Especially with Disney‘s The Little Mermaid remake performing so well at the global box office and making a bold statement for POC, the House of Mouse has seemingly reversed the overwhelming scrutiny and broken the live-action curse that’s plagued the conglomerate for years. And although Disney’s most recent animated endeavor, Elemental, had the single worst opening of any Disney animated project, there’s no erasing the underrated greats of Disney’s long lineage.
And we’re not talking about The Lion King, 101 Dalmations, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, or any other project from Disney’s Renaissance Era (as grand as it was). We’re talking about the old but gold, the outdated yet understated. As much as the most classic fairytales will live on for generations to come, there’s no denying that a small portion of Disney’s animations were unfairly shunned in favor of these more “mainstream” Disney movies. And we’re here to give the greatest triumphs in animated history the recognition they rightly deserve.
1. Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)
Kicking off the modern age of the 2000s, Atlantis: The Lost Empire is set in 1914 and follows Milo Thatch, a young linguist who finds an ancient relic that he believes will lead him and a crew of hired mercenaries to the lost city of Atlantis. Milo is voiced by Michael J. Fox, known as Marty McFly in the Back to the Future trilogy, and Cree Summer voices Kidagakash “Kida” Nedakh, the Princess of Atlantis and Milo’s love interest.
Other talent includes Don Novello, Phil Morris, Claudia Christian, and Jacqueline Obradors. Although Atlantis was a conceptual and financial gamble, it managed to compete with the likes of Shrek and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider to gross $186 million against a $90-120 million budget.
2. Fantasia (1940)
As we move from one end of the spectrum to the other, we entertain both the modern era of animation and the humble beginnings. Fantasia, an experimental musical anthology of the ’40s, consisted of eight segments, featuring classic music conducted by Leopold Stokowski. Shortly after The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Disney began brainstorming a comeback for its long-time mascot, Mickey Mouse, who had declined in popularity during that time.
With figures adjusted to account for inflation, Fantasia is the 23rd highest-grossing film of all time in the U.S., managing to rival even the most groundbreaking animation simply due to its endearing and nostalgic presence within Disney’s vast universe.
3. Treasure Planet (2002)
When you have the combined star power of Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Martin Short, Brian Murray, Emma Thompson, Michael Wincott, and Laurie Metcalf as the driving force behind a project, there’s an extremely slim chance of it blowing up in your face. Released just a year after Atlantis, the sci-fi adventure Treasure Planet follows a similar premise, this time revolving around Jim Hawkins, a young boy enthralled by swashbuckling stories of Captain Flint.
After inheriting a mysterious orb from a dying pirate, Jim discovers the location of Treasure Planet, where Captain Flint’s fabled treasure is supposedly hidden. He teams up with Long John Silver and Captain Amelia to board the RLS Legacy and make himself gloriously rich. Although it was a box office dud, Treasure Planet has since become an unmissable cult-classic.
4. The Sword in the Stone (1963)
Once Disney had found its footing with Fantasia, the great ascension of animation began. In the succeeding ’60s and ’70s, Disney truly peaked in the animated field. Acting as Disney’s 18th overall animated feature, The Sword in the Stone is based on T. H. White’s Arthurian tetralogy The Once and Future King, which tells the story of King Arthur. Disney’s technicolor animation retells that historical tale with the voices of Rickie Sorensen, Karl Swenson, Junius Matthews, Sebastian Cabot, Norman Alden, and Martha Wentworth.
Following King Uther’s death, a sword appears embedded in an anvil, that of which no one has managed to free. The legend tells that whoever pulls the sword from the stone is the rightful King of England. One day, a young boy named Arthur pulls the sword from the stone, starting his journey to becoming King Arthur with the help of the wise wizard Merlin.
5. Robin Hood (1973)
A whole decade after the success of The Sword in the Stone, Disney retold another classic fairytale with Robin Hood, he who steals from the rich to give to the poor. In this version, however, Robin Hood is an anthropomorphic fox, whereas Little John is a brown bear, in a society of personified animals. As Prince John tightens his chokehold on the residents of Nottingham with ridiculous tax demands, Robin Hood and Little John lead a revolution of sorts to rise up against the greedy royal who bleeds their town dry. Meanwhile, Robin Hood attempts to win the hand of Maid Marian, his eventual lover.
Robin Hood features the voices of Brian Bedford, Phil Harris, Peter Ustinov, Pat Buttram, Monica Evans, Terry-Thomas, Roger Miller, and Carole Shelley. In plain terms, the movie was a box office success, especially of that time, but Robin Hood has since become a fan-favorite of Disney enthusiasts, even rumored to be getting the live-action treatment.
6. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977)
Keeping with the magnificent era that was the ’70s, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, which remains entirely relevant through god-awful adaptations such as Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, essentially helped establish the characters of A. A. Milne’s novels in a more visual capacity. It adapts three previously released animated featurettes — Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree (1966), Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day (1968), and Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too (1974) — and even acted as the launchpad for many more Winnie the Pooh projects in following years.
This is largely considered to be one of Disney’s most faithful adaptations, managing to capture the spirit of Milne’s stories and add depth to the writer’s legacy. Not only that, but Sterling Holloway’s portrayal of Pooh established him as one of Disney’s finest voice actors, who also provided the voice of Kaa in The Jungle Book.
7. Home on the Range (2004)
Moving back into the 2000s, let’s discuss a hidden gem that everybody has absolute heard of or seen at some point in their lives, but doesn’t get nearly enough credit as a stand-alone Disney animation. Again, it’s the star power behind Home on the Range that really brings it “home,” so to speak. The main cattle are voiced by Judi Dench, Roseanne Barr, and Jennifer Tilly, each of whom has made an impact on the entertainment industry in one way or another.
Home on the Range follows a trio of dairy cows who set out on a mission to capture rustler Alameda Slim so as to claim his bounty in order to save their farm from foreclosure. It was the last tradition animated release until The Princess and the Frog, yet not nearly as popular. And quite frankly, that there is an act of blasphemy. Even just an image of these three cows brings back so many fond memories — and that’s the real magic of Disney, we’d argue.
8. The Great Mouse Detective (1986)
It might jog your memory to hear someone say “Basil, The Great Mouse Detective” aloud. Clearly drawing inspiration from Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes novels and the children’s book series Basil of Baker Street by Eve Titus and Paul Galdone, The Great Mouse Detective follows Basil, a plucky mouse emulating Sherlock Holmes, and his associate and friend, Major Dr. David Q. Dawson, who acts as the film’s narrator.
Basil and Dawson find themselves at odds with Professor Ratigan (an emulation of Professor Moriarty), Basil’s arch-nemesis who seeks to become King of England by kidnapping the Mouse Queen and forcing her into submission. Although the voices of Barrie Ingham, Vincent Price, and Val Bettin weren’t too iconic at the time, they certainly became iconic as The Great Mouse Detective became a cult-classic in later years. It certainly isn’t one of Disney’s most loud and proud projects, but undoubtedly one of its best.
9. Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers (2004)
Even the mere mention of the trio is a testament to their popularity within the Disney sphere. There aren’t too many individuals who don’t know who Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy are, but The Three Musketeers marked their first-ever appearance as a threesome in a Disney project, and it fired on all cylinders. In this favored retelling of the classic story, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy are street urchins who find themselves inspired to become musketeers working with the royal guard under Princess Minnie.
Captain Pete, who (as the name suggests) is the captain of the royal guard, mocks their ambition and refuses to let them participate in musketeer training. Meanwhile, Princess Minnie takes a liking to Mickey and overrules Pete, insisting that the boys prove themselves. As Pete conspires to overthrow Minnie on the night of the Opera, Mickey, Donald and Goofy must band together to save her. Although it didn’t sit all too well with critics, The Three Musketeers is a staple of Disney’s long history.
10. A Goofy Movie (1995)
Just the mere mention of A Goofy Movie is enough to turn heads. It’s a beloved masterpiece and an absolute winner for ’90s kids, plus Jason Marsden and Bill Farmer’s on-screen chemistry as the father-son duo of Max and Goofy is still talked about today. A Goofy Movie is based on The Disney Afternoon television series Goof Troop, created by Robert Taylor and Michael Peraza Jr., and tells the story of Max, a high-school student looking to impress his crush, Roxanne, all while getting dragged on a cross-country fishing trip by his charming yet idiotic and embarrassing father, Goofy.
Just a few years later, a direct-to-video sequel titled An Extremely Goofy Movie continued the father-son legacy, so if that doesn’t attest to the movie’s influence, nothing will. Although the boc office sales were underwhelming, A Goofy Movie became a household favorite thanks to home media sales and soon gained a substantial cult following, that of which has continued long into the succeeding decades.