by Squeely » April 18th, 2016, 10:10 am
Lol Shadow's list is pretty much mine.
1) The Lion King - I can't think of a thing I don't absolutely love about it. Animation is gorgeous, characters are phenomenal, songs are amazing, the whole thing just strikes me right in the heart with how incredible it is. Something about TLK just captivated me far more than any other Disney film has, and for me, it's "lightning in a bottle", meaning I doubt I'll ever love a Disney film as much as I love TLK. I haven't felt like delving deep into the history of other Disney films, or joining fan communities for other Disney films, or discussing theories for other Disney films, and so on. I don't know why, but TLK just has that "something", for me. The fact that it's a sweeping epic starring cats, though, is probably a factor if you know how much of a huge cat lady I am.
2) Beauty and the Beast - The quintessential Disney fairytale movie, and imo easily Disney's best fairytale movie. The whole film is gorgeous, the songs beautiful and memorable, animation stunning, and there are some great themes hidden within, like how the handsome town hero can really be an ugly person, and the hideous beast can really be a kind person. Belle is my favorite princess, and easily my favorite female Disney character aside from Nala. I also really like how they manage to keep the romance between Belle and the Beast from being rushed, as it really helps their love feel a lot more impactful and believable.
3) Tarzan - I'm a huge King Kong fan, and obviously a huge TLK and Beauty and the Beast fan. Put those three films in a blender, and you pretty much get Tarzan. However, it also has plenty of things that make it stand out as an original work; it is far from being too derivative. It is action-packed, packs a lot of fun as well as heart, with beautiful animation (those dappled trees <3) and a solid soundtrack. Also, Turk and Tantor are imo the best animated sidekick characters, because while they do provide a lot of laughs, they also prove how deeply they care about Tarzan. This is such an underrated gem.
4) Mulan - A genderqueer outcast really likes Mulan? You don't say! But aside from how much I relate to the titular character, this is another great one. Again, beautiful animation with a style all its own, amazing songs, everything a stellar Disney film is known for is here in full-swing. And of course I like that it challenges a lot of traditional gender roles, and I enjoy the heck out of the comedic characters, they're great too. And I also like how the romance between Mulan and Shang is implied to potentially be starting up in the end, but it leaves it ambiguous as to how everything will work out.
5) Aladdin - The funny thing is, I usually hate pop culture references, but Robin Williams just makes them so dang enjoyable and endearing in this that I can't help but enjoy them. Aladdin is packed to the brim with explosive action and a vibrant color scheme that just makes it stick out as a bold adventure story in all the best ways. And as I've said with all of these, this too has amazing animation, outstanding songs, great characters, the works. I know I probably sound like a broken record at this point, but those are the things that really lend themselves towards my adoration of a Disney film. And what can I say? I think the Renaissance Era pulled all of those off the best, and these five are shining examples of it. And lastly, rip Robin Williams, you're finally free. Disney never had a friend like you, and I feel they won't capture that special sort of magic you brought to this film again.
Honorable mention goes to... Well, pretty much any Disney film in the Disney canon, from Snow White all the way to Zootopia. All of them are magical and great in their own unique ways (except for stuff like Home on the Range, some of the 00's flubs are best forgotten).