POLL: Best Movie from the Disney Renaissance?
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The Hunchback of Notre Dame. It was dark and adult, yet still had some good humor for the kids. Not only was it the best of that time period, I'd argue it's one of Disney's all-time best.
I'd also say that's where the Disney Renaissance ended, as I've seen nothing since then that's been worth a damn.
I'd also say that's where the Disney Renaissance ended, as I've seen nothing since then that's been worth a damn.
Lion King. Gotta love Hamlet for kids.
Aladdin for being so zany. Plus it has Robin Williams. Mulan was a fun movie too.
I've only seen about half of these movies. I can take or leave Disney as a general rule. Big fan of Pixar though.
I've only seen about half of these movies. I can take or leave Disney as a general rule. Big fan of Pixar though.
REALLY tough choice. I had to go with The Little Mermaid as it's been a favorite since I was very young and I just love everything about it. However, Aladdin, Mulan, Pocahontas, and The Lion King are all tied for a close second.
Another Disney movie from around that time period that I really enjoyed was The Great Mouse Detective.
The only ones on the list that I didn't really care for were Hercules and Tarzan. Hunchback of Notre Dame has some great songs and specific scenes, but overall I found the movie a bit boring.
Another Disney movie from around that time period that I really enjoyed was The Great Mouse Detective.
The only ones on the list that I didn't really care for were Hercules and Tarzan. Hunchback of Notre Dame has some great songs and specific scenes, but overall I found the movie a bit boring.
TLK!
For me it comes down to a tough choice between "The Little Mermaid" and "Beauty and the Beast." I think, because of nostalgia, "Little Mermaid" wins.
I also loved "The Lion King," and "Aladdin" is fun too, but I loathe "Pocahontas" and wasn't so fond of the others on the list either.
I think my favorite of the classically animated Disney films, though, is "Lilo and Stitch." Which came slightly after this acme but was a clear return to peak form. I especially loved the character design in that film. The animators drew beautiful Pacific Islander women who actually looked like Pacific Islander women and not brown skinned Barbie dolls like Pocahontas. The watercolor effect of the backgrounds was perfect, the aliens and space ships had fun designs, Lilo was a strong, intelligent, and realistic -- if troubled -- youngster, and the story just felt very true to me. All in all, a fabulous movie.
I also loved "The Lion King," and "Aladdin" is fun too, but I loathe "Pocahontas" and wasn't so fond of the others on the list either.
I think my favorite of the classically animated Disney films, though, is "Lilo and Stitch." Which came slightly after this acme but was a clear return to peak form. I especially loved the character design in that film. The animators drew beautiful Pacific Islander women who actually looked like Pacific Islander women and not brown skinned Barbie dolls like Pocahontas. The watercolor effect of the backgrounds was perfect, the aliens and space ships had fun designs, Lilo was a strong, intelligent, and realistic -- if troubled -- youngster, and the story just felt very true to me. All in all, a fabulous movie.
^Totally agree about "Pocahontas" and "Lill & Stitch". The latter is a superb movie.
Out of the ones in the poll though, I'm gonna say "The Hunchback of Notre Dame". One of the few movies that was actually made even better by the Swedish dub. And it's pretty damned great in the original version.
Case in point for the Swedish dub:
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wI7twbLmEoQ[/yt]
The sheer power of the Swedish voice artists voice still stuns me. Also the best villain song ever by Disney.
Out of the ones in the poll though, I'm gonna say "The Hunchback of Notre Dame". One of the few movies that was actually made even better by the Swedish dub. And it's pretty damned great in the original version.
Case in point for the Swedish dub:
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wI7twbLmEoQ[/yt]
The sheer power of the Swedish voice artists voice still stuns me. Also the best villain song ever by Disney.
Is it odd I don't consider The Rescuers Down Under and Tarzan as part of the DisneyRen of the 90's? I honestly haven't seen them, did they do well? Have to check BOM on that later.
When the DisRen started I was going from middle school to high school. That time when you want to separate yourself from the cliche "kiddie" films. I caught The Little Mermaid on VHS a year after it was released and after that found reasons aka dates to see The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast. Those 3 are my favorites.
When the DisRen started I was going from middle school to high school. That time when you want to separate yourself from the cliche "kiddie" films. I caught The Little Mermaid on VHS a year after it was released and after that found reasons aka dates to see The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast. Those 3 are my favorites.
This thread makes me want to rent Hunchbank and Lilo & Stitch, neither of which I've seen. Disappointing that they aren't on Blu-ray yet.
Despite my feelings about Hunchback (which largely result from the unsympathetic main character), I love Hellfire. I think I prefer the original English version, though. Something about the voice of the Swedish singer seems discordant with the rest of the music to me; I think his singing may be too uniformly deep (or perhaps I lack the deep bass hearing needed to fully appreciate it).
I think the shift in style that Tarzan began tends to separate it from the rest of the 90s Disney films. It's something of a transition point between the early and later modern Disney animation, though, so it's hard to say with which group it belongs.
For years, I assumed that The Rescuers was from the same studio as An American Tail and Anastasia (which apparently share a director, despite being from different studios). Disney seems to ignore them completely.
Definitely watch Lilo and Stitch! It's a beautiful movie:
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuDeQ4nQf7s[/yt]
That's what I love about it, it's just so forceful that it drives in the characters lust even more, makes the point even harder. Which is not a bad thing in such a emotionally honest thing as a musical.
The Little Mermaid - the one that started it all. Some great songs, memorable villain; bland love interest. I didn't see this one until I was in high school, so I don't feel the same attachment to it as to the others.
Beauty and the Beast - a deserved Best Picture nominee; pretty much every song is a genuine classic. One of the better male leads, and Belle is probably the most fully-realized form of the spunky Disney female lead.
Aladdin - revolutionary in its impact on animation due to Robin Williams, again, great songs. Also gets some nostalgia points from me for the awesome animated series that I watched religiously, so in a way I feel most familiar with this set of characters.
The Lion King - I was born in 1987, so this movie was pretty much a god in its own right in my childhood. Every song is a classic, and it has some of the most epic and iconic imagery in any Disney film.
Pocahontas - suffers a bit from earnestness/a sense of its own importance, but quite enjoyable.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame - a flawed masterpiece, the film most likely to be seriously reappraised when you reach adulthood and appreciate some aspects of it more. Because, really, this movie takes on subject matter that is more serious than anything Pixar has ever done. The comedic stuff with the Gargoyles muddies the tone and doesn't mix well with the more potent dramatic elements; it's stuck between being much lighter than the book and much darker than a normal Disney film. Frollo is the greatest villain in Disney canon.
Hercules - fun, if probably the slightest film here. Guaranteed to annoy mythology purists, but speaking as a myth fan, it's not like the originals were renowned for their rock-solid continuity. Greek myth has more inconsistencies than the DC comics universe. One of the most fun villains ever.
Mulan - the strongest and most consistent package since The Lion King (not quite as serious as Hunchback, but in complete command of its tone). Mulan has deservedly gone down as perhaps Disney's most ass-kicking female lead. And Disney beats Dreamworks to the Eddie Murphy comedy sidekick.
Tarzan - this feels the most distinctly different from the rest of them, what with the non-integrated soundtrack of rock music, etc. Not as remembered as Mulan, but I'd place it on a similar level. They do a good spin on the Tarzan mythos, and being animated allows them to explore a lot of aspects of it (such as Tarzan's interaction with the apes and his childhood) that live action films can't. In a way, it's too bad that Disney made this movie in 1999, because it's the sort of male-friendly property that would be very useful to release now.
I'll give my vote to The Lion King.
Beauty and the Beast - a deserved Best Picture nominee; pretty much every song is a genuine classic. One of the better male leads, and Belle is probably the most fully-realized form of the spunky Disney female lead.
Aladdin - revolutionary in its impact on animation due to Robin Williams, again, great songs. Also gets some nostalgia points from me for the awesome animated series that I watched religiously, so in a way I feel most familiar with this set of characters.
The Lion King - I was born in 1987, so this movie was pretty much a god in its own right in my childhood. Every song is a classic, and it has some of the most epic and iconic imagery in any Disney film.
Pocahontas - suffers a bit from earnestness/a sense of its own importance, but quite enjoyable.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame - a flawed masterpiece, the film most likely to be seriously reappraised when you reach adulthood and appreciate some aspects of it more. Because, really, this movie takes on subject matter that is more serious than anything Pixar has ever done. The comedic stuff with the Gargoyles muddies the tone and doesn't mix well with the more potent dramatic elements; it's stuck between being much lighter than the book and much darker than a normal Disney film. Frollo is the greatest villain in Disney canon.
Hercules - fun, if probably the slightest film here. Guaranteed to annoy mythology purists, but speaking as a myth fan, it's not like the originals were renowned for their rock-solid continuity. Greek myth has more inconsistencies than the DC comics universe. One of the most fun villains ever.
Mulan - the strongest and most consistent package since The Lion King (not quite as serious as Hunchback, but in complete command of its tone). Mulan has deservedly gone down as perhaps Disney's most ass-kicking female lead. And Disney beats Dreamworks to the Eddie Murphy comedy sidekick.
Tarzan - this feels the most distinctly different from the rest of them, what with the non-integrated soundtrack of rock music, etc. Not as remembered as Mulan, but I'd place it on a similar level. They do a good spin on the Tarzan mythos, and being animated allows them to explore a lot of aspects of it (such as Tarzan's interaction with the apes and his childhood) that live action films can't. In a way, it's too bad that Disney made this movie in 1999, because it's the sort of male-friendly property that would be very useful to release now.
I'll give my vote to The Lion King.
Another bonus for "Beauty and the Beast" is the opportunity to hear Detective Lenny Brisco sing in a French accent!
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