View Full Version : The Worst of Disney Animation Canon
lovejuice
03-09-2011, 03:14 AM
Out of curiosity, what do you think is the worst of Disney Animation Canon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Disney_theatrical_anim ated_features)? Chicken Little is often railed against, but that's perhaps because it was supposed to be a poster-child for the "permanent" closing down of the hand-drawn department. But really, is it any worse than Dinosaur? What's about Brother Bear or Home on the Range?
Back at RT, many people seem to get behind Atlantis, a sentiment I cannot share. Either that or Dinosaur is probably my pick for the worst. (I am partial toward Treasure Planet which frankly might not be any better.)
Mysterious Dude
03-09-2011, 03:25 AM
The Black Cauldron is the most dull, to me.
MadMan
03-09-2011, 03:35 AM
I'm of the controversial opinion that The Fox and Hound is a bad movie. I also don't care for Cinderella, either. And before people harp about how "Oh of course you are not going to like a princess movie," I think that Sleeping Beauty is one of the best in Disney's Cannon, so that shit don't fly.
I never saw Chicken Little, Dinosaur, or Atlantis.
Watashi
03-09-2011, 03:36 AM
I like Treasure Planet.
Home on the Range is easily the worst.
Haven't seen a lot of them, but I do remember The Aristocats seeming particularly half-assed and lifeless
Kurosawa Fan
03-09-2011, 03:38 AM
Snow White. Dull, dull, dull.
I'm inclined to say Pocahontas, even though I never was able to finish it because it was so bad and it was wasting my time.
MadMan
03-09-2011, 03:45 AM
I'm inclined to say Pocahontas, even though I never was able to finish it because it was so bad and it was wasting my time.My family dragged me to that piece of shit when I was younger. I blame my younger sister for choosing the movie. I was unable to leave, as I wasn't old enough to drive and home was too far away to walk.
Kurosawa Fan
03-09-2011, 03:45 AM
I'm inclined to say Pocahontas, even though I never was able to finish it because it was so bad and it was wasting my time.
Yeah, this too.
ledfloyd
03-09-2011, 03:47 AM
the black cauldron is the hardest to watch. but chicken little and home on the range might be worse. dinosaur sucks too. why have i seen all of these!?
soitgoes...
03-09-2011, 03:53 AM
Chicken Little is the correct answer.
EyesWideOpen
03-09-2011, 04:38 AM
Chicken Little and Atlantis are both very good.
Spinal
03-09-2011, 05:12 AM
Pocahontas. Definitely.
Sycophant
03-09-2011, 05:16 AM
Pocahontas is pretty dreadful. So is The Princess and the Frog. My memory of many of these is kinda hazy, but I'm pretty sure of what I've seen, those are the two worst.
(I've also got a significant blind spot in WDFA's mid-aughts period.)
Spinal
03-09-2011, 05:18 AM
Hunchback of Notre Dame deserves to be mentioned here too.
EyesWideOpen
03-09-2011, 05:24 AM
Hunchback of Notre Dame deserves to be mentioned here too.
I will stab you.
Watashi
03-09-2011, 06:30 AM
Hunchback of Notre Dame deserves to be mentioned here too.
Hell no.
It's one of their best.
Hell no.
It's one of their best.
Oh nostalgia. Ever the snuffer of discerning taste.
Watashi
03-09-2011, 06:37 AM
Oh nostalgia. Ever the snuffer of discerning taste.
Dude. I revisited Hunchback just a few months ago.
In fact, I never even saw it until the mid-2000's.
Quit being an assumptive prick.
Quit being an assumptive prick.
Touchy much? I just figured nostalgia was the only legitimate way to enjoy that one. My bad.
Watashi
03-09-2011, 06:45 AM
Touchy much? I just figured nostalgia was the only legitimate way to enjoy that one. My bad.
Real cute. It's often cited as one of Disney's best among animation scholars. It seems when people think of the film, they only think of the gargoyles and forget all the other amazing set-pieces. Disney has yet to top themselves in the song department in "Hellfire". There hasn't been a darker moment in Disney.
I would place it above the Disney "classics" like Little Mermaid, Lion King, and Aladdin.
Sxottlan
03-09-2011, 09:30 AM
Dinosaur is one of the most disappointing films I think I have ever seen.
I didn't bother with much of the rest of their late 90's/early 00's films. Although I do seem to remember enjoying Atlantis, especially the opening.
Fezzik
03-09-2011, 11:30 AM
I'm not a big fan of Snow White either.
Atlantis wasn't the best thing they ever did, but it wasn't irredeemably awful.
If not for the gargoyles, Hunchback would be one of my two or three favorite Disney films ever made. As it is, its still very good.
I think Home on the Range is by far their worst.
Hunchback has some jarring tonal inconsistencies, and the argument could be made that it's not appropriate for children.
But it's a fascinating piece of work.
Dukefrukem
03-09-2011, 12:31 PM
Anything on that list after 1994
Raiders
03-09-2011, 12:36 PM
Anything on that list after 1994
Mulan and Emperor's New Groove > Lion King, Little Mermaid and Aladdin
Dukefrukem
03-09-2011, 12:41 PM
Mulan and Emperor's New Groove > Lion King, Little Mermaid and Aladdin
I'm sorry, but there's no greater Disney movie than the Lion King. It trumps them all, and then again and again and when it's done lapping them for the 4th time, it does it again.
Lion King is in my top 100.
Kurosawa Fan
03-09-2011, 01:15 PM
Better than The Lion King I'm not qualified to say, but Mulan is pretty great either way. I'm mixed on ENG, mostly because of my inability to enjoy anything with David Spade.
[ETM]
03-09-2011, 01:22 PM
Haven't seen a lot of them, but I do remember The Aristocats seeming particularly half-assed and lifeless
The sequence with Napoleon and Lafayette alone is better than several entire Disney films.
zu8-Rh0i9Kk
Oliver & Company was pretty bad, as I recall. So was Atlantis. I didn't see a bunch in the "lull" years.
But, hey, Tangled was great!
Mysterious Dude
03-09-2011, 04:07 PM
I love Oliver & Company.
;330672']The sequence with Napoleon and Lafayette alone is better than several entire Disney films.
zu8-Rh0i9Kk
... seriously?
lovejuice
03-09-2011, 04:16 PM
I too like Mulan. Hunchback, to me, is a movie with better intention than execution. In a way, so is Pocahontas.
MadMan
03-09-2011, 06:18 PM
I actually love The Aristocrats, and Mulan is pretty good. However, I was just reminded of how much I hate The Little Mermaid. I've recognized over the years that Beauty and the Beast is good, although I'm not as big a fan of that as most people are.
Oh and Aladdin is really overrated. Robin Williams, the soundtrack, and the good animation save that movie from being a total waste.
number8
03-09-2011, 06:21 PM
I'm not sure why this thread needs to continue after Home on the Range has been mentioned.
If you haven't seen it, I can assure you that any other Disney movie that you think is the worst, Home on the Range is twice as bad.
Spun Lepton
03-09-2011, 06:24 PM
Nobody's including straight to DVD garbage like Cinderella 2 or Snow White 2?
I was asking K yesterday which one she thought was the worst. I mentioned Pocahontas, about which she immediately agreed (I love her). Then I started naming Disney films and when I mentioned Atlantis, her eyes widened with realization and horror: "Oh yeeeaaahhh... I saw that. It was so bad." So that's her answer.
MadMan
03-09-2011, 06:25 PM
Nobody's including straight to DVD garbage like Cinderella 2 or Snow White 2?Perhaps no one felt like stating the obvious :lol:
Spinal
03-09-2011, 06:26 PM
I'm not willing to sift through the dregs to get a definitive answer to this question. Pocahontas is bad enough for me. Oddly though, it has what is probably my favorite Disney song ever, "Colors of the Wind". Judy Kuhn, you work such miracles.
Kurosawa Fan
03-09-2011, 06:27 PM
Stuff like Chicken Little, Atlantis, Home on the Range, etc., shouldn't even be in the conversation. They may be part of Disney's filmography, but they are hardly what I would call part of their "canon." There's nothing canonical about them, and they are almost never mentioned when the Disney name is brought up for conversation.
[ETM]
03-09-2011, 06:28 PM
... seriously?
Why not? I haven't met a person, ever, who hated that, but there's a first time for everything.
[ETM]
03-09-2011, 06:29 PM
I actually love The Aristocrats
Is that the sequel with the rats?
Spinal
03-09-2011, 06:29 PM
OK, I'll say it ....
I don't think Chicken Little is that bad.
number8
03-09-2011, 06:29 PM
Stuff like Chicken Little, Atlantis, Home on the Range, etc., shouldn't even be in the conversation. They may be part of Disney's filmography, but they are hardly what I would call part of their "canon." There's nothing canonical about them, and they are almost never mentioned when the Disney name is brought up for conversation.
So you're saying we should determine what's worst from the movies that other people like?
number8
03-09-2011, 06:31 PM
No one has mentioned Tarzan, either. That was shite.
No one has mentioned Tarzan, either. That was shite.
I was going to, but I feared Wats's wrath would strike again.
Spinal
03-09-2011, 06:38 PM
No one has mentioned Tarzan, either. That was shite.
Never saw it. Phil Collins and Rosie O'Donnell? No thanks.
Kurosawa Fan
03-09-2011, 06:39 PM
So you're saying we should determine what's worst from the movies that other people like?
No, what I mean is that if the question is "What is the worst canonical Disney film," which the title implied, listing things such as Home on the Range doesn't really fit the bill. It's why the first film that popped into my head was Snow White, because it part of Disney's canon, and animation's canon as well, and I find it to be an absolute chore.
Mysterious Dude
03-09-2011, 06:42 PM
;330778']Why not? I haven't met a person, ever, who hated that, but there's a first time for everything.
I don't hate it. It just doesn't seem all that good. Just a bit of slapstick.
Is it weird that I don't even remember Atlantis being advertised?
Wryan
03-09-2011, 06:43 PM
I'm not willing to sift through the dregs to get a definitive answer to this question. Pocahontas is bad enough for me. Oddly though, it has what is probably my favorite Disney song ever, "Colors of the Wind". Judy Kuhn, you work such miracles.
Have you heard her in Chess?
Also...
http://fuckyeahnouns.com/images/pocahontas
I just typed it in. And that's what popped out.
Raiders
03-09-2011, 06:45 PM
I'm gonna call out Aladdin. It has the blandest leads ever, Jafar is completely devoid of charisma and his final transformation a pale shadow of Maleficent, Robin Williams is allowed to run amok and yeah, he's funny, but it just overruns the film. I think it may be an unintentionally worthy film only because Williams, and even Gottfried, make it more amusing through vocal mugging and scenery chewing, but goddam for the most part, it is a really bland and dreary film. The music, coming off of The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast, is also pretty vanilla and forgettable.
I used to like it quite a bit, but I rewatched it with some kids a year or so ago and damn, I could barely make it to the end.
number8
03-09-2011, 06:47 PM
I've tried telling people that Return of Jafar is infinitely superior. They would not listen.
Spinal
03-09-2011, 06:49 PM
Have you heard her in Chess?
Oh yes. She is also phenomenal in the musical version of Metropolis.
Snow White is boring, but it has some of my favorite designs. It's lovely to look at. For pre-1970 Disney, my least favorite is probably 101 Dalmatians. But even that one has charms.
Spinal
03-09-2011, 06:50 PM
I liked Aladdin when it came out, but yeah, the thought of sitting through it again does not sound like a fun proposition. Fox and the Hound is the one I have been wanting to revisit.
Snow White I could forgive for being boring if it didn't have that horrible, horrible lead voice actress. Plus, she didn't have a nose. Which was creepy.
megladon8
03-09-2011, 07:51 PM
I would never say it's the "worst", but I never really had much of an appreciation for Fantasia.
Dukefrukem
03-09-2011, 07:52 PM
I'm gonna call out Aladdin. It has the blandest leads ever, Jafar is completely devoid of charisma and his final transformation a pale shadow of Maleficent, Robin Williams is allowed to run amok and yeah, he's funny, but it just overruns the film. I think it may be an unintentionally worthy film only because Williams, and even Gottfried, make it more amusing through vocal mugging and scenery chewing, but goddam for the most part, it is a really bland and dreary film. The music, coming off of The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast, is also pretty vanilla and forgettable.
I used to like it quite a bit, but I rewatched it with some kids a year or so ago and damn, I could barely make it to the end.
Blandest leads? but you admit that Robin Williams runs amok? "A Whole New World" was pretty epic. Aladdin has some great satire. I would not put this at the bottom of the list. Nowhere near it.
Raiders
03-09-2011, 08:00 PM
Blandest leads? but you admit that Robin Williams runs amok?
Aladdin and Jasmine would be the leads.
"A Whole New World" was pretty epic.
Eh, different strokes I guess. Compared to the songs in the two Disney films before it, not really.
Aladdin has some great satire.
What is it satirizing?
Dukefrukem
03-09-2011, 08:08 PM
Different strokes, like you said. I thought Aladdin was interesting. And this is another good song too.
fPMHbUTcUXE
The 1000 satirical references that Robin Williams offers.
StanleyK
03-09-2011, 08:37 PM
I despise Dumbo. Cinderella, Dinosaur, Pocahontas and Tarzan are also pretty dreadful. I think the running theme there is bland stories which either white-wash and sanitize a serious problem to a sickening degree, or are just really dull.
I'll also second megladon8 in meh'ing Fantasia. It sounds like a kind of movie I would love (mostly silent, abstract imagery), but for some reason it just does nothing for me.
MadMan
03-09-2011, 08:52 PM
;330779']Is that the sequel with the rats?Yep. It went direct to video :P
I almost completely forgot about 101 Dalmatians. Yeah that one sucked. I think that Fantasia (1940) is the best one they ever did, but hey that's just my opinion, man.
Raiders
03-09-2011, 08:59 PM
I despise Dumbo.
If I was ranking, this would be third best for me.
Dumbo's good. Without having seen any of them for a while, I'd say my five favorites are Dumbo, Alice in Wonderland, Sleeping Beauty, Robin Hood & The Emperor's New Groove
number8
03-09-2011, 09:11 PM
We're doing best now?
Because Alice in Wonderland, A Goofy Movie and Lilo & Stitch are top 3.
bac0n
03-09-2011, 09:13 PM
;330672']The sequence with Napoleon and Lafayette alone is better than several entire Disney films.
zu8-Rh0i9Kk
Yeah, this sequence alone ought to nix Aristocats off of anyone's worst-of list. I know which one it is without even having to watch it.
Wryan
03-09-2011, 09:21 PM
She is also phenomenal in the musical version of Metropolis.
Say what what in the what? O.o
Llopin
03-09-2011, 09:22 PM
I recently re-watched Mermaid, Aladdin and Lion King and can't think of anything particularly wrong with them; I'd say the latter is the most accomplished. I'm surprised some find them to be bland and underwhelming, the animation is perfectly fine and they're just fun to experience. I can't guarantee my judgement being entirely devoid of nostalgia, however.
I remember when I was thirteen or so, Tarzan and Dinosaur came out. Although the latter has an excellent soundtrack by JNH, I don't think I would ever want to sit trough those again. I guess it was the first time I realized Disney could be shitty and boring.
Oh, and Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas. Hacks.
Wryan
03-09-2011, 09:23 PM
We're doing best now?
Because Alice in Wonderland, A Goofy Movie and Lilo & Stitch are top 3.
Thank you.
Yeah, Dumbo is, for me, the by-a-country-mile Disney masterpiece.
number8
03-09-2011, 09:29 PM
Thank you.
Don't worry. You'll never get left behind.
Watashi
03-09-2011, 09:47 PM
I was going to, but I feared Wats's wrath would strike again.
I don't like Tarzan at all.
Kiusagi
03-09-2011, 09:50 PM
I haven't seen enough bad-to-mediocre Disney films to say it's the worst, but I really didn't like Brother Bear.
Fantasia is by far my favorite.
Watashi
03-09-2011, 09:51 PM
Here is what constitutes as Disney Canon: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Disney_theatrical_anim ated_features
A Goofy Movie doesn't count (as much as it should)
Has anyone seen these:
Saludos Amigos
Make Mine Music
Fun and Fancy Free
Melody Time
Has anyone seen these:
Saludos Amigos
Make Mine Music
Fun and Fancy Free
Melody Time
Seen and like-to-love all four.
D_Davis
03-09-2011, 10:11 PM
So Disney is doing a PKD adaptation, eh?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_of_the_Elves
I think as a product of its time, Song of the South is mostly great. Pretty sure I'll be in the minority on that one, tho..
Watashi
03-09-2011, 10:18 PM
Seen and like-to-love all four.
I remember Mickey and the Beanstalk out all of them. I didn't know that was part of Fun and Fancy Free.
I also really like The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad.
Llopin
03-09-2011, 10:31 PM
I think as a product of its time, Song of the South is mostly great. Pretty sure I'll be in the minority on that one, tho..
I believe it is pretty endearing, it certainly was one of my favourites as a child.
Saludos Amigos isn't bad but it pales in comparision to The Three Caballeros, my most-watched Disney flick.
The Three Caballeros is great.
lovejuice
03-09-2011, 11:58 PM
No one has mentioned Tarzan, either. That was shite.
Ha Ha. Thank you!
What I said about Pocahontas and Hunchback ("good intention, bad execution"), apply equally well here (and to most of their recent debacles.) They try to escape from their original, classic image, and make something that gears toward adults. It doesn't work, and I will take stupid, kiddie stuffs over their more mature failure any day.
monolith94
03-10-2011, 05:06 PM
Real cute. It's often cited as one of Disney's best among animation scholars. It seems when people think of the film, they only think of the gargoyles and forget all the other amazing set-pieces. Disney has yet to top themselves in the song department in "Hellfire". There hasn't been a darker moment in Disney.
I would place it above the Disney "classics" like Little Mermaid, Lion King, and Aladdin.
The gargoyles weren't even the worst part. The worst part was Demi Moore's horrible, horrible voice acting.
Fezzik
03-10-2011, 07:53 PM
The gargoyles weren't even the worst part. The worst part was Demi Moore's horrible, horrible voice acting.
I think the reason why the gargoyles generate so much rage in me is because originally, they were going to be obvious extensions of Quasimodo's psyche (think Where the Wild Things Are) and were not going to be comic relief. In fact, they were meant to have a somewhat gothic and generally dark way about them.
Eisner decided that wasn't the way to go and had the film makers made them into kid-friendly wise-cracking statues. Their song wasn't only terrible, it might have been the most out of place and awkwardly placed of any of the many Disney musical numbers in the 1990s.
:frustrated:
Dead & Messed Up
12-12-2011, 07:30 AM
Never saw this thread before. Seeing it now. Agreeing with those who cited familiar suck-fests like Pocahontas, Home on the Range, and the underlying dullness of Aladdin. My fave growing up was Beauty and the Beast, and I still hold that one in high regard, but now my love goes primarily to Fantasia and Sleeping Beauty for their insane amount of expressionism and imagination. Absolutely stunning, sumptuous.
I remember enjoying some of Tarzan, but I imagine that it hasn't aged well. Its "Deep Canvas" effects with Tarzan surfing through the trees was pretty incredible the first time around. Anymore? I don't want to go back and find out.
Hercules and The Great Mouse Detective were pretty damned good too. I loved the stylized animation of the former and the charm of the latter.
Watashi
12-12-2011, 07:38 AM
Never saw this thread before. Seeing it now. Agreeing with those who cited familiar suck-fests like Pocahontas, Home on the Range, and the underlying dullness of Aladdin. My fave growing up was Beauty and the Beast, and I still hold that one in high regard, but now my love goes primarily to Fantasia and Sleeping Beauty for their insane amount of expressionism and imagination. Absolutely stunning, sumptuous.
I remember enjoying some of Tarzan, but I imagine that it hasn't aged well. Its "Deep Canvas" effects with Tarzan surfing through the trees was pretty incredible the first time around. Anymore? I don't want to go back and find out.
Hercules and The Great Mouse Detective were pretty damned good too. I loved the stylized animation of the former and the charm of the latter.
Yeah, Hercules is severely underrated.
I've actually been watching The Nostalgic Critic go through the entire Disney canon over at his website. Fun stuff.
EyesWideOpen
12-12-2011, 12:16 PM
People who don't like Aladdin are dead to me.
I like Aladdin, Dumbo, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Fantasia. There are a number of early films that I don't dislike, but was not particularly affected by, like Cinderella and Pinnochio.
But once you get into the Golden Age of Disney, it's safe to say that I like-to-love them all.
The Black Cauldron and Oliver and Company were bad.
Of the new classics, Pocahontas was dull despite some good music, Tarzan was dull without good music, then Dinosaur, Atlantis: The Lost Empire and Treasure Planet were so inexcusably bad that I didn't see another one until Tangled. Which was great.
Best ever, for me, would probably be somewhere in Beauty and the Beast, Sleeping Beauty, or The Lion King.
Dukefrukem
12-12-2011, 03:55 PM
People who don't like Aladdin are dead to me.
Yeh what's wrong with Aladdin??? Dull?? Now this may be due to the fact I first saw it in theaters when I was 8, and I remember multiple viewings, but not only is the music quite possibly the most memorable out of any Disney movie ever made (including Lion King, TLM and B&TB with that statement) but also has some of the most likable character, supported by the great voice overs. (Williams and Gottfried)
Dukefrukem
12-12-2011, 03:56 PM
Best ever, for me, would probably be somewhere in Beauty and the Beast, Sleeping Beauty, or The Lion King.
Music:
Lion King > Beauty and the Beast > the Little Mermaid > Aladdin
If we're just ranking by songs, The Jungle Book wins for me. Because it is SO, SO FUN.
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.5 Copyright © 2026 vBulletin Solutions Inc. All rights reserved.