Disney Movies Ranked (Round 2) The "Silver Age"

Disney Movies Ranked: (2) The "Silver Age"

Hello everybody! I'm back with round 2 of ranking Disney movies. Just a reminder this is part of a series where I critique every single Walt Disney Animation Studios film, and "rank" them on a number of things such as music, character development, etc. If you'd like to visit past rounds, you can do so by clicking the link(s) below:

Round 1 "The Golden Age": (here)

The four movies I will be critiquing today are: Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, and Lady and the Tramp. Many Disney fans consider these four films to be first movies in Disney's "Silver Age". I decided that that was a fitting name for this round. The movies were pretty decent, and I enjoyed most of them, but they weren't necessarily "golden". As an interesting tidbit, These four films, especially Cinderella are often credited with being the saviors of Disney. World War 2 really limited the amount of profit that earlier Disney movies made, and the company was on the verge of bankruptcy--however, these movies saved the young animation studio. You can learn more about it here: (link).

Alright, now let's get this show on the road!

1. Best Male Lead

4th Place: Peter Pan (Peter Pan)

Sometimes, writers create a leading character who would be completely unlikable in real life, but is rewarded for being unlikable in their fantasy world. In my opinion, Peter Pan is such a character. For the majority of the movie, his actions are selfish and immature. He brings Wendy and her brothers to Neverland, not in some attempt to improve their lives, but more in an attempt to add them to his band of followers. He mercilessly taunts and torments Captain Hook, not necessarily out of heroism or in the name of stopping evil, but seemingly just because he enjoys it.

I'll admit that my view of Peter Pan is rather cynical. I know that he eventually comes around and saves Wendy and her siblings, and returns them to their home on his own volition. I do give him points for that. And I'll admit, it was rather nice seeing his character make that journey. But, because he made every moment up until that point rather painful, he receives 4th place. 

3rd Place: Prince Charming (Cinderella)

Oh look, another prince whose name we don't actually learn during the movie (and people think old Disney princesses had it rough!) Prince Charming is 95% a clone of Prince Ferdinand from Snow White. He's the main character's bonus prize at the end for being a good person. He is in third place this time though because he does have some differences that help him edge out. His character design is notably better (he's rocking epaulets instead of lipstick). We actually get to see him sort of have a date with Cinderella before he decides to marry her (which is more than I can say for "Mr fall in love with some random girl I found at the well"). And, we can see that he actually does care somewhat about Cinderella. When she goes missing, he decides to do all in his power to find her--instead of just waiting around for her to eat a poisoned apple so he can kiss her. 

2nd Place: The White Rabbit (Alice in Wonderland)

Okay, so I know that this guy is more of a side character, but this was the closest thing I could find to a male main character in Alice in Wonderland. There were a few other male characters I could have chosen, such as the Cheshire Cat, or the Mad Hatter, who are a bit more popular. However, I feel like the White Rabbit is a little bit more important to the story--and the reasons why make up the bulk of why I think he's a good character.

One of the White Rabbit's major purposes in the film is to be an anchor in the sea of chaos. He's one of the few characters who actually makes sense. He's a person who's late for his job, and reacts in a way that is similar to how many of us would react. His house gets torn apart by a giant girl, and he reacts in a fairly realistic way. He gets his beloved pocketwatch, which he claims was a gift (from someone who is presumably important to him) smashed to pieces, and reacts just how anyone else would react. He's a symbol of reality and order--highlighted by the fact that he's always carrying around a clock, a symbol of order. 

This little white rabbit is definitely more than meets the eye, and is surprisingly filled with a lot of symbolism, and for that he scores 2nd Place.

Winner: The Tramp (Lady & the Tramp)

Aww, who's a good doggy? So, last round, I talked about how pleasantly surprised I was by how good of a character Pinocchio turned out to be. Well, this round, I was surprised by how good of a character the Tramp turned out to be. I expected him to follow the same old "bad boy turns good boy" trope that Disney movies seem to love writing. And, I'll admit that the Tramp certainly does seem like a "bad boy turned good boy" kind of character at first. However, unlike classic examples of this trope (such as Iron Man, Peter Pan, etc.) the Tramp follows more of a chaotic turned lawful character arc, rather than a selfish turned hero character arc.

He might be a little misguided at first, but he is never completely selfish. In fact, early on, he demonstrates quite a bit of selflessness. the Tramp legitimately believes that his way of life is the best way to live. And, as soon as he meets Lady and her friends, he tries to convince them to live what he sees as the best kind of life.  When Lady gets muzzled and almost torn apart by a group of stray dogs, the Tramp jumps in, risking his life against terrible odds to save her. He then tries to show her what he considers the beauty of the kind of life he lives. He doesn't ever force her to come along with him, and as soon as she shows him she wants to go back home, he makes very little argument to sway her. Then, after being rejected by Lady, when he could have been bitter, he risks himself again to save the baby she was trying to protect. 

In a cinematic world where so many male heroes need a ton of prodding to not be selfish, it was kind of refreshing to see a male hero who just simply decides to be selfless on his own accord.

2. Best Female Lead

4th Place: Alice (Alice in Wonderland)

This movie should seriously be renamed: Alice cries about everything and eats weird mushrooms. That's pretty much all she does throughout this movie. She doesn't really have much of a personality. She simply serves as a plot device to show us the craziness of Wonderland. She moves from point A to point B, passively taking whatever comes her way. I mean, I know that she's a character from the 1950's, but so are all of the other women in this section, and they were mostly great characters. 

3rd Place: Wendy (Peter Pan)

Wendy is not a terrible character. I do find her a little annoying at times, but I think that's simply part of her being only about 10 years old. She makes up for her slight annoying-ness with her sincerity. She demonstrates genuine care and concern for her brothers, Peter Pan, and the Lost Boys (this last one being fairly impressive considering that they tried to shoot her out of the sky). She also demonstrates sincere bravery near the end of the film, when she stands up to Captain Hook. I also like how she serves as a surrogate mother of sorts to Peter Pan and the Lost Boys. Where they are living in a world where they never mature or get older, Wendy represents the world of growing up, gaining responsibility, and taking care of others besides yourself.  

2nd Place: Lady (Lady & the Tramp)

I really liked Lady. I felt like she had a lot of different character traits that shone in the movie. She demonstrates a lot of love and loyalty towards those she is close to. When tempted by the Tramp to leave behind her owners to live a life of "freedom", she eventually turns him down, knowing that she could't really leave Darling, Jim Dear, and the baby (I have to say, I find it really endearing that she calls her owners "Jim Dear" and "Darling"). She also shows a lot of loyalty towards the Tramp once she starts to trust him more. The only time her loyalty wavers is when she is given reason to doubt the sincerity of his feelings towards her. 

One of the things I think Lady's character symbolizes is what it means to be pure in heart. As noted above, she's earnest in showing devotion to those she is close to. This devotion even leads her to stoically defend those she cares about. She demonstrates a willingness to give others a chance, which helps her create a rather beautiful relationship with the Tramp. Even other dogs can see her purity, which earns her their respect and loyalty.

  

Winner: Cinderella (Cinderella)

Sometimes, I think Cinderella gets a bad reputation, which she completely doesn't deserve. A lot of people unfairly say that she is an example of the "passive" Disney princess trope who waits for some man to come save her. While I definitely believe there are Disney princesses who follow this trope, I personally don't think Cinderella is one of them. In my opinion, Cinderella exemplifies stoic strength, hard work, and hope. In some ways, she kind of reminds me of the women who stepped up during World War 2 to basically keep the country running.

In the movie, we see Cinderella put up with a lot abuse. Time and time again, we see her stepmother and stepsisters undermine and torment her. The emotional trauma of losing her father, combined with the abuse of her step-family, should be more than enough to leave her an emotional wreck. However, despite this, she remains quite stable.

Not only does she remain stable, she also stands resolute in the hope that things will eventually get better. She pushes her own way through life, doing what she can to shed light on the dark life she lives. She befriends those she can (usually animals), and tries her best to brighten up their lives. She works hard, not only accomplishing the tasks required by her stepmother, but also accomplishing her own goals, such as when she fixes her real mother's dress to wear to the prince's ball. Yes, her story is one where a fairy Godmother tries to fix everything, but to her credit, Cinderella never really gives off the impression that she needs a fairy Godmother to solve her problems. 

3. Best Villain

4th Place: Aunt Sarah (Lady & the Tramp)

Okay, so Aunt Sarah isn't really a "villain", but she's the closes thing The Lady and the Tramp has to a main antagonist. And she plays that part fairly well. From the very start, Aunt Sarah's character stands in opposition to Lady's. Where others see Lady's purity and good intentions, Aunt Sarah sees nothing but a savage beast. Whereas Lady views the baby as someone precious and worth protecting, Aunt Sarah almost acts like the baby is nothing more than an object to be consumed (a rather extreme way of explaining her overbearing behavior towards the baby). On top of that, her Siamese cats go about selfishly wrecking chaos, whereas Lady selflessly tries to preserve order. Aunt Sarah makes for a rather interesting antagonist, even though she's so low on this list, I feel like most of the villains in this round were pretty good, so she's very close to the rest of them in quality.

3rd Place: Queen of Red Hearts (Alice in Wonderland)

So, the Queen of Red Hearts isn't a very complex villain, but she does have a lot of "heart". The lameness of that joke aside, it does have quite a bit of truth to it. The Queen doesn't necessarily have a lot of symbolism about her, or any interesting character arcs. She's just an embodiment of rage. She knows that she has a foul temper, and she takes delight in it. She doesn't really add any depth to the movie, but she is rather engaging for the parts that she's in. Plus, she's really good at what she does--being an unbridled rage machine.

2nd Place: Lady Tremaine (Cinderella)

Lady Tremaine is such a good villain. She's like a mixture of Professor Umbridge and Voldemort from Harry Potter. While Lady Tremaine might not have an army of minions or menacing powers, she makes up for it with sheer, cold cruelty, and cunning. Whereas other villains might simply try to kill you, Lady Tremaine will whittle away at your hope and self-esteem until she can bend you to her will. Which is exactly what she almost accomplishes with Cinderella.

Lady Tremaine is very skilled at doing so much by doing so little. She doesn't resort to giant, complicated master plans to thwart Cinderella's dreams. She's the kind of villain who recognizes that sometimes, one locked door, or one torn up dress can be more effective than a sword or dark magic. 

Perhaps the worst thing about Lady Tremaine, is that she technically plays by the rules. She never physically harms Cinderella, she doesn't break any laws by having her work all day, and she gained her wealth and position through legitimate means. Whereas other villains represent how lawbreakers can be a menace to society, Lady Tremaine represents how even law abiding citizens can be just as, if not even more, disruptive to society.

Winner: Captain Hook (Peter Pan)

As much as I enjoyed the other villains in this round, I have to admit that Captain Hook ended up being my favorite. I just found him to be a very interesting and complex villain. For one thing, I love the range he has in the movie. What I mean by that is we get to see him in a plethora of situations and moods. We see him swashbuckling with Peter Pan in a fight to the death, we see him attempting to trick Tinker Bell with sly diplomacy, we see him shout at the top of his lungs in absolute horror, and we even see him humiliate himself to save his life. All of these things, and more, show him to be a very dynamic character, who we get to see at many different angles.

One of the most interesting ways the movie portrays Captain Hook is as the victim. In the movie, we learn that Captain Hook has suffered a lot at the hands of Peter Pan. We learn that Peter Pan was responsible for the loss of his left hand, which resulted in an alligator's incessant obsession with devouring the rest of him. Peter Pan shows no remorse for this, and even sees it as wonderfully fun story to tell people he meets. Multiple times throughout the movie, Peter Pan torments and humiliates Captain Hook, to the point of him nearly losing his mind. It's in these moments that Captain Hook shows a very human form of desperation, as he tries again and again to, unsuccessfully, relieve himself of Peter Pan's relentless torments. Now, of course, Captain Hook resorts to rather extreme measures to do this, but isn't it possible that Peter Pan was the one who drove him to it?

So, in the end, Captain Hook is a dynamic and possibly even sympathetic villain. He makes every scene that he's in enjoyable, and he serves as an excellent opposition to Peter Pan.

Plus, we can't ignore his Olympic level leg strength and flexibility. He definitely would have turned out to be a gold medal gymnast if he hadn't of spent all his time chasing Peter Pan. 

Just look at that, a perfect 180 degree angle--whilst resisting the force of a fully grown Alligator's jaws.

4. Best Side/Supporting Character(s)

4th Place: Jock & Trusty (Lady & the Tramp)

Even though they're at the bottom of this list, I still really enjoy these two characters. They are very loyal and compassionate to Lady, and they even learn to give the Tramp a chance, after they've learned about his good side. Trusty is a lovable character, and the fact that he can't smell adds a dash of irony to his character. Jock gets props for having a great Scottish accent :). Even though I enjoy them, I'd say they're at the bottom of this list because they don't add a whole lot to the movie itself, and their not completely necessary. But, that being said, they're still decent characters.

3rd Place: The King and the Grand Duke (Cinderella)

These two make this spot on the list for their sheer comedic relief. I know that most people would place the mice as Cinderella's best side characters, but in my opinion, I found them rather bland and too cookie-cutter. The King and the Grand Duke on the other hand, have quite a bit of color to them. Their personalities are expressive and bounce off of each other perfectly. Where these two shine is when they're in scenes together--with the kind being angry at the Grand Duke. I don't know why, but I found the scene where the King chases the Duke with a sword quite hilarious. It was kind of like on old Loony Toon.

2nd Place: Tinkerbell (Peter Pan)

So, Tinkerbell is probably one of the most iconic characters that Disney has ever made. I mean, she flies over the Disney Castle in their logo, so she's pretty hard to miss. Although she spends the majority of the movie as a selfish brat, Tinkerbell does make a pretty decent character. Her infatuation with Peter Pan is kind of endearing, well, when it doesn't result in her trying to get Wendy killed that is. I guess it's that extreme jealously and protectiveness that makes Tinkerbell stand out, and it's something that's not seen a whole lot. One criticism that I do have about her character is that she doesn't talk. In my opinion, it would have been interesting if she had actually spoken during the movie, instead of just using hand gestures.

Winner: The Mad Hatter , March Hare, and the Dormouse (Alice in Wonderland)

What can I say about these three? They're a riot. They're one of the few chaotic characters in this movie that actually work. I feel like a lot of the other bizarre/chaotic characters in this movie tried to justify their chaotic behavior, or try to make themselves make sense. These guys on the other hand, offer no explanation for their insanity. They just seem to revel in it. This might present a problem if they were main characters (like the recent live-action movie tried to turn the Mad Hatter into) but because their side characters, they're allowed to be absolutely insane and totally bonkers. Their insanity adds to the movie, rather than taking away from it. In fact, since they're what a lot of people think of when they think of this movie, you could say that they're insanity is iconic.

5. Best Music/Songs

4th Place: Alice in Wonderland

I didn't find the music of Alice in Wonderland all that memorable. The only song I really found catchy was the little song the playing cards sang about painting the roses red. I know Alice sang something, but it was completely forgettable.

3rd Place: Peter Pan

Peter Pan has some decent songs. There's "Following the Leader" sung by the Lost Boys, " the lullaby Wendy sings, and there's also the iconic, "You can fly" song (look up "you can fly Batman" on youtube for some pure internet gold). All of those songs were pretty decent. I also loved the alligator's ticking clock theme music :). However, this movie gets docked some points in this department for having the incredibly racist song, "what makes the red man red?" This song is sung by the Indians after Peter Pan rescues Tigerlily. The whole thing was completely unnecessary and cringe-worthy. 

2nd Place: Cinderella

I actually quite liked the songs from this movie. Cinderella's song, "A dream is a wish your heart makes" was touching, and a really good way to start the movie I thought. The mice's work song and "Bippity boppity boo" were both pretty fun and memorable. I also really liked some of the music score in this movie. Especially towards the end, the score has some memorable melodies.

Winner: Lady & The Tramp

I wasn't expecting the music from Lady & the Tramp to be at the top of this list, but after re-watching it, I discovered that this movie has some really nice music. First of all, I love the music score during the first few scenes of the movie--especially the music that plays during Lady's puppy stage. It just matches the movie so well, and I often find my mind playing it in my head. I really liked how organic the songs felt in this movie as well. One example was Lady's "What is a baby?". It was short, and simple, but I just thought it captured her innocence and sincerity so well. I also loved "Bella Notte", the song that plays during Lady and the Tramp's romance montage. In my opinion, that song is the capstone on their romance.

6. Best Romance

4th Place: The Queen and King of Red Hearts (Alice in Wonderland)

So, this isn't really much of a romance--but it's the closest thing Alice in Wonderland has. Obviously, the relationship the King and Queen have is...not ideal. They probably were only married for political reasons. Or maybe the Queen and King really used to have a good relationship, but then it fell apart due to the Queen's unchecked rage. That actually sounds pretty sad. Well, moving on.

3rd Place: Cinderella and Prince Charming (Cinderella)

One of the parts of Cinderella I didn't particularly care for was the romance between Cinderella and Prince Charming. It felt kind of...unearned. This isn't Cinderella's fault--she definitely deserved a loving relationship--but rather, it's the movie's fault for not giving them enough time together to really develop their relationship. I liked how the movie revealed that Cinderella didn't know he was the prince at first, it was kind of nice to know that she wasn't falling for him just because he was a prince. Unfortunately, the movie never showed us why she really did fall in love with him. A big missed opportunity in my opinion.

2nd Place: Wendy and Peter Pan (Peter Pan)

So, I don't personally like Peter and Wendy's relationship more than Cinderella and Prince Charming's. However, I do feel like Peter and Wendy's relationship was more developed, played into the movie more, and had more screen time. At the very beginning of the film, we learn that Wendy has some feelings for Peter, infatuation at the very least. This sets the relationship up for the rest of the movie to work with. Peter shows deference to Wendy compared to other girls, including his lifelong friend Tinkerbell, who also has feelings for him. Further on in the movie, we see the sort-of relationship tested by Peter's flirting with Tigerlily, creating a love triangle (or love square I suppose). And, at the end of the movie, Peter's feelings for Wendy are what eventually convince him to "grow up" and rescue her and her brothers and let them go home.

Winner: Lady and the Tramp (Lady & the Tramp)

Lady and the Tramp just have the sweetest love story ever. Their relationship is what makes the heart and soul of this movie. Lady and the Tramp is a romance movie--for kids. This is actually quite rare for Disney. They usually just have romance tacked on to the movie, rather than having it be at the heart.

One thing I liked about the relationship between these two was how much we actually got to see it on screen. The bulk of the movie features both of them together. The entire second act alone is essentially the Tramp taking Lady on a day-long date. We get to see them do all kinds of things together: Fight off crazy alley dogs, go to the zoo, have dinner, get shot at by an angry chicken farmer, etc. 

I really just loved how real their relationship felt. Lady didn't just meet some random guy and fall in love with him at first sight. She got to know him, she went on a date with him, she even had her doubts about him. However, after he proved himself to her, she welcomed him back into her heart. Their happily ever after at the end of the movie just feels so right, because the movie actually earned it. Plus, you even get to see their puppies! Disney movies hardly ever let you see their couples actually married and with kids, so showing kids that romance includes a happy marriage and children is a really big plus for this movie.

7. Best Overall

4th Place: Alice in Wonderland

This movie was just too chaotic for me. I know that there's technically a plot--Alice gets lost and wants to find her way home. However, the conflict doesn't feel urgent. There's nothing really pushing the movie forward. Alice just kind of wanders around aimlessly and sees a bunch of weird things. And then wakes up. Plus, it just has one of the most cringe worthy female protagonists of all time. 

3rd Place: Peter Pan

This movie was fun enough. It's main characters are annoying, but it has some great side characters and a totally stellar villain. It also has some good messages about what it means to truly grow up and caring about others over yourself. I just wish its main characters were different. Think about if the movie were about Captain Hook! Now that would have been a fun movie. Instead, this movie is just kind of...alright.

2nd Place: Cinderella

A movie that was a lot better than I expected it to be. I didn't really watch this movie very often as a kid, so it was kind of like discovering a hidden gem when I re-watched it. The villain is great, the side-characters are likable and funny, and, most importantly, the title character is very realistic, relatable, and deserving of our respect. There was never a time that I didn't find myself rooting for Cinderella. Yes, its romance is week, and its plot could be a little stronger, but I think this movie definitely deserves to be called a classic.

Winner: Lady & the Tramp

Disney's finest--and one of the few--romance movie. I love how well this movie portrays love and relationships. We start the movie by seeing a married couple who love each other and make sacrifices for each other. And we end the movie with the exact same thing. The movie isn't cynical or satirical about love or marriage, and neither is it preachy or overbearing. It makes the concepts of romance and relationships approachable and understandable even for a young audience. 

For having such a powerful heart and soul, I declare this movie the winner of the Disney "Silver Age".

***

The second round is now over, only ten more to go! Make sure to check back for my next post when I critique Sleeping Beauty, 101 Dalmatians, The Sword in the Stone, and The Jungle Book! Please leave a comment and let me know what you thought of my rankings, if you agree or disagree, and share your opinions!

If you have anything you'd like me to add or change, just let me know! Your feedback will be greatly appreciated.