Monday, November 28, 2016

Moana (2016) review

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Well, as I’ve mentioned quite a few times in the past few years, Walt Disney Animation Studios is currently in the middle of a major ‘Revival’ period. Following a rather rough start to the 2000’s that was marred by multiple underperforming films, some of which were no doubt affected by interference from studio execs, the studio began to get back on its feet once Pixar’s Ed Catmull and John Lasseter were brought in as its new President and Chief Creative Officer, respectively, in 2006. Since then, the studio has seen plenty of critical and commercial hits, including two billion-dollar-grossing films in the form of 2013’s Frozen and this year’s Zootopia. But Zootopia isn’t the only Walt Disney Animation release of the year as now we have the studio’s 56th animated feature upon us, Moana. It certainly has the pedigree behind it. For one thing, it’s directed by the duo of John Musker and Ron Clements. These two are easily one of the most famous directing duos in the studio’s history. After making their directorial debut as one-half of the directing team behind 1986’s The Great Mouse Detective, they then went on to become the creative force behind not one, not two, but three films of the ‘Disney Renaissance’ era; 1989’s The Little Mermaid, 1992’s Aladdin, and 1997’s Hercules. A few years later, they directed the studio’s highly underrated 2002 effort, Treasure Planet. In 2009, they made their first contribution to the studio’s revival with The Princess and the Frog. And with their latest film, their first computer-animated feature, they once again bring us another highly entertaining animated adventure that features plenty of the great things that one would expect from a Disney Animated film, especially from the ones that these two have worked on.

In the region of Polynesia, a young teenaged girl named Moana Waialiki (Auli’i Cravalho) lives with her folks, Chief Tui (Temuera Morrison) and his wife Sina (Nicole Scherzinger), on Motunui Island. But while her father spends most of his time grooming her into becoming the next chieftain of their village, Moana instead wishes to explore the world beyond the open seas, something that her father forbids her and the other villagers from doing following an incident that he ended up in many years earlier. However, one day, Moana finds that the village’s resources are starting to dwindle. Namely, the coconuts in the area have begun to spoil and the fish have disappeared from their usual shores. Moana then learns from her grandmother Tala (Rachel House) that the island is being affected by a curse that was caused by the stealing of a mythical stone that is known as the ‘heart’ of the island goddess, Te Fiti. This leads Moana into setting out on a journey to return the ‘heart’ to its rightful place, the lost island that Te Fiti had created a millennium ago. Along the way, she ‘recruits’ the assistance of the legendary shape-shifting demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson), who just so happens to be the one who stole the ‘heart’ in the first place. And so, the two set off on a journey to help Maui regain his fish-hook (which allows him to shapeshift) and return the ‘Heart’ to restore balance to the world and save Moana’s village, all while dealing with various monsters along the way.

Moana is Clements and Musker’s first computer-animated film after all their previous films were traditionally-animated. But with that said, the animation in this film is just as beautiful as the animation that came from their previous films, especially when it comes to sequences that are set on the ocean. I can’t really explain why but there’s just something about water that allows it to translate well into animation, as evident from this and other films like Pixar’s Finding Nemo films. There are even a few instances where some shots have somewhat of a traditionally animated feel to them. And, for the record, no I’m not just talking about the sentient ‘Mini Maui’ tattoo that Maui interacts with constantly. Some frames of animation did feel like they had a real nice ‘painterly’ quality to them, sort of like what Tangled did back in 2010. As for the story, it’s a fun oceanic adventure with a solid emotional core, while also giving us some fun ocean-based action sequences. In fact, one scene involving a group of small coconut-like creatures known as Kakamora may even remind some people of a certain action film that got released last year. But through it all, one can really get a great sense of Polynesian culture. Disney usually does a good job when it comes to portraying other cultures. I mean, okay, admittedly not all the time (e.g. some of the controversial ‘stereotypes’ of early Disney films) but still, the films of theirs that are set within a specific location usually do a decent enough job of reflecting the culture of their locales (e.g. Saludos Amigos/The Three Caballeros, Lilo and Stitch) and this film is easily one of Disney’s best in terms of respectfully representing the culture of its setting. Plus, as with any great Disney musical, the songs that are featured in this film are terrific. What is the best way to describe how they’re great? Simple; they were co-written by Lin-Manuel Miranda. No further explanation necessary.

A lot of buzz has been going around in regards to the film’s title character, particularly because she is a ‘Disney Princess’ without a love interest. But if you recall my ‘Ranking the Disney Princesses’ post a few weeks ago, you’ll know that ‘romance’ is not something that I usually focus on when it comes to Disney’s princess characters. Instead, I will say that Moana is a charming, adventurous young protagonist with a great personal drive and is ultimately someone who I’d argue is more than just a ‘Disney Princess’. And newcomer Auli’i Cravalho does a fantastic job in the role, especially when it comes to working off Dwayne Johnson. Speaking of which, what else can be said about ‘The Rock’ that hasn’t been said before? He’s one of the most charismatic actors in the business and even though Maui does start off as a rather selfish and egotistical character who’s just out for his own personal gain, he does grow to become more selfless as time goes on. And of course, Johnson’s charisma is on full display here. In short, Moana and Maui are an excellent lead duo. And of course, like any great Disney film, there are quite a few noteworthy side characters here and there, including a dumb rooster named Heihei who happens to be voiced by Disney Animation’s ‘John Ratzenberger’, Alan Tudyk, and a giant crab named Tamatoa (Jemaine Clement) who is shown to be a major treasure-hoarder and is the main focal point of an entertaining musical number, ‘Shiny’. Though with that said, this is a case of a Disney film where the focus is more on the main characters, which is great in this case given how well-developed the protagonists are.

Thanks to their newest effort, Moana, Walt Disney Animation Studios’ current hot streak stays strong. In fact, I think it’s safe to say that this won’t be the end of it. Under the direction of the duo responsible for some of the most iconic Disney films in recent memory, John Musker and Ron Clements, Moana very much feels like a classic Disney animated film. The animation is terrific, especially considering that this was the first time that Musker and Clements have forayed into computer animation. Through it all, they even managed to implement some traditional animation into the film. The songs, brought to us in part by the one and only Lin-Manuel Miranda, are excellent. And the main characters Moana and Maui, excellently voiced by Auli’i Cravalho and Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, respectively, are an excellent lead duo. Put all of this together, along with a solid representation of Polynesian culture, and you have a fun ocean-based animated film with a strong emotional core. And thus, Disney Animation is 2 for 2 this year when it comes to their feature films. However, I’m not going to make any major comparisons between this and Zootopia because they are two very different films. It does, however, showcase the strong variety of Disney Animation’s current output that is, without a doubt, one of the many factors behind the studio’s recent ‘Revival’. Because both are great in their own way; Zootopia as a timely (and I mean really timely) moral message and Moana as a great cultural experience. 


Rating: 4.5/5

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

DISNEY MONTH: Ranking All 55 Disney Animated Features (pre-'Moana')


Hello and welcome to the final installment of Disney Month here on Rhode Island Movie Corner, a month dedicated to honoring the prestigious filmography of Walt Disney Animation Studios. Over the course of the past few weeks, I’ve ranked all the current members of the Disney Princess line, listed my Top 5 Favorite Disney Protagonists and Sidekicks, and listed my Top 10 favorites from Disney’s wide array of classic tunes. This was all done in honor of the impending release of Disney Animation’s 56th film, Moana. It comes out today so to cap things off before my inevitable review of the film, I’ll be concluding Disney Month with the biggest list of them all. That’s right; today I’ll be ranking all 55 of Walt Disney Animation Studios’ animated features that were released prior to Moana, from 1937’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarves to this year’s Zootopia. Obviously, it was quite a hard process to do a list like this given the fact that I have 55 (!) films to work with here. But, I think that I managed to successfully assemble my own personal list. But of course, with that said, this will very much be one of those cases where you’re guaranteed to not find two lists of this topic that are 100% the same. So, be sure to sound off in the comments below with your own Top 10 favorite Disney Animated films (and even your Top 5 least favorites if you want). Finally, I just want to lay out a quick disclaimer; obviously, this will be a very, very long list. So, with that in mind, I promise that I’ll try to be as quick and concise with this as possible; in other words, I’m not going to go into too much detail about these films given that I’ve already done so in the past. For my full thoughts on these films, just check out my ‘Disney Retrospective’ series via the links provided below. But for now, it’s time to start the countdown!







55. CHICKEN LITTLE

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While I may have liked this as a kid, nowadays I view it as the worst Disney animated film to date. And it’s not because the humor is hit-or-miss or because the animation isn’t very good, but because it has a severe mean streak, effectively making this the only Disney animated film that I can’t, in good faith, recommend to kids.

54. HOME ON THE RANGE

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Unlike Chicken Little, kids will probably enjoy this fine because of its bright and colorful animation and the wacky tone. However, adults won’t get much out of this and it’s sad to know that this was intentionally made that way considering that Disney Animation has always been known to respect both kids and adults.

53. THE BLACK CAULDRON

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This one did have quite the potential, being easily one of the studio’s darkest outings story-wise. But, ultimately, a lot of it ends up falling flat, from the underdeveloped (and possibly truncated) story to the bland characters.

52. THE ARISTOCATS

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While the film as a whole is harmless, there’s barely any plot to speak of. It’s a generally aimless affair.

51. POCAHONTAS

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Despite the solid animation and a decent array of songs, the main characters are bland and the film is rather dull, effectively making it the weakest of the ‘Disney Renaissance’ films. On the bright side, this is the last Disney animated film on this list that I gave a less-than-stellar rating to. So, in short, out of 55 films, I only dislike about 1/10th of them. Obviously, I know that film is subjective and that some of you might dislike some of the next films on this list but still, that’s a pretty great track record for a studio that’s been around for nearly eight decades.

50. DINOSAUR

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While the computer animation is quite impressive for the time, the story is pretty basic. Still, I won’t lie when I say that this gives me a pleasant sense of nostalgia.

49. BROTHER BEAR

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Ultimately this film’s biggest downfall is the severe tonal change that occurs after the main character is turned into a bear. Still, the great first half and the solid character arc that the main character goes through at least keeps it from being one of the absolute worst.

48. SALUDOS AMIGOS

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At just 42 minutes long, this feels more like a bonus feature on a DVD. Still, the content in it is quite good and it does its job at representing the beauty of Latin America in such a short span of time.

47. THE RESCUERS

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The main characters are very likable and the film has an enjoyably over the top villain. However, the film as a whole is rather slow and the bayou setting actually results in some dreary-looking animation.

46. FANTASIA 2000

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The animated segments of this Fantasia sequel are rather hit-or-miss and the celebrity cameos don’t really work that well. Still, the strongest segments (e.g. ‘Rhapsody in Blue’) do stand out.

45. OLIVER AND COMPANY

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Sure, it’s probably one of the simplest Disney animated films in terms of story, especially considering the two Disney animated films that it’s sandwiched between in terms of release dates, but it’s still quite enjoyable as is its unforgettable main song, ‘Why Should I Worry?’

44. THE THREE CABALLEROS

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While it does have more to it than its cultural brother, Saludos Amigos, its non-stop nature may prove to be tiring for some.

43. THE SWORD IN THE STONE

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Some might not like the educational-heavy pace that this film adopts but it’s still a pretty enjoyable take on the legend of King Arthur.

42. MAKE MINE MUSIC

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What could be described as Fantasia but set to contemporary music, Make Mine Music makes up for some of its shorter segments with some memorable stories, including ‘Casey at the Bat’ and ‘The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met’.

41. THE FOX AND THE HOUND

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This tale of ‘best friends turned enemies’ wins you over with the cute friendship that emerges between the title characters and then ends up being quite engaging in terms of how they end up becoming foes.

40. ROBIN HOOD

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While it’s certainly a very simple story, Robin Hood is still an enjoyable romp with funny villains, likable leads, and some zany action.

39. LADY AND THE TRAMP

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While fairly simple in terms of story, Lady and the Tramp still shines thanks to the nice romance that forms between its title characters. And who can forget ‘Bella Notte’?

38. MEET THE ROBINSONS

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It may still be a product of the ‘pre-Lasseter’ era but because this was the first one that John Lasseter was involved with, Meet the Robinsons is an enjoyable sci-fi adventure that honors Walt Disney’s vision of the future while also showing signs of the studio’s forthcoming revitalization.

37. DUMBO

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While Dumbo is certainly one of the simpler Disney films in terms of its story, it’s also full of charm and heart. And who can forget that infamous ‘Pink Elephants on Parade’ sequence?

36. SLEEPING BEAUTY

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While its main romantic duo is rather underwritten, this film still stands as a Disney classic thanks to its beautiful animation, memorable side characters, and unforgettable main villain.

35. WINNIE THE POOH (2011)

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A welcome return for these beloved characters that maintains many of the same great elements of its 1977 predecessor. Really, the only thing holding it back is that it’s a bit short with only two major storylines.

34. ONE HUNDRED AND ONE DALMATIANS

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I like the second half more than I do the first half but there’s no denying that Cruella de Vil is a classic Disney villainess.

33. BOLT

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Often regarded as the film that kick-started Disney’s current Renaissance (or ‘Revival’ as it’s more commonly referred to), Bolt is an enjoyable road trip story with likable main characters and a fun ‘fish out of water’ premise.

32. HERCULES

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The flashy Vegas-esque art style may throw some people off but it still has some fun songs (as well as a great inspirational one), a likable main character, and a hilarious villain in the form of James Woods’ Hades.

31. THE GREAT MOUSE DETECTIVE

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Often regarded as an unofficial ‘Renaissance’ era Disney film, this fun spin on the story of Sherlock Holmes features a great ‘hero-villain’ pairing in the form of Basil and his archenemy Ratigan.

30. HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME

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Easily one of Disney’s darkest films to date, and that’s even after the changes that were made to tone down the already dark content of its source material. And while the film itself is a bit uneven in regards to trying to maintain that tone while also being a family film, this is still a very enjoyable entry in the Disney canon, particularly thanks to its main villain, Judge Claude Frollo.

29. TARZAN

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The animation is cool, the main characters are likable, and I’m not afraid to admit that I like the soundtrack done by Phil Collins.

28. ATLANTIS: THE LOST EMPIRE

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A pretty underrated entry in the Disney canon. It may be a bit uneven and the villains may be rather weak but the main character is likable and the side characters are memorable. Pair that with some great comic-book style animation and you have a fun Disney animated film that tried to be something different.

27. ALICE IN WONDERLAND

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Featuring arguably some of the studio’s greatest animation, Alice in Wonderland is just as zany as its source material.

26. MELODY TIME

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Like Make Mine Music, this is basically just a series of animated shorts set to contemporary music. However, it ultimately ends up being superior to its ‘spiritual predecessor’ due to the fact that while there aren’t as many segments in it, they’re longer and much more memorable as a result.

25. THE ADVENTURES OF ICHABOD AND MR. TOAD

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An excellent pairing of animated short films, ‘The Wind in the Willows’ is zany and full of fun characters while ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow’ builds up to the dark and atmospheric conclusion with the infamous Headless Horseman.

24. FUN AND FANCY FREE

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Easily my personal favorite of Disney’s line of ‘package films’, Fun and Fancy Free features two highly memorable short films, particularly the Disney version of ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ starring Mickey, Donald, and Goofy. But if you want the best version of that story, check out the version on Netflix narrated by Ludwig von Drake instead of the in-film version narrated by Edgar Bergen.

23. THE RESCUERS DOWN UNDER

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The oft-forgotten entry of the ‘Disney Renaissance’, this film takes the positives of its 1977 predecessor but improves upon the animation and pacing to become a superior sequel.

22. MULAN

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With a great title character, fun side characters, and some excellent songs, Mulan is quite a powerhouse and arguably the most underrated entry of the ‘Disney Renaissance’.

21. LILO AND STITCH

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Combining a fun ‘fish out of water’ story with an emotional ‘broken family’ story, it’s easy to see why Lilo and Stitch was probably the most successful Disney film of the ‘post-Renaissance, pre-Lasseter’ era.

20. THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG

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After half a decade, Disney returned to traditional animation with this vibrant and colorful New Orleans fairy tale complete with fun and jazzy music and a highly memorable villain.

19. TANGLED

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Some might find the title change from Rapunzel to Tangled to be rather silly but it ultimately does reflect the overall story much better. A great lead duo, some nice songs, and an entertainingly show-y villain help make Tangled a modern-day Disney classic.

18. BIG HERO 6

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The first Disney animated film to utilize the company’s then-newest acquisition, Marvel Comics, Big Hero 6 is basically the animated equivalent of a MCU film. It’s entertaining, has great visuals, and heart.

17. TREASURE PLANET

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Easily the most underrated Disney animated film to date, Treasure Planet is an exciting and unique take on the classic story of Treasure Island that solidly blends science-fiction with its original action-adventure premise.

16. BAMBI

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Very much more than just ‘that film with the emotionally-scarring death of a parent’, Bambi may be a simple coming of age story but it’s handled perfectly.

15. FANTASIA

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The marriage of classical music and classic Disney animation is perfect. Simple as that.

14. THE JUNGLE BOOK

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Contrary to what channels like ‘Screen Junkies’ and ‘CinemaSins’ have recently claimed, this film is a classic. Great characters, toe-tapping songs (not just ‘Bare Necessities’), and some overall nice jungle animation result in a fun adventure.

13. THE LITTLE MERMAID

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The title character may prove to be a bit polarizing depending on who you ask but this film still stands as the film that helped revive Disney Animation by kicking off one of its most iconic eras.

12. WRECK-IT RALPH

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As a gamer, this directly appealed to me with its wide array of video game references. And while some of these references may end up going over the heads of younger audiences, the film will win them over with its great message of ‘being yourself’ and its colorful and creative animation.

11. ZOOTOPIA

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The latest Disney animated flick is great enough as a fun and beautifully-animated buddy cop adventure. But then it goes the extra mile by having its story be based around timely themes and messages through its combating of racism and prejudice.

10. PETER PAN

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Sure, nowadays this film gets a lot of flak for its occasional stereotyping but the villains are fantastic, the main characters are likable, and the film very much succeeds in regards to capturing the imagination of young and old.

9. SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS

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The original Disney animated classic and still very much one of the all-time best. It may be much simpler in terms of story and characters than subsequent Disney films but of course, if it wasn’t for this film, we wouldn’t have those other ones.

8. CINDERELLA

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I will always argue that the title character is not as passive as some claim and that this film is a classic thanks to great animation, a superb villain, and some great songs.

7. THE MANY ADVENTURES OF WINNIE THE POOH

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Winnie the Pooh is pretty much the definition of childhood and although this is basically just three animated shorts, the lovable characters and innocence of it all very much make this a classic.

6. THE EMPEROR’S NEW GROOVE

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Quite possibly the funniest Disney film to date, mostly thanks to its main villainess Yzma and her lackey Kronk.

5. FROZEN

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Yep… this got all the way up to #5 on my list. I know that it’s become popular on the internet to hate on this film for being the big hit that it was but you know what? Because of its great characters, catchy songs, and the strength/heart of its story of two sisters, that success was very much earned.

4. ALADDIN

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Aside from Robin Williams’ iconic turn as the Genie, Aladdin has it all; action, adventure, romance, great music, etc.

3. BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

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It’s easy to see why this was the first animated film to be nominated for Best Picture. From the great romance between its lead duo to the entertaining villain to the classic array of songs, Beauty and the Beast is a masterpiece.

2. PINOCCHIO

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A charming, but sometimes dark, masterpiece with great lessons for kids. I’d argue that this was Walt Disney’s masterpiece.

1. THE LION KING

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Through it all, though, it is Disney Animation’s 1994 masterpiece that lands the number one spot on my list. This film has it all; great animation, an epic scale, an emotional story, terrific music (both in terms of the songs by Elton John and the score by Hans Zimmer), and classic characters.


And those are my rankings of Disney Animation’s 55 animated features prior to this week’s Moana. Thanks for joining me on this month-long celebration of Disney and be sure to stay tuned because my review for Moana will surely be coming in the next few days.