Oh, the '90s.
Today we know Disney as an industry juggernaut, who's pretty much bought their way to the top of Hollywood and the entertainment business with their massive success from their past. Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, Fox, Muppets, ESPN and so much more are now a part of this company's brand and everyone pretty much knows them for all of those things now. But back in the '90s, it was a little different.
In the 70s and 80s, Disney struggled with its identity after the death of Walt Disney. In that time period, their style of animation changed along with the stories they told. The quality of the movies was pretty varied in terms of their success, but it was definitely a step down from past decades. A lot of the movies in this era might not be considered classics, but there are still some beloved titles from this era like "Oliver and Company", "Robin Hood", and "The Fox and the Hound". A lot of their animated films took a darker tone from what was usually expected from a Disney movie, which was probably what led to their downfall along with lower quality in animation.
Everything changed in 1989 with the release of "The Little Mermaid", a movie that had been in development for decades apparently. This movie changed things for Disney though, it was seen as a return to form. Bringing back the whimsical fairy tale style stories, brilliant and colorful animation, and some of the most memorable music you'll ever hear. It kickstarted a decade of massive hits for Disney and really turned things around for them after some dark decades. It's a decade full of movies that lots of people hold close to their hearts and brought Disney the biggest success they had ever seen in the box-office. So I thought it would be fun to look back at the 10 big releases from that time period and rank them from worst to best.
10. The Rescuers Down Under
A sequel to the animated classic "The Rescuers" tried to continue the success of the first one, but was ultimately a step-down. This is also the most forgotten about movies in the Disney Renaissance period, mostly because it's sandwiched between two all-time classics in "The Little Mermaid" and "Beauty and the Beast", but also because it feels a bit out of place in this list too. It also did have the misfortune of opening the same weekend as Home Alone so there's that. It's still not really a terrible movie or anything, it's got some good animation and it's pretty short and sweet. It's just not in the same league as the rest of the movies on the list here.
9. Pocahontas
Pocahontas really isn't that great of a movie, especially when compared to the other movies on this list. It's a movie I don't think anyone would argue for this being the best movie out of this list either, as most of the other ones. The good things about this movie are the animation, which will probably be said about all of these movies. Also, the songs are pretty good, especially "Colors of the Wind" which is very memorable in the movie and even worth listening to on its own. Thinking about it now, this would probably be a good time period for Disney to tackle again, show some love to Native Americans. This movie didn't really do that, though I'm sure it tried? But really, it's the one I've seen the least amount of times and the one I really have no desire to return to at the moment.
8. The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Probably the other Disney movie of this time period that most people agree wasn't the best. That said it's still a solid film with a good message about acceptance. The animation and style work really well and the time period is one that always fascinated me in French history (that sounds like I took a class or something). The story and characters are sort of mixed from good to bad, not everything is a hit there. The gargoyles in particular I remember not being so good. I can't say I really remember any of the music from this one either, but I remember it being a lot darker than other movies of this time. Actually, this movie might be the darkest in tone from this Disney era.
7. Hercules
I really like Hercules, but it's definitely got some flaws. Hercules' childhood isn't a great part of the movie and it drags a bit around there until he's finally fully grown. The story of Hercules itself has been done to death in movies from back in the day to this very day it seems people keep shitting out these movies with this character. But despite that, this one still feels like one of the better tellings of that story. It's got a cool art style that adds a lot to its enjoyability. The villain, Hades, is one of the more iconic Disney Villains and probably could be argued for being the best Disney villain ever. He's really funny, but also incredibly diabolical so you still hate him despite his charm. Also, Meg, who's Hercules love interest of sorts, is pretty great too. She has one of the standout moments in this movie in her song "I Won't Say (I'm In Love), which is for sure the best thing this movie's got going for it. Hercules himself though isn't that likable in my opinion, he just seems like kind of a goof with superpowers. But in the end, the good outweighs the bad here, just not enough to make this one of the best of this Disney Renaissance era. To be fair though, the rest of the movies on this list are all amazing movies.
6. Tarzan
Speaking of stories that have been told over and over, IT'S TARZAN! This movie is great because of one reason and one reason only, Phil freakin' Collins. Okay, that's probably giving him too much credit, but you have to admit this soundtrack is stellar. This movie really gets a lot of things right though, with lots of great memorable characters you actually care about, a villain you love to hate, and a story that really brings a lot of emotions through not just the music, but the character's actions. Despite being raised by animals, Tarzan is still very relatable and his relationship with Jane and the professor is so enjoyable to watch. Not only that but his relationship with the animals too, which makes the story of him being caught between two worlds that much more interesting. There's not really much wrong with this movie, that I can remember. Terk was kind of annoying I guess.
5. The Little Mermaid
It was so hard choosing between this one and the one that ended up being number 4. This is the one that started it all, that brought Disney back into the limelight and kicked off the Disney Renaissance. It's got some of the best songs of any Disney movie out there and a great story and characters. Also, a movie that's more about a father and daughter relationship which was pretty different since a lot of the Princesses at the time seemed fatherless? But Little Mermaid was also the return of musicals and they really did a good job at using that to boost the movie's enjoyment. "Under the Sea" is an all-time classic and "Part of Your World" and "Kiss The Girl" are up there too. Then there's another great Disney villain in Ursula who set the standard for the Disney Renaissance's iconic villains. She's not the best, but she's up there for sure. Prince Eric was kind of lame though.
4. Mulan
Pretty much the inspiration for this list, with its recent live-action remake being released and reminding me how much better these animated movies are then the new remakes. Mulan is so close to perfect, but it suffers from very minimal flaws, mainly just the villain who doesn't really have much of a character outside of just being a blood-crazed warrior. Outside of that, you get lots of really fun and memorable characters. The relationship between Mulan and Li Shang is really great to see grow throughout the movie and there are actually some really great emotional moments here that hit pretty hard. The movie is also really funny at times with some great slapstick style humor and comic relief from Eddie Murphy as Mushu the dragon. There's also arguably the best song/montage in all of Disney, "I'll Make a Man Out of You" which shows all the characters' growth perfectly. It all comes together so perfectly, it was hard not to put this movie higher on the list.
3. Aladdin
Robin Williams. I could just leave it at that, but I should probably explain a bit more. This movie did change the animation landscape forever though, and it was all because of Robin Williams. In some ways, it did change it for the worst through no fault of his own. Before this movie, voice acting in Disney films was mostly done primarily by voice actors or maybe broadway singers/actors depending on their roles in the movies. Robin Williams didn't really want to be the center of attention for his role, but Disney went against him and made him that anyway. His massive success in the role and his popularity as the Genie made it so the future of animated movies would be cast by more famous actors and celebs versus just professional voice actors and singers. That's how important his role in this movie as Genie was and how groundbreaking he was. The writing was so well done and the jokes were topical at the time, making the movie feel a little more relevant to the times despite taking place in the distant past. But, there's also a great romance in the story between Jasmine and Aladdin that carries the movie along with another great villain in Jafar. The music, while not my favorite of the movies, was still pretty great in its own right.
2. Beauty and the Beast
Got to say it was really hard picking between these last two, as it if wasn't already pretty hard putting all of these in some ranking. There's a reason this is still one of the only animated movies to ever be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. Well, one reason is cause it's run by a bunch of out of touch old people, but the other is because this movie was truly groundbreaking in animation. If you had to say what the perfect animated movie is, this one would have to be in that argument. The animation itself is beautiful and the score that goes along with it just elevates the beauty (no pun?) of the movie. And you can't have a great movie without great characters and a story that pulls you in, which this movie also excels in. Gaston is one of the most entertaining villain characters in Disney animation, a guy you a lot of people love maybe even more than the heroes. But there's a fantastic love story here too between the Beast and Belle, one that's done very well in slowly realizing their love for each other and the Beast breaking out of his shell. The soundtrack is also iconic, with some of the best Disney songs out there like "Beauty and the Beast", "Be Our Guest", and "Belle".
1. Lion King
There's nothing quite like scarring children for life with the death of a father lion named Mufasa and his son Simba trying to wake him up. I promised myself I wouldn't cry while writing this post, but I guess that's ruined now. I mean, to be honest, I kind of knew from the start that this would be my number one movie. I think it's about as perfect as a movie can really be from start to finish. Right away the opening shot with the iconic song "Circle of Life" kicks in and it's already amazing. You get some fantastic Elton John songs that will stay with you for the rest of your life and the score by Hans Zimmer will carry your emotions through the movie. Timon and Pumba will steal your heart and probably eat it too. Scar and all his flamboyant greatness sings probably the best villain song in Disney with "Be Prepared". It's all just so perfect, making this my favorite movie of the Disney Renaissance era.
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