Something I thought about while I was out of internet. The '90s were the Disney Renaissance, and there were some great movies made by the studio during that time. But which is greatest* according to you?
The Rescuers Down Under: Somewhat underwhelming start to the decade. Probably because it's sandwiched between the two ur-examples of the Disney formula that was so successful. It's a good movie, but overlooked.
Beauty and the Beast: Plucky young woman wants more out of life, gets it. What more can you say? Whenever anyone says the phrase "Beauty and the Beast" these days, you get either this or Ron Perlman, it impacted culture that much.
Aladdin: Not exactly a diamond in the rough, but it is fun, if you ignore all the racially insensitive stereotypes. I betcha you can't read this in a voice other than Gilbert Gottfried's. Stole heavily from The Thief and the Cobbler, but since that movie still isn't finished, I'm willing to give it a pass.
The Lion King: Furry Hamlet gets nominated for an Academy Award. Ironically, this was the movie that Disney's B-team was working on. Their prestige picture was intended to be
Pocahontas: Did well enough in theatres, but these days there's no getting around the disrespect for aboriginal history it displayed, even though they made sure to get aboriginal actors to play the titular character and her people.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame: I've spoken on this before, but it really is a beautiful, tragic story of a guy getting friendzoned. It's right about here that zany sidekicks get irritating. Seriously. Watch the climactic battle scene and tell me you don't cringe every time the gargoyles do something cutesy. It did give us the best villain song since
Night on Bald Mountain though.
Hercules: I have to admit I have a love/hate relationship with this film. On the one hand, I can appreciate the effort put into the art and music. On the other... a gospel choir? In a film about Greek Myth chopped to bits? I blame Sam Raimi. Thank goodness Hades steals every scene he's in.
Mulan: At this point the formula was getting stale, so they went with something different. It certainly paid off, considering its ranked as the #7 film grossing worldwide in '98. I just wish they didn't include the cute sidekicks. This movie could have stood on its own without Eddie Murphy. Otherwise, this is a solid contender. I mean, it gave us the catchiest Ear-Worm ever.
Mulan - i'll make a man out of youTarzan: A somewhat decent film. It was really the beginning of the end for Disney traditional animation, as after this, they were split into two camps: quirky films like Lilo & Stitch and The Emperor's New Groove, and under-appreciated gems like Atlantis and Treasure Planet. As for the film itself... It's pretty. It doesn't seem to have a theme to it like its antecedents. And Phil Collins as the star of the soundtrack? Myeh.
Fantasia 2000: Not as good as the first Fantasia, which is unfortunate. It's got a lot of charm to it, but some parts feel rushed. I have a feeling that the production team was too used to linear storytelling and visual presentation, when this was a project to be experimental. I did kind of get that with the Rhapsody in Blue segment, and the Firebird Suite was suitably fantastic. An above-average film THAT TOTALLY COUNTS. IT WAS TECHNICALLY RELEASED IN 1999.
*Not counting Pixar.
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Topic: Best Disney film of 199X (Read 2044 times)