I know I'm not the only one who considers the best Disney movies to be the old ones. I don't know what changed at the company around the 1990s, but when they started putting out snarky movies like Aladdin that were meant to appeal to adults as well as kids, I totally lost interest.
Happily, there are several Disney movies from the '50s and '60s that are just as appealing to kids as they ever were, and are, in my opinion, much more appropriate for them.
Here's my list of what I consider the best Disney movies for kids.
1) The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh--For the littlest, but even my older kids like this movie still.
2) Robin Hood--There are so many good characters in this movie: Sir Hiss, Lady Cluck, the little rabbits . . .
3) The Sword in the Stone--I don't remember watching this one a lot, but my boys love it.
4) The Jungle Book--The newer live-action CGI version is visually cool, but way too dark for kids in my opinion. The original animated one is perfect.
5) Lady and the Tramp--Who could forget the menacing Siamese in this movie? Or the iconic spaghetti scene?
6) Beauty and the Beast--The only "modern" Disney movie (1991) that seems to me to be in the same tradition as the earlier ones.
What are your favorite Disney movies for kids?
10 comments:
My grandchildren and I have loved Disney's "Aristocats."
Same with Aristocats. Big favorite here. My youngest went through a big Princess movie phase and Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, were all big hits here. Surprisingly the live-action Cinderella (directed by Kenneth Branagh) is wonderful. I hated the live action Beauty and the Beast, though. Give me the animated one any day.
For older kids that like adventure try “in search of the castaways”. I loved it as a child
101 dalmatians is favorite for all my kids. I love sleeping beauty - great fight scene! Fantasia is a wonderful distraction. And I have a sneaky fondness for the Black Cauldron.
Mulan is newer but it was a big favorite here. The Davy Crockett movie, that darn cat, and Bedknobs and Broomsticks.
All kids here have loved Sleeping Beauty, especially the fight scene between Prince Phillip and Maleficent. I even had to use my pitiful sewing "skills" to produce a red cape so they could act out the scene more realistically. And I have to add a vote for Mulan. I know it's not an older movie, but the hero is a girl and it's nice to have her save the day for a change. All the kids love that one too. They also are fans of Beauty and the Beast and 101 Dalmations.
Daughter and I saw Beauty and the Beast in theaters when she was young and the movie was new. She loved it then, and she continued to love it forever. We used to sing the songs around the house. Every now and then we'd quote the movie. My favorite from Gaston: "I've been thinking" "A dangerous pastime" "I know."
"Fortune tellers? How droll! Stop the coach."
I don't think it's a full length movie, but recently watched Johnny Appleseed on the Disney channel with my grandchildren. I couldn't believe how much Disney has changed. The kids love the old Mickey Mouse, Chip & Dale, and Goofy cartoons. Me too.
We own Sleeping Beauty (in my opinion the most visually stunning one out of that early Disney era), Beauty and the Beast (my favorite one, though not the remastered in the mid 2000s one with the "human again" song...I just think that song is creepy, especially since they're cleaning a bedroom if you look closely at the backgrounds. Get the original theatrical release from the 90s and stick with it!!), and Lion King.
Hmmm. I may spin off this and do a Disney movie blog post. This is stirring up some big opinions.
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