Cartoons Currently re-watching the Disney Renaissance films to give them a fair shake. Opinion on these films?

[Mago]

I tend to have a bias against Disney animated films. They give me corporate vibes and I tend to like animated films that feel more personal or even rough around the edges. I decided to give them a more fair chance so I could have a more honest opinion on them though. So far i've watched The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Lion King and Hunchback of NotreDame.

So far I'd rank them The Little Mermaid > Aladdin > The Lion King > Beauty and the Beast > The Hunchback of NotreDame.

I also watched a Goofy Movie which isn't usually counted among the main Disney canon but imo it's definitely the best of the bunch if you do include it. Easily the best songs, best mastery of tone and emotional engagement, and has such satisfying animation on top of a more unconventional plot and structure compared to the usual Disney affair but it works!

But yeah on the main films my opinion so far is

The Little Mermaid is just really fun with fun and engaging characters. It can be tense when it needs to be. It was never dull. I like the underwater theming. The songs were mostly good, with Under the sea being an obvious highlight. Also love how expressive Ariel is, and Ursula might just be the best Disney Villain overall.

Beauty and the beast is well made but I dunno. It left me feeling cold. The backgrounds are gorgeous but something about the character animation felt off to me. I dunno what exactly it was though. Maybe early digital animation growing pains? But yeah it wasn't like boring I just never felt emotionally engaged. In theory Gaston should be like my favorite Disney villain but eh.

Aladdin was a lotta fun. Robin Williams Genie could maybe be a tad overbearing but hes Robin Williams Genie so hes still great. Not much to say just a well rounded film. The songs were good. Jafar is a good villain. Aladdin and Jazmine are likable.

The Lion King has a perfect first half but the second half feels rushed which genuinely brings the film down for me. It has the best songs if you dont count A goofy movie, though I do forget Love is in the air. The highlight is Scar who always steals the show especially with Jeremy Irons fabulous voice acting.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a film I can respect for trying to tell a darker more mature story, but it feels too compromised by being a Disney film where it can't be too dark and needs comic relief Gargoyles that don't even fit in the context of the film itself. Also it could be pretty boring at points, and despite some wonderful animation theres those CGI background characters that look absolutely goofy and just have not aged well at all.

 

[Eirinjas]

Fun fact: Disney stole The Lion King. The original work was called Kimba the White Lion. It was a manga by Osamu Tezuka in the 1950s and an anime in the mid-1960s. Disney didn't just copy the story and the characters, but many of the scenes in The Lion King are direct recreations of the original anime.

You can see a scene for scene comparison at the link below:

Someone Created A Frame-By-Frame Comparison Showing How Disney Ripped Off ‘Kimba The White Lion’ When Making ‘Lion King’

Anyone who grew up during the 90s remembers one of Disney's most successful animated films - The Lion King. But did you know it was almost a direct copy of Osamu Tezuka’s 1965 animated film titled Kimba the White Lion?

www.demilked.com

 

[Mago]

Fun fact: Disney stole The Lion King. The original work was called Kimba the White Lion. It was a manga by Osamu Tezuka in the 1950s and an anime in the mid-1960s. Disney didn't just copy the story and the characters, but many of the scenes in The Lion King are direct recreations of the original anime.

You can see a scene for scene comparison at the link below:

Someone Created A Frame-By-Frame Comparison Showing How Disney Ripped Off ‘Kimba The White Lion’ When Making ‘Lion King’

Anyone who grew up during the 90s remembers one of Disney's most successful animated films - The Lion King. But did you know it was almost a direct copy of Osamu Tezuka’s 1965 animated film titled Kimba the White Lion?

www.demilked.com

I dunno if this is a joke or not. I think everyones heard this, and I think a lot of the claims have been debunked.

 

[Segadude113]

nah if all those movies were corporate, they wouldn't be good.

 

[Tonberry]

I'm a gigantic Disney-nut, here's how I rank them (if A Goofy Movie was on this I'd add it to S too):

I think animation is fucking magic so bear with me if I end up rambling like a religious lunatic but I have a hard time stopping myself from that when it comes to the art of animation.

I think they're all great, except for Pocahontas which isn't just boring, it's also really uneven in its animation, with a really weak and middling story, and an extremely tiny cast which makes it's triple animal sidekick problem stand out like a sore thumb. It's got immaculate color direction, backgrounds and musical numbers though.

Tarzan is one of my favorite movies of all time. It does practically everything it sets out to do right, it's consistently beautiful, funny, surprisingly mature (lots of show-don't-tell, especially during emotional moments) and just all round magical. If you don't like Phil Collins I can get why one wouldn't like it, but I think the music is like perfect too. Son of Man is especially excellent.

Mulan is mostly excellent from beginning to end too. I think Mushu kind of interferes slightly too much, but he's still written funnily. Mulan's arc is great, and it's got some of the strongest musical numbers in Disney history. I really like Mulan's relationship with her dad. It feels kind of strained and awkward but I love how clear he makes it that she means everything to him by the end.

Hunchback has got the single best musical numbers in all of Disney, and they make the entire movie, but I agree with you that it kind of still feels smothered by the fact that it's Disney, so they probably couldn't tell as dark a story as they wanted to, even though it's markedly dark for a Disney flick.

Hercules is great, and funny as hell. I really like the way they portray Hercules as this socially awkward wimp, and his relationship with Meg is the most organic romance Disney has ever made, they go on dates and find out they like each other. 'I'm Won't Say (I'm In Love)' is my favorite Disney song bar none, and Hades is my favorite Disney villain by a million miles.
Both this one and Tarzan (Lion King too but it's just Hamlet) are really good coming-of-age stories for boys, which is sort of uncommon for Disney, but even while they do a good job at it, I think both Treasure Planet and Brother Bear does it way better.

Lion King is a masterpiece, but I always had a harder time liking Disney movies that featured animals more than humans. The scene that makes me choke up the most is the one where Simba and Mufasa play under the stars and the music just explodes in this really sad-sounding emotional part. I like how the best song isn't even in the movie (He Lives In You from the musical, which they later repurposed for the sequel)

Aladdin is mostly great, but it ends too quickly. I don't care very much for Jafar because he's so stupid, and just up and cheats all the time anyway. I like how they show of Aladdin as sympathetic and kind-hearted from the beginning, then when he pretends to be a prince the viewer already knows he's a good guy at heart so it's fun how he sort of fucks it up for himself by pretending to be someone he's not, only to revert to a good guy later. It kind of rushes the last acts though.

I'm kind of ambivalent towards Beauty and Mermaid. They're both fine, but I never had very much emotional investment in any of them. Beauty is slightly too whimsical and quirky for me, though I really like Gaston. Mermaid is good, and Ursula carries the whole movie. I used to be scared shitless of this one as a kid because the way the lit/colored the dramatic scenes like they were JoJo made everything really intense, especially when the King destroys Ariel's stuff and that end part with Ursula.

SO YEAH I GUESS I KINDA LIKE THEM

In case anyone read this giant wall of text, my favorite Disney movie of all time is Lilo & Stitch.
Congratulations, you've made it to the end of the post!

 

[Dr.Kisaragi]

My favorites are Treasure Planet, Atlantis:The Lost Empire, Brother Bear, Tarzan, Mulan.

 

[Samatonic Samatonic]

I'll be honest folks, I only liked Aladdin (After the 15th re-watch of the movie) because of Genie, Aladdin was only good. Mulan was Awesome and TARZAN is for the win. The Hunchback of Notre Dame was a beauty to watch (except for the gargoyles, no offense). Lion King too was great, no duh there.

 

[ChojinRamenStan]

I tend to have a bias against Disney animated films. They give me corporate vibes and I tend to like animated films that feel more personal or even rough around the edges. I decided to give them a more fair chance so I could have a more honest opinion on them though. So far i've watched The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Lion King and Hunchback of NotreDame.

So far I'd rank them The Little Mermaid > Aladdin > The Lion King > Beauty and the Beast > The Hunchback of NotreDame.

I also watched a Goofy Movie which isn't usually counted among the main Disney canon but imo it's definitely the best of the bunch if you do include it. Easily the best songs, best mastery of tone and emotional engagement, and has such satisfying animation on top of a more unconventional plot and structure compared to the usual Disney affair but it works!

But yeah on the main films my opinion so far is

The Little Mermaid is just really fun with fun and engaging characters. It can be tense when it needs to be. It was never dull. I like the underwater theming. The songs were mostly good, with Under the sea being an obvious highlight. Also love how expressive Ariel is, and Ursula might just be the best Disney Villain overall.

Beauty and the beast is well made but I dunno. It left me feeling cold. The backgrounds are gorgeous but something about the character animation felt off to me. I dunno what exactly it was though. Maybe early digital animation growing pains? But yeah it wasn't like boring I just never felt emotionally engaged. In theory Gaston should be like my favorite Disney villain but eh.

Aladdin was a lotta fun. Robin Williams Genie could maybe be a tad overbearing but hes Robin Williams Genie so hes still great. Not much to say just a well rounded film. The songs were good. Jafar is a good villain. Aladdin and Jazmine are likable.

The Lion King has a perfect first half but the second half feels rushed which genuinely brings the film down for me. It has the best songs if you dont count A goofy movie, though I do forget Love is in the air. The highlight is Scar who always steals the show especially with Jeremy Irons fabulous voice acting.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a film I can respect for trying to tell a darker more mature story, but it feels too compromised by being a Disney film where it can't be too dark and needs comic relief Gargoyles that don't even fit in the context of the film itself. Also it could be pretty boring at points, and despite some wonderful animation theres those CGI background characters that look absolutely goofy and just have not aged well at all.

my out of pocket opinion: even if they werent perfect, the 80s disney films leading up to the renaissance are really cool. even when the production staff is beating the shit out of everyone working on it, Black Cauldron is still really cool lmao

 

[Mago]

my out of pocket opinion: even if they werent perfect, the 80s disney films leading up to the renaissance are really cool. even when the production staff is beating the shit out of everyone working on it, Black Cauldron is still really cool lmao

Well if you count Who Framed Roger Rabbit then that's easily the best film to come out of Disney imo. Also Don Bluth came from Disney and his first three films are better than most of Disneys output imo.

nah if all those movies were corporate, they wouldn't be good.

Tbf good is subjective :)

 

[trickybus]

I'm a gigantic Disney-nut, here's how I rank them (if A Goofy Movie was on this I'd add it to S too):

View attachment 91885

I think animation is fucking magic so bear with me if I end up rambling like a religious lunatic but I have a hard time stopping myself from that when it comes to the art of animation.

I think they're all great, except for Pocahontas which isn't just boring, it's also really uneven in its animation, with a really weak and middling story, and an extremely tiny cast which makes it's triple animal sidekick problem stand out like a sore thumb. It's got immaculate color direction, backgrounds and musical numbers though.

Tarzan is one of my favorite movies of all time. It does practically everything it sets out to do right, it's consistently beautiful, funny, surprisingly mature (lots of show-don't-tell, especially during emotional moments) and just all round magical. If you don't like Phil Collins I can get why one wouldn't like it, but I think the music is like perfect too. Son of Man is especially excellent.

Mulan is mostly excellent from beginning to end too. I think Mushu kind of interferes slightly too much, but he's still written funnily. Mulan's arc is great, and it's got some of the strongest musical numbers in Disney history. I really like Mulan's relationship with her dad. It feels kind of strained and awkward but I love how clear he makes it that she means everything to him by the end.

Hunchback has got the single best musical numbers in all of Disney, and they make the entire movie, but I agree with you that it kind of still feels smothered by the fact that it's Disney, so they probably couldn't tell as dark a story as they wanted to, even though it's markedly dark for a Disney flick.

Hercules is great, and funny as hell. I really like the way they portray Hercules as this socially awkward wimp, and his relationship with Meg is the most organic romance Disney has ever made, they go on dates and find out they like each other. 'I'm Won't Say (I'm In Love)' is my favorite Disney song bar none, and Hades is my favorite Disney villain by a million miles.
Both this one and Tarzan (Lion King too but it's just Hamlet) are really good coming-of-age stories for boys, which is sort of uncommon for Disney, but even while they do a good job at it, I think both Treasure Planet and Brother Bear does it way better.

Lion King is a masterpiece, but I always had a harder time liking Disney movies that featured animals more than humans. The scene that makes me choke up the most is the one where Simba and Mufasa play under the stars and the music just explodes in this really sad-sounding emotional part. I like how the best song isn't even in the movie (He Lives In You from the musical, which they later repurposed for the sequel)

Aladdin is mostly great, but it ends too quickly. I don't care very much for Jafar because he's so stupid, and just up and cheats all the time anyway. I like how they show of Aladdin as sympathetic and kind-hearted from the beginning, then when he pretends to be a prince the viewer already knows he's a good guy at heart so it's fun how he sort of fucks it up for himself by pretending to be someone he's not, only to revert to a good guy later. It kind of rushes the last acts though.

I'm kind of ambivalent towards Beauty and Mermaid. They're both fine, but I never had very much emotional investment in any of them. Beauty is slightly too whimsical and quirky for me, though I really like Gaston. Mermaid is good, and Ursula carries the whole movie. I used to be scared shitless of this one as a kid because the way the lit/colored the dramatic scenes like they were JoJo made everything really intense, especially when the King destroys Ariel's stuff and that end part with Ursula.

SO YEAH I GUESS I KINDA LIKE THEM

In case anyone read this giant wall of text, my favorite Disney movie of all time is Lilo & Stitch.
Congratulations, you've made it to the end of the post!

It make me really happy to see someone else remember Hercules.

My opinion isn't that interesting as I grew up on a lot of these films and love almost all of them, though Pocahontas is an exception. I'm surprised no one has mentioned The Rescuers Down Under. It didn't do well commercially but it's worth a watch and I'd love to hear other's opinions on it.

 

[Mago]

It make me really happy to see someone else remember Hercules.

My opinion isn't that interesting as I grew up on a lot of these films and love almost all of them, though Pocahontas is an exception. I'm surprised no one has mentioned The Rescuers Down Under. It didn't do well commercially but it's worth a watch and I'd love to hear other's opinions on it.

I just havent gotten to it yet, but I will watch it. I did watch it as a kid, though I watched most of these as a kid.

 

[Frickinfrik]

Hunchback of Notre Dame, Aladdin (1992), Mulan (1998), Hercules, and The Lion King (1994) are the best Disney Renaissance films.

 

[UnDubious]

nah if all those movies were corporate, they wouldn't be good.

Corporate then didn't involve as much control as it does now. The bigshots had demands but there was still usually space for some creativity and humanity. So Disney's movies definitely came from a corporate structure, but they still had artistic merit.

I've seen the same thing happen in the workplace, ie literally working for corporations. My early jobs sucked, but lots of cool people worked there and we weren't so controlled that we couldn't interact. Things got more and more dead and soulless with time.

 

[NotReallyHere]

I do like the comparisons between The Lion King and Kimba, and I'm glad that was brought up. But if we're being honest, many of the ideas for these films - and previous Disney efforts - were "stolen." Very much an instance of, "See fairy tale, make movie."

The Little Mermaid dates back to the 1800s. Beauty and the Beast, the 1700s. And the Lion King is essentially Shakespeare's Hamlet, as another user stated. Et cetera.

Now, did Disney put quite a bit of effort into putting their own stamp on these titles? Absolutely! Lots of original music compositions, new character designs, and plenty of additions not seen in the source material. Though in some cases, those deviations were not welcomed. Looking at you, Pocahontas...

I'm old enough to have seen Mermaid, Beast, and Lion King in theaters. Loved them all, and watched them many times afterward on home video. But by the time Pocahontas and the rest came along, I had pretty much outgrown Disney and moved on. I know they're always there for me if I decide to settle in and check out what I missed, though...