:35Z")
Beauty and the Beast, no question. I loved Mulan but Beauty and the Beast has been in my heart forever. I hate to do it but I gotta stand up for Pocahontas. Yes it was a bad movie but it was the first time I ever saw a Disney character who looked like me! That amazed me enough that I was able to enjoy the beauty of the movie and the wonderful songs. ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2002, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-post-1985-animated-disney-flick/127835/18 "2002-09-12T07:54:37Z")
Of the traditional animation ones, I’d say _Aladdin_ is my favorite, followed by _Mulan_. Based on what others here have said, though, I’ll pick up _The Emperor’s New Groove_ _Atlantis_ and give them a look. _Toy Story_ and _Toy Story 2_, however, are my all-time favorites. I enjoyed _Monsters, Inc._ (first one I’d seen in a theater since _Aladdin_), and was very impressed with the artwork, but the story just didn’t do as much for me. ---
**Author:** ![TelcontarStorm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3ab097/32.png) [@TelcontarStorm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TelcontarStorm)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2002, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-post-1985-animated-disney-flick/127835/19 "2002-09-12T12:24:20Z")
My vote goes for the _Lion King_ I have always adored big cats, so it has that to it’s advantage straight away. The animators did a terrific job of capturing the face of the voices. You just know, that if Matthew Broderick was a lion what he’d look like!(I admit I cried like a Baby when Mufasa died) This flick so Impressed me that when I heard Nathan Lane was in Birdcage, I went out, just for him. Elton John and Tim Rice rocked the house all the way to an Academy Award. So good they were, they wrote Aidia(sp?) afterward. Unfortunatly, the straight to video sequal (Simba’s pride) SUCKED. I’ll also give a chime in on the Groove! The lines never stop being funny. If you liked Shreck, you’ll like Groove. Atlantis, though different from other Disney flicks, was just too short. Pochahontas, was a soapbox. just what you’d expect from a Disney feel good flick. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2002, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-post-1985-animated-disney-flick/127835/20 "2002-09-12T14:29:00Z")
Altho Disney has a distribution/co-production agreement with Pixar (are they still fighting about whether sequels count?), Disney does not own Pixar. (Unless you mean owns in a non-literal sense) Brian [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-post-1985-animated-disney-flick/127835.md?page=2)