re: .

1. Lion King (a top 5 favorite all time movie for me)
2. Aladdin
3. Beauty and the Beast
4. Little Mermaid

I could maybe swap LM and B&tB. Those are tough to rank because all of them are so good.

As for LM, I have to disagree with OML on some of his rant. I agree that Ariel doesn't learn much (although I'm sure she learned not to make deals with evil people), but the point is that she wants to find true love (similar to most Disney movies, especially "princess" movies), and she's willing to give up something important (her beautiful singing voice) for the chance to make it happen. IMO, saying that she just sees a "hunk of man meat" (which made me big time btw) is selling it short. Sure, she was naive, but that's kinda the point. And the thing that led to her being smitten with Eric is her curiosity of all things human.

Also, Gaston is especially good at expectorating. Just FYI.

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IMO, saying that she just sees a "hunk of man meat" (which made me big time btw) is selling it short. Sure, she was naive, but that's kinda the point. And the thing that led to her being smitten with Eric is her curiosity of all things human.

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But, as I said, that prince could have easily been as bad as Gaston in that movie for all we know. I actually think Ariel would have been the perfect person for Gaston actually, as in she doesn't talk or have the ability to question him. She can just be a baby maker for him and a basic indentured servant.

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I really don't think so at all, especially since it is wrongfully credited as starting the Disney Renaissance (I'd give "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" and "The Great Mouse Detective" that honor really).

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And you'd be wrong.

The Little Mermaid was an event when it came out, and it really did restore the Disney brand. I like the Great Mouse Detective, and it kept the lights on at Disney, but the quality of animation is much lower and as much as I hate to rate films on how much they grossed, it is illustrative in this case: $40 million to over $200 million. The Great Mouse Detective was even outperformed both commercially and critically by An American Tail (made my Disney animation refugees).

Disney was no longer THE brand for quality feature length animation. I'll give some credit to Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, which is sort of a proto-Renaissance film, much like Iggy Pop is proto-punk, foresaging what was to come.

It's also important to see how Disney, a studio obsessed with its own history and mythology, has treated those pre-Renaissance films. The Great Mouse Detective is largely ignore (as is Oliver and company and Black Cauldron, the other two films from this era). Roger Rabbit is at least in the photo, though he's be cast to the side. Ariel, OTOH, is a core character and the foundation of the "princess" brand along with Belle and Jasmine, other Renaissance era heroines (along with the classics Snow White and Sleeping Beauty).

There is simply no reading of history in which The Great Mouse Detective and Oliver and Company, the two films before the Little Mermaid, can be described as the first Renaissance era films. Maybe Roger Rabbit, but that's more of them easing us in to that era of artistic ambition with live action.

Oh, my rankings.

Lion King
Beauty and the Beast
Little Mermaid
Aladdin

Honestly, Little Mermaid is more "important" than Beauty and the Beast, but I really want my daughter to emulate Belle, among all of the disney princesses. Bonus points for the best heroine.

ETA: The Black Cauldron is really underrated. But it is considered the low point of Disney's fortunes. So yeah, the Great Mouse Detective is up from the absolute nadir. Though honestly, Cauldron is at least ambitious, Mouse Detective strives for mediocrity and achieves it.

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Baloo

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Agree with most of that.

The doc "Waking Sleeping Beauty" talks a lot about Disney Animation during that time, and how TLM, Aladdin, etc. brought it from the brinks of closure to the forefront of Hollywood, so to speak.

Really awesome doc.

Beauty and the Beast
The Lion King
Aladdin
The Little Mermaid

1. Beauty and the Beast
2. The Lion King
3. Little Mermaid
4. Aladdin

Honestly, there's not much separation for me with them because I really do enjoy them all.

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The best opening song of all time, and the Best Villain track of any Disney Film

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These are debateable. I would say "Poor Unfortunate Souls" for best villain track. But I agree with you about how underrated Hunchback is. I feel the same way about Hercules and Mulan.

There are so many great opening songs in Disney movies.

Alan Menken spoke at a children's Theater workshop as was attending last month. He was awesome. At one point he was justt free styling on the piano.

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There are so many great opening songs in Disney movies.

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"Belles of Notre Dame," is, at leas IMO, one of the better openings of any film. Just a brilliant way to open. It's epic, cinematic, meaningful, evil, hopeful, funny and just all works. I would say, outside of your classic Sleeping Beauty Dragon Fight, and Snow White Chase, it's one of the better scenes of Any Disney Film.

I'll admit, it gives me chills.

I love the villain in Hunchback. His motivations actually make sense. And that opening sequence is pretty great. I love the movie, too. Really, my problems are the leads, not the gargoyles.