Peter Pan (1953)
[4] The Darling children -- Wendy, Michael, and John -- take a magical trip to Neverland with a hero only children can see or believe in: Peter Pan. Once there, they meet Pan's Lost Boys, visit the mermaids, pow-wow with…
Sleeping Beauty (1959)
[6] From a technical and artistic point of view, this may be the finest animated film ever made. But it's also dull. I dislike how the three floating fat ladies (Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather) steal the show, while the prince…
Treasure Planet (2002)
[6] Disney Animation puts a science-fiction twist on Robert Louis Stevenson's classic story. The mix of 2D and 3D animation is interesting, especially when you stop to marvel at an animator's mastery of perspective when 2D characters are seen running…
The Black Cauldron (1985)
[5] There was definitely potential. A dark Disney movie based on Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain, about a farm boy's brave attempt to stop a demonic king from conquering the land with his army of skeletal warriors? Sign me up!…
Robin Hood (1973)
[6] This Disney flick may be a minor effort in comparison to the company's more perrenial classics, but there's a dated, folksy charm about this all-animal take on the classic Robin Hood legend. The simple story is populated with fairly…
The Fox and the Hound (1981)
[7] Disney's The Fox and the Hound opens with a young fox being chased by a hunting dog. It scrambles through the woods and finds a hiding place to ditch the baby fox it's carrying in its mouth. Then it…
Beauty and the Beast (1991)
[8] Disney goes Broadway in the first animated motion picture ever nominated for a Best Picture Oscar (in the days before they rolled out a separate category for the medium). This version of the classic fairy tale is fueled by…
Fantasia 2000 (1999)
[6] Breakthroughs in technology make the aural component of this sequel superior to the first, while advances in computer-generated imagery often leave Fantasia 2000 feeling cold and clunky. I like the abstract butterfly battle set to Beethoven's 5th and the…
The Lion King (1994)
[8] The Disney Animation Studios took Shakespeare's Hamlet and transplanted it to the African savanna with an all-animal cast. Buoyed by a hit soundtrack, lush visuals, memorable characters, and a daring blend of intense drama and whacky humor, the film…
The Emperor’s New Groove (2000)
[8] It may be one of the most atypical Disney animated film, but I thoroughly enjoy The Emperor's New Groove. It's by far the funniest Disney flick I've ever seen, reminding me more of a Warner Brothers Looney Tune than…