Top 10 greatest Disney movies of all time

Disney movies. The movies that you either watched as a child and now think of as cringeworthy…or the movies you never got over and rewatch every month, in awe of the animation. I am one of the latter. However, of Disney’s many films, only 60 were made under Disney’s main animation studio, and for this list, I will be picking ten movies that I believe are the best.  

Oh, and this list will contain spoilers, so if you don’t want the ending of a movie made 70 years ago to be spoiled, then don’t read this. 

10. The Disney Princess movies are an absolute staple of Disney, and I believe Cinderella to be one of the best of them. Cinderella is about a widowed woman, Lady Tremaine, who abuses her stepdaughter, Cinderella, and makes her do everything for her and her daughters, Anastasia, who gets a lovely character arc in the best film of all time, Cinderella III: A Twist in Time (I’m not joking: it’s a great movie, give it a watch if you have Disney+) and Drizella.  Oh, and Cinderella also talks to anthropomorphic mice, who are the best characters, in my opinion. Gus Gus is such a legend and is so relatable. In addition, this movie boasts some pretty iconic Disney songs, such as Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo. And, of course, this film also has Prince Charming, the most generic Disney prince. He’s certainly one of the worst princes is what I would say if he wasn’t the best character in Cinderella III: A Twist in Time! Overall, Cinderella is a great film with some beautiful animation. 

9. Disney princess movies all have beautiful art styles, but the best looking Disney Princess movie by far is the 1959 film Sleeping Beauty. I just want to get this over with at the start, but Aurora looks so much better in blue, she even wears it more than pink in the movie. I am team blue dress Aurora all the way, and Merryweather is also the best fairy, so her opinion is always right. And, on the topic of the fairies, I know I said Aurora is the main character a few sentences ago, but it’s really the fairies (Flora, Fauna and Merryweather) doing all the work. They have the idea to hide Aurora in the woods to live her cottagecore life, then they bring her back to the castle, allowing for the story to progress, and then they save Prince Phillip from Maleficent so he can slay the dragon and save the princess. And, on that topic, let’s talk about Maleficent, the mistress of evil, and Disney’s favorite villain to use time and time again. For some reason or another, Maleficent is characterized as the most powerful of all Disney villains, even though there probably has been another villain who could destroy her. Overall this is an absolutely beautiful Disney classic.

8. Oh boy, I sure do love Disney Princess movies (as proven by the last two entries on the list)! The 2010 movie Tangled shows us what a princess movie is like in 3D. Tangled has banging songs and it has one of the most believable romances in a Disney movie. This movie has some great songs: When Will My Life Begin, Mother Knows Best, I’ve Got a Dream and I See the Light are all classics. Eugene (aka Flynn Rider) is also a great Disney prince and his relationship with Rapunzel is so cute. I think we can all agree that the “I see the light” scene is one of, if not, the best romance scenes in Disney. Mother Gothel is a pretty cool Disney villain and she has a good song, and I still stand by the fact that she was the last good villain: it’s sad but true. Tangled also has a TV show called Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure, illustrating its longevity and belovedness.

7. The first Disney movie was the 1937 hit Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, a movie that blew audiences away at the time and still blows me away today. It’s a movie about an evil queen being upset because her stepdaughter is more beautiful than her, as proven by the very reliable source: a magic mirror. Snow White then hides in the woods, living cottagecore style with seven little men, who are the best characters in the movie. Snow White is one of the best Disney princesses. Then there’s the prince; He doesn’t really do anything except kiss her at the end of the movie and save the day by doing absolutely nothing, which is why some people find the film problematic (along with the fact that Snow White is 14 years old). This movie is just so wholesome, or horrifying depending on who you ask. Additionally, Snow White has a great voice -if you think it’s annoying, you’re wrong. Snow White is, without a doubt, the best Disney princess (she’s not my favorite, she’s just the best one), I just think Snow White’s character needs more love.

6. Beauty and the Beast is a tale as old as time. This movie is just everything you could ask for in a Disney movie: beautiful 2D animation, amazing songs, and the story is so good! There’s also the Beast, who is a beast, and also he’s the, conventionally, ugliest Disney prince. I’m not talking about his beast form, I’m talking about his human form… it just is not a look. though beauty is subjective, and don’t judge a book by its cover, that’s kind of the whole moral of the story. Gaston is an absolute legend, no one’s slick as him, no one’s quick as him, no one’s neck is as incredibly thick as his, for there’s no man in town half as manly. He’s perfect, a pure paragon… Okay, I should stop before I sing the whole song, Gaston is actually a self absorbed jerk, but I love that for him. Lumière and Cogsworth are great Disney sidekicks and I love their dynamic. It also has one of the better live action remakes; I would recommend checking it out if you’re a fan of this wonderful tale.

5. While this movie definitely has some problems, I still love everything else about the film. Captain Hook is the greatest Disney villain of all time. Tinkerbell became such a popular character after this movie, and the story is so pure! Yeah, I obviously can’t forget about its problems. Okay, let’s move on to the happier stuff about this movie! This movie has a great cast of characters: Peter is always a child and never takes things seriously, he sees no point in growing up, while Wendy realizes that it’s something she must do, something everyone has to do. Tinkerbell is jealous about Wendy always being with Peter Pan, and she kind of tries to kill Wendy. It’s something Disney tries to make you forget about her, but it’s there. This movie also has a great ending.

4. Peter Pan has been our only non-Disney Princess movie so far, and it’ll stay that way for now because this next movie is indeed a Disney Princess movie –- the 2009 film The Princess and the Frog. This movie centers around a waitress and a prince (the name of this film is very misleading) tries to modernize Disney Princess tropes, and I’d say it does that successfully. Tiana is my favorite Disney princess, she’s also the first African-American princess. Naveen is also my favorite Disney prince. This movie has some great animal sidekicks, like Raymond, a firefly who’s in love with Evangeline, the prettiest firefly of them all. Evangeline is actually a star, but his love for her is so beautiful that it doesn’t matter what she is, you’re rooting for them to get together. Excitingly, Princess and the Frog will soon be getting a TV show adaptation on Disney+

3. Next we’re going to go down the rabbit hole of the 1951 film Alice in Wonderland. This movie has so many great visuals, great characters, and it also makes no sense, but that’s the point. The point is that it has no point, you could say. Alice is a girl who wishes the world were a little more interesting, and after finding the White Rabbit, she falls down through his rabbit hole into Wonderland, and she discovers the fantastical world she had been imagining. However, it’s not as great as she had hoped. I just love the cast of characters in this movie; they’re all great and unique in their own way. Additionally, the scenery of this film is amazing. practically all the backgrounds in Wonderland are amazing, with the buildings and the Queen of Hearts’ hedges all being spiritedly crooked. This  movie just has so much charm and beauty to it, and I can’t help but love it! It earned number three on my list  for its uniqueness, beauty, and overall madness. 

2. And the silver medal of the best Disney movie of all time goes to… the 1989 film The Little Mermaid! Of course, this one had to be on the list; It’s a classic! My one issue is that Eric is pretty generic, but he’s still more of a character than Prince Charming or Snow White’s prince. Flounder is a cute and rad Disney sidekick. Scuttle is also pretty funny, but the best character in this whole movie is by far Sebastian! Then there’s Ursula, one of the best Disney villains of all time! I love Ursula, her personality, her song, she’s just the best. This movie also has some of Disney’s most iconic songs in it, such as Part of your World, Under the Sea, Kiss the Girl, Poor Unfortunate Souls, etc. The Little Mermaid is just one of the best movies of all time. I very much love this film and it really started Disney’s renaissance. 

1. It’s time to announce the best Disney movie of all time! And no, it’s not The Lion King or Aladdin or The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin because why would it be that one? It’s the 1940 classic, Pinocchio! Pinocchio is a movie about a boy who doesn’t know the difference between right and wrong, he was just brought to life, but the only way to make him a real boy is for him to be brave, truthful and unselfish, because to quote the Blue Fairy “A boy who won’t be good, may just as well be made of wood.” Jiminy Cricket is there to be Pinocchio’s conscience, teaching him to go to school and listen to his father, but Pinocchio is naïve, and can easily end up on the wrong side of the tracks. Pinocchio is easily distracted, if he hears something that sounds exciting, he’ll do it. Pinocchio also gives us the iconic character Jiminy Cricket. If Mickey Mouse is Disney’s #1 mascot, and Tink is their #2, Jiminy Cricket of the Pinocchio franchise is definitely their #3 mascot. Plus, the songs in this movie are underrated! Well, except for When You Wish Upon a Star of course, that song has become Disney’s anthem. And, lastly, I would like to talk about the ending, where Pinocchio is brought back to life after sacrificing himself to save his father at the age of… like two days… and when he’s brought back he becomes a real boy, for proving himself brave, truthful, and unselfish. One of my favorite scenes is the movie’s truly beautiful ending, a perfect happily ever after.