In honor of Mickey Mouse’s birthday on November 18th, I have compiled my top 20 favorite Disney movies. I have split them into two categories: animated and non-animated. Along with each movie title, I will use a description of the movies that I got from Disney+ as well as my personal thoughts about each movie. All movies that I chose—as well as many more—can be found on Disney+.
Animated
#10: Sleeping Beauty
“Vengeful Maleficent places an evil curse on Princess Aurora, a curse that can be broken only by the kiss of her true love.”
While Maleficent is my favorite Disney villain, this movie was ranked number ten because the namesake only appears for 18 minutes and only has 18 lines. Her character is totally underdeveloped; and don’t even get me started on her prince. But I like the three good fairies, and as I stated, Maleficent is my favorite Disney villain to this day.
#9: Lilo and Stitch
“Lilo’s an independent little girl; Stitch is a mischievous creature from outer space. When their worlds collide, it’s love—and chaos!—at first sight.”
I love this movie because I love Stitch. I am not ashamed to admit that I have a couple of Stitch plushies, as well as like ten Stitch pins. I love that this story is about friendship and the true meaning of family. It also has my biggest life lesson: Ohana means family and family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten.
#8: Brother Bear 2
“Kenai takes an exciting adventure he never dreamed of before his transformation into a bear by the Great Spirits. But as he travels the Pacific Northwest at the end of the Ice Age, he’s haunted by dreams of his previous life.”
This is my favorite Brother Bear movie because Kenai and Koda are already brothers, and in this movie, they just add to their family with Nita. There isn’t the trouble that Denahi and Kenai have in the first movie. There also is no real villain. I guess you could say that Atka is the villain at the end, but I wouldn’t count him. I would just say that he is a jealous ex.
#7: Princess and the Frog
“A modern twist on a classic tale from Walt Disney Animation Studios features a beautiful girl named Tiana who dreams of owning her own restaurant. When she meets a frog prince who desperately wants to be human again, a fateful kiss leads them both on a hilarious adventure through the mystical bayous of Louisiana.”
I really like this movie because the princess is African American. All the previous princess movies were a variation of white—except Pocahontas who was Native American, Mulan who was Chinese and Jasmine who was from the Middle East. It’s nice to see that Disney expanded its cultural horizons. I also like how Disney changed The Princess and the Frog from its original tale making Tiana the frog and having her dragged all over the place only to find that she loves Naveen.
#6: Pocahontas
“Inspired by a real-life Native American legend, free-spirited Pocahontas must ‘listen with her heart’ to help her choose which path to follow.”
Despite the many historical inaccuracies in this movie, I still think it’s a classic. It is full of good themes for children to learn, such as how not to treat anyone differently because of the color of their skin or how to follow your heart instead of following the leader. Plus Meeko is very funny when he steals from John Smith.
#5: Mulan 2
“Mulan, a beautiful and heroic Chinese girl, is preparing to marry, but first she must complete a dangerous mission. Accompanied by her fiance, three princesses and her sassy guardian dragon, Mulan sets out on the adventure of a lifetime.”
In my opinion, Mulan 2 is better than the original. Mulan has already been developed as a respected warrior, and Shang doesn’t have to fight his feelings for her. The music is comparable between both movies. I like the addition of the princess in this movie, giving love interests to Li, Chien-Po, and Yao.
#4: Aladdin
“Street-smart Aladdin and Princess Jasmine join forces to save the kingdom from the evil Jafar. Along the way, Aladdin learns to believe in himself with help from a hilarious Genie… and three wishes that could change everything.”
I really like this movie because most of the “Disney Princess” movies have the princess as the lead, excluding Sleeping Beauty, which I have already covered. Aladdin is actually the protagonist of his own story. Robin Williams was a wonderful Genie, and I have to say… I had my reservations about Will Smith taking on that role in the live-action film, but he did an incredible job. He made a new Genie to love instead of trying to outshine the original Genie that Robin Williams created for us.
#3: Lion King
“Embark on an extraordinary coming-of-age adventure as Simba, a lion cub who cannot wait to be king, searches for his destiny in the great “Circle of Life.”
This is a favorite of mine because it focuses on the development of Simba, even if he does it in a matter of what feels like minutes. Timon and Pumbaa are two of my favorite side characters that add comic relief to every situation. Rafiki is also a good character because he adds clarity when Simba needs it the most.
#2: Monsters Inc.
“When a little girl named Boo wanders into their world, it’s the monsters who are scared silly. It’s up to Sulley and Mike, the top scare team, to keep her out of sight and get her back home.”
Monsters Inc. is my favorite Pixar movie of all time. I could watch it again and again and not get bored. There isn’t a specific thing that I love about this movie; it’s just everything: the funny dialog, the imaginative world, Boo, all of it.
#1: Beauty and the Beast
“Embark on an epic adventure with Belle, Beast, and all the characters you love, with the music you’ll never forget.”
This is my favorite animated movie of all time because every time I watch, I see something different. The soundtrack is also one of my favorites out of all the Disney movies. I could listen to Angela Lansbury sing Tale as Old as Time again and again. P.S. I am going to own a library like the one that Adam gives Belle.
Non-animated:
#10: Avatar
“Avatar takes us to the amazing world of Pandora, where a man embarks on an epic adventure, ultimately fighting to save both the people he loves and the place he now calls home.”
I like this movie because I think it was the first Sci-fi movie that I was introduced to. And now years later, I still like it. Last time I went to Disney World in Florida, my dad and I went on the Na’ vi River Journey ride in the Pandora part of Animal Kingdom, and it was amazing. It felt like we were in the movie.
#9: Alice in Wonderland
“Tumble down the rabbit hole with Alice for a fantastical adventure with the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp) and an extraordinary cast of characters. Inviting and magical, Alice in Wonderland is an imaginative new twist on one of the most beloved stories of all time.”
This is my favorite movie that Johnny Depp has been in. He plays the Mad Hatter so well, and the graphics for wonderland are spectacular. If you ever need to kill two hours, I would recommend watching this movie.
#8: The Avengers
“When an unexpected enemy threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, Director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Spanning the globe, a daring recruitment effort begins.”
This is my favorite Marvel movie because it’s when the team comes together. In the previous movies (when you watch in sequential order not release date order), you get the background of each character and their personal struggles. This was the first movie where everyone got to meet—and yes butt heads—but in the end, they acted like a team because the world needed them.
#7: Return to Halloweentown
“By now, everyone knows Marnie Piper is a witch, so it comes as no surprise when she wins a full scholarship to prestigious Witch University in Halloweentown. Marnie also learns about an ancient prophecy––and it turns out that she holds the key to revealing the ultimate secret.”
This is my go-to Halloween movie. Whenever I am decorating with my family, I make sure to put this movie on in the background. I really like it because it has an interesting plot, and I like who they cast as Marnie.
#6: Percy Jackson and Olympians: the Lightning Thief
“A young boy discovers he’s the descendant of a Greek god and sets out on an adventure to settle an on-going battle between the gods. Based on the book by Rick Riordan.”
I know that this one is going to get me in trouble with some of my friends back home. They think that the book is better than the movie, and I would probably agree with them if I reread the book series. This movie was made ten years ago, and I still enjoy the plotline and the characters.
#5: National Treasure
“Benjamin Franklin Gates, in hot pursuit of a legendary treasure, must steal one of America’s most sacred and guarded documents––the Declaration of Independence––or let it, and a key Clue to the mystery, fall into dangerous hands.”
This movie is, in my opinion, one of Nicholas Cage’s better works. He plays the role of the historian-slash-treasure hunter very well. I always get sucked into the plot whenever the movie is played at my house. This is a go-to movie when we can’t decide what to watch. There is some action but not any gore, and it really is fun for the whole family.
#4: Race to Witch Mountain
“Two aliens disguised as teenagers appear in the taxi of a struggling Las Vegas cabbie in this out-of-this-world adventure. The race is on for the cabbie to help the kids recover their lost spaceship, so they can save their home planet and Earth, too.”
I really like this movie. Going back and rewatching this, the Rock looks so tiny and he was not a tiny man when he made this movie. He has just gained so much more muscle since this movie when you watch him in the Fast and Furious franchise.
#3: The Chronicles of Narnia: the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
“Lucy, Edmund, Susan and Peter Pevensie enter a magical wardrobe only to discover the world of Narnia on the other side. There, the children discover a charming, once-peaceful land that has been turned into a world of eternal winter by the evil White Witch. Aided by the wise lion, Aslan, the children lead Narnia into a climactic battle to rid the land of the Witch’s glacial powers forever.”
I really like the plot of this movie. I think Disney did a good job adapting this movie from the book written by C.S. Lewis. Each of the characters were well-cast, and I highly recommend that you watch this movie.
#2: Maleficent
“Angelina Jolie stars in the untold story of Disney’s most iconic villain from the classic Sleeping Beauty. Driven by revenge, Maleficent places a curse upon the king’s newborn infant, Aurora, only to discover she may hold the key to peace in the land.”
This is one of my favorites because it tells the Sleeping Beauty story from the perspective of the villain. We get to take a deeper look into Maleficent’s past, as well as the cause of why she cursed Aurora. Maleficent gets to be more than the woman who cursed an innocent baby. We get to understand her pain when the man she thought she loved betrayed her.
#1: Sorcerer’s Apprentice
“Magic is everywhere, even in Manhattan. Balthazar Blake, a modern-day sorcerer with his hands full battling dark forces, must take a seemingly average physics student, Dave Stutler, under his wing to teach the reluctant recruit the art and science of magic. Little does Dave know that the magical arts may be the key to defeating an evil sorceress and getting the girl.”
The reason this is my favorite is because the acting is really good and the plot is very well developed. As I grow older and rewatch the movie, I do find parts of the movie cringeworthy, mostly when Dave does something awkward. If anyone had to ask me what my favorite movie of all time was… this would be the movie that I would say. If you haven’t watched it, I highly recommend doing so.
And those are my top twenty favorite Disney movies. I would recommend all of the previous movies that I mentioned if you ever needed to kill a few hours or are hosting a movie night.
Happy 92nd Birthday, Mickey Mouse!