My Disney Ranking - Part 1

Hey folks!

As my first post to the blog, I’ll begin by ranking down the Seven Eras of Disney Animation. If you want to share your opinions on what your favourites/least favourites are from each time period, be sure to let me know in the comments.

So with, let’s begin with Era No. 1 -

THE GOLDEN AGE (1937-1942).
This is held in regard as one of the greatest eras in animation history, not only because it gave us the first feature-length animated film ever, but also because some of Disney’s most beloved, revered and ambitious movies came out of these years. So here are my thoughts (btw I actually love all five of these movies).

5) SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS
Ah yes, the one that started it all. The film that got called “Disney’s Folly” even before it saw the light of day. But Walt and his artists proved the medium wrong in December of 1937. Although I would personally argue that the next four movies improved upon it in some way, we mustn’t ever forget how much of a game changer this was for the film industry. With its unforgettable tunes, entertaining characters and extraordinary artwork, it still holds up very strongly even after 80+ years. When Adolf Hitler calls this the greatest film of all time, you know that it works!

4) BAMBI
For my money, Disney’s most atmospheric movie. While the film is jaw-dropping to look at, what really sets it apart from lots of other Disney movies is the lack of dialogue (enhancing the film’s nature backdrop), the mystery of its “antagonist”, and the ballsy descision to kill off characters and then leave them dead. Yes Disney and other animated studios have done this many times over the decades, but we owe those tragic other scenes to this singular powerful sentence:
“Your mother cant be with you anymore.”
But even with the darkness, it is enlightened by the utter charm and joy from its characters, especially Thumper the rabbit.

3) DUMBO
Here we have a perfect example of how working on a low budget can bring us great art. The story of Dumbo is a wonderful mixture of warmth, tragedy, suspense, colourful surrealism and ultimately triumph. We all remember the heartbreak of “Baby Mine” and the outlandish nightmare that is “Pink Elephants on Parade” for a very good reason. And the character animation, despite looking cheaper, only makes the film even richer in that regard. Here’s hoping that Tim Burton manages to find a way of recapturing those same qualities in his upcoming version.

2) FANTASIA
Of all the films in the Disney canon, this is probably their most ambitious. How many animated films do we know nowadays that are just like this? A two-hour movie set to pieces of classical music? The execution of the different segments demonstrates just how far the Disney artists can do when at their very best, not just the Nine Old Men, but also legends such as Fred Moore or Bill Tytla. All of it could be summed by the image of Mickey as the Sorecerer’s Apprentice. And if Bob Iger or other Disney execs ever get to read this blog, PLEASE re-release Fantasia on the big screen!!!

1) PINOCCHIO
And here it is - my personal favourite Disney film. This movie feels like it has all the rich qualities of the other four films all mixed together. Not only does it feature some of the most technically accomplished animation over from the studio, as well as sequences filled with pure horror and intensity (Pleasure Island anyone?) but it also presents a very realistic view on the world as a place where evil gets away scot free and all we can do is take the straight and narrow path and always let our conscience be our guide. Then of course, it introduced us to two of Disney’s biggest icons: Jiminy Cricket and the song “When You Wish Upon a Star” (voted by AFI as the seventh greatest wind of the 20th Century).