Disney Movies ranked (round 1)

Disney Movies Ranked: Round 1 The "Golden Age"

Recently, I have started watching every Walt Disney Animation Studios movie in chronological order. Walt Disney started making movies almost a century ago. As I've learned more and more about Walt Disney himself and the people who worked with him, I've become interested in starting at the beginning and seeing how far Disney has come. I've watched about eight or so movies so far, and have had a lot of ideas swirl in my head. So, I've decided to write some of these thoughts down.

I will only be watching movies which received an official, theatrical release. Thus, I will not be watching or reviewing any of the "package films" (Fantasia, the three Caballeros, etc.) or direct to video sequels. I will also only be watching movies which are completely animated, so I will not be watching or reviewing Mary Poppins, or any other live action/animation hybrids. The movies that fit these criteria alone number 48 individual films, so I'll have my hands full watching and writing about them all, let alone the exceptions I've noted above.

I've separated the 48 films into 12 groups, or "rounds" of 4 films each. Each post will judge the movies in 7 different sections. Essentially, there are 7 criterion I will critique the movies on and the movie which does the best in each criterion will be "awarded". After I have completed all 12 rounds, the winners of each section will be judged together, and the top 5 of each section will be decided. The 7 criteria that will be critiqued are as follows:

1. Best Male Lead: This section will critique each film's "male lead", or the male character which is the most important to the story (for example, Simba from the Lion King). Even if the male lead is not the main character, I will still critique each film on how they present and develop their leading male characters. The film who has the best male lead in each round will win the "best male lead" award.

2. Best Female Lead: This section will be similar to the first, except it will critique each film's leading female character. Even if the female lead is not the main character (Nala from the Lion King for example) I will still include them in this section.

3. Best Villain: This will probably be one of my favorite sections :). I will critique each film on their villain/antagonist. I will critique them on how effective their villain is in opposing the protagonist, how developed the villain is, and how powerful of an impact the villain makes. I'll also take into account each villain's lackies and cronies, and how much they add to the villain and the plot.

4. Best Supporting/Side Character: This section will critique each film's best side/supporting character. Since each film had numerous side characters, I will try to narrow it down to only one or two from each film. The film that has the best of the best side/supporting character(s) will win this award.

5. Best Music/Songs: Here, I will judge how each movie does in their music and songs. Since not every movie has songs, per se, I will include orchestrated music in this section as well. Not only will the quality of the music/songs be judged, but also how well they fit into the movie.

6. Best Romance: Since romance is such a key part of many Disney movies, I will judge how well each film does in the Romance department. I'll take a look at the main couples in each movie, and how well their romance is developed. Note: the romance doesn't have to be between main characters to qualify for this award.

7. Best Overall: This will be the award for the movie which I feel does the best at melding all 7 of the above points into the best movie of the round.

So, you may have noticed the subtitle that I gave this section. Those who are familiar with the "eras" in Walt Disney animation will know what it's about, but for those of you who aren't in the know, let me explain. A large number of Disney fans and analysts have separated the 50+ movies WDA (Walt Disney Animation) into eight or so different "ages". For example, the first four movies I critiqued make up what is known as the "Golden Age" of Disney. I decided that for each round, I'd do something similar. At the beginning of each post I'll explain what "age" in WDA I personally consider that round to be, and will give my reasoning for doing so. If you'd like to learn more about the different ages in Disney animation, there's a good article here

So, without further ado, let's get started!

1. Best Male Lead:

4th Place: Prince Ferdinand (Snow White)

So, apparently this guy actually has a name! It's kind of sad really that Prince Ferdy is at the bottom of this section. He's not a bad character by any means. The movie just doesn't give him any room to shine. He sings at Snow White during the first scene, and then doesn't show up for the rest of the movie until it's time to kiss Snow White. He seems like a decent guy, and could probably be gallant and courageous...but we never get to see it. He does have a great character design (minus the lipstick), it's hard to beat the hand painted frames of older Disney films. But, good character painting isn't enough to win this award. So, perhaps not really by his own fault, Prince Ferdinand is the worst male lead of this round.

3rd Place: Bambi (Bambi)

Aw, Bambi. Who can resist the adorableness of a wittle baby deer? No one can, he's adorable. At least, he is until he's replaced with the older version of himself out of the blue. I know, it's part of the whole growing up story they were trying to tell, but the sudden change is kind of grinding when you just got attached to innocent, little Bambi. Up until this point, Bambi is a great character. He represents the innocence of vulnerability of nature, which I think is a rather unique idea to have a character symbolize. But then, this symbolism gets replaced with the old fashioned "grow up and be a hero" story. Bambi falls in love, fights a rival, and saves his love from a forest fire. Sadly, it all just feels too rushed to really mean anything, and for that, Bambi loses points. If the movie was just about young Bambi, then maybe he'd earn 2nd place.

2nd Place: Dumbo (Dumbo)

Man, and I thought Bambi was adorable. Dumbo is just as, if not even more adorable than Bambi is. And the best part is, he stays that way throughout the whole movie! As soon as you see him for the first time, he captivates you with those big ears, curious eyes, and contagious smile (much like most babies). Adorableness aside, Dumbo also does a great job of expressing himself without words, much like Wall-E. His facial expressions carry his emotions home to you and can make his fear, loss, and joy all the more meaningful because of it. Something I also found kind of inspiring about Dumbo, is how he is a symbol of the people in society who are made voiceless. Just like them, he is ostracized and looked down on. However, with the right direction, he--and they--can soar! Now that's a pretty good character arc.

Just as a side note. Did you know that Dumbo's name is actually Jumbo Jr.? When the stork delivers him to his mother during the first scene of the movie, he asks her what she will name him. She replies that she will name him Jumbo Jr., after his father. Kinda' makes you wonder who Jumbo is, and why he never showed up in the movie...

Winner: Pinnochio (Pinnochio)

So, I was pleasantly surprised by how well the movie Pinocchio held up after all these years. I was especially surprised by how good of a character Pinocchio himself is. Throughout his story, we see him make a lot of character growth. At the beginning, he essentially starts off as an innocent little puppet who knows nothing about the world. As the movie progresses, we see him learn about what makes a person trustworthy or untrustworthy, we see him learn to take responsibility for his own actions, and eventually, we see him become courageous enough to risk his own life to save his father from the bowels of an unworldly malicious whale. And, this growth comes at a real cost. Throughout the movie, Pinocchio gets exploited by a greedy showman, kidnapped by street drifters, and nearly turned into a donkey and sold into child slavery. 

Through these harrowing experiences, we learn to truly feel for Pinocchio, and his character growth becomes believable. Pinocchio demonstrates that even children who have been through traumatic experiences can overcome them to become good and pure, as well as brave. And that's pretty deep for a movie character by today's standards. For these reasons, Pinocchio is the winner of this round's award for Best Male Lead!



2. Best Female Lead

4th Place: The Blue Fairy (Pinocchio)

So, Pinocchio actually doesn't have very many female characters. The only female characters I could find in it was the Blue Fairy and Cleo, Geppetto's gold fish. Since the Blue Fairy does kind of bring Pinocchio to life, I figured she was the more important one out of the two. What the Blue Fairy does is very integral to the movie's plot. Essentially, we wouldn't know Pinocchio without her. However, other than granting Pinocchio life, and coming in to save him a couple times, she doesn't do anything else. She's just a plot device. Perhaps if they had gone a little bit more into her character and her reasons for doing the things she does in the movie, then she might have been higher on this list.

3rd Place: Snow White (Snow White)

I know what you might be thinking right now. "What Snow White isn't in last place, but she's the wimpiest Disney Princess ever!" Now granted, Snow White is by no means a great character (as her being in 3rd place demonstrates), however, I don't think that she's quite as terrible as we make her out to be. Is her singing voice cringe-worthy? Yes. Is she extremely passive? Yes. But are those the only character traits she has? No. Snow White does have a slightly endearing motherliness about her, with the way she makes friends with animals and literally becomes a surrogate mother for the seven dwarfs. She does also have a flair of work ethic--not very many people would immaculately clean a random house they find in the woods. I found myself enjoying her interactions with the dwarfs, and once I got past her hellishly high singing voice, I even found her songs a little catchy too. Is she a fantastic character? Not by any stretch of the imagination. But is she at least mediocre? Sure.

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2nd Place: Mrs. Jumbo (Dumbo)

First of all, props to Mrs. Jumbo for being one of the rare Disney parents to actually live! And because she stays alive, she actually gets some screen time to develop her character. Just like Dumbo/Jumbo Jr., Mrs. Jumbo's emotions are very important to the movie. We see her tenderness in a lot of meaningful ways, one of the most poignant ways being when we see her hold Dumbo's trunk outside of her cage and sing the lullaby, "Baby mine". It's a truly touching scene in a movie that does a great job of being really touching. Besides that though, we also get to see her motherly protective side when she goes on a rampage to protect Dumbo from circus bullies. Mrs. Jumbo is someone who doesn't take any crap, but also has a soft spot. 

Winner: Bambi's Mother (Bambi)

The winner of this section is probably one of the most overlooked Disney characters of all time. When most people think of Bambi's mother, they only remember her getting shot. They don't realize that she's a character we get to know throughout about two-thirds of the movie. A good chunk of this movie focuses on the relationship between Bambi and his mother (and it's what the entire movie should have focused on in my opinion). And for a character who could be seen as merely a plot device (not even having a given name), Bambi's mother is surprisingly a great character.

One of the things I liker about her is just the gentleness of her voice. Paula Winslowe did an excellent job of voicing her. I just kind of felt peaceful whenever Bambi's mother said anything. I also feel like out of all the Disney mothers out there, she's one of the most realistic with the way she talks with Bambi and interacts with him. The love she has for him feels human, and never seems like it's holding the movie back. I feel like her character is an experimentation of seeing what happens if the young hero's mother actually lives for half of the movie before he has to go on an adventure. And I feel like the movie is greatly added to by doing so. All of these qualities combined make Bambi's mother the Best Female Lead of this round!

3. Best Villain

4th Place: The Hunter (Bambi)

Okay, so the only villainous points this guy gets are for killing the Best Female Lead of this round. The impact of this act is profound and core to the plot, and it sets up one of the saddest moments in Disney history, even on par with Simba trying to wake up his dead father. Beyond this villainous act though, the hunter is completely absent. We don't even see him at all in the movie. He doesn't come back to challenge Bambi in any way (though maybe he was the reason the forest fire started...).

3rd Place: Giddy, Catty, Prissy, & The Matriarch (Dumbo)

Dumbo is a very simple movie, and as such it has very simple villains. These four elephants aren't villains in the traditional sense, they're more like small time antagonists. They gossip about Dumbo and his mother, and ostracize them. Right after Dumbo's mother is taken away from him, they shut him out from among them, making him feel even lonelier during a time when they should have reached out to him in comfort. Their cruel ostracism and insensitive gossiping make them the perfect opposite of the sweet and innocent Dumbo. 

2nd Place: Queen Grimhilde (Snow White)

Yep, this incredibly important character from Snow White has an actual name too (Snow White kind of sucks at actually telling you their characters' names, doesn't it?). Her name in German means: “grim, ruthless, person wearing a face mask, (helmet of battle, battle mask)” (Link). Now that, is a pretty awesome name.

Queen Grimhilde is a villain who really lives up to her name. She has no qualms about being a villain. At the beginning of the movie, she comes to the conclusion that she must kill her step-daughter, Snow White, and doesn't deviate from that course one inch. Right then and there she orders the huntsman to cut out Snow White's heart and put in a box...that's pretty brutal! She also demonstrates a working knowledge of Alchemy, as she creates potions both to poison Snow White and disguise herself. She's not afraid to get her own hands dirty to get what she wants. 

She also gets points for being a truly Ironic villain. The reason she wants to kill Snow White is because she's a symbol of the Queen's own waning mortality. The queen can't accept that she is no longer young and beautiful (and thus closer to death), and so she must direct that fear and rage at Snow White. However, in her quest to kill Snow White, she embraces the very things she feared Snow White represented--her own waning youth. She transforms herself into a hideous old woman, and eventually comes face to face with her own death.

Winner: The Coachman (Pinnochio)

As evil as Grimhilde is though, she doesn't compare to the evil of this guy. The Coachman is a nameless villain (who really isn't given a name) whose namelessness actually adds to his villainous character (more on that later). For those of you who don't know, the Coachman is the one who lures Pinocchio and hundreds of other boys to Pleasure Island, in order to transform them into donkeys and sell them into slavery.

What the Coachman does is ruthless. We know from the movie that at least some of the boys he kidnaps still have families to go home to; as they're shoved into cages and shipped out, we can hear a couple of the transformed boys cry out for their mothers. This means that not only are hundreds of boys being forced into a life of slavery, but that there are also hundreds of mothers who will never see them again, and forever wonder what happened to them. 

Essentially, this guy is a symbolic representation of all those who perpetuate child slavery and abduction. Because he doesn't have a name, you can simply substitute any child slaver/abductor with him. Him transforming children into donkeys is symbolic of how child slavers "transform" children of infinite worth into nothing more than commodities. And just like the Coachman, many of these people get away with it. 

This is what makes the Coachman the biggest villain of this round.

4. Best Side/Supporting Character(s)

4th Place: Timothy Q. Mouse (Dumbo)

I don't really have a lot to say about this guy. He's a decent enough character. He helps out Dumbo after he sees him ostracized by the other elephants, which is definitely a good and compassionate thing to do. But, I just don't really feel like there's anything special about him. Yep, not a whole lot to say.

3rd Place: Thumper (Bambi)

Aw, good ol' Thumper. He might not be the best supporting character of this round, but he's probably one of the most well known. I enjoy his character pretty well. I kind of liked how he was a "mentor" of sorts to Bambi, which you don't often see in child characters. The only reason he's not higher on this list though is because he does get a little annoying after a while. Not enough to ruin his character, but enough to make him a little less endearing.

2nd Place: Grumpy (Snow White)

Grumpy is a character who has the perfect combination of comic relief and character growth. At first, we see Grumpy as a, well, grumpy, and rather misogynistic old dwarf. He is instantly distrusting of Snow White, and her "womanly wiles". And for a good chunk of the movie, he holds onto this attitude, despite Snow White earning the other dwarfs' trust. This initial obstinance is what makes his turn around all the more dramatic. Near the end of Snow White, Grumpy has come to trust Snow White, and is even one of the dwarfs who leads the charge to rescue her from Queen Grimhilde.

Winner: Geppetto (Pinocchio)

I really liked Geppetto in this movie. He's a very kind-hearted, down to earth person. He's not overbearing or cringe-worthy as some Disney parents are portrayed. I really like how much the movie focuses on his paternal love for Pinocchio. While the Blue Fairy may be credited with bringing Pinocchio to life, Geppetto was the one to actually create him, to love him. And after Pinocchio is brought to life, he wants nothing more than to just love him. He makes a lot of sacrifices to care for Pinocchio, he even gets swallowed by a demonic whale while trying to find Pinocchio.

In a lot of stories, a parent's love is seen as an obstacle keeping the hero from adventure, or achieving their potential. I'm so glad that Geppetto goes against this trope. He shows that a parent's love can be what leads a child to their potential. It's this sincere love and devotion that makes Geppetto the best supporting character of this round :).

5. Best Romance

4th Place: No one in Dumbo...

There really isn't any romance that I can think of in Dumbo. I mean, Mrs. Jumbo obviously had a husband, but there's really nothing beyond that.

3rd Place: Figaro & Cleo? (Pinocchio)

Just look at Cleo, she's totally crushing on Figaro XD. Okay, okay, this one's more of a joke than anything else. There really isn't any romance in Pinocchio either. Still though...they'd be a cute couple, lol.

2nd Place: Snow White & Ferdinand (Snow White)

The only reason this couple is placed so high is because they really don't have any competition. This relationship doesn't really matter to the plot, it's sort of just tacked on, at least that's how it feels. I know that the message is supposed to be that true love can heal people...but, nothing about this one-dimensional relationship portrays that very strongly. But,at the very least they both look happy, right? And we can just ignore the fact that Snow White's only 14...yeah...

Winner: Bambi & Faline (Bambi)

Okay, so these two are pretty cute together in my opinion (at least, they are when they're both kids). Faline's confident and playful personality mixes well with Bambi's more serious personality. They bounce off of each other's characters really well, and they have some pretty comical, and cute interactions with each other. The thing that's the most striking about their relationship is just the sweet innocence of it. They like each other because they get to know and like each other, not just because the plot calls for it (I'm looking at you Snow White).

6. Best Songs/Music

4th Place: Pinocchio

Despite everything else about it being great, Pinocchio had rather lackluster music. The only song I remember from it is "When you wish upon a star", which I'll admit is iconic--but it's just kind of okay in my opinion. Nothing special.

3rd Place: Bambi

I kind of liked some of the music from Bambi. The movie has some nice instrumental music that emphasizes the purity of Bambi's childhood, and also some of the playfulness of his friends. I also thought the music portraying the change of the seasons well done as well. Nothing earth shattering, but solid.

2nd Place: Dumbo

Not a whole lot of people remember Dumbo for its music or songs, but it's got some pretty nice ones. "When I see an Elephant Fly" is pretty catchy, and fun. "Baby Mine" is just the perfect song for this movie. It emanates the warmth and tenderness that's at the heart of the relationship Dumbo has with his mother.

Winner: Snow White

The Dwarfs are what really saves the movie in this department. "Heigh Ho", and their washing song are both fun to listen to and steal the show when they are on. Snow White herself sings a few songs as well, with varying quality. "I'm wishing" is kind of grating on the ears, but "whistle while you work", is actually listen-able, and is pretty catchy too. I'm pretty sure it was the inspiration behind Enchanted's classic "Working Song". 

7. Best Overall

4th Place: Bambi

The movie that I enjoyed the least during this first round, was probably Bambi. That's not to say that this movie doesn't have its good points. The music is solid. It has a cute romance in it. And it has one of Disney's best female characters in it as well. It's just...I don't really feel like the rest of the movie did any of these things justice. 

The movie kind of just felt like a nature documentary of Bambi's life. I know that it was a movie that was supposed to be about nature, and that its characters were animals, but Disney did movies about animal characters that were more than just documentaries--just look at Dumbo. 

3rd Place: Snow White

Surprisingly, Snow White wasn't terrible, despite it being the very first animated movie ever. There were so many things that could have gone wrong. But, the movie carried its own weight, and told a charming, if not dated, story. Everything about the movie performs okay. But nothing about the movie just really shines--unlike the next two movies on this list.

2nd Place: Dumbo

I do feel a little sorry for Dumbo, it seems like it's been relegated to 2nd place for just about everything in this round. And that's not because it really fails at anything. To be honest, the movie (forgive the pun) flies high with a lot of its components. The main character is lovable, it has a beautiful exhibition of a mother's love, it has some good songs and music, and it has a very positive message of confidence and overcoming societal disapproval.

Winner: Pinocchio

I honestly have no qualms with naming this movie the best of this round. This movie has everything that a truly classic, amazing Disney movie needs. Yes, its music is a little lackluster, but that's a minor footnote compared to everything else that this movie gives us. The characters are all fleshed out and fit well in their purpose. Mainly through its main character, the movie shows the learning, set backs, despair, and hope that makes up childhood. 

The movie isn't afraid to put itself, or its characters in difficult situations. It visits themes such as show business corruption, child slavery, and even death (Pinocchio dies while escaping from Monstro with Geppetto, and is resurrected by the Blue Fairy). It shows that while childhood may not always be easy, a child can still unlock their potential and be courageous, even in the face of horrific opposition.

***

Alright, and that wraps it up for the first round! I'll be posting the second round soon, so be on the look out for it! Please leave a comment and let me know what you thought of my rankings, if you agree or disagree, and share your opinions!