A Walt Disney Production: Final Ranking
A full year of watching movies for the specific purpose of writing about them at length gives a person a more organized approach to discussing them in any context, in addition to helping you break down what makes a movie work or fall apart. Several of the entries in my “A Walt Disney Production” series were films that I didn’t really think about much before I was tasked with analyzing them. But now that I’ve rewatched them all, I’ve found that I have some surprisingly strong opinions on each one, for better or worse. So midway through the project, I started keeping track of how I felt each film compared to the rest, and with the series finally done, it’s time to go down the list.
#12: Dinosaur (2000)
While I commend this movie for breaking new ground at Disney Animation, the studio didn’t set a good precedent for their CG catalog with this one. Not that the animation doesn’t hold up; for the most part, the character designs, color schemes, and cinematography are still impressive nearly twenty years after the film’s debut. But no matter how stunning the visuals may be, the whole thing falls flat without a good story and characters, and those two elements of Dinosaur happened to be ungodly boring. It’s predictable and poorly paced, most if not all of the jokes bomb, and the characters are so forgettable that I don’t remember 90% of their names, let alone their motivations. Technically admirable as it may be, I found myself eagerly awaiting that meteor.
#11: Home on the Range (2004)
This one has a reputation as one of Disney’s worst animated films, and good lord, is that earned. It offers some bright colors and stylized backgrounds, as well as a few decent songs, but the humor is obnoxious, and the plot is made up of contrivances and points that either go nowhere or are resolved without explanation. It’s also needlessly mean-spirited in the name of being edgier and more adult (I blame Shrek). The characters hate each other for no real reason and constantly tear each other down, making it hard to care about the stakes, which might have felt high if anything about the environment had been established before it was threatened. The only thing that puts it above Dinosaur is that it had an okay joke here and there, and I was at least mildly entertained at times by its fast animation and energetic score. But all in all, sitting through this was akin to watching milk sour in real time.
#10: Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)
Atlantis came at an interesting point in the studio’s history: the Renaissance was over, and although they had a few hits in the early 2000s, their overall critical and financial performance was slipping again. Part of that might have been because their films were starting to take more risks in terms of genre and tone, and the Jules Verne-inspired action-adventure story exemplifies both the strengths and weaknesses of this new approach. This film is a lot of fun — the tone ranges from atmospheric to thrilling almost seamlessly, the character designs are unique among other animated films from this era, and the culture, language, and technology of Atlantis itself was inventive. But the ensemble cast never really gets a chance to shine, and Milo Thatch isn’t a particularly compelling lead. The filmmakers had a clear passion for the classic adventure stories that inspired Atlantis, and the voice cast seem to be having a good time, but there are few things more frustrating than a movie with wasted potential, and the storytelling from Milo’s perspective (as opposed to the infinitely more interesting Kida) and flat supporting cast hold it back from being a truly great formula-breaking Disney film. (And come on, Kidagakash is not that hard a name to remember. Step up, Milo.)
#9: Brother Bear (2003)
For all its flaws, this is possibly the most underrated film in this lineup. Its comic relief characters aren’t the best, and the emotional climax of the film is completely botched by Phil Collins singing over what was originally going to be a heartbreakingly performed exchange between the two leads. That being said, the movie also boasts stunning animation with clever visual cues, mature themes, and some fully effective emotional beats throughout. Not to mention it puts a culture at the forefront that is seldom seen in Western cinema, and for the most part is portrayed accurately and respectfully.
Behind the sometimes lacking humor and anachronisms is a coming of age story for — well, the ages.
#8: The Three Caballeros (1945)
Like its companion piece Saludos Amigos (which is a bit higher up in the list), The Three Caballeros has perhaps some of the most significant historical background in Disney’s animated canon. It was made to pay homage to Latin America (particularly Brazil and Mexico), and it certainly accomplishes that, but it’s noticeably more disconnected than its predecessor. The music and animation are lovely and experimental, but all of the different segments feel scrambled together, and at times go a little too off the rails to the point where it’s hard to process the action on screen. Still, there’s no denying the legacy it started — with Panchito being introduced to complete the trio, the Caballeros became Disney icons, appearing in comics, theme park attractions, and television series like House of Mouse, the rebooted DuckTales, and even their own show, Legend of the Three Caballeros, which has yet to air anywhere outside of the Philippines. Maybe it’s that very legacy (as well as the precedent set by Saludos Amigos) that made me a bit disappointed with the film itself.
#7: Bolt (2008)
Another hidden gem, Bolt is not only funny with a clever and original premise, it’s heartwarming and poignant as well. The characters are likable, their growing friendship has a nice chemistry, and the plot is sure to strike a chord with pet owners. It came relatively early in Disney’s CGI days, but there are few visual aspects that haven’t aged well. It’s contemporaneous without the plot or humor being dated; really the only joke that’s not especially funny is the fanboy pigeons. And despite Miley Cyrus having been heinously miscast as Penny, the character is still well-written and has an identifiable bond of love and loyalty with her dog. It marked a turning point for the studio in the 2000s, setting it on the course to its continuing string of successes after a hit-or-miss period that came with the new millennium.
#6: Moana (2016)
John Musker and Ron Clements seem to have a knack for making their movies feel like classic Disney fairy tales with a refreshing change in locale and enough modern sensibilities to make them still feel fresh. Moana is no exception, providing a beautiful representation of the Polynesian islands (though I’m not Polynesian, so maybe take that with a grain of salt coming from me) with ethnically accurate casting and aspects of the culture woven in to nearly every element of the film. There are some plot points that don’t completely make sense or seem to go anywhere, and now and then the story may feel a little too classic, but the characters are charming and the music and visuals are phenomenal, which more than makes up for the rough waves it hits from time to time.
#5: Saludos Amigos (1942)
It sometimes feels more like a documentary you would watch in social studies in middle school than an animated feature, but whatever it really is, it’s a solid one. The live-action portions made me genuinely interested to learn about the culture, art, and music of South America in the 1940s, and the animated segments range from funny and entertaining to artistically astonishing. The animators seem to have stepped aside for this one and let their surroundings in Bolivia, Argentina, Chile, and Brazil do the talking. Though most of the music is not original to the film, it’s nonetheless fitting, and wonderfully fun to listen to with or without the accompanying visuals. There’s not that much in the way of plot or character, but the characters who are present are entertaining, and the fluid, experimental animated environments qualify this in my eyes as a piece of visual art. It’s short but sweet.
#4: Zootopia (2016)
Zootopia very well may be one of the best Disney films of the decade. Beyond being hilarious and centering on a genuinely developing friendship between its two leads, it also holds a much-needed mirror up to our own human world. It doesn’t condescend: it knows its audience doesn’t need to be told that racism is bad and we should just all get along, but it also points out that the issue of discrimination goes deeper than blatant acts like committing hate crimes or refusing to bake a cake for a wedding, and it’s not very easily solved, culminating in a conclusion that’s at the same time optimistic and realistic. It sometimes leans too far into in-jokes and has a few dated references, but the humor and mystery elements are overall entertaining and compelling. And although its ending scene isn’t the most fresh or creative, the same cannot be said for the rest of the film.
#3: The Emperor’s New Groove (2000)
They say writing is rewriting, and I can think of few other movies that exemplify that idea on the same level as Emperor. Its identity is so unique within the Disney canon that it’s hard to imagine this fast-paced, visually stylized, hysterical comedy as the grand, mythic musical it was originally intended to be. The studio made the right call in letting go of their Lion King-reminiscent idea and doing what worked best for the project rather than what had worked in the past. All the best ideas from Kingdom of the Sun remain — the Incan setting helps to set it apart from the Renaissance films, and the sweeping landscapes and cinematography are used to enhance the comedic tone. The cast is made up of some of the funniest characters Disney has ever created, and though the story doesn’t offer that much new to its genre or formula, it’s a fun adventure. The fact that audiences are still singing this movie’s praises for its hilarity is a lesson in not taking yourself too seriously.
#2: Wreck-It Ralph (2012)
Six years after its release, this is still the pinnacle of WDAS’ computer-animated catalog. Some parts of the B-plot are a little rushed, but the characters, environments, and story are all so creative that its minor flaws are easily forgivable. The film is fun, funny, and emotional, with good messages and an underlying commentary on the effects of being ostracized whether it be from childhood bullying or adult marginalization. Everyone in the main cast is three-dimensional and develops naturally throughout the course of the film, starting out likable and only becoming more so by the end. It’s one of the relatively few animated Disney films to warrant a sequel, but Ralph Breaks the Internet certainly had a lot to live up to.
#1: Lilo & Stitch (2002)
Arguably the peak of the post-Renaissance era, Lilo & Stitch exemplifies everything that makes a Disney classic while making all those things still feel new. The visual style alone feels both familiar (with cues from Dumbo and classic Mickey Mouse shorts) and original (thanks to Chris Sanders’ unique character designs), and the story shifts between somber and lighthearted without it ever being jarring. All of the characters are complex, with no real villain, the alien designs and technology are appealing and inventive, and the heart of the film is universally identifiable. Lilo and Nani’s dilemma already has high stakes on its own, but the Hawaiian setting adds a layer of allegory to the threat of their separation, with subtextual references to the islands’ annexation. Not to mention it also makes for absolutely gorgeous visual, musical, and cultural surroundings for the action on screen. It set the bar for the caliber of quality expected from a WDAS film in the twenty-first century, whether the story is original or adapted, and few films since have matched it.
Interestingly, I’ve found that every single one of these movies brings something of value to the table, no matter how good or bad they may be overall. It can be something as poignant as social commentary or life lessons, or something hidden behind the scenes like the technological advances it allowed for the studio. Going back and comparing them all to each other has helped me see this, and made me realize that, although I won’t be itching to rewatch some of them anytime soon, it was worth taking a closer look at them for this series.
Originally published at miseensense.wordpress.com on December 17, 2018.
