Top 20 Most Anticipated Films of 2017: Part 1 (#20-11)

Well, folks, since we’re getting closer and closer to the end of the year, I figured that it was a good enough time for me to do my annual ‘Most Anticipated Films of Next Year’ list. I’ll admit that I’m always unsure about when I should post this because some of the films that I discuss in these lists tend to get pushed back a year. Some past examples of this happening to me included my 2014 list, when Tomorrowland was apparently still intended to be released that year, and 2015 when I put Jon Favreau’s remake of The Jungle Book as an Honorable Mention… and then it was pushed back to April of this year. Thankfully no instances of rescheduling have happened with any of the films that I put in last year’s list (yet…) but anyway, now it’s time to look ahead to 2017. And let me tell you… there’s quite a lot of exciting new films coming out next year. Heck, 2017’s film lineup is even more exciting than 2016’s lineup. And with that said, yes, as I’ve gone over before, there have been quite a few people on the internet who have been expressing disappointment towards a lot of this year’s film releases… but that’s another story. It’s time to look ahead at 2017 and like last year, I’ve managed to come up with not just a Top 10 but a full Top 20 list of my most anticipated films of 2017. From the newest superhero films to some very intriguing sequels, and yes even some original films are in there, you can bet that I’m excited for many of the films that will be hitting theaters next year. So, without further ado, this is Part 1 of my 2-part list of my Top 20 most anticipated films of 2017. Today I’ll be going over #20-11 but first, here are my Honorable Mentions…

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Instead of giving each of these five films their own heading, I’m just going to rattle them off here quickly. First, there’s the new reboot of Power Rangers (March 24^th). Not being a big fan of the Power Rangers franchise, despite technically being part of the generation that grew up with it, I don’t have much personal stake in this new film but I am generally curious as to how it’ll turn out. Will it be able to appeal to both long-time fans and newcomers to the franchise? Next up is the reboot of The Mummy (June 9^th), the recently-designated ‘first’ entry in Universal’s new line of monster films. It’s unclear at the moment as to how this planned ‘Cinematic Universe’ will pan out but this new take on The Mummy does sound interesting, especially considering the talent involved, including Tom Cruise, Russell Crowe, and Sofia Boutella in the title role. Another reboot that I’m quite intrigued about is Jumanji (December 22^nd). For the record, this isn’t a remake of the 1995 film starring Robin Williams but is instead a sequel. I’m genuinely curious as to how it’ll connect with the original and if you ask me, you can’t go wrong with a film that stars people like Dwayne Johnson and Karen Gillan. Going into the horror genre for a moment, we have Alien: Covenant (May 19^th). Ridley Scott returns for another installment of the franchise that he helped start back in 1979 with this sequel to 2012’s Prometheus, which in turn was a prequel to the original Alien. While it will be centering on a new cast that includes the likes of Katherine Waterston and Billy Crudup, Michael Fassbender and Noomi Rapace will be reprising their roles from the previous film. Will this new film answer some of the unanswered questions that people had after watching Prometheus? We’ll just have to wait and see. And finally, there’s The Greatest Showman (December 25^th). Hugh Jackman will star as P.T. Barnum, who was a co-founder of what would eventually become the Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey Circus. As someone who has many fond memories of going to see this circus as a kid whenever it came to Rhode Island, I’m definitely interested in seeing its origins represented on film. The film will also star Zac Efron, Rebecca Ferguson, and Michelle Williams.

And now we move on to the Top 20 and boy do we have a rather controversial film to start things off at #20.

20. TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST KNIGHT (JUNE 23^RD)

Yes, folks, you’re reading this right… I’m genuinely looking forward to the fifth entry in the highly maligned live-action Transformers franchise. I’m not afraid to admit that I am a big fan of all four of the previous films in the series. I still argue that the first one is actually really good even after everything that happened with its sequels. And yes, I still like the much critically derided sequels, including the second and fourth films which were some of the worst-reviewed films of their respective years. Sure they’re really nothing more than mindless CGI-heavy action films but I still find them to be really entertaining popcorn flicks nevertheless. So with that in mind, I’m still interested in seeing this franchise continue, which it will do so next year with Transformers: The Last Knight. Michael Bay, of course, returns to direct and this will supposedly be his last Transformers film. Though with that said, he said the exact same thing after the third film and yet he ended up doing a fourth one so who knows? Mark Wahlberg will be returning as Cade Yeager along with Stanley Tucci as Joshua Joyce, both of whom made their series debuts in the fourth film, Age of Extinction. The film will also see Josh Duhamel and Tyrese Gibson return to the franchise as Lennox and Epps, who appeared in the original trilogy but were both absent from Age of Extinction. Like I said before, I’m very much well aware that this will probably be just as mindless as the other Transformers films. But with that said, if it is anything like those films, I’m probably going to like it anyway. Plus, I’m just curious about some of the recent reveals surrounding the film, like how it’s apparently going to involve King Arthur and even Nazis. Yes, you read that right… this new Transformers film is going to include King Arthur and Nazis. I won’t lie, folks… at this point, I’m just eagerly curious to see just what the hell they’re going to do with all of this. The only question, though, is this; will those who aren’t fans of the franchise finally get the damn hint and not go see this new film if they don’t like this series that much?  

Thought #20 was controversial? Wait until you see #19.

19. PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES (MAY 26^TH)

And now we move on to another franchise that hasn’t really fared well critically when it comes to its most recent installments; Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean. Still, I’ll admit that I’m looking forward to the upcoming fifth installment, Dead Men Tell No Tales. Johnny Depp, of course, returns as the eccentric pirate Jack Sparrow as he tries to find the Trident of Poseidon to combat an old foe, the ghostly pirate Captain Salazar (Javier Bardem). Geoffrey Rush returns as Hector Barbossa while Brenton Thwaites and Kaya Scodelario debut as new characters named Henry and Carina. But perhaps the most interesting development of this new film in terms of its cast will be the return of Orlando Bloom as Will Turner, who was last seen as the new captain of the Flying Dutchman at the end of the third film, At World’s End. Sadly, Keira Knightley won’t be returning alongside him as Elizabeth. So, as I noted before, the recent Pirates films haven’t fared as well critically with both critics and audiences when compared to the first film back in 2003, one of the surprise critical/commercial hits of that year. Basically, the main reason why has been due to the common criticism that the series tends to get really overcomplicated at times with its plots. Will this be the case with the new film? Who knows? But, with a new screenwriter and a new pair of directors in Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg, directors of 2012’s Norwegian Oscar-nominated Kon-Tiki, perhaps this one will change things up a bit. The recently released first trailer does grab your attention by way of its excellent visuals and rather a dark atmosphere. Ultimately, though, it’s unclear if this will be as big of a box-office hit as the previous Pirates films given that this is the fifth installment of the series. But, at the same time, considering that two of the four films have grossed over a billion, I have the feeling that this one will still be another sizable commercial hit for the franchise.

With the next two films on this list, we have the one-two punch that is Pixar’s next two animated features. The first is the one that’ll be released later in the year but it is still shaping up to be an excellent entry in the studio’s filmography.

18. COCO (NOVEMBER 22^ND)

Of the two Pixar films that are coming out in 2017, I have the feeling that the one that most fans are looking forward to more is the one with an original story. That film is Coco, a story that takes inspiration from Mexico’s Day of the Dead celebration. Not much is known about this one yet other than the fact that it’ll revolve around a young boy named Miguel who uncovers a mystery involving his family that’s been unsolved for a century. In the director’s chair is Lee Unkrich, who’s been involved with Pixar since the original Toy Story. He helped co-direct Toy Story 2, Monsters Inc., and Finding Nemo before he was promoted to the position of primary director for 2010’s Toy Story 3, and we all know how that turned out for him. The film grossed over a billion at the box-office, won another Best Animated Feature Oscar for the studio, and was also the third animated film after Disney’s Beauty and the Beast and Pixar’s own Up to be nominated for Best Picture. So clearly Pixar’s got one heck of a talented team working on this film, one that is 100% certain to produce some absolutely gorgeous visuals based around Day of the Dead. So, with all of that said, why then is it only at number 18 on this list? Well like I said before, it’s only because we haven’t seen any form of ‘footage’ yet and don’t know much else about it aside from the aforementioned synopsis. After all, we are still more than a year away from its release. Trust me though when I say that I am super excited to see this film, as I’ve always been for Pixar films. It’s just that I’m not one of those folks on the internet who is constantly pressuring the studio to do more original films after they did a few sequels. Speaking of Pixar sequels…

Oh boy, I’m going to get so much flak for putting this above Coco…

17. CARS 3 (JUNE 16^TH)

So why is this film, a Pixar sequel, ranked above an original story Pixar film, you ask? Well, like I said before, it’s only because we haven’t seen much from Coco yet. Granted, we haven’t seen much from Cars 3 either (aside from a recently released teaser that I’ll talk about in a bit) but being that it’s the third entry of that franchise and it’s coming out earlier in the year, we do know a bit more about it than we do with Coco at this moment. Anyway, the Cars franchise has been more of a commercial success for Pixar than it has been a critical one. It’s definitely been one of Disney’s biggest franchises in terms of merchandising, having amassed over $10 billion in sales. As for the films, though, critical reception has been a bit more mixed. The first Cars film, at the very least, did fine with critics. Granted it wasn’t as critically acclaimed as the studio’s other films but it still did fairly well at around a 74% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The second film, however… was the company’s first negatively received film. It got to the point where some people treated it like it was a criminal offense. How dare Pixar make an animated film that wasn’t a complete 15/10 masterpiece? I’m not kidding, people actually made that analogy online. And now as a result, whenever a Pixar film doesn’t get at least a 90% rating on Rotten Tomatoes (e.g. Brave, Monsters University, The Good Dinosaur), it’s immediately seen as a disappointment. But in Pixar’s defense, from what I’ve heard the second Cars film was a bit rushed because of the pressure to be finished by its planned release date. And while I’ve only seen it once, I remember liking it okay.

So, with that said, I do believe that Cars 3 does have the potential to redeem the film franchise. After Cars 2 took a major detour story-wise by going on a world tour and having a rather random subplot involving secret agents, Cars 3 is set to return to the series’ roots of celebrating small-town Americana. The film is being directed by Brian Fee and while this is his first film as a director, he’s been involved with Pixar, and most importantly the Cars franchise, for quite a long time as a storyboard artist. Many of the main characters of the franchise will no doubt be returning in this film, including main protagonist Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson). Per the film’s currently released premise, at this point, McQueen is now a racing veteran who must now contend with a new generation of racers to prove that he’s still one of the best. You can most certainly sense that from the film’s first teaser, which strikes an effective emotional chord by showcasing what will surely be a devastating crash that Lightning is involved in. So, in short, as I stated earlier, the Cars franchise isn’t as well-liked as some of Pixar’s other franchises, especially after Cars 2 was so critically derided. But, also like I said before, I think that this new Cars film does have the potential to at least be an improvement over the previous film, especially since, from a story perspective, it’s going to be more like the first film, which I do think is underrated. And while I do have the feeling that Coco will probably be the better-received of Pixar’s two 2017 releases, I’m still very much looking forward to the continuing adventures of Lightning McQueen and company.

Ride or die…

16. FAST 8 (APRIL 14^TH)

Sometimes it’s hard to believe that the Fast and Furious franchise will soon be releasing its eighth (!) installment. Who’d thought that a franchise that originally started all the way back in 2001 would still be going strong today more than one and a half decades later? Not only that, but this is one of the rare cases in which the sequels increasingly got better and better, namely the ones directed by Justin Lin. Fast Five and Fast and Furious 6 were the first installments of the franchise to perform solidly with critics and both films were huge hits at the box-office. And then there was Furious 7. James Wan took over as director and the film managed to become the first of the franchise to gross over a billion. Though of course, part of that was no doubt due to the film being the send-off of star Paul Walker, who tragically passed away in a car accident before filming was complete. But this series isn’t over yet and now we’ve got Fast 8, which will take Vin Diesel’s Dominic Toretto and his crew to New York. Once again they’ll contend with Jason Statham’s Deckard Shaw as well as a new villain played by Charlize Theron. Once again there’s a change in director but the new director is quite promising; F. Gary Gray, who’s coming off of 2015’s hit biopic Straight Outta Compton. And from what I hear, this new film is going to shift focus in terms of ‘genre’. While the first few Fast and Furious films were simple street-racing stories, Fast Five shifted gears (no pun intended) and became a heist film. But as for this new film, it will apparently be more along the lines of a spy caper. And for the record, yes, you never go into these films for the plot but still, it’s going to be interesting to see what they’re going to do next in terms of action. Pair that with the always excellent camaraderie of the main cast and you’ve got what is sure to be another big hit for the franchise.

The one and only Edgar Wright will have a new film out next year. And it lands the #15 spot on this list.

15. BABY DRIVER (AUGUST 11^TH)

Edgar Wright is a filmmaker who needs no introduction. He’s given us some of the funniest comedies of the past few years, namely his Cornetto Trilogy; 2004’s Shaun of the Dead, 2007’s Hot Fuzz, and 2013’s The World’s End. While all three films are different in terms of genre, with the only real ‘connection’ between them being the appearance of Cornetto ice cream in one way or another, they’re all excellent send-ups of their respective genres; zombie films, buddy cop action films, and sci-fi films. Of course, as we all know he almost directed Ant-Man for Marvel Studios last year but he ended up dropping out due to creative differences. And you know what? I think that it’s actually a good thing that this happened. It allows Wright to have full creative control over his work instead of having to deal with a ‘creative committee’, which was still in effect at Marvel Studios at the time. And this will certainly be the case with his new film, Baby Driver. Described as a crime drama that was apparently inspired by an old music video that Wright made back in 2003 for the band Mint Royale, the film will center around a young, silent getaway driver (Ansel Elgort) as he ends up partaking in a heist gone wrong. The film will also star Lily James as the driver’s girlfriend, Jamie Foxx and Jon Hamm as members of a gang of bank robbers, and Kevin Spacey as a crime boss. Music will also no doubt play a huge part in the film as the main character Baby is being described as ‘music-obsessed’ and I’m excited to see what kind of soundtrack Wright comes up with for the film. But of course, at the end of the day, the main selling point of the film is the fact that it’ll be another film from the master of ‘visual’ comedy, Edgar Wright.

As Harry Hart once said, “Manners. Maketh. Man”.

14. KINGSMAN: THE GOLDEN CIRCLE (OCTOBER 6^TH)

Matthew Vaughn gave us one of the most entertaining films of 2015 in the form of Kingsman: The Secret Service. Based on the comic series of the same name by Mark Millar about a young delinquent who is recruited into a spy organization, the film was a stylish ode to the classic spy films of the 60’s (e.g. the Bond films) complete with awesome action and a great cast. And next year will see the release of a sequel, Kingsman: The Golden Circle. Matthew Vaughn returns to direct and the major players of the first film will return to reprise their roles, including Taron Egerton as ‘Eggsy’, Mark Strong as ‘Merlin’, and… Colin Firth as Harry Hart? Yes, despite being (SPOILERS!) killed off by Samuel L. Jackson’s Valentine in the previous film, Firth will be back for this film in some as-of-yet unknown form. Did he fake his death? After all, one of the teaser posters (featured above) is an image of a pair of glasses that Hart wore in the first film (with one of the lenses taken out) that are positioned in front of a quote saying that “Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated” At this point, who knows? Anyway, the film will see Eggsy and co. heading to America, where they’ll be teaming up with their US counterparts, the Statesmen. New additions to the cast include Halle Berry and Channing Tatum as Statesman agents, Jeff Bridges as the head of Statesman, and Julianne Moore as the new main villain. I absolutely loved Kingsman: The Secret Service so you can bet that I’m excited to see another installment of this stylish spy thriller franchise.

My #13 pick is one of the biggest question marks of 2017’s film lineup. However, I’m still rooting for it to succeed despite the odds that are currently against it.

13. JUSTICE LEAGUE (NOVEMBER 17^TH)

I still have hope, folks, which I know is something that’s rather questionable at the moment for many people after DC’s two 2016 releases, Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad, both performed horribly with critics and were generally polarizing amongst audiences as well. However, I’m confident that their 2017 output will fare much better, especially now that Geoff Johns has taken over control of the franchise. In other words, he’s become DC’s ‘Kevin Feige’ and that will no doubt help the DC Extended Universe moving forward. And sure, Zack Snyder is still back as the director but I have faith in him to succeed with this long-awaited adaptation of DC’s iconic superhero team, the Justice League. The first ‘trailer’ that was released during Comic-Con showed off a different kind of film compared to Batman v Superman. Instead of being a generally serious/dark superhero flick, this new film looks much more light-hearted in tone as primarily seen in some of the interactions between characters, like when Batman and Wonder Woman discuss the former’s rather failed attempt to recruit Aquaman and with Bruce Wayne’s first encounter with Barry Allen AKA The Flash. Newcomers Jason Momoa and Ezra Miller (though I use the term ‘newcomers’ loosely because they both cameoed in BvS) are also shaping up to be excellent new additions to the cast as Aquaman and the Flash, respectively. Granted this change in tone doesn’t mean that this new film is trying to be exactly like the films of Marvel Studios but it certainly looks like the filmmakers are, at the very least, aware of the problems that people had with BvS (the theatrical cut, at least). It may be unclear at the moment if DC will be able to turn their luck around with both this and their other 2017 film (which, spoilers, will be appearing in Part 2 of this list) but I’m still confident that they’ll be able to make it work with Justice League. I may be a bigger fan of the MCU but I genuinely want Justice League to succeed just as much as everyone else.   

One of the most iconic castings of the superhero film genre will be back for one last go in this, my #12 pick.

12. LOGAN (MARCH 3^RD)

Hugh Jackman is Wolverine; no doubt about it. Ever since he was first cast in the original X-Men film back in 2000, he’s become one of the most successful superhero casting choices of all-time. He quickly became the most popular character in the franchise, even if it did come at the occasional expense of other characters’ development, and has appeared in every X-Men film to date, even if it was just for an awesome cameo like in First Class and Apocalypse. But with his next X-Men film and the third Wolverine spin-off, Logan, this will be Jackman’s final turn in the title role. James Mangold returns to direct this film after helming the second spin-off, 2013’s The Wolverine. And just like how that film was based on an iconic Wolverine storyline of the same name from the comics, this one will also be inspired by another big Wolverine-centered storyline, one that I bet a lot of fans have been waiting to see done on the big-screen; Old Man Logan. For those unfamiliar with this storyline from 2008 written by Mark Millar, it’s basically Wolverine’s Dark Knight Returns as it centers on him years into the future. Plus, while the last Wolverine film grappled with going all-out as an R-rated Wolverine film, though ultimately it only did so in the form of the Extended Cut which was released when the film hit home video, by all accounts it appears that this will be the R-rated Wolverine film that fans have been waiting for.

They recently released the first trailer for the film and I must say that it looks fantastic. One of the best things about director James Mangold’s superhero films is that they’re more than just ‘superhero films’. The Wolverine, being set primarily in Japan, featured a lot of great Japanese elements in it. In the case of Logan, it’s clear that he’s going for something out of a western. And you can totally see that in the trailer, especially with the use of a Johnny Cash song, ‘Hurt’, a fitting choice seeing how Mangold directed the Johnny Cash Biopic Walk the Line in 2005. The story, set years in the future where it’s established that something happened to most of the mutant population (possibly because of Wolverine as deduced by the line “Logan, what did you do?”), sees Wolverine and Professor X (again played by Patrick Stewart in what will no doubt be his final turn in the role as well) having to protect a young girl named Laura (known in the comics as Wolverine’s clone, X-23) from a group known as the Reavers. Now despite what I said earlier, it’s becoming clear that this isn’t a direct adaptation of Old Man Logan. But, to be fair, it’s hard to do an adaptation of that now given the appearances of characters who are currently over in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But, as someone who isn’t a big comic reader, I’m not bothered by this. Really, it’s the overall execution of the film itself that matters the most. And thanks to an international red-band trailer, we can now rest easy knowing that the film will indeed be R-rated and that the filmmakers are truly going ‘all-out’ with this one. But at the end of the day, I must say that this first trailer really delivers in terms of hitting you on an emotional level. And that’s a feeling that I bet a lot of people will have when we go to see this; the last go for one of the greatest leads in the history of the superhero film genre. It’s going to be an emotional rollercoaster.

And closing out the lower half of the Top 20 is the latest film from Ben Affleck. Director Ben Affleck, to be more precise…

11. LIVE BY NIGHT (JANUARY 13^TH)

While Ben Affleck is currently pre-occupied with being the DCEU’s Batman, 2017 will see the release of his latest directorial effort, his first since he won Best Picture for his 2012 film, Argo. Despite having only directed three films to date, Affleck’s proven himself to be one of the top directors in the industry thanks to 2007’s Gone Baby Gone, 2010’s The Town, and Argo. For his newest film, Affleck takes on his second adaptation of a story by author Dennis Lehane after Gone Baby Gone; Live by Night. Affleck stars as Joe Coughlin, the son of a Boston police captain who moves to Florida and ends up becoming a gangster. The film also stars Zoe Saldana as Coughlin’s girlfriend, Sienna Miller as his mistress, and Brendan Gleeson as his father along with Elle Fanning, Chris Cooper, and Chris Messina. I should probably note, though, that even though this film’s current wide release date is January 13^th, 2017, it will see a limited release this Christmas, effectively qualifying it for this year’s awards circuit. So, technically, that would mean that this is a 2016 film… so why then is it in this ‘Most Anticipated of 2017’ list? Well, simply put, I had first made this list before this film got its limited release date. Plus, I don’t know just yet if I’m going to be able to see this film before the year’s through so for now, it stays on this list. But, regardless of when I see it, it’s safe to say that I am really excited to see Affleck’s next directorial effort.

And that concludes Part 1 of my Top 20 Most Anticipated Films of 2017 list. Thanks for following along and be sure to come back tomorrow when I post Part 2 and list my Top 10.

Moana (2016) review

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 56^th 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

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 56^th 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!

Disney Retrospective - 90's

Disney Retrospective - The 2000's to Present

Disney Retrospective - The 60's and 70's

Disney Retrospective - The 80's

Disney Retrospective - The 30's and 40's

Disney Retrospective - The 50's

55. CHICKEN LITTLE

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

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

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

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

51. POCAHONTAS

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 1/10^th 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

26. MELODY TIME

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

14. THE JUNGLE BOOK

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

5. FROZEN

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

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

3. BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

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

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

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.