Well…yeah. They’re just so schmaltzy. Tale as old as time…blech.
My favorite would have to be Robin Hood. I saw this one the first time when it came out in the theater in the early seventies and have owned it on VHS and DVD. I still watch it now and then. The use of some of the voice actors’ actual physical characteristics was most excellent: Terry-Thomas’ Sir Hiss, Pat Butram’s Sheriff of Nottingham and even Roger Miller’s narrator all are identifiable in the visual depictions.
My least favorite:* Pocahantas*. What dreck. Even the poorly animated Oliver & Company beats that one.
Including Pixar, The Incredibles.
Without Pixar, maybe Peter Pan.
The ticking crocodile, the eternal youth theme, the fascinating villain (Captain “I’m a codfish” Hook), Indians, Mermaids. It all works.
I encountered almost all the Disney library about six to ten years ago and didn’t have any emotional attachment to any particular era. I’d seen Fantasia a couple of times, but that was it.
I don’t love any of the “revitalized” Disney animations… Pocahantas, Lion King, Little Mermaid, Hunchback, Lilo. There are a few good songs (“Story Old As Time”, “Under the Sea”, “Gaston”) and Ursula is a good villainess. But generally the stories lack archtypal power and feel “made by committee.”
None of the “classic” animations are bad, and if you prefer one to another I won’t argue.
Several of the mid-period movies are favorites as well, Robin Hood, Dalmations, Jungle Book..
There’s no least favorite. If Pixar counts, then Wall-E was a piece of crap. The last three or four non-Pixars have been watched with a finger on Fast Forward, and I haven’t really given them a fair chance to be totally awful.
What, even Pirates of the Caribbean?
This is very true. It would be lost on most audiences today, but the voice acting was done by very colorful entertainers of the time and would have been extremely distinctive to the people watching when it first came out.
Robin Hood has a huge cult following, probably more so than other Disney movies. A lot of women found Brian Bedford’s characterization of the fox Robin Hood to be extremely sexy, and I think it made a big impression on many girls who saw it as kids. Some of these people are part of the “furry” subculture (and indeed many credit Robin Hood as the catalyst for this fascination) but others are just girls who loved Brian Bedford’s voice. It might be the best voice acting of any Disney film, IMO, based on the reactions I’ve seen it generate.
I think a lot of people also found the romantic plot of Robin Hood to be the strongest of all the Disney animated features. (Youtube clip of “Love” from Robin Hood - I believe it was actually sung by the woman who did the voice of Maid Marian.) For some reason that song sounds like it was recorded by Sixpence None the Richer.
My favorites, in order: Mulan, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, Sleeping Beauty.
I actually like Pocahontas, despite the history-mangling. The music is great, and Pocahontas is just so pretty! Side note: When I saw Smoke Signals, I wondered why the beautiful American Indian woman looked so familiar. Turns out Irene Bedard was the inspiration for Pocahontas’ look.
My least favorite is probably Lion King or Tarzan.
Yes? Don’t get me wrong, it’s fantastic. I love the songs from both those movies. Many of them are just silly fluff about True Love and such (Tale as Old as Time, Kiss da Girl, Part of That World). They’re not deep or particularly musically interesting, but they’re catchy and fun and work well in a cartoon. Cheesy is not always a bad thing.
Other than Pixar, I have no love of Disney animated movies, although I’d probably pick Fantasia if necessary, although it has been many years since I saw it and have never seen it in an unaltered state. If we are counting Pixar, Brad Bird’s two are far and away my favorite. I think I really like Brad Bird and the Disney/Pixar thing is entirely accidental.
Live action, for favorites I’ll have to go with POTC and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, which I saw in a re-release on the big screen when I was eleven. Left me with a life-long lech for tormented, sociopathic men with neatly barbered beards.
Least favorite live-action - too many to choose. Million-Dollar Duck? The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes? The Gnomemobile?
Fave: Beauty and the Beast
Least Fave: Alice in Wonderland (though my daughter makes an absolutely stunning Alice come Halloween-time).
Favorite: I’m surprised no one’s mentioned The Great Mouse Detective. It was what got me into Sherlock Holmes. Basil is a great homage to Holmes himself, and Vincent Price’s Ratigan is both entertaining and frightening.
Least Favorite: Toy Story. I just found the story bland and uninteresting.
Also, hi, I’m new. Waves shyly
Best Dumbo
You want flying? Dumbo’s got flying.
You want a song? Baby Mine will be sung by people 100 years from now.
You want some slightly uncomfortable and dated depicting of a group? Dumbo has the Crows.
You want frightening truthful depiction of a group? A horrible villian? Dumbo has got scary clowns.
You want cutting edge animation? Pink Elephants on Parade is the stuff of nightmares.
The opening of a terrible storm and then the stork flies out of the cloud and everything is OK is the ENTIRE STORY told in 5 seconds. (bad-fly-no more bad)
The scene of the clown shadows talking is great minimalist film making.
Bambi has the best art of them all and I truely love it.
The worst, I don’t know. I’ve never seen Brother Bear or many others. I couldn’t stand the way the voice over guy said 'Brother Bear" in the trailer.
Sleeping Beauty is great but I have real problems with the three fairies. One, they are in the story waaaaay to much and then, instead of letting Philip do all the hero stuff, LIKE THEY SAID HE WOULD HAVE TO DO, they keep helping him after giving him the shield and the sword. In fact, THEY kill Maleficent. It sucks.
When Pinocchio’s friend turns into a donkey, dude that is fucked up.
The Great Mouse Detective is great. It has the first use of a computer generated scene. (the gears of the clock in the finale) It also has a stripper. (let me be good to you) And a great song for Rattigan.
The Princess and the Frog is being made with hand-drawn characters.
Least favorite: The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Whose brain-dead idea was it to turn that into a children’s animated movie? Legless gargoyles bouncing around on their torsos? YUK!
Favorite: Well since THoND I have not seen any so I’ll go with Lady and the Tramp. The scene with the spaghetti kiss gets me every time.
The problem with Disney movies for me is there always seems to be a song that redeems them. For instance, I’m not very fond of Hunchback, but freaking Hellfire. That has to at least qualify for most absolutely terrifying Disney song ever.
I remember Lion King being one of my favorite movies when I was little, I think I saw it 8 times in theatres. I still think it’s charming, but a lot of it has been lost to me now. I Just Can’t Wait to be King is nowhere near as amazing as I remember it, and in fact kind of bores me. Be Prepared still gives me chills though. “I’ll be king. Undisputed. Respected. Saluted. And seen for the wonder I am!” Just has to be one of the best character-image painting lines in history, it completely captures the pride thing the film seems to revolve around and paints Scar’s motivation perfectly. I’m not sure whether to give the movie points or take them away for Simba actually taking revenge on Scar at the end though.
I’d have to say, if absolutely pressed, Aristocats is the worst, probably near Lady and the Tramp. And likewise my favorite is probably New Groove, which is genuinely funny. I probably had the script of the thing memorized in 5th grade, and could still probably quote most of it if given a little bit of a memory jog.
I may actually sort through the list and tier them now, there are some certain ones (i.e. Lilo and Stitch is definitely in the top tier), but a lot of them I’m really torn on. I recently rewatched Alice and, well, I don’t know. It wasn’t bad, but it felt long to watch and the backgrounds kind of bugged me for some reason. Still though, I really like but I’m not sure where to bump it. Formerly I probably would have put Pocahontas up there, but then I did the worst thing imaginable for that movie… I watched it again :smack:. Yeah, there goes that one into Disney hell. (Also, psst here’s a great grilling of it for the haters)
I imagine I may have the same reaction to some others, I’m worried about seeing Fox and the Hound again now. I remember it fondly, but I’m guessing that’s probably the Nostalgia Goggles. To be completely clean about it… I don’t remember a single goddamn thing about the movie other than I liked it, couldn’t name one insignificant detail and that does not bode well for it. I’m also not sure how Robin Hood would hold up, seems polarizing. And, of course, there’s always the block that’s completely average in every way - like Atlantis. It’s not good, it’s not bad, it’s just… unremarkable in every way.
I will put in a final word since I’ve seen it mentioned in this thread though, Bolt really was amazing. I think it’s because they cut down on the pop-culture reference overuse that seemed to be the case (at least judging from the trailers) of other recent movies. It also helps that they got talented, dedicated voice actors instead of just casting big na… what? Miley Cyrus and John Travolta? DAMN, get them a permanent VO spot now, and I don’t care what tweeny franchises you have to kill to do it. (I’m actually really proud of Disney for not overmarketing that aspect, that was almost an exact recreation of my reaction to seeing the credits).
Not only are they bringing back 2D animation, they’re also bringing back the uncomfortable racial stereotypes! Seriously: the firefly character has got to be seen to be believed. Steppin Fetchit would squirm in his seat watching that guy.
As an adult, I choose Beauty and the Beast above all for 2D animation, and The Incredibles for Pixar. They’re both gorgeous and sophisticated and heartfelt and funny in all the best Disney traditions. And the music! Man. Just stunning achievements in film, both of them, ignoring the genre.
B&tB works perfectly as a true movie musical for both adults and kids, resisting the pop culture references that IMO would’ve cheapened the narrative. Belle is by far the best heroine in a Disney film, both flawed (for stubbornness and looking down on her provincial life) and admirable for her bravery, selflessness and intelligence. And unlike most of the other movie princes, Beast is a flesh-and-blood character, not just a cardboard chiseled profile. He has a real arc, going from hateful, animalistic and violent to gentlemanly and loving. Their romance is the most fully-realized of the Disney films, and I think the audience genuinely cares to see them together, not just because it’s inevitable-- I mean hell, it’s a Disney fairy tale! – but because we watch them growing closer bit by bit in the lovely Something There.
I don’t know how anyone can find The Incredibles ugly to look at; there’s not a frame that isn’t breathtaking as far as I’m concerned, from its early sixties architecture and clothing to the stunning natural scenery on Syndrome’s island. Not flinching at the violence and danger directed at kids (specifically referenced in the film by Elastigirl), I think it’s the Pixar movie that works best for adults and older kids. The music is freakin’ genius–I could easily listen to it on its own.
Sentimental choice for movie I was absolutely gaga over as a kid: Robin Hood. I’m thrilled to see Argent Towers’ staunch defense of the oft-dismissed film, and his praise for Brian Bedford’s charming performance as Robin. He’s totally right on both counts. The performances are across-the-board terrific – and let’s not forget Phil Harris portraying another funny bear after Baloo – and the music is fun and frothy, odd as it seems to have the juxtaposition of country with medieval England.
As far as Brian Bedford goes… well, his Robin was my first crush, I blush to admit (I mean, y’know… it was a cartoon fox and I am NOT a furry!), and his incredibly yummy voice (starts at around 1:20) is the reason I am in love with British accents. I listened to that record every night for years as a child. Oodelaly indeed!
A close second would be 101 Dalmations, because our family pet was a dalmatian, and a movie all about dogs was a-ok in my book. Though I agree the book is a kabillion times better.
Oops forgot: Least favorites would probably be Pinocchio – except for “When You Wish Upon a Star” – and “Snow White,” though more through personal association than any objective reasons. I can understand people loving these films.
That’s odd. I read about them bending over backwards trying not to offend (let’s not call her Maddy because it sounds like Mammy, let’s not make her a chambermaid, etc.).
Favorite: Mulan - finally, a badass female protagonist who can hang with the guys, go on adventures, and perform heroic acts. Great story. My mom told me the plot when I was growing up, and although Disney modified it as they do with all their movies, I still liked it. “I’ll Make a Man out of You” sounds awesome in the French version (“Comme un Homme”)
Least favorite: A lot of them. I’m actually not that impressed with a lot of Disney movies (not including the Pixars ones). Beauty and the Beast, Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Snow White, etc, all get a “meh” from me. I’m not talking about the quality of animation in its historical context or the existence of catchy songs, just the storyline and characters. Most of them just seem so vapid to me. I prefer Hayao Miyazaki animated films for the visual feast, thematic content, and complex characters.
My favorite is Mulan, for the same reasons lshaw mentioned. I love the song she sings after the disastrous meeting with the matchmaker, “Reflection.” Also the scenes at the Emperor’s palace with the Gang of Three. The sequel, in which she and the soldiers must escort three princesses on a trip, just wasn’t as good. Runners-up include Toy Story and Fantasia, though I didn’t like the centaur part much. Still haven’t had a chance to see the Fantasia sequel.
Least favorites: can’t decide, so many of them are terrible, particularly the direct-to-video sequels. One I particularly disliked was Home on the Range, mostly because of the character designs. The cows and the people looked so squarish and not very appealing. Another one I just couldn’t get into was Meet the Robinsons. A big part of it was that I hated how they took a perfectly good 80s song, Kim Wilde’s “Kids in America” and had the Jonas Brothers turn it into “Kids of the Future.” Also I couldn’t really sympathize with the characters.
Fantasia and Robin Hood were the only two I enjoyed enough to watch more than once or twice. The bit in Robin Hood where the archery contest descends into chaos is pure genius.
Least favourites were Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland. I had the Pickwick Video versions of both which I enjoyed a lot more.