Disney Plus is possibly the streaming home of the animated movie in the UK. This is thanks, mostly, to the legendary studios enormous library of animated films that stretches back to 1937.
Utilising a similar style to the recent movies ranking article we did, we want to rank our favourite pre-1980 animated movies available to stream on Disney Plus.
21: Saludos Amigos (1943) – Compilation film.
20: The Three Caballeros (1945) – Compilation film.
19: The Aristocats (1970) – Following The Jungle Book was always going to be tricky. It’s a cute film, but has some elements which don’t stand up so well.
18: The Rescuers (1977) – The main cast, including Bob Newhart and Eva Gabor, are excellent in this film, but are let down by the pacing. Listen out for Jim Jordan (aka Fibber McGee) who appears as Orville.
17: The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr Toad (1949) – Two fun retellings of classic stories, narrated by Basil Rathbone and Bing Crosby. In our opinion, either could have been stretched out into a feature film.
16: Fun and Fancy Free (1947) – Compilation film that features the excellent Mickey and the Beanstalk.
15: Melody Time (1948) – One of the strongest compilation films that features a mix of live action and animation. The various shorts include stars such as Roy Rogers, Dennis Day, and the Andrew Sisters. Look out for a breathtakingly beautiful sequence involving Ethel Smith playing the organ.
14: Sword in the Stone (1963) – A charming retelling of the legendary story.
13: Sleeping Beauty (1959) – The blueprint for what moviegoers would expect from a Disney “princess” movie for generations to come.
12: 101 Dalmatians (1961) – A great story perfectly executed. Admit it, you’re singing the song as you read this aren’t you!
11: The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh (1977) – It might not be 100% faithful to the books, but this compilation film oozes charm and nostalgia. It is possibly one which has stood up to time the most.
10: Dumbo (1941) – Scenes in this film have aged terribly, but the rest is as beautifully animated and touching as it ever was.
09: Lady and the Tramp (1953) – We feel this one gets forgotten in the grand scheme of things. We always saw the spaghetti scene growing up, but the rest is pretty good too!
08: The Jungle Book (1967) – Parts of the story are still terrifying, but it is the music for which this film is lifted to another stratosphere.
07: Pinocchio (1940) – Another one which has aged, but the water animation is outrageously good. They really tried to push the envelope with this one.
06: Alice in Wonderland (1951) – The weird and wonderful world of Lewis Carrol has been slightly Disneyfied, but that doesn’t stop it being a classic.
05: Robin Hood (1973) – If we paid attention to the year, it would’ve been much lower. As it stands, we believe this to be one of the strongest Disney animated films. It doesn’t innovate, but it does provide a fun story told entertainingly by a stellar voice cast.
04: Bambi (1942) – Beautiful, simply beautiful.
03: Fantasia (1940) – While not the most commercial film on this list, one cannot deny the huge amount of artistry that went into the making of it.
02: Snow White and the Seven Dwarves (1937) – The one that started it all. While primitive when compared to later efforts, a lot of animation and storytelling techniques used here paved the way.
01: Cinderella (1950) Beautiful animation, engaging storytelling and the perfect sing-along song in Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo! What more could you want?
