Disney Movies Ranked: (Round 5) The "Forgotten Age"

Disney Movies Ranked: (5) The "Forgotten Age"

Hello everybody! I'm back with round 5 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" (link)

Round 3 "The Gilded Age" (here)

Round 4 "The Shadow Age" (here)

This is one of Disney Animation's most interesting stages, and in my opinion, probably one of its most underrated. The 1980's marked the transition from the "Dark age" of Disney, to the "Renaissance" of Disney Animation. As such, this age had some real misses, while also having some real hits. It started with The Fox and the Hound, which was the last movie worked on by Don Bluth before he cut ties with Disney and started his own animation studio, taking many animators with him. This meant that Disney was left with mostly new animators, who weren't as seasoned. Next, Disney released The Black Cauldron, which is the movie which almost all critics claim is the lowest point in Disney's "Dark Age". This movie made only half as much money as it cost to make. Animation needs to at least break even with its production costs, which meant that The Black Cauldron was a catastrophic failure. Also, the movie received terrible reviews from critics, who noted that Bluth's animated features (such as The Secret of NIMH) were much higher in quality. Disney Animation was on the brink of being shut down forever. The next movie would have to perform much better, or else Disney was doomed.

And that's where The Great Mouse Detective came in and saved the day. The Great Mouse Detective was both more financially, and critically successful than The Black Cauldron. It made enough money to restore faith in Disney's animation team, and thus, Disney Animation survived in the years to come to give us some of the best animated movies of all time. It's so cool to think that at its lowest, darkest point, Disney was saved by a mouse--just like Walt Disney himself. To see a really great video about this movie, click here.

Sadly, many of these movies are forgotten, both by Disney fans, and by Disney itself. It's incredibly difficult to find any merchandise for Fox and the Hound, Great Mouse Detective, or, Oliver & Company. And I'm pretty sure Disney has done everything in its power to scour all evidence of The Black Cauldron from existence. A lot of people don't really remember these films, and they're rarely talked about by most Disney fans. Most of these movies don't even have "cult followings", like other less-popular Disney films. Granted, some of these movies are definitely not as good as other Disney films, but there are a couple of movies in this line up that are truly enjoyable, and have really great messages to boot. Although this age may be forgotten, it's definitely worth remembering.

And now, the rankings.

1. Best Male Lead

4th Place: Oliver (Oliver & Company)

Although Oliver is a decent character as he is, we don't really get to see that much of him. He doesn't get nearly as much screen time as Dodger and the other side characters. I find this rather odd, considering that he's the title character. It's kind of like how Sleeping Beauty only gave its lead character 15 minutes of screen time, although not quite to that extreme. He's also kind of bland in the scenes he does get to be in. I mean, he's cute, and likable--but so is almost every other animal character in Disney films (and this movie). The majority of the other characters in this movie were more interesting and engaging than Oliver. Unfortunately for Oliver, he just doesn't stand out from the crowd. Also--side note--what main character who stars in a musical doesn't get his own song? I mean, Dodger gets his own song, but he's just a side character. Heck, even Georgette gets her own song, yet Oliver is left high and dry (or rather, sopping wet in a cardboard box). Poor Oliver...

3rd Place: Taran (The Black Cauldron)

Taran is kind of like a bowl of hot cereal you heat up in the microwave. He ends up being rather cold and unpalatable in some places, while being warm and enjoyable in other places. Okay, that was a really weird analogy, and I probably only though of it because one of the first scenes we see of Taran is of him cooking porridge for his pig. 

So, Taran can be really annoying during the beginning of the movie, and he can be pretty annoying during the middle of the movie too. He's inept, but also cocky, and treats the other characters like a jerk a lot of the time. However, there are also times when he shows sincere kindness and character growth. Perhaps the best illustration of this growth is his relationship with Gurgi. Taran starts off treating Gurgi very poorly, perhaps even cruelly. However, by the end of the movie, Taran is willing to give up one of his greatest desires (to be known as a mighty warrior) to bring Gurgi back from the dead. The humility he demonstrates is truly tangible when he states, "I'm no hero, Gurgi is the true hero." 

I guess this means he's a lot like any other pre-teen boy. Very annoying and insufferable at times, but with good intentions and potential for growth.

2nd Place: Basil (The Great Mouse Detective)

Basil of Baker Street, at your service! So, I really love Basil, he's definitely one of the most memorable characters created during Disney's "dark age". One of the best things about Basil is how unique of a character he is. Most protagonists are young and inexperienced, the exact opposites of the villains who oppose them. Basil however, is actually very similar to the villain he opposes. He’s very confident, intelligent, observant, etc. Basil could be the villain if he wanted to, and probably be pretty good at it. However, he chooses instead to use his intelligence for good (with a little self-aggrandizement on the side).

The biggest thing that separates Basil from Professor Ratigan is that he actually cares about other people. He does a good job of hiding it behind a wall of skepticism and logic, but deep down inside, he really sympathizes with the plight of others. Throughout the movie, he journeys from being an eccentric loner who shuns the companionship of Olivia and Dawson to being heart-broken when they have to leave. He even goes so far as to make Dawson his partner in solving crimes, not because Dawson is any good at solving crimes, but because he’s a true friend, something Basil has grown to value and appreciate.

Winner: Tod (The Fox & the Hound)

Tod is a character who I think is severely underrrated. Yes, I’ll admit that he isn’t the most exciting of characters, but he still as a lot going for him. There’s a couple of things that I really love about Tod. The first thing is the sincerity and faith which he places in his friendship with Copper. The second thing is the emotionally powerful character arc that he has.

Tod’s friendship with Copper highlights everything I love about Tod as a character, and what I like about the movie’s message as a whole. Throughout the movie Tod’s faith in his friend is tested again and again. And every time, Tod is able to surmount the challenges that threaten to turn him against his friend. When he’s a young kit, and all the adults in his life are trying to tear him away from Copper, and telling him that their friendship is doomed to fail, he boldly says, “we’ll be best friends, forever”. As he gets older, Tod continues to have faith in Copper’s goodness. At the very end of the movie, Tod risks his own life to save Copper—even after Copper had been trying to kill him and Vixey. The love and faith that Tod has for his friend is the heart of the movie.

On top of that, the faith that Tod demonstrates isn’t just something he gets for free. It’s something that we see his character grow into. One of the things that I love about Tod is that we actually get to see him struggle and make mistakes a lot. We see him learn how to trust others and grow attached to them after the death of his mother. We see him make friends with Copper, and we see that friendship tested—by poor decisions he himself makes, and by poor decisions of others. We see him left in the woods all alone by his owner, and watch him go through the stages of the grieving process. Then, we get the movie’s climax, where he willingly sacrifices himself for the friend he never gave up on. His character arc proves that faith and loyalty can withstand enormous trials, and that they form the foundation of unbreakable companionship.

2. Best Female Lead

4th Place: Olivia Flangerhanger...er, Flaversham (whatever) (The Great Mouse Detective)

So, the Disney wikia says that Olivia is the "tritagonist" of the movie (which means character of the third highest importance, after protagonist and dueteragonist), so I guess that's kind of cool.

Anyway, Olivia kind of falls into the same category as Oliver. She's a decent and likeable character, who doesn't really get as much development or screentime as she deserves. The movie starts off looking like it will be about her, and her quest to save her father, but then it very quickly switches all of its attention to Basil. Nothing against Basil, but he does kind of steal the show from his fellow characters.

I do think Olivia has the edge over Oliver. I enjoyed the curiosity she has, and the tenacity she shows as she searches for someone to help her rescue her father. She also is a character with real stakes, since her father is actually alive during this movie, and not killed off right at the beginning. She has all of the makings of a good character during her first moments, but then is sadly relegated to play the role of damsel in distress during the second half of the movie.





    

3rd Place: Jenny Foxworth (Oliver & Company)

Jenny is a character who played out a little better than I thought she would. I kind of just expected her to be another half-baked Disney child protagonist, but I found that she was a little bit more than that. She kind of reminded me of Penny from The Rescuers, which I suppose is fitting since the creators were originally thinking about having Penny actually be the character.

Jenny is a little girl who just wants to have someone spend time with her. The movie does a quick and simple way of demonstrating this at the beginning of the movie, when she’s saddened by the news that her parents will be staying out of town longer than expected. She takes to Oliver very readily, and he becomes the companion she was looking for in her life. I found that aspect of the movie quite touching, and it’s definitely a good aspect of her character. 

2nd Place: Princess Eilonwy (The Black Cauldron)

Just ignore the "E" at the beginning of her name, and you'll know how to actually pronounce it (maybe). At least her name's spelling isn't nearly as difficult to figure out as "Fflewddur".

Eilonwy is one of the only good things about this movie. She has in interesting, quirky personality, but is also kind. She’s also pretty brave, and does a pretty good job of helping Taran escape from the Horned King’s palace (she says she was looking for someone to help her, but honestly, she didn’t really need any help by the looks of it).

I like how she’s nice to Taran, but doesn’t put up with his crap. When Taran starts bragging about how great he was in helping them escape, Eilonwy reminds him that it was simply the magical sword that saved them, not any great heroics on Taran’s part. At other times in the movie, she acts as the voice of reason to counter Taran’s lapses in judgement. Besides reminding Taran of his fallibility, she also reminds him of his potential. When Taran feels like he’s failed to group in their quest, Eilonwy tells him that she believes in him, and that they’ll be able to finish their quest to stop the Horned King.   

There were a few things about her character though that I feel like could have been expanded upon better. Like how she's able to summon a seemingly sentient ball of light. Like, is she a sorcerer or something? Is that the extent of her powers, or is there more she can do? Perhaps if they'd let her powers be explored more, Eilonwy could have done more. Sadly, we have to watch Taran, swinging a magic sword around like an idiot, save the day. *Sigh*, oh well.

Winner: Widow Tweed (The Fox & the Hound)

I searched high and low on the internet, but I couldn't find Widow Tweed's first name. So, either she had some really cruel parents, or Disney just never wanted us to know her first name for some reason.

That aside, Widow Tweed is a fantastic character, and provides a lot of soul to the movie. In a sense, Widow Tweed is a reflection of the kind of person Tod will grow up to be. She's very loving and loyal to Tod, and sees the best in him, even when others don't. I believe that Tod gets his loyalty to and faith in Copper from following Widow Tweed's loving example. I truly applaud the creators of this movie for portraying such an amazing mother & son character arc.

I also like the growth that Widow Tweed herself makes as the movie progresses. As the movie advances, we see her grappling with the reality that she will have to eventually let Tod go. This is a reality which I think all mothers have to face. Widow Tweed does a great job of representing the mix of pain, joy, and pride that comes with letting a child go. The swirl of emotions inside of her is made so tangible during her final moments with Tod, as she's driving him to the woods. It truly is a heart-breaking decision for her to make, but it's a decision which leads to Tod being able to complete his own character growth and find lasting happiness. After Widow Tweed lets him go, Tod learns to find confidence in himself, finds true love, and is able to win back the friendship of Copper.

Widow Tweed is an awesome example of how, sometimes, motherhood isn't defined by all the things that go perfect, but rather, by the hard decisions that one must make, and the sacrifices a parent must make for the better good of their child.

3. Best Villain/Antagonist

4th Place: Bill Sykes (Oliver & Company)

I honestly found Sykes to be a very bland villain. In the real Oliver Twist, Sykes actually works with Fagin and is a violent, conflicted drunk who ends up killing the woman he loves and committing suicide. But in this movie, Sykes is reduced to some mafia-boss type character who feels more like he belongs in a Godfather movie than a Disney version of Oliver Twist.

I do have to admit though, getting hit by a train during a car chase on the Brooklyn bridge is a pretty dramatic way to go.

3rd Place: The Horned King (The Black Cauldron)

The Horned King is usually what most people say is the only good thing about The Black Cauldron, but to be honest, I found him rather boring. I mean he does succeed at being a scary villain, which gives him a couple of points over Sykes, but being scary is pretty much all he does. he sits on his throne, chokes his weird, frog-thing servant, and sends his minions to do the dirty work for him. He's kind of like Darth Sidius, but without having cool monologues. He's not quite cheesy-Saturday-morning-cartoons-villain bad, but he's close.

2nd Place: Amos Slade (The Fox & the Hound)

In my opinion, Amos Slade is a very effective antagonist, and a surprisingly complex one at that. On the one hand, it's very easy to hate Amos. He has a very short temper, and is dangerously trigger happy. He has a very malicious attitude towards Tod and Widow Tweed. Heck, in the book, he murders Tod's children by gassing them to death in their burrow. On the other hand though, we see that Amos genuinely cares for his dogs, Chief and Copper, perhaps as much as Widow Tweed cares about Tod.

I really like it when a villain is portrayed with redeemable qualities. Because, in real life, there isn't really anyone who is pure evil. Even Hitler had people he loved. Their redeemable traits don't excuse their misdeeds, but knowing what their redeemable traits are can help us understand why they made the horrible decisions they did. In Amos' case, he viewed Tod as a threat, first to his chickens, and then to the dogs he raised and loved. The fact that he believes he's protecting those he cares about from Tod helps us understand why he does the things that he does. It also helps us see why he changes at the end, giving up his obsession with Tod because he eventually sees that Copper views him as a friend, not a threat.

Winner: Professor Padraic Ratigan (The Great Mouse Detective)

"You have no idea what a delightful dilemma it was trying to decide on the most appropriate method for your demise. I had so many ingenious ideas, I didn't know which to choose. So, I decided to use them all."

Professor Ratigan. For those of you who have seen this movie, it probably doesn't come as a surprise that Ratigan won this award. First of all, he has a fantastic voice actor--Vincent Price. Price's voice makes Ratigan just drip with evil genius. His laugh, his rage, even his little quirks are captured perfectly by Price's acting.

Everything about Ratigan is so memorable. For one thing, he's of the most intelligent villains ever in a Disney movie--with very detailed and well thought out plans. He isn't like other villains who carry out their plans, but then don't know what to do afterwards. He's also quite three-dimensional. He has a desperate urge to match wits against Basil, but yet also hates to have him interfere with his meticulous plans. He demonstrates tight control over his emotions and has eloquent manners in some circumstances, and then shows off absolute rage in others. The shifts in personality which he demonstrates really make him feel like a borderline-insane, evil genius--which is something that is actually very difficult to pull off.

Side note: What is he a professor of? Like, he has the title of "professor", but we never get to know what his field of study is. What do you think he teaches? 

4. Best Side/Supporting Character(s)

4th Place: Dodger and the Gang (Oliver & Company) 

Dodger is the only character out of the bunch with any real depth to him, everyone else is rather one-dimensional (I mean, Tito's just a blatant stereotype). I feel like most of these characters were put in for comic relief. I mean, one comic relief character I can understand. But five? That seems a little too many. I didn't find them unbearable, I mean, they are pretty funny, but they just didn't strike me as anything special. Also, does nobody in this movie find it weird that the female dogs have makeup on?

3rd Place: David Q. Dawson (The Great Mouse Detective)

So, for the longest time, I always thought Dawson’s name was “Dorson”, because of how Basil pronounces it in the movie. Anyway, Dawson is a nice character. With the amount of time the movie gives to Basil and Ratigan, it’s nice to have a character thrown in there who’s actually considerate.

Throughout the movie, Dawson serves as a measuring stick of sorts to help us see Basil’s character growth. We go from seeing Basil go from treating Dawson with apathetic indifference to considering him his equal. This makes his character a little more important than he may initially seem.

2nd Place: Gurgi (The Black Cauldron)

So, I have no idea what Gurgi even is. Like, I want to say that he's a dog, but that doesn't quite feel right. I guess he's just a furry...thing.

So, at first when I saw this movie, I thought for sure that Gurgi was going to rot at the bottom of the side character ranking--and those of you who've seen the movie probably wouldn't blame me. For most of the movie, he's a sniveling, annoying coward, who's meant to be comic relief, who just kind of feels out of place.

If these were the only traits his character had, then he definitely would be at the bottom of this list. However, in one of the movie's biggest twists, Gurgi actually has a rather touching, deep character arc. Near the end of the movie, the group discovers that the only way to destroy the black cauldron, and end its power is for a living person to willingly jump into it--forfeiting their life. In one of the final scenes, Taran is making his way towards the Black Cauldron to sacrifice himself. Gurgi however, stops him. He essentially explains that since Taran has many friends, and since he himself has no friends, he should be the one to sacrifice himself. He then jumps into the Black Cauldron and does just that.

It's a pretty heart-wrenching moment, and one that caught me completely off-guard. Now, since this is a kid's movie, he does come back to life at the end, but, I don't think that really detracts from what he did. Gurgi went from being an annoying, spineless comic relief to being a brave hero. 

Winner: Copper (The Fox & The Hound)

Copper is a very well-written character in my opinion, and he has the perfect character arc to run parallel to Tod’s. Copper must learn to have faith in their friendship, just like Tod, however, Copper encounters different obstacles on his journey. To start off, Copper has more expectations placed upon him at a young age. He’s brought into Amos’ home intentionally, with a clearly defined purpose—to be a hunting dog. A major portion of the movie shows him being trained to be a killing machine, and it’s shown that this has a very real impact on how he sees himself.

Whereas Tod’s journey is one of learning acceptance, Copper’s journey is more about learning denial. Copper must learn how to deny his new identity as a hunting dog (the role which society has bred him for) and renew his old identity from the past as Tod’s friend. At first, Copper tries to deny his past and accept his new identity, an attitude he takes into full swing when he begins to genuinely seek Tod’s life. However, at the end of the movie, we see Copper’s inner conflict come to a resolution, as he bravely steps in between his friend and the gun of his owner. It’s this moment that I believe shows that Copper has grown as a character just as much as Tod has.

5. Best Music/Songs

4th Place: The Black Cauldron

I hardly even remember any of the music from this movie. This was actually Disney's first movie without any singing in it. I wouldn't necessarily fault it for that, if the score was actually any good. To be honest though, if there was any singing, it probably would have been very out of place and awkward.

3rd Place: Oliver & Company

Dodger's song, "Why Should I Worry" was pretty fun, and I find myself singing it occasionally. The other songs were just kind of alright. I get that they had big name actors and singers performing these songs, but their voices are rather wasted in my opinion. 

2nd Place: The Fox & the Hound

I really love the score for this movie. It just has this folky, down to earth tone to it that just fits the movie perfectly. I always have the tunes from this song running through my head. The song that plays during the opening credits is just plain fantastic, and is one of Disney's best opening sequences (this was actually the very last Disney movie to have opening credits by the way). This movie's music is only in second place though because the actual singing parts weren't that good (with the exception of "You're the best of friends"). One song in particular that stands out to me is when Big Momma was attempting to serenade Tod and Vixey to help them get together. It was...awkward, and felt really out of place.

Winner: The Great Mouse Detective

"the world's greatest criminal mi-i-i-i-i-nd". So this movie has an awesome score, and great songs. Vincent Price does an excellent job with "The World's Greatest Criminal Mind", and "Goodbye, So Soon". Those two songs are incredibly catchy, and very well done. The music score is amazing, with probably one of the best main themes I've ever heard in an animated film. 

The one criticism I have though is for the completely unnecessary, and rather misogynistic song, "Let Me Be Good to You". Essentially, the song is sung by a sort-of stripper mouse in a seedy pub. Since the movie is rated G, it's obviously nothing "adult", but it's still pretty crass and tasteless. And it goes on for an entire three minute song. 

Other than that mistake though, this movie's songs and music is very well done, and very much deserving of first place.

6. Best Romance

4th Place: No one (The Great Mouse Detective)

The Great Mouse Detective doesn't really have any romance in it. Professor Ratigan is pretty in love with himself, though I don't think that really counts (still a better love story than Twilight though...). 

3rd Place: Taran & Eilwony (The Black Cauldron)

There's not really any romance between these two. The only reason they're "kissing", is because Gurgi snuck up behind them and pressed their heads together. I think it's probably a good thing that there isn't any romance between them because they're only like 12. Maybe when they're older.

2nd Place: Tito & Georgette (Oliver & Company)

I'm not really sure how these two ended up together to be honest. I'm pretty sure their whole romance thing was just meant for laughs. It was kind of funny to see them with each other, and they had some great lines together--one that comes to mind is when she calls Tito a "bug-eyed creep", to which he replies, "Ooh, I think she likes me!" They're romance kind of ends at the end though, because Georgette is like trying to get Tito to take a bath or something...so their relationship probably wasn't that great.

Winner: Tod & Vixey (The Fox & the Hound)

I really liked seeing these two together. Their relationship just felt so natural. They started off pretty awkward (Tod chose to open up with the best pick up line ever: "may I call you by your first name?"), but then after a while, they really took to each other, and ended up having a pretty good relationship. And one of the best things is that they get a lot of screen time together (pretty much the entire third act of the movie, as well as a decent chunk of the second act).

One of the best things about their romance is that it actually means something. Before Tod meets Vixey, he's basically on the verge of a mental breakdown. He was, from his perspective, completely abandoned by his mother figure in the middle of the woods, with no one to help him. He was definitely at his lowest point right before he met Vixey. However, as they started to fall in love with each other, Tod's fears began melting away, allowing him to take his final steps in his character's growth.

7. Best Overall

4th Place: Oliver & Company

It was an okay movie. There weren't any glaring flaws with it to be honest. The reason why it's at the bottom of this list is because of how un-ambitious and uninspired the whole thing felt. The movie didn't take any risks, and it didn't do anything to make it dynamic. It just kind of did its job and nothing more.

3rd Place: The Black Cauldron

Although this movie may be more flawed than Oliver and Company, I place it higher because those flaws are mainly due to the risks this movie took. Is it too dark and drab in some places? Yes, but at least it was trying to set its self apart from Disney's past. Are the characters pretty annoying sometimes? Yes, but that only highlights the growth that they make by the end of the film. It felt like the creators were actually trying to make something meaningful. It had some pretty good moments, and it had some twists and surprises that I was definitely not expecting.

2nd Place: The Great Mouse Detective

Such a good movie. The whole movie was witty, fun, and very creative. In my opinion, this movie took just as many risks as The Black Cauldron did, except it they paid off a lot more. The movie had a pretty fun second act--which is usually where most movies tend to drag. The songs were great, the lead characters were great. There really isn't anything I can dock it points for. I really wish I could give two movies first place, because this movie definitely deserves some glory.

Winner: The Fox & The Hound

I did not expect this movie to win this round. When I started this round, I was absolutely certain that The Great Mouse Detective would win, and that this movie would take second. However, as I watched this movie, I was struck by how powerful its two main character were, and how emotionally invested in them the movie makes you. 

I know that this movie isn't the most "exciting" Disney film. However, I feel like this movie traded some action and fun for more emotional depth, a trade which I feel like it pulled off very well. It's been a while since an animated movie made me care so much about its characters. I loved seeing the growth that they made.

It's this emotional depth, and excellent character development that I feel makes this movie the best of Disney's "Forgotten Age".

***

With this round completed, I'm almost half-way done with this project! Next round, I'll be watching The Little Mermaid, The Rescuers Down Under, Beauty & the Beast, and Aladdin. 

So, last round I gave you guys a link to the website of an organization known as Operation Underground Railroad. I wanted to do the same thing this round, except this time give you a little more background.

So, Operation Underground Railroad is a non-profit organization that is centered around rescuing children from kidnapping and sex trafficking. They help rescue children all around the globe, and help bring their abusers to justice. In the last four years, they've rescued 1500 children, and brought more than 500 perpetrators to justice.

If you want to find out more about their organization, or if you'd like to donate to them or help out in some other way, go and visit their website: Operation Underground Railroad.