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Thread: More Mouse: My Disney Top 5 - Animated Films of the Disney Revival Era

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    More Mouse: My Disney Top 5 - Animated Films of the Disney Revival Era

    My Disney Top 5 - Animated Films of the Disney Revival Era by Chris Barry

    Chris takes a look at the best of the Lasseter era Disney animated feature films.

    Read it here!


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    Interesting article...I had never heard of the "revival era" before this. I personally agree with Tangled at #1...much like the Little Mermaid is remembered as the movie that brought Disney animation back to popularity originally, Tangled deserves to be remembered as the movie that reminded everyone that not only Pixar could make great animated movies. The lantern scene you mentioned is one of the classic animated scenes in film history.

    However, I lose some respect for the ratings when Frozen is #4 out of 7 movies, and is rated below Wreck-It-Ralph (even though I'm the same early video game age I suspect you are!). Wreck-It-Ralph was a cute, but thoroughly forgettable movie, and Big Hero Six was not at all interesting to me or my family. I suspect that, despite the statement in the article, some of the Frozen "backlash" going on now has affected the rating. Frozen has a solid story, memorable characters, and a great soundtrack with some songs that will be remembered as among Disney's best (Let it Go is obviously suffering from overplay right now, but that doesn't mean it's not a great song that future generations will be enjoying years from now). Frozen definitely belongs at #2 on this list, and I couldn't argue with anyone who put it at number one.

    If anything, this list makes me unsure of whether this era can be called a "Revival" era. In my mind, there are two hits out of 7 (Tangled and Frozen), and five decently successful, but also ultimately forgettable, movies. While this group of 7 movies overall is better than the string of poor movies that came before it, it's still going to take a few more hits and a higher percentage of really good movies to truly bring WDW animation back to the place where it was in the past.


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    Definitely agree that Tangled is better than Frozen as far as the story goes. And yes, the floating lantern scene still gives me chills. In fact, at Disneyland last month I caught the Fantasy Fair Theatre. This is more of a quick comedy skit, but when the Rapunzel character started singing "At Last I See the Light", I was genuinely moved. That song is incredible. I will say that I'm shocked that Wreck-It Ralph was #2. I've seen that film once and no one in my family ever asks to see it again.

    And I'm with you on Brother Bear. Hard to call it the Decline Era when such a fantastic film was produced. It still stands as my favorite Disney real-animation-film to watch. The story is great, the comedy is killer, and the music/songs are easily my favorite (thanks, Phil Collins). Great article.

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    I agree with your choices. But if Bolt had not had the humorous, loyal and adventurous Rhino, I don't think it would have been anywhere near as good as it is. We have numerous quotes we use that were made by Rhino and can't even think of any that came from the other characters.

    I also agree that Tangled was better than Frozen. I think the limited backgrounds on the Tangled characters were much better done than some of the Frozen characters. I kept wondering what did the ice cutting scene at the start of the movie really do for you later where they didn't even answer why Kristoff was by himself and ended up with the trolls or how he met Sven and they became such good friends. Or more on the trolls except to throw them in there to make a easy plot twist for healing Anna. I do admit the castle building scene was awesome, the music great but I think the show was almost stolen by Sven and Olaf. Also give me more Marshmellow. Okay so after all that I don't have those kind of questions for Tangled.

    One movie you didn't mention but still wouldn't have made the top 5 was Treasure Planet. A science fiction redo of Treasure Island. But this also had a great redo of the story and a beautiful palate of colors.

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    I also saw Frozen before the hype. What blew me away was the plot and how it moved away from typical- boy meets girl and together they defeat evil (with a cute side kick and some quirky friends). I love that story line and really loved Tangled! But Frozen gets extra points to me for having a relationship between two girls (a rare hallmark in movies) that is at least as important as the boy-girl line. Also, love at first site was made fun of (echoing Loves first kiss in Enchanted). Here is a story where the girls ultimately save themselves and their relationship with the boys is more as equal friends- not as heroes. So I liken it to Mulan- which is one of my all time favorites. Imagine if the world didn't love the movie... then I think we would be defending its virtues instead of finding limitations to balance the popularity. For me the common thread between Tangled, Mulan and Frozen (Anna) is the strong characters that hold tight to a goal-even when the world tries to tell them they are wrong.


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    Quote Originally Posted by jms1969 View Post
    Interesting article...I had never heard of the "revival era" before this. I personally agree with Tangled at #1...much like the Little Mermaid is remembered as the movie that brought Disney animation back to popularity originally, Tangled deserves to be remembered as the movie that reminded everyone that not only Pixar could make great animated movies. The lantern scene you mentioned is one of the classic animated scenes in film history.

    However, I lose some respect for the ratings when Frozen is #4 out of 7 movies, and is rated below Wreck-It-Ralph (even though I'm the same early video game age I suspect you are!). Wreck-It-Ralph was a cute, but thoroughly forgettable movie, and Big Hero Six was not at all interesting to me or my family. I suspect that, despite the statement in the article, some of the Frozen "backlash" going on now has affected the rating. Frozen has a solid story, memorable characters, and a great soundtrack with some songs that will be remembered as among Disney's best (Let it Go is obviously suffering from overplay right now, but that doesn't mean it's not a great song that future generations will be enjoying years from now). Frozen definitely belongs at #2 on this list, and I couldn't argue with anyone who put it at number one.

    If anything, this list makes me unsure of whether this era can be called a "Revival" era. In my mind, there are two hits out of 7 (Tangled and Frozen), and five decently successful, but also ultimately forgettable, movies. While this group of 7 movies overall is better than the string of poor movies that came before it, it's still going to take a few more hits and a higher percentage of really good movies to truly bring WDW animation back to the place where it was in the past.
    Frozen definitely belongs at #2 on your list. However, it definitely belongs at #4 on my list. As I said, I saw Frozen pre-hype, more than likely on opening day or a day later. I really liked it but I didn't walk away from the theater that day saying, "Wow, this is going to become the biggest animated film in history." I walked away from Tangled saying, "That was a game changer for this company." I also found Wreck-it Ralph to be more interesting, especially visually, than Frozen. Sugar Rush is a fascinating world that was created out of thin air. Frozen's world, while animated beautifully isn't all that special to me. I have no problem with Frozen's popularity. People are obviously responding to it...just not me so much.

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    Quote Originally Posted by mckat View Post
    I also saw Frozen before the hype. What blew me away was the plot and how it moved away from typical- boy meets girl and together they defeat evil (with a cute side kick and some quirky friends). I love that story line and really loved Tangled! But Frozen gets extra points to me for having a relationship between two girls (a rare hallmark in movies) that is at least as important as the boy-girl line. Also, love at first site was made fun of (echoing Loves first kiss in Enchanted). Here is a story where the girls ultimately save themselves and their relationship with the boys is more as equal friends- not as heroes. So I liken it to Mulan- which is one of my all time favorites. Imagine if the world didn't love the movie... then I think we would be defending its virtues instead of finding limitations to balance the popularity. For me the common thread between Tangled, Mulan and Frozen (Anna) is the strong characters that hold tight to a goal-even when the world tries to tell them they are wrong.

    Once again, Frozen's tremendous popularity doesn't bother me at all. Remember, it's not on in my house everyday, not at all. I have no reason to be sick of it. I've watched it a few times since seeing it in the theater, mostly in bits and pieces as it has popped up on cable, but I'm not Frozen saturated....and I did appreciate the film quite a bit for the reasons you say. But, for me personally...it just wasn't all that much from the get go. Tangled had me the whole way through, so did Wreck-it Ralph and Big Hero 6. I just wasn't all that enthralled with Frozen.

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    Quote Originally Posted by DwarfPlanet View Post
    I agree with your choices. But if Bolt had not had the humorous, loyal and adventurous Rhino, I don't think it would have been anywhere near as good as it is. We have numerous quotes we use that were made by Rhino and can't even think of any that came from the other characters.

    I also agree that Tangled was better than Frozen. I think the limited backgrounds on the Tangled characters were much better done than some of the Frozen characters. I kept wondering what did the ice cutting scene at the start of the movie really do for you later where they didn't even answer why Kristoff was by himself and ended up with the trolls or how he met Sven and they became such good friends. Or more on the trolls except to throw them in there to make a easy plot twist for healing Anna. I do admit the castle building scene was awesome, the music great but I think the show was almost stolen by Sven and Olaf. Also give me more Marshmellow. Okay so after all that I don't have those kind of questions for Tangled.

    One movie you didn't mention but still wouldn't have made the top 5 was Treasure Planet. A science fiction redo of Treasure Island. But this also had a great redo of the story and a beautiful palate of colors.
    Totally agree on Rhino. A total blast of a character.

    I really liked Treasure Planet as well. Very interesting and a rare Disney trek into science fiction.

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    Quote Originally Posted by DisneyGator View Post
    Definitely agree that Tangled is better than Frozen as far as the story goes. And yes, the floating lantern scene still gives me chills. In fact, at Disneyland last month I caught the Fantasy Fair Theatre. This is more of a quick comedy skit, but when the Rapunzel character started singing "At Last I See the Light", I was genuinely moved. That song is incredible. I will say that I'm shocked that Wreck-It Ralph was #2. I've seen that film once and no one in my family ever asks to see it again.

    And I'm with you on Brother Bear. Hard to call it the Decline Era when such a fantastic film was produced. It still stands as my favorite Disney real-animation-film to watch. The story is great, the comedy is killer, and the music/songs are easily my favorite (thanks, Phil Collins). Great article.
    It's one of the best Disney songs, and one of the most underrated I feel. The lantern scene is truly magic.

    The article in Wired mocks Brother Bear and they couldn't be more off base on that one. I loved it in the theater and I love it now for all the reasons you mention.

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    I agree with your order except that I would put Lilo and Stitch at the very top. I absolutely love this movie and so do my kids. You did not mention this movie so I am wondering if it falls out of you time frame or other reasons not to include it. Maybe you just do not care for Stitch.


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    Quote Originally Posted by cbarry View Post
    The article in Wired mocks Brother Bear and they couldn't be more off base on that one. I loved it in the theater and I love it now for all the reasons you mention.
    Just read the article. Wow, they even talked a little smack about Dinosaur. That movie was visually stunning, with very deep characters, a super deep plot, and one of the best scores I've ever heard. I've re-mixed that score for my outdoor audio - so relaxing when I'm just lounging outside. Plus, Dinosaur got it's own ride at Animal Kingdom - one that still creates some primal fear in me. I'm convinced that my ancestors did a lot of running from those dudes.

    And Rotten Tomatoes gave Home on the Range a much higher rating than Brother Bear. Are you kidding me?
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    Quote Originally Posted by jmorgan View Post
    I agree with your order except that I would put Lilo and Stitch at the very top. I absolutely love this movie and so do my kids. You did not mention this movie so I am wondering if it falls out of you time frame or other reasons not to include it. Maybe you just do not care for Stitch.
    I'm not crazy about Stitch as a character, but I love the movie. The backgrounds are beautiful and its a great story..but it does not fall within the timeframe of the so-called Revival Era.

  14. #13

    #1 - Meet the Robinsons.

    Best. Disney. Movie.


  15. #14

    It's tempting to put a dividing line at the point where Pixar was acquired and John Lasseter became CCO, because it seems like such a seminal moment. But conceptually, I tend to group everything from 2000 on together, because they all seem to have sprung from the same creative well. Maybe that's just when they moved away from the must-be-a-musical paradigm (I think Alan Menken only wrote songs for one film post-Mulan).

    Anyway, of that group, my favorites are (in no particular order) Meet the Robinsons, The Emperor's New Groove, Wreck-It Ralph, Frozen, Lilo & Stitch, and Atlantis. Least favorites are Chicken Little, Home on the Range, and Brother Bear (and I've sadly not yet seen Winnie-the-Pooh).

    I can sort of understand the love for Brother Bear, but I can't share it. I found both Koda and Kenai to be thoroughly unlikable characters, redeemed only through heavy-handed plot machinations, and the mystical the-spirits-know-better-than-you-do moralizing was extremely off-putting. (On the other hand, I'd watch a whole featurette of nothing but Rutt and Tuke.)

    That said, I've never failed to be entertained by any Disney movie for its duration -- even Home on the Range had some hilarious moments, while Chicken Little had creative, interesting characters.

    Frozen is a wonderful, wonderful film, but it's not perfect by any means. It has at least one major misstep in characterization, a couple of notable plot holes/omissions, and falls back on the ridiculously overdone orphan angle to drive the plot. I'm not sure I can agree that Tangled is better, though, as it has some of the same problems (though at least Mom and Dad are still alive!). Rapunzel is an incredibly appealing character, but the speed with which she falls in love with (literally) the first man she's ever met is extremely disturbing to me. (It did get absolutely robbed of an Oscar nomination, though. It could have won against Rango and Kung-Fu Panda 2, but yet it wasn't even nominated!) I loved Wreck-It Ralph, but I don't see any way it'll last as a classic, because in 50 years no one will understand the setting.

    Those are relatively minor quibbles, of course, but IMO any attempt to rank these films requires hair-splitting.


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  16. #15

    I guess I'm trying to figure out when the "revival" period began. Disney aquired Pixar on 2006. Yet somehow you rated "Bolt" at number 5 and "Princess and the Frog" that debut in 2009 didn't even make the list.

    The list is subjective in the sense that it is just the author's opinion, which is fine, but for the general public, a more objective opinion based on box office receipts is a better yardstick.

    At my age, I just don't rush out to see every single Disney and/or Pixar movie that comes out. That is only yielded bad memories ("Treasure Planet" comes to mind) so I can't really say if "Big Hero 6" or "Wreck-it Ralph" is good. However, I have no interest in seeing them and that says a lot.

    From my own personal opinion, "Frozen" is much better than "Tangled" because there is more emotional heft from the sisters relationship than from the fake mother-daugther relationship. Also, I'm more familiar with the classic stories and somehow Tangled is more butchered from the source material whereas Frozen is an complete reinvention. Plus, the marketing for Tangled makes it look like a Dreamworks Animation movies, which it just isn't.


  17. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by Jimbo996 View Post
    At my age, I just don't rush out to see every single Disney and/or Pixar movie that comes out. That is only yielded bad memories ("Treasure Planet" comes to mind) so I can't really say if "Big Hero 6" or "Wreck-it Ralph" is good. However, I have no interest in seeing them and that says a lot.
    It says a lot about your preferences in films. It doesn't say anything at all about the quality of the films in question, or Disney's artistic decisions.


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  18. #17
    Quote Originally Posted by LtPowers View Post
    It says a lot about your preferences in films. It doesn't say anything at all about the quality of the films in question, or Disney's artistic decisions.


    Powers &8^]
    Interesting. If I saw those two films, what does it say about the quality or Disney's artistic decisions. LOL. I would certainly hope any public opinion has no bearing on a film finished way before the public saw it.

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