31. Aladdin (1992): Celebrity voices in animated films are a dime-a-dozen these days, but back in 1992, it was nothing short of revolutionary when Robin Williams merged his voice with a hilarious genie in Aladdin. His performance (still one of his best ever) is only the tip of the iceberg for this film, which deftly combines some of the funniest moments in Disney history with also the most enchanting poignant moments, with A Whole New World setting the gold standard for all cinematic music to come. While it’s been kind of forgotten compared to, say, The Little Mermaid or Beauty & The Beast, Aladdin remains one of the companies best achievements and a superb film in it’s own right.

32. The Lion King (1994): It all comes down to that opening sequence doesn’t it? That masterful 3 minutes and 48 seconds sucks you in, and never, ever lets go. The growing feeling of anticipation, the beautiful animation, the immortal song Circle of Life bellowing through every single audience members eardrums. It’s a tour de force of cinematic goodness, every single microsecond brimming with perfection. By the end, in which Rafiki holds up Simba for all of the pridelands to see, concluding with the title of the film, Disney hasn’t just made a great opening; they’ve done the equivalent of a rapper dropping the mic at the end of a rap battle. They’ve changed the very foundation of cinema, past, present and future, forever in a simple opening sequence. The capabilities of what movies could accomplish has expanded and it’s all thanks to the greatest scene in film history.

For the rest of the film, there’d normally be nowhere to go but down, but things get even better, as characters are introduced, each with their own unique personality that elevates all other film protagonists and antagonists. Two major highlights include Jeremy Irons, lending his vocal chops to villain Scar, becomes a mesmerizing bad guy, especially in his supremely underrated musical number Be Prepared. Meanwhile, Nathan Lane and Ernie Sebella play the greatest comedy duo ever, with their antics as Timon and Pumbaa never failing to bring a smile to any viewers face. And of course, there’s the script, which manages to combine the ideas of responsibility, death and sorrow with a sequence in which a meerkat does the hula. Perhaps the pinnacle of Disney’s and all-time film making, I have no reservations in declaring The Lion King perhaps the greatest movie of all-time. Grade: A+

33. Pocahontas (1995): I didn’t like this movie in my younger years, solely because I found it tedious and dull, not to mention the protagonist lacking personality. Much older (though not much wiser), I can see now that the more subdued approach to the material is due to this being the only (I believe?) Disney animated feature to deal with actual people. Thus, a more reverent, albeit less fun tone, was required. While I’m not a fan of the films lack of joy or interesting plot points, I will easily admit that the film contains some of the best songs Disney ever produced, especially in tunes like Colors Of The Wind. Those songs contain vigor and life that the rest of the production lacks, which is a grave disappointment considering what potential there was here. Grade: B-

34. The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996):

Here Is A Riddle

Guess If You Can

Sing The Bells of Notre Dame!

What Makes A Monster

And What Makes A Man?

Such insightful and beautiful lyrics make up the crux of easily Disney’s most underrated feature, one full of darkness, gravitas and splendid filmmaking. Directors Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise (who previously directed Beauty & The Beast) take Victor Hugo’s classic novel and, while making things little more appropriate for the films family audience, retains much of the gritty nature and ideals that made the novel so beloved in the first life. In fact, this may be the darkest family film ever made, with, instead of a treasure map or power being the reason for the villains nefarious plot, lust if the main reason for antagonist Frollo’s ways. To boot, torture, religion and societies reaction thing different from the norm become major parts of the film, making it all much more thoughtful and amazing than you might first expect. Add in some superb songs, great acting and some hilarious gargoyles, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame winds up as perhaps Disney’s best unsung masterpiece. Grade: A

35. Hercules (1997): After tackling fairy tales, Shakespeare and even real world personalities, it seemed natural for Disney to next tackle greek myths. The legend of Hercules would be given a makeover, making it more humorous, musical and able to contain the voice acting of James Woods. Surprisingly, it all winds up creating one of Disney’s more off-beat but impressive features. Much of this resides in all the delightful characters that the film creates, especially the villain Hades, whom James Woods plays with delightful aplomb. While it’s certainly more light-hearted than the past two features, that just makes Hercules an off-the-wall, stupendous film that has no trouble going from zero to hero. Grade: A

36. Mulan (1998): It all comes down to Eddie Murphy doesn’t it? Just like how Robin Williams made the Genie his own 6 years earlier, and Murphy would do again with a certain donkey in 3 years, the uber famous comedian took a little dragon named Mushu and turned him into a larger than life personality full of wit and charm. Mushu is definitely the highlight of Mulan, but he isn’t the only thing about the production that is firing on all cylinders. From a unique art design to some of the best music ever put to a feature film (including the perfect montage sequence set to I’ll Make A Man Out Of You) Simply packed with poignancy and beautiful filmmaking, Eddie Murphy’s ingenious character is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to great things about Mulan. Grade: A

37. Tarzan (1999): Just when I thought Disney could do no wrong, they go and do something like this…and totally redeemed themselves! Their retelling of Edgar Rice Burroughs Tarzan stories is now added with some beautiful Phil Collins music that break away from the Browardway setup all Disney features had been using since The Rescuers Down Under. To boot, more depth is added to the character of Tarzan, as he’s given more conflict on which of the two worlds (ape or man) he should follow, making the titular protagonist a more complex one and making his situation more investable. At this point, this was the fourth classic Disney had made in a row, and although it shouldn’t have been surprising at this point, it was still amazing how wonderful a film like Tarzan could be. Grade: A

38. Fantasia 2000 (2000): Ah, here’s another one of my favorites, a film I remember vividly watching continuously and actually introducing me to the world of classic music. Each individual segment of this film is a wonder to behold, containing some of the best animation Disney has ever created, not to mention some of the best plots they’ve ever concocted. While all of these segments are wonderful in their own way, my two favorites have to be A) a short set to the tune of  The Carnival of The Animals, depicting a whimsical flamingo who loves his yo-yo, much to his flocks chagrin, and B) a retelling of Noahs Ark set to Pomp And Circumstance with Donald Duck in the lead. This short is easily Donald Ducks finest hour, with the ending in particular guaranteed to bring a tear to every audience members eyes and remind us how powerful Fantasia 2000 is. Grade: A

39. Dinosaur (2000): I was the major demographic Disney was marketing to whenever they released Dinosaur. I still remember the awesome toys, books and all kinds of other paraphernalia that was meant to make Dinosaur the next Lion King in terms of film merchandise. While most of the toys and books depicted a cheery film, imagine my surprise when the film itself ended up being a miserable and dull experience. While the visuals, and the opening 5 minutes, are stunning, none of it really matters since the rest of the film is as cookie cutter as they come. With none of the fun characters or emotional resonance most Disney features could be counted on for, Dinosaur became the worst Disney feature in a decade and set an eerie precedent for the rest of the first few years of the 21st century. Grade: C

40. The Emperor’s New Groove (2000): Both Dinosaur and the Emperor’s New Groove attempted to do things very differently from Disney features of the past; while the former presented a film lacking fun or rich characters, the latter took its inspiration from more zany toons of the past to create one of the more surprising, but perfect Disney features. Kuzco’s odyssey is as weird as they come, but it becomes more than watchable due to some of the sharpest writing the animation studio would conjure up, while some unique animation and voice acting would also help keep things interesting. But let’s face it; all these great element all play second fiddle to the films best asset; it’s humor. Whether it’s Kronks angel and devil or immortal lines like “You threw off my groove!”, I honestly feel like this inventive film doesn’t get nearly enough praise as it should. Grade: A

Next Week: We wrap things up by looking at how one of Disney’s best features capsized the company, Zach Braff and Garry Marshall usher in a new era for Disney and how some long hair and wrecking saved Disney animation forever.