Disney Movies Ranked (Round 4) The "Shadow Age"

Disney Movies Ranked: (4) "The Shadow Age"

Hello everybody! I'm back with round 4 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)

Round 2 "The Silver Age": (here)

Round 3 "The Gilded Age": (here)

This round, I will be critiquing the four movies: The Aristocats, Robin Hood, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, and The Rescuers. These four movies make up what most Disney historians consider the "Dark Age". As discussed in my previous post, I believe that Disney's decline began a decade earlier with Sleeping Beauty and the rise of Xerography. Most of the movies in the last round were well received at the box office and by critics. The movies in this round however, while modestly successful at the box office, were not very well received by critics, especially the first two. Winnie the Pooh is the exception to this, as is The Rescuers to a smaller degree, which received modest praise from critics.

Although this age in Disney animation is definitely not as magical as the ages before, I don't think I would call this a "dark age". The movies in this round are by no means terrible, however they do have their flaws. During this age, a lot of  art and plot material from past Disney movies are recycled or in some cases, cut straight from other movies and re-skinned. I also noticed that many of the same actors and actresses were reused, leading to the voices to feel a little stale (one actor played a main character three films in a row (the actor for Baloo, Thomas O'Malley, and Little John). The overall quality of the movies is also noticeably lower. These movies are a shadow of the movies that came before them. Despite these flaws though, I think each of these movies have their shining moments. There's a little bit of light mixed with the darkness. Thus, I've called this age, "the Shadow Age".

Here's a link talking more about this time in Disney Animation's history: (here).

Alright, now for the ranking portion!

1. Best Male Lead

4th Place: Thomas O'Malley (The Aristocats)

Technically, his full name is (according to him) "Abraham DeLacey Giuseppe Casey Thomas O'Malley". Okay, so let me be clear. Thomas O'Malley definitely does not deserve to be in fourth place. He's a great character. In fact, all four of these movies had fun and engaging male leads. However, somebody has to be in fourth. 

As I said, O'Malley is a very good character. He's funny, charismatic, and noble. Overall, a well-rounded character. His singing voice is excellent. I also kind of liked his charming, but unpolished, "poetic" side as well. As Duchess herself said, "you're very poetic, but not quite Shakespeare". That kind of wraps up O'Malley in a nutshell. He's kind of rough around the edges, but he's got a heart of gold and the soul of an artist.

The one beef I do have with O'Malley's character is that he kind of felt too much like the Tramp from Lady and the Tramp. He's a free-roaming, charming stray with a heart of gold who meets up with a pampered, well-mannered house pet from a rich family. He does sing, which is something the Tramp never did, but he still just has too many similarities for my taste.

3rd Place: Robin Hood (Robin Hood)

Robin Hood is very similar to O'Malley, meaning that he is also very similar to the Tramp. However, he does have some noticeable differences that set him apart from the two. First, he's quite a bit more humble than O'Malley or the Tramp. He doesn't really draw attention to the things that he does, and he readily deflects the praise that's heaped upon him by his fellow animals. I feel like the other two characters would have relished the praise a little more than Robin Hood did.

Robin Hood is also in a story very different from the story O'Malley and the Tramp find themselves in. Robin's story is of vigilante justice opposing tyranny. We see him in all kinds of action, whether it's stealing from the king, shooting in an archery tournament, or rescuing prisoners.

Robin Hood has all of the positive traits of O'Malley, but the small differences I noted above are what give him a slight edge over O'Malley.

2nd Place: Bernard (The Rescuers)

I really enjoyed Bernard. After the Tramp, O'Malley, and Robin Hood, it's sort of a breath of fresh air to have a male lead who's the exact opposite of them. Bernard is definitely an introvert. He's quiet, and unassuming, yet also polite and courageous. I really like his character arc from being a shy, scared, and even a little superstitious janitor to a brave and noble rescuer.

I also really liked the way he treated Bianca. Whereas the other male mice seemed to just objectify her, Bernard demonstrates that he truly cares about her straight from the beginning. He's kind towards her, isn't patronizing, and is more than willing to risk his life for her.

Side Note: I realize that Bernard and Bianca (as well as the characters from The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh) will show up in two movies during this project, instead of just one, as their movies have sequels which received theatrical releases. Therefore, to avoid redundancy, I've decided to only include them in one round, and then talk about other characters from the sequels that appear in later rounds in their place. 

Winner: Pooh (The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh)

Now, I'll be honest, I think Pooh edges Bernard out simply by his nostalgia factor. I really loved Pooh when I was younger, so watching him again brought back a lot of fond memories. 

What can I say about Pooh? He's kind of his own thing, there's not really anyone else like him. And to be honest, that's pretty impressive since he's such a simplistic character. Perhaps it's his sheer simplicity that makes him unique. He's just Pooh bear. He doesn't have any heroic agenda, he doesn't really have any glaring character flaws that he needs to overcome, and he doesn't have complicated goals or desires. He just wants to eat honey and be with Christopher Robin. I find it kind of funny, we've seen tons of Disney dogs and cats, yet Pooh is the character who's most like our beloved house pets. He's not off having adventures, he's just at home, eating, and trying to be with the human he loves most.

He isn't the best speller, but for this round, he's the best male lead.

2. Best Female Lead

4th Place: Kanga (The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh)

So, Kanga was literally the only female character I could find in Winnie the Pooh. I used to think that Rabbit was a girl, but then I found out that he wasn't. So, that leaves us with Kanga. 

Sadly, there isn't a whole lot to say about her. The movie gives her maybe only two minutes of any screen time. The movie doesn't develop any of her character traits, beyond the fact that she's a loving mother towards Roo. I kind of wish we'd seen a little bit more of her.

3rd Place: Maid Marian (Robin Hood)

I wanted to place Maid Marian higher on this list, unfortunately for her though, she's hamstrung by the movie not paying any attention to her. She's a nice character. She's kind, elegant, and she's also sympathetic towards the villagers--something which is sort of risky for someone in her position. However, despite these traits that could make her an interesting character, the movie wastes her by simply relegating her to the role of the helpless love interest. Robin goes off on an adventure, rescues her, and then goes on another adventure while she waits behind. None of which is either of their fault, it's unfortunately just what the movie demanded of them.

2nd Place: Duchess (The Aristocats)

Duchess is a pretty classy lady...er, cat. I think the voice actress (Eva Gabor) did a great job with making Duchess sound sophisticated, yet warm. I really enjoyed Duchess as a character. One of the best things about her is the generous amount of screen time she had. Mother characters are unfortunately portrayed as one-dimensional characters in movies, but thanks to Duchess's continued presence throughout the majority of the movie, we get to see her be a mother in a number of different circumstances--adding depth to not only her relationship with her kittens, but also her individual personality. She's right there with her kittens during all of the adventure and danger--all, I might add, as a single parent.  

Winner: Miss Bianca (The Rescuers)

First of all, I've got to say that I find it pretty cool that the top two female leads in this round both have the same voice actress. Eva Gabor was actually born Hungarian, which makes her a perfect fit to play Bianca, who is the rescue aid society agent representing Hungary. Her voice gives Bianca that distinct, Eastern European feel.

I have to say that Bianca is a pretty cool character. So far, she's one of the most three-dimensional and well-designed female leads in a Disney film. I really enjoy how many different sides of her personality we get to see in this movie. She has a lot of energy to get things done, and has a strong will to accomplish those things. She's also very kind and gentle, a rare thing to be combined with a strong will in a movie character. She's also very brave. She was the very first rescue aid agent to volunteer to rescue Penny--putting her own life on the line to rescue a complete stranger. She doesn't pale at the sight of Madam Medusa and two angry alligators, she just does her best to accomplish her mission.

I really liked how quickly she saw the good in Bernard. When others just saw him as the lowly janitor, she saw courage and nobility. Just after knowing him for a few seconds, she knew enough of his character to trust him to be her partner for the rescue mission. This wasn't just some foolish naivete, it was a demonstration of great wisdom and insight.  

3. Best Antagonist/Villain

4th Place: Rabbit (The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh)

The idea of Rabbit being the antagonist of Winnie the Pooh is a pretty comical one, but he's really the closest thing the movie has to an antagonist. So, Rabbit doesn't really oppose the main character of the movie, but he does oppose one of the side characters, Tigger. In the movie, Rabbit wants to try and get Tigger to lose his bounce--because Tigger was responsible for ruining Rabbit's garden. So Rabbit comes up with the brilliant idea to go on a walk with Tigger in the woods, only to leave him behind so he gets lost in the woods. He hopes that the trauma of it will leave Tigger bounce-less. I mean, you have to admit, that is pretty mean.

3rd Place: Edgar (The Aristocats)

I have to say that Edgar's probably better at making Creme de la Creme ala Edgar than he is at being a villain. He just seemed kind of petty to me. I mean, he becomes a villain after finding out that he come after some house cats in his employer's will. Doesn't he realize that the government would give the custody of the cats, and therefore their inheritance, to him anyways (Because let's be honest, what government is going to let cats literally "inherit" all of their owner's money)? His whole villain arc could have been avoided if he simply had done a little research. 

In a deleted scene, we learn that there was originally a house maid, and that the fortune was going to be split between the two of them. Edgar then attempts to trick the house maid into marrying him so that he can obtain her half of the fortune as well. Had the movie actually taken this route, then maybe he would have been a better villain.

Well, at least he's good for a few laughs, right?

(by the way, I found a recipe for Creme de la Creme ala Edgar: here) It looks pretty good :).

2nd Place: Prince John (Robin Hood)

Well, speaking of petty villains. So yes, I would say that Prince John is more pathetic than Edgar, but his pettiness is so extreme to the point where it's just comedic caricature, and the movie never pretends otherwise. He's treated like a joke by the movie, its characters, and the audience the entire time. I feel like his pure devotion to being a joke of a villain kind of redeems him from being one.

Winner: Madam Medusa (The Rescuers)

Madam Medusa is a maniacal villainess very similar to Cruella de Vil, which is fitting, since we learn from a 101 Dalmatians commentary that her character design was an attempt by an animator to one-up the animator of Cruella. 

Out of all the villains in this round, I feel like Medusa does the best job opposing the protagonists. For one thing, She kidnaps and manipulates a sweet little orphan into performing life-threatening labor for her (and steals her teddy bear!) Also, she has two pet alligators who she sics on said orphan, and the mice who come to rescue her. Also, let's not forget that she pulls a gun on a little kid! And all of this because she wants a big diamond. 

So yeah, she's basically Cruella de Vil, but with alligators instead of two henchmen, kidnaps orphans instead of puppies, and does unspeakable acts to obtain a diamond instead of fur coats. And she crashes a swamp rover jet-ski thing instead of a snazzy car. Since Cruella is a pretty good villain, Medusa benefits from emulating her (who knows, maybe she watched 101 Dalmatians as a kid). 

Oh, and plus, she's Disney's first red-headed villainess, so...

4. Best Side/Supporting Character(s)

4th Place: Little John and Friar Tuck (Robin Hood)

Isn't it kind of funny that Robin Hood has two characters named John, and that said characters are almost exact opposites of each other? Little John is the third character in a row to use Phil Harris' voice, and he pretty much plays like the other characters Harris voices (Baloo and Thomas O'Malley). He's a happy, go-lucky animal who sings. I mean he does it well, but it does get a little stale after awhile...

I did like Friar Tuck, the fat little badger (or whatever animal he's supposed to be). I like how much he stands up to the Sheriff of Nottingham. The animosity between the two of them kind of serves as a secondary hero-villain arc for the movie. I feel like this is a nice touch for the movie.

3rd Place: Piglet (Winnie the Pooh)

Piglet has always been one of my favorite Winnie the Pooh characters. He's kind, sensitive, and selfless. Compared to the other characters, who seem rather oblivious to the needs of others, Piglet is a breath of fresh air. One of the things that stood out to me the most about him was when Owl needed a new house, Piglet just let him have his own house, for free! It’s a little sad because you can see how much his house means to him, because it’s been in his family for generations. But it’s also pretty heartwarming to see him have the kindness to let owl have it. 

2nd Place: Marie, Toulouse, and Berlioz

Just in case you ever wondered what the black-furred kitten's name was, now you know :). So these three pretty much make up the heart and soul of the movie. Their three personalities help give the movie more flavor. It’s kind of nice that we get to see all three of them in the movie, and that they all survive. Disney has a tendency to make their child protagonists the only child—so it’s nice to see some of their child protagonists playing together as siblings for a change.

They provide a lot of fun and good lines for the movie. “Cause I’m a lady, that’s why” is probably one of the most memorable lines of the movie. I love how they’re able to paint and play the piano—despite being cats (makes me wonder if their owner finds this just completely normal).

Winner: Penny (The Rescuers)

Penny is one of my favorite child characters so far. To be honest, she reminds me a lot of Pinocchio. She's innocent, and pure in heart. But she's also courageous. I mean she stands up to and scolds two full-grown alligators. How many little kids do you know that can do that? Also, she remains surprisingly upbeat and optimistic given her dismal circumstances. 

I also want to point out that she's a symbol of all the children who have ever had to endure kidnapping and slavery. Technically speaking, that's what she goes through during the movie, it's just kind of glossed over with the cute animation and talking mice. She's taken greedy adults who exploit her into performing life-threatening labor for them. This is stunningly analogous to children who are forced to do the same thing in real life (and coincidentally, quite a few of them are forced to harvest diamonds, just like Penny). 

The thing though, is that Penny's character offers hope to these children. Just like her, there are people looking for these children, and trying to rescue them. Just like Penny, it's possible for these children to escape their horrifying circumstances and find a family who loves them. And just like Penny, these children can find faith and hope despite their current circumstances.

5. Best Music/Songs

4th Place: Robin Hood

I don’t have much praise for the music in this movie. I feel like the music was just kind of tacked on to it because it was “supposed to” have music because it was a Disney movie. The music in this movie just never seems to really fit. One example that stood out to me was when the chicken was being chased by the rhinos, and it started playing football music for some reason. The songs the characters sing feel very unnecessary, and aren’t that memorable. Also, what the heck is playing during the opening credits? Did they just record someone whistling? 

3rd Place: The Many adventures of Winnie the Pooh

I liked this movie’s music. They’re nothing spectacular, but they’re kind of just fun to listen to. “Heffalumps and Woozles”, it’s just so zany and funny. That pretty much describes this movie’s music as a whole

2nd Place: The Aristocats

I really like the music in the Aristocats. It’s got a jazzy-swing feeling to it. The songs in it are just a lot of fun to listen to. The background music is also very well done. It combines the jazzy-swing music with some upper-class sounding French music. It makes for a fun and interesting combination.

Winner: The Rescuers

I was very surprised by the quality of this movie’s music. It doesn’t take the fun and zany approach that the other movies in this round did, but rather, it takes a more dramatic and emotional approach. “Who will rescue me?”, which plays during the opening credits, is just so hauntingly beautiful. Seriously, you should listen to it, and just listen to how perfectly it ties emotion into its melodies. I mean, it’s basically the song of a child who’s been kidnapped, and hoping for someone to rescue them—definitely a thematically heavy song. “Tomorrow is another day” is a charming little song, which I felt was the perfect song to go along with the montage showing Bernard and Bianca flying together. The music was very well made, and showed a different side to Disney music that I loved very much.

6. Best Romance

4th Place: Nobody (Winnie the Pooh)

There's no romance in Winnie the Pooh. I mean, Pooh really loves his honey (which is still a better love story than Twilight) so there's that.

3rd Place: Duchess and O'Malley (The Aristocats)

Duchess and O’Malley have a cute little relationship. It’s nothing ground-breaking, and follows the same bad boy, good girl routine, but it’s still somewhat enjoyable to watch. Since the characters are actually older adults, it shows the trope from a different angle. I find it pretty cool that O’Malley pursues a relationship with a divorced/widowed woman (we don’t really ever find out what happened to the kittens’ father) who has three kids. It’s kind of like the relationship you’d want your friend to have if they ever got divorced/widowed and needed to find someone else.

2nd Place: Robin and Marian (Robin Hood)

Robin and Mariann’s romance might have been the only good part of this movie. You can see why these characters actually love each other. I found it really cute how excited they both were to see each other again after so long. It was a pretty cool moment when Marian stands up for Robin when Prince John was about to kill him. The way they just stared to each other’s eyes, as Marian said, “I love him”. Aww. 

Winner: Bianca and Bernard (The Rescuers)

I really love the romance between Bianca and Bernard. They’re just so adorable together :). Their relationship adds so much to this movie. Their love for each other just feels so natural and sincere, they just have so much chemistry together. I liked how they seemed to just like each other from the very beginning, which is interesting because I usually don’t like that in a love story. But, the fact that they like each other so readily means that the movie doesn’t waste anytime doing the “will they or won’t they?” routine. Them falling for each other at the beginning allows the rest of the movie to show off how awesome they are together.

I love how the entire movie is basically a giant date for them. You know, a date where they fly on an albatross to a swamp, fight off deadly alligators, and rescue an orphan from the clutches of a mad-woman. How’s that for a first date? They get to do so much with each other. Both of them saved each others’ life on multiple occasions, and they worked together to accomplish their mission. Their relationship is a perfect example of what a movie romance should do, and I applaud the makers of this movie for creating such a touching romance between these two.

7. Best Overall

4th Place: Robin Hood

You know that moment when you're excited to eat a chocolate chip cookie, but then you bite into it and realize it's just an oatmeal raisin cookie? Well, that's almost what watching this movie was like. I remember liking this movie when I was little, so I was excited to re-watch it. Unfortunately, the movie just feels half-baked, and maybe even a little lazy in some parts. I feel like the movie just played it safe the entire time, and it didn't take any risks. It's like Disney only wanted to make a movie that could get them enough money to last another few years...which might be why money plays such a key role in this movie, come to think of it.

3rd Place: The Aristocats

First, I'll talk about the bad. This movie suffers from some noticeable pacing issues. There are just a few scenes in the middle that feel kind of unneeded. Like, did we seriously need two chase scenes between Edgar and the two dogs? Also, the geese were funny, but I didn't really feel like they contributed anything to the story.

Anyway, the rest of the movie was just as good as I remembered it being when I was kid. It was a lot of fun. Maybe it isn't one of Disney's deepest movies, but it has a lot of fun with what it does, so I give it credit for that.

2nd Place: The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

This movie makes me feel like a little kid again :). This movie isn't very complicated. It's just a collection of heart warming tales featuring Pooh and his friends. I find it interesting though that this movie hints to the fact that none of these events even really happened. The whole movie presents itself as a collection of stories told from a storybook, in a world which the movie says is "a place of make believe". Hmm, did the events in this movie happen, or was it just Christopher Robin's imagination as he played with his old toys?

Winner: The Rescuers

This probably doesn't come as a surprise, seeing as how this movie swept the majority of the awards in this round. And to be perfectly honest, this movie deserves the praise. And one of the most impressive things is that this movie doesn't have to lean on its nostalgia value to amaze me, because I never really watched this movie growing up. I watched the sequel all the time, but I didn't even know this movie existed until I was like 10, and even then I barely remembered it. 

One of the reasons this movie was so good was due to the fact that it was spear-headed by Don Bluth, the one who would later be responsible for relatively dark, but heart-warming children movies such as The Secret of NIMH, and The Land Before Time. I love how well this movie presents dark themes, and helps children see that there can still be faith and hope even in darkness. That's something quite rare for children's movies, and I think that it's something which should be replicated more often.  

This movie just has a lot to say, and it says it well. It says that there are some people in the world who are willing to do terrible things to children. It also says that there are people devoted to protecting the innocent. It shows that men and women can work together to save the world. It says that faith can sustain someone in the worst of places. It also says that children can understand dark and heavy themes, and that movies catering to children don't have to patronize them with corny themes and crude humor. It says that children are of great worth and value, and that they should be protected and respected.

To learn about some real-life rescuers, visit Operation Underground Railroad. 

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So, with this round finished up, that means I'm one third of the way complete! Eight more rounds remain. In the next round, I'll be taking a look at some of Disney's most forgotten movies, including: The Fox and the Hound, The Black Cauldron, The Great Mouse Detective, and Oliver & Company.