Side Vault - The Disney Rankings: The Disney Renaissance
Circle of Life
The Bronze was one of The Walt Disney Company’s greatest challenges. The company had gone through financial turmoil, and most of its movies were underperforming. Luckily, Michael Eisner took the company's reins and appointed Jeffrey Katzenberg to head the animation studio. Katzenberg was able to use the new talent that had felt unheard during the Bronze Age and as the kids say it these days, “let them cook”. The result would be the company’s greatest slate of films since the Silver Age, creating a new generation of iconic Disney memories, characters, songs, and most importantly for them - money.
The company would eventually explode under Eisner. The Eisner era brought more theme parks, entry into television, the revival of the animation studios, a cruise line, and the old mystique that Walt had was back. While Eisner would eventually flame out, there is no question he is one of the most consequential Disney leaders in its history. Katzenberg would leave the company shortly after the release of The Lion King due to a power struggle. He would go on to help found DreamWorks Animation.
Now, I’ll be the first to admit I have an extreme bias towards these films. If the Nintendo 64 and PS1 were my video game childhood, these films would be my Disney childhood. I even saw most of these in theaters! That being said, I did go in this as objectively as possible and I think even the biggest Disney critic would admit the ‘90s put the company back at the levels it was before Walt passed away. So here are my Disney Renaissance Rankings. Now remember, there are 10 categories with 10 points at most. The final possible count is 100. When I finish all the Disney Animation Movie Eras, I will rank them in one article from last to first. And remember, this is just my opinion and for fun.
To catch up, here are the rankings (as well as explaining how they work) for other eras: The Disney Golden Age, The War Era, The Disney Silver Age, and The Disney Bronze Age
The Little Mermaid (1989)
Little Mermaid kicks off an amazing slate of films and shows Disney finding its mojo back with animation. This was the culmination of the young, up-and-coming artists and creative minds getting power from the old guard. They brought in Howard Ashman, who transformed the movie into a musical, following most of Broadway's formula. Ashman would pen the songs and fought hard to include the now infamous Part of Your World, as it was almost cut out of the film!
The movie follows the formula of the Silver Age by having a girl who wants a prince, and the prince saves the day. Sure, it doesn’t age well today, but at the time, it worked and set the stage for the rest of the 90s decade of films. As expected, as someone who grew up with it, I really like the movie. It has a great soundtrack and one of the best Disney villains in Ursula.
The Rescuers Down Under (1990)
This is a special film for me as I saw this A LOT when I was a kid in my 2nd-grade class several times. The animation is stunning, something that would become a staple of the era. Disney used new techniques and computer technology to make the colors and animation pop more. This is also the first sequel in the animated canon. Overall, I like this movie, but it has a weak middle. It had a serviceable soundtrack, and the characters and arcs were solid. John Candy’s performance as Wilbur is the best part, and yet another iconic actor in Gorge C. Scott voices a solid villain. I’ve always liked The Rescuers, and it’s a shame we never got another movie with the two heroes again.
Beauty and the Beast (1991)
Your eyes do not deceive you. This is the first film to get a perfect 100 in the rankings. This film was a juggernaut for Disney, the first of three consecutive movies with critical acclaim and massive box office numbers the company hadn’t seen in decades. What else can be said that hasn’t about this film? It’s beautifully animated, has memorable characters, has an iconic Disney villain in Gaston, has great music, and has a perfectly executed ending. If Little Mermaid was the start of the Renaissance, Beauty and the Beast was the loud knock to tell everyone that Disney was back. It’s not shocking this got a nomination at the Oscars despite being an animated film for Best Picture.
Aladdin (1992)
Believe it or not, this is the first movie I saw in a movie theater! It was a class field trip for Pre-K, and I still remember watching it. Aladdin was a massive box office hit, equating to over a billion when adjusted for inflation. The movie also got younger boys to watch a Disney movie, which was a big deal at the time since Disney had to rely on younger girls to drag their parents to the theater. The songs, animation, characters, and story became iconic and part of movie history.
The one thing I will say when I watched it for the rankings is that Robin Williams’s performance as the Genie can actually be a bit over the top, and his comedic references don’t age as well, as he relied on the pop culture of the early 90s. Despite that, this is another entry in the era that got awards and acclaim. The song A Whole New World would top the charts and become a major musical hit to levels they wouldn’t see until 2013’s Frozen.
The Lion King (1994)
Yes, the second film to get a perfect 100 in the rankings and one I also remember watching in theaters. Also, I have a childhood memory of my parents buying the VHS tape. The Lion King is considered by many as the peak of the Eisner era. The company felt like the old Disney again, resulting in a power struggle for recognition among all the big players. This movie was another massive success with awards and is the second-highest-grossing animated film when you adjust for inflation. Sadly, this peak would start the slow end of the Eisner era as Eisner’s friend and Disney President Frank Wells died in a tragic helicopter crash, and Eisner never seemed to get his groove back; some believe that Frank’s death affected him more than we knew.
This is as close as you can get to a perfect movie. The soundtrack and score, the characters, the story arc of Simba, the animation, the writing, and the incredible cast of voice actors featured many of the industry's top talent at the time. The Lion King is the peak of the Disney Renaissance and is as iconic as any of the most consequential Disney films ever.
Pocahontas (1995)
This was the start of the box office success tempering down, although it was still quite high and profitable. Pocahontas is essentially a squeaky-clean version of the real-life events of an American legend. While the lack of accuracy hurts, it’s still a really good movie. I hadn’t seen this one in a long time and was pleasantly surprised. Even though it's a PG version of the truth, it still has well-done themes about people judging different cultures and our connections to the natural world. As expected in this era, the soundtrack is great, and Colors of the Wind steals the show. I also think people sleep on how well-done and beautiful the animation is.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)
When I was a kid, I considered this movie boring. Now that I'm older, I realize it's the most adult movie of the era. Don’t get me wrong—this is still a family film, and kids can watch it—but this movie has some strong, and if you are the type, I would even argue spiritual themes. There’s a lot you can study and pick out from this movie, and with every watch, you may catch subtle messages that only make the movie better. Watch the villain Frollo’s song number, and when you watch it with older eyes, you realize he’s essentially singing about lust and how he needs to do bad things because he can’t have Esmeralda! It’s also another beautifully animated film and the score is amazing. From an older and more mature standpoint, I highly recommend this one. While Disney still tries to deliver messages and themes, it's unfortunate they haven’t tried something this deep outside Encanto.
Hercules (1997)
Another movie I saw in theaters from that era, and some would argue it was the most fun and comedic, is Hercules. It's the third film from the duo of Musker and Clements (Great Mouse Detective and Little Mermaid), and it’s different from the others. The movie aims for more comedy, and most of its more serious aspects come at the end. The story is a Disneyfied version of the Greek mythological tales, which are way more adult and tragic in real life. This is also the worst-performing movie from a box office standpoint era post Beauty and the Beast. For whatever reason, it didn’t get the huge numbers the others did, though it still made a nice profit.
I like this movie, but it's mostly fun rather than serious. The movie’s show-stealer is Hades, performed by James Woods. And while Woods has some, let's say… interesting views these days, I can’t deny he poured his heart and soul into giving us yet another iconic Disney villian.
Mulan (1998)
I have always loved the heck out of this film. I was happy to see it has an overall good legacy. What I love about this movie is that it’s the first time Disney really pushed a female hero in a major animated film. Yes, we’ve had the main protagonists be women, but they usually get rescued for the most part at the end. Mulan showed that Disney was not only back, but had evolved to embrace more modern times. The soundtrack, the characters, the animation, and the jokes are all what you want in a good movie. Eddie Murphy, who was such a huge star when I was a kid, voices Mushu here, but despite doing a good job, he seems to want to be more associated with Donkey from Shrek when it comes to animated films.
Tarzan (1999)
Ending the era with a bang, Tarzan returned to big box office numbers as the movie was a certified hit in theaters. This was one I hadn’t seen in quite some time and I was really happy with it. The movie's start was surprisingly long for an intro and gave this vibe you were watching something epic. I don’t know much about classic Tarzan stuff, but this probably has to be one of the better adaptations of the story. It has everything you want in a great Disney movie with good music (thanks to Phil Collins), score, characters, animation, and heart. I will only say that Clayton is a weak villain from my point of view. Nevertheless, this movie ended the era I would argue is the best in the Disney animated canon’s history.
Era Total Rankings (Tie-Breaker is personal enjoyment)
The Lion King (100)
Beauty and the Beast (100)
Aladdin (96)
The Little Mermaid (90)
Mulan (88)
Tarzan (86)
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (84)
Pocahontas (80)
Hercules (79)
The Rescuers Down Under (70)