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The Walt Disney Company has existed for over a hundred years. While initially known for pioneering the modern world of animation, the company has evolved into a massive juggernaut of popular culture. They still have a strong presence in the world of animation, however, and between their own catalog and the acquisition of companies like Pixar, they have over a hundred animated films for audiences to enjoy. Thanks to their enchanting songs and meaningful lessons for children, these movies invoke nostalgia in fans.
Anyone would be forgiven for finding the task of picking a film to watch daunting, especially since people don’t have a lot of time to dedicate to movies these days. Fortunately, many great Disney films have a runtime shorter than an hour and a half. These movies are perfect to watch if you need something quick, as they still contain the company’s amazing animation techniques, memorable stories, and characters.
35
‘Fun and Fancy Free’ (1947)
73 min
As Jiminy Cricket (Cliff Edwards) makes his way between two buildings, he listens to two stories. The first is a recording by Dinah Shore about a circus bear named Bongo who escapes to the wild, falls in love, and learns about the strange mating habits of bears. The second is narrated by ventriloquist Edgar Bergen to Luana Patten about how Mickey (Walt Disney), Donald (Clarence Nash), and Goofy (Pinto Colvig) use magic beans to travel to the castle of Willie the Giant (Billy Gilbert), who has kidnapped a magic harp (Anita Gordon) that brought prosperity to their valley home.
Fun and Fancy Free began life as two separate film ideas, but due to the animator’s strike of 1941 and America’s entry into WWII, they were combined into an anthology to save time and money. The framing device is a bit clunky, but both shorts work well individually, thanks to (fittingly) how fun they are. It’s a more lighthearted affair from Disney with some memorable gags, good music, and a hilarious performance by Gilbert as a giant who can best be compared to a toddler who has the power to take whatever he wants.
34
‘Oliver and Company’ (1988)
74 min
An orange kitten (Joey Lawrence) fails to get adopted like his siblings and is eventually forced to survive alone in the streets of New York City. He meets a Jack Russell Terrier named Dodger (Billy Joel) and follows him back to the hideout of his master, a petty thief named Fagan (Dom DeLuise), who is trying to pay back loan shark Bill Sykes (Robert Loggia). The kitten initially joins Fagan and his dogs in their schemes, but is picked up by Jenny Foxworth (Natalie Gregory), a lonely rich girl who names him Oliver.
Oliver and Company is a modern telling of Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist, but with animals replacing class struggle and child exploitation. It’s not a bad film, though: the depiction of New York City is solid, the songs are catchy, and Joel delivers a surprisingly engaging performance as Dodger. Bette Midler even makes an appearance as a show-winning poodle and gets her own over-the-top musical number.
33
‘The Fox and the Hound’ (1981)
83 min
An orphaned red fox named Tod (Keith Mitchell and Mickey Rooney) is taken in by a farmer named Widow Tweed (Jeanette Nolan) at the same time as her neighbor, hunter Amos Slade (Jack Albertson), adopts a hound puppy named Copper (Corey Feldman and Kurt Russell). Despite the animosity between their humans, Tod and Copper meet and become friends. Unfortunately, as they come into their respective roles as fox and hunting dog, Tod and Copper find themselves drifting into two opposing worlds.
The Fox and the Hound entered production during a tumultuous time at Disney, and the behind-the-scenes drama can be felt in how tonally inconsistent the film is. That said, the parts that work, such as Tod and Copper’s friendship and the emotional moments, work really well. The scenes where the characters are older are the best, both because of Rooney and Russell’s voice work and because Tod and Copper are forced to leave behind their carefree childhoods and face the harsh reality of the world.
32
‘Fantasia 2000’ (1999)
75 min
Fantasia was the most ambitious film released during Walt Disney‘s lifetime, combining gorgeous Disney animation with classical music to create a unique blend of visual and musical artistry. He wanted to expand Fantasia into a series of films, but poor box office killed those ambitions. However, the company revisited the concept at the turn of the millennium with Fantasia 2000, which sadly also underperformed.
Fantasia 2000 might not be as innovative as its predecessor, but with 60 years of artistic progress, the segments are still phenomenal to watch and immerse yourself in. Some of the standout sequences include the humpback whale family from “Pines of Rome,” the lives of four city dwellers who long for something new in “Rhapsody in Blue”, and the mesmerizing tale of a nature spirit in “Firebird Suite.” Each segment is also introduced by celebrities such as Steve Martin, Dame Angela Lansbury, and Penn & Teller, who range from charming to distracting, but you can easily skip past them.
31
‘The Rescuers’ (1977)
77 min
An orphan girl named Penny (Michelle Stacy) has been kidnapped by a greedy woman named Madam Medusa (Geraldine Page), who forces her to go spelunking in the Devil’s Bayou, Louisiana, in search of a massive diamond called the Devil’s Eye. One day, she sends out a message in a bottle asking for help, which makes it to New York City and the eyes of the Rescue Aid Society — a global organization of mice dedicated to helping those in need. They assign their Hungarian agent, Miss Bianca (Eva Gabor), who shocks everyone when she chooses the janitor, Bernard (Bob Newhart), as her partner.
The Rescuers was Disney’s biggest financial success during their Dark Era, and though parts of its feel held back by management’s fear of taking risks, it remains a fun, if flawed, adventure film. The hidden animal world is creative for what it is, and the characters, while not among Disney’s best, are likable, especially Bernard and Bianca, whose contrasting personalities make them a great duo. Madam Medusa is also a highly underrated villain thanks to how effective she is without any powers, Page’s sinister voice work, and her phenomenal animation by the legendary Milt Kahl of Disney’s Nine Old Men.
30
‘Dinosaur’ (2000)
82 min
Aladar (D. B. Sweeny) is an Iguanodon whose egg landed on an island inhabited by lemurs, and was taken in by Plio (Alfre Woodard), daughter of the clan patriarch, Yar (Ossie Davis). However, they are forced onto the mainland when a meteor shower destroys the island and most of the clan, except for Yar, Plio, her daughter Suri (Hayden Panettiere), and her brother Zini (Evan Sabara and Max Casella). They meet up with a large herd of dinosaurs migrating across the desert to get to their Nesting Grounds, but the herd’s leader, Kron (Samuel E. Wright), is a Social Darwinist who believes that every dinosaur has to pull their own weight, which causes trouble for those who can’t keep up.
Dinosaur might not win any awards for its story, which is rather derivative of The Land Before Time and The Book of Exodus, but everything else about the film is stellar. The CGI is stellar for a 2000s movie, especially with how seamlessly the artists inserted the characters into real-world landscapes, which puts the 2019 remake of The Lion King to shame. Then there is James Newton Howard‘s music, which perfectly elevates the emotions of any given scene, be they emotional triumphs or terrifying action.
29
‘Brother Bear’ (2003)
85 min
On the same day that Kenai (Joaquin Phoenix) receives his totem, the bear of love, his eldest brother, Sitka (D.B. Sweeney), dies protecting Kenai and their middle brother, Denahi (Harold Gould and Jason Raize), from an angry bear. Enraged, Kenai tracks the bear up a mountain and kills it, but this angers the great spirits, who transform him into a bear as punishment. He teams up with a young cub named Koda (Jeremy Suarez) to try and find his way back to the mountains, while being hunted by Denahi, who has taken up the mantle of revenge.
Brother Bear was lambasted on release due to its annoying side-character and anachronistic humor during the second act that clashed with how grounded and serious the first and third acts are. However, the film has aged pretty well thanks to the parts that work, namely its themes of brotherhood, what it means to be human, and the cycle of revenge. The soundtrack by Phil Collins is also pretty solid; while not as good as his work on Tarzan, Collins manages to capture an otherworldly mysticism that fits with the story’s transformative themes.
28
‘Robin Hood’ (1973)
83 min
When King Richard I (Peter Ustinov) goes to fight in the Crusades, he leaves his brother, Prince John (Peter Ustinov), in charge of England. John quickly establishes himself as a tyrant, using his lackeys, such as the Sheriff of Nottingham (Pat Buttram), to tax the peasants for all they are worth. Fortunately, the people have a hero in the outlaw, Robin Hood (Brian Bedford), who regularly risks his life to steal from John and give back to the poor.
Robin Hood has aged better than most of Disney’s Dark Age movies, thanks to its simple but well-executed adaptation of the Robin Hood mythology. It boils the characters down to their most basic archetypes, allowing young audiences to get sucked into the fun and excitement of Robin’s adventures, and giving the adaptation a timeless feel. Its biggest problem is its animation, which is made up of many recycled moments from older Disney films, which makes Robin Hood feel cheap in comparison.
27
‘The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad’ (1949)
68 min
Within a magnificent library, a British (Basil Rathbone) and an American narrator (Bing Crosby) each select a book to share with the audience. The British narrator selects The Wind in the Willows, which follows the eccentric J. Thaddeus Toad (Eric Blore) as he gets into trouble due to an obsession with motor cars. The American narrator selects The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, in which schoolteacher Ichabod Crane competes with Brom Bones for the hand of Katrina Van Tassel, daughter of the richest man in town.
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad is the final film released in Disney’s wartime era and is the most well-remembered thanks to learning from the mistakes of its predecessors. Both of its stories are well-paced, and the characters feel well-realized and memorable, especially Toad, whose zest for life and new experiences is infectious. The climax is also one of the most iconic in all of Disney, as Ichabod has a terrifying run-in with the Headless Horseman (Billy Bletcher).
26
‘The Sword in the Stone’ (1963)
79 min
While out hunting with his older foster brother, young Arthur (Rickie Sorensen, Richard Reitherman, and Robert Reitherman) stumbles upon the cottage of Merlin (Karl Swenson), a powerful wizard who can look into the future. Merlin escorts Arthur back to his foster father, Sir Ector (Sebastian Cabot), and appoints himself as Arthur’s tutor. While Merlin educates Arthur in subjects like mathematics and gravity, a tournament is announced for New Year’s Day that will decide the future King of England.
The Sword in the Stone is a simplified take on Arthurian legends, but it’s still an enjoyable family film with plenty of comedy and a hint of educational value. The side characters are some of Disney’s most entertaining from the era, especially Merlin, whose personality was based on Walt’s, and his wicked and eccentric rival, Mad Madam Mim (Martha Wentworth). Their wizard’s duel is near-unanimously considered the highlight of the film, thanks to its numerous slapstick gags and the creativity as Merlin and Mim transform into different animals to one-up each other.
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Tyler B. Searle
Almontather Rassoul
