Can you get more iconic than Disney? Growing up without cable, my movie lifeline was The Wonderful World of Disney which aired on CBC – the national broadcasting channel here in Canada – each Sunday evening. The rub? We had a Sunday evening church service that meant I almost always missed the end of each movie. I can’t remember how I got around that snag; I have a feeling I recorded it on a VHS tape?
*Side note: who remembers VCRs???!
At the start of the pandemic we purchased a Disney+ subscription. Without a doubt, more than anything else, Disney kept me sane during those early months of isolation. Every afternoon at 3 pm was movie time. The kids would cuddle under blankets and for 90 blissful minutes I had silence. I would blog or read or shower or cry. It was a dark time and Disney was a little ray of sunshine.
The kids are suddenly all about Disney again. They’re re-watching old favourites and we are listening to Disney soundtracks on repeat in the house and car (which gets a bit wearisome if I’m being completely honest).
Without further ado, my top/bottom Disney* picks.
*Including Pixar.
TOP FIVE DISNEY MOVIES
- Beauty and the Beast. The animated and live action are equally wonderful. I love the music, I love the magic. A classic for a reason. And Angela Lansbury singing Tale As Old As Time/Beauty and the Beast? Yes!
- Aladdin. Can you believe I only saw Aladdin for the first time as an adult? I prefer the live action but in either format the music is spectacular! One Jump Ahead and Friend Like Me are my favourite songs.
- Snow White. So old, but a cherished movie from my childhood. I especially loved Heigh-Ho and when Snow White sings into the well (Wishing Well/One Song). Just thinking about that scene gives me shivers because it transports me back in time. A live action version is coming soon!!!
- Mary Poppins. Julie Andrews is pure delight. I love the music. I love the story. I love the magic. I love it all. And yes, Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious was probably my favourite “fun” song as a kid, but Feed the Birds remains one of my favourite Disney songs of all time. What am I saying – all the songs are amazing! I also enjoyed Emily Blunt’s portrayal in Mary Poppins Returns (A Cover Is Not the Book is my favourite song from that movie).
- The Incredibles. A modern classic and a series our whole family has loved.
When I asked the kids, their top picks also included: Frozen and Tangled. Solid choices. I’m also partial to the old animated Cinderella.
BOTTOM FIVE DISNEY/PIXAR
- Bednobs and Broomsticks. I am sure someone out there – maybe many people out there – love this movie. I’m not one of them. Meh.
- Jungle Book. Also…meh.
- 101 Dalmations. Cruella creeps me out.
- The Rescuers. The abandoned riverboat and the cave filling with water terrified me. NO THANK YOU.
- Toy Story. Overrated. I’ve only seen this movie a handful of times which feels like too many.
The kids would also add: The Princess and the Frog and Wall-E (John really likes Wall-E but the kids, for some reason, despise it). Belle is also very anti-Ratatouille. I don’t love The Little Mermaid (Ursula and her eels are horrifying.) Neither kid likes Finding Nemo.
Your turn. Top/bottom Disney movies? Did you own any Disney movies on VHS tapes?
Header photo by Amy Humphries on Unsplash
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J
I will raise your VHS and tell you that when I was a teen, we had a BETAMAX. My mom did her best, she did her research, she heard it was the better product, and she bought the Edsel of video tape machines.
Top 5 – We were JUST talking about our favorite, so I come a bit prepared. We are not going to agree on this.
1. The Legend of Lobo. Back in the early/mid 70s, Disney was big into real life stories as opposed to animated. Lobo is the story of a wolf in the American west, and I loved it so much that I went to the theater to see is many times. Ted bought me the dvd maybe 10 years ago, and it was OK, but not as good as I remember. I don’t care. I love it in my memory, and that is what matters. BTW, this was made in 1962, well before I was born, but was back in theaters in the mid 70s, so whatever.
2. Little Mermaid. I love sassy Ariel, and as this was Maya’s favorite when she was little, we saw it a LOT.
3. Beauty and the Beast. This was the first of the amazing newer animation films, and I remember LOVING it. So good.
4. The Rescuers. We loved this so much growing up, we named our sweet cat Evenrude, because her purr sounded like that off board motor.
5. Lady and the Tramp. I love everything about this movie. Don’t make me watch it with today’s eyes and make me change my mind.
Bonus #1 – The Aristocats. I LOVED this movie and should count it before the Rescuers, but I can’t because of our sweet cat.
Bonus #2 – Escape to Witch Mountain. HOW COULD I FORGET THIS MOVIE? Another of the live action Disney films, and perfect in every (corny) way.
Bottom 5. – You have not seen the first to, be grateful.
The Black Hole. What the even heck with this piece of shit movie. I am right on this.
The Black Cauldron. Sucks.
I don’t know any more. I haven’t seen a lot of the crummy Disney movies. I’m not a fan of Pixar, so let’s just put any Pixar films in here. Was Polar Express in any way related to Disney/Pixar. I could not hate that movie more if you paid me.
Elisabeth
Okay, you win. I think my parents had an 8-track; I remember VHS and cassette, but not Betamax!
I’ve never heard of: The Legend of Lobo, Escape to Witch Mountain, The Black Cauldron, or The Black Hole. We’ll agree to disagree about The Rescuers!
How could I forget The Aristocats? I think it’s the only Disney movie that doesn’t have a parent die or some other horribkle tragedy. Such a classic and the music is sublime!
Polar Express was Warner Bros. I’ve only seen it once and didn’t like it either, but it’s a beloved classic for many.
mbmom11
I loved Wonderful World of Disney- Sunday night was always fun.
Favorite Disney movies :
1- Beauty and the beast- the songs, the animation, magic! I was singing the Gaston song walking out of the theater the first time I saw it. I bought the sound track.
2- 101 dalmations- villain is evil and easy to hate. Dogs and animals triumph.
3- Encanto- I really like the songs and the themes. Mirabelle loves her family, not rebeling against it, like that upstart Ariel.
4- Princess and the Frog- I love the storyline, Tiana is such a hard worker, and she learns through adversity. And Charlotte is the best friend ever.
5- the black cauldron. Fun and different.
*bonus- Monsters Inc. , Rapunzel.
Bottom 5:
The aristocrats, Pinocchio, Finding Nemo, Tarzan.
Elisabeth
I still have not seen the full movie of Encanto (I’ve started it twice). I know all the music well, though, because my kids have watched that movie at least a dozen times. Such catchy music and I LOVE the outfits and colours.
I’ve never heard of The Black Cauldron!
I can’t believe I forgot to put The Aristocats in my bonus mentions for top movies. I love that movie and the music.
I’ve never seen Tarzan and don’t really have any desire…
mbmom11
Oh, I forgot Winnie the Pooh movies! The Blustery Day especially. Make that my #5.
Oh, I’ve owned a lot of the older ones on VHS, but I can go back further. I saw The Black Cauldron and The Rescuers in the theaters when they first came out. I’m old!
And we also had a cat named Evinrude (nicknamed Evie) as her purr and meows were so loud.
Elisabeth
I feel like I’m an outlier in not really liking Winnie the Pooh. Not sure why…I just never connected with the character(s) or animation.
Birchie
I can’t compete with Julie’s betamax, but as far as I know we have a working VCR. I say “as far as we know” because it worked the last time that we used it, which was…..um memory fails me.
When I saw this post, my first thought was “I don’t watch Disney movies so I have no input” but then I read the list and found out that’s not true! We watched Incredibles with stepson #2 sometime during lockdown and adored it, and the Hubs and I saw Wall-E early when we were dating. And ugh I agree strongly with two of your bottom picks. I feel like Bedknobs and Broomsticks was on 24/7 when I was a kid and I don’t remember anything about the movie but something is triggering me just seeing the title. I saw Toy Story a few years ago when I was watching all of the AFI Top 100 movies and it hit me like “this is a solidly OK movie”.
Elisabeth
My parents still have a VCR (because they still have several shelves full of VHS tapes!)
Karen A.
We did indeed have a VCR. The first movie my dad bought was E.T., and I have no idea why. That movie terrified me.
We also got Disney+ just before the pandemic–we were all down with norovirus and watched Inside Out for the first time, on repeat, because our youngest loved it.
Top Five Disney:
1. Beauty and the Beast, yes. Because Angela Lansbury automatically elevates everything she’s in. (Check out her Broadway recording of Mame, she’s incredible.)
2. Rescuers. Maybe I was a morbid child, but I ADORED this movie and still do. Penny had a friendly talking cat friend (Rufus, I still love you!), the mice were freakin’ adorable. Bob Newhart was fantastic as Bernard. I had the record with the little book and listened to it on repeat. The songs were so SAD and I loved that. The swamp animals were hilarious. I’d still watch it today.
3. Aladdin (and I’ll go out on the limb and say I really like the live-action one as well.)
4. I have to mention Toy Story 1 and 2 here, because my oldest adored them, so his brothers did too, and half our family jokes come from Toy Story. “Out the window? You’re a genius!” comes up more than you’d think it would! Also, Tim Allen was in our OTHER favorite family movie, Galaxy Quest, so the kids naturally prefer him to Tom Hanks/Woody. Woody is a neurotic freak, but Buzz is pretty awesome in Toy Story 2. We all prefer #2, actually.
5. Robin Hood! The one with the fox. Funny, and the music is wonderful.
*Honorable mentions to Incredibles 1 and 2, Snow White, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty–even my boys liked the last two a lot!
Bottom Five:
1. Inside Out. Yes, the emotions have some funny interactions, but as a former psychology major and counselor, I think it oversimplifies our emotions and brains and not in a good way. Plus, why does Riley get more emotions as she gets older, but the parents still have the same five? Doesn’t make sense.
2. Moana. I like exactly one song in it.
3. Brave. I wanted to like this a lot, but….meh.
4. Finding Dory. I liked Finding Nemo well enough, but I have a hard time enjoying Ellen Degeneres in anything after learning how she treats her staff. Plus it came out so long after the first one. It was very cute, and I liked the side characters, but a whole movie about short term memory loss is too much.
5. Pocahantas. Beautiful music, lovely animation, HORRIBLE history lesson. I can’t believe they dragged David Ogden Stiers into it. I mean, honestly. I could write an entire post about how WRONG the history is in that move. Awful.
Elisabeth
I’ve never seen E.T.! Which seems crazy since it’s such a classic. Can I admit I have no desire to see it?
Live-action Aladdin is SO GOOD. (I like Cinderella, Mulan, and Beauty and the Beast live action, too). Oh, and the Lion King live action was surprisingly good. I’m ho-hum about The Little Mermaid, but I’m ho-hum about the original animated one, too.
I didn’t see Robin Hood until early in the pandemic and liked it, but don’t have a history with it; I think it’s one of John’s favourite Disney movies, though, and he saw it a lot when he was growing up.
I liked Inside Out! (Both of them). I’ve never seen Moana, felt Meh about Brave, I’ve never seen Finding Dory.
Jenny
I’m not a big Disney movie person, but I definitely remember VCRs! And it’s funny- the one movie that my son LOVED, and my husband and I loved it too, was Finding Nemo. We still quote lines from that movie all these years later.
Elisabeth
I think when I saw it for the first time I LOVED it because it was just…incredible for its time. But now that the kids hate it, I don’t see myself watching it again? But it was ground-breaking!
Cattis
I guess my favourites would be the ones I tend to rewatch, right? (I’m not sure I get the titles correct because I live in Sweden and sometimes the movies have different names here).
1. The prinsess and the frog
2. Zootropolis
3. The Beauty and the beast (ah, the library and Belles love for books, 100% relate)
4. Brave
5. Tangled or Aristocats…
My least favorites are when they do a second movie just because the first one was a success 😒
my kids watched Cars and Finding Nemo (my son) and Cinderella and Tangled (my daughter) about one bazillion times which was irritating at the time but quite nostalgic now as they’re practically adults.
Elisabeth
Cars were…meh.
I can’t believe I forgot to list Aristocats in my Bonus favourites, mostly because of the music!!!
Cattis
Oh no forgot about Wall-E, love that movie 😅
Elisabeth
My husband loves it, I’m on the fence, and the kids HATE it (not sure why but they have very intense feelings).
Tobia | craftaliciousme
I didn’t grow up with Disney so I think the first time I did see a movie was with 17 at my host family in Idaho. Well, maybe the little mermaid I watched prior.
However I can’t really name a favorite. I did watch a lot of them by now though specially since the husband is liking Disney and Pixar movies… But I’ve only ever seen them once so it is hard to get tops and bottoms here.
Elisabeth
Disney was such a cultural touchstone when I was growing up; I feel like that almost every movie I watched had some Disney connection!
Lisa's Yarns
We just got Disney+ this spring or summer. The kids are very into Bluey so that is mostly what we watch although Taco went through a phase where he watched Beauty and the Beast every weekend.
Top 5:
1. Beauty and the Beast – I loved this as a child and still love it very much. It never gets old for me.
2. Aladdin – also loved this classic from my youth. When my sister was young, she changed her name to Jasmine for awhile! I guess that was a thing with us since I changed my name to Stephanie.
3. Lion King
4. Zootopia – our favorite character is the sloth that works at the DMV.
5. Mary Poppins – such a classic! My boys haven’t watched this yet but would likely enjoy it so I’ll have to introduce it soon.
Bottom 4 (couldn’t think of a 5th):
1. Jungle Book. Just not for me.
2. 101 Dalmatians – also not a fan. 101 dogs in a house? Sounds like torture to me as someone who is not a dog person.
3. Bambi – why must parents dying be part of the plot line?
4. Finding Nemo – see above. I did not realize it would start off with such a traumatic beginning with a parent being killed. PASS.
Elisabeth
I’ve never seen Zootopia, but I really need to.
Between Hallmark and Disney, the key to getting a movie made for either brand is clearly to kill a parent. It just…always, always happens. Which is pretty devastating, right?
Ally Bean
I’m not sure how many Disney movies I’ve seen, but I like your lists and agree with your choices. I also would add that I am anti-Ratatouille. That movie creeped me out from beginning to end… it was about a rat, for goodness sake.
Elisabeth
I don’t know if I’ve actually watched Ratatouille start to end? But Belle is adamantly opposed to it; maybe because it is about a rat? I should get to the bottom of her deep dislike of that film.
Joy
Beauty and the Beast (animated version) is my all time favorite Disney movie and Tangled is my favorite more recent Disney movie.
The Little Mermaid was probably the most life-changing for me. It was the first real movie I ever saw when I was probably 6 and it definitely altered my brain. To this day, Part of Your World is probably the song I sing best.
Least favorites:
Frozen – simply for all the hype. I admit there are elements I like (true love between sisters mostly) but also think it’s overrated.
Elisabeth
Tangled is a great modern classic (such catchy music!)
I didn’t see The Little Mermaid until I was a teenager and I remember being disappointed. I expected more? And I also found Ursula terrifying. But so many of my friends would list it as their all-time favourite movie. I think WHEN you see a movie has such an impact on how it resonates.
I don’t care to watch Frozen ever again, but when I first saw them I was impressed. A good story, nice music…but not something I needed to watch as many times as I have…
Allison
We did have a VCR – and in the early days of crazy stock options, we bought my parents their first DVD player, which was really fun. We used to watch The Wonderful World of Disney every Sunday night and have dinner on tv tables, the ultimate treat.
I agree with most of your bottom picks, except I loved all the Toy Stories – I thought the sequels were as good as the originals. I also love love love Up, but that’s a Disney/Pixar and I’m not sure if you would count it. Aladdin blew me away – Robin Williams was so incredibly talented in so many ways. I also loved The Princess and the Frog. I liked Wall-E when I first saw it, but my enthusiasm has dimmed in subsequent years. Zootopia was fabulous, and I loved Moana.
Elisabeth
Watching The Price is Right on TV tables while visiting my grandmother (she had cable, we didn’t) are some of my absolute happiest childhood memories. There was something so special about eating and watching as a kid!
I must watch Zootopia and Moana. These movies keep showing up and I haven’t seen either of them.
Jacquie
I saw many of the early animated films at the theatre, then rewatched them on the massive “top loader” VCR with my daughter.
My favourites are the more recent or updated versions:
Mary Poppins – can’t beat Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke
Pinocchio – the original, but also loved Guillermo del Toro’s update
Jungle Book (2016) – it’s a gorgeous piece to see on the big screen
Ratatouille – I love to cook so enjoyed this story
Up – great message
Straight Story – I didn’t realize this was a Disney production, but it is one of my all time favourite movies! Based on a true story about an elderly man who drives his tractor from Iowa to Wisconsin to makes amends with his estranged brother who has recently had a stroke. It’s an amazing story and beautifully filmed.
Least favourites – I can only think of one, Fantasia. I saw it when I was young and it was long and boring to me. Also, when they make too many sequels.
Elisabeth
I’ve never heard of Straight Story and I’ve never watched Fantasia, but I think I knew it was really long!
You really CAN’T beat Julie Andrews. *Happy sigh*
Up made me sob. I was pregnant when I saw it and could not handle the wife dying. It left me shattered. But we still laugh about the line: Do you dig the hole before or after you use the bathroom outside? And then “It’s before!”
SHU
ooh, such a fun topic!
Top 5:
The Little Mermaid
Frozen – so many memories of my kids when super young loving this!
Moana
Inside Out
Turning Red – I kind of love this movie!
Honorable mention for the music in Encantto
2nd Honorable mention: Descendents (I mean they are also kind of terrible, but I like the concept)
Bottom 3
Dumbo
Pinocchio – both of these traumatized me (mildly) when I was little
Incredibles would go on my bottom 5 because I’ve attempted to watch it about 3x and fell asleep every time.
Can’t come up with any others that I really have actively disliked . . .
Elisabeth
I haven’t seen Turning Red or Moana. I have some movies to watch this weekend! (I also need to see Zootopia). I still haven’t seen Encanto all the way through, despite starting it twice. My kids have watched it at least a dozen times. Goodness, I really do have a lot of movies to watch!
I haven’t watched Descendents but my kids LOVE them, have watched them all many times, and love the music. They keep asking me to watch them and I’ve declined, but maybe I should. They also loved, loved, loved High School Musical when they first watched it. The songs annoy me, but they are catchy!
I’ve never seen Dumbo or Pinocchio (and have no desire to, especially now!)
Sophie
Ooh, my favourites would be:
1. Beauty and the Beast- such a classic, and as a kid i was a book nerd so related to Belle
2. Aladdin – my favourite as a kid, i had the soundtrack on cassette tape!
3. The Little Mermaid (E is into so we have watched it SO many times)
4. Encanto – great modern Disney (with Lin Manuel Miranda writing the songs!)
5. Moana – same as above, we listen to the soundtracks a lot in the car!
Bottom few would be Bambi- so sad, Snow White- too boring, Jungle book- I agree not my favourite. The Lion King- this was huge when i was a kid and I was never as taken with it compared to the other Disney movies of the era.
Elisabeth
Beauty and the Beast is the clear winner (and for good reason).
My kids are very Meh about the Lion King. I wasn’t a big fan, don’t even love the music, but did think that the live action was quite good (better than the original!)
Michelle G.
Yes, I sure do remember VCRs. We had one until very recently.
My top 5 Disney movies:
1. Mary Poppins
2. Mulan
3. Beauty and the Beast
4. The Little Mermaid
5. I was completely obsessed with The Rescuers as a kid, around seven years old. I had the whole movie soundtrack on a vinyl LP record and listened to it over and over. I mean, it wasn’t just the songs. It was the entire audio of the movie! I wonder if I’d like it now?
My least favorites:
1. Up. I have never sobbed so much.
2. Bambi. Oh yes, I guess I have sobbed so much before Up.
3. The Lion King. I love the music – hate the move. Why? Sobbing!!!
4. Dumbo. Again sobbing.
5. Snow White. No sobbing, but that horrible witch scene!!
Elisabeth
My kids love Mulan. I’m a bit surprised it didn’t show up in their mentions. The music is VERY catchy. And again, I think the live action is a solid effort by Disney that stayed mostly true to the spirit of the original animated film.
I also SOBBED over Up. The death came out of nowhere and I was not ready for it. I was pregnant at the time of watching it and I had to turn it off. It shattered me. I’ve never felt much desire to re-watch that one. I’ve never seen Dumbo and am not going to after all this feedback!
Maria
Having watched very few Disney movies I’m not sure I can do a true top 5/bottom five, but here goes.
Ones I like: beauty and the Beast (definitely my favorite)
The Emperors New Groove
Frozen
Ones I don’t like:
Little Mermaid (saw as an adult for the first time and hated it)
Snow White
Aristocats
101 Dalmatians
This is a shorter list than I thought it would be – can’t think of any other ones I’ve actually seen. Back in undergrad my lab mates found out that I’d had a pretty sheltered childhood in terms of movies and they made me a list of movies I needed to watch and it was long. Very long.
Elisabeth
I loved The Emperors New Groove when I was a teen.
I am not a fan of the Little Mermaid and only saw it for the first time when I was 18 or 19. I do like the Aristocats, however. Mostly, I think, because it’s the only movie that doesn’t seem truly scary at any points AND NO ONE DIES.
Maria
Clearly should have read the comments before commenting because in so doing I realized I can add Mulan and Lion King to the “ones I like “ list
NGS
We had a Betamax. That’s all.
I like:
WALL-E
Toy Story 1, 2, and 3
Monsters, Inc.
Great music, meh movie:
Lion King
Little Mermaid
Don’t like:
Pocahontas
Ratatouille (a rat cooking is GROSS – the premise is repulsive)
Snow White
Beauty and the Beast
That realllly boring animated Hunchback of Notre Dame
I honestly think that might be the full list of all Disney movies I’ve seen. I’ve not seen Encanto, Moana, Frozen, or a bunch of other ones listed.
Elisabeth
I don’t even know what a Betamax is!
Okay, maybe that’s why Belle hates Ratatouille. Fair enough that IS a gross premise.