The 25 Best Disney Animated Movies

Whether you're wishing upon a star, partying nether the sea, exploring a full caller world, letting it go, oregon feeling the emotion tonight, it's an accepted implicit information that Disney films are axenic magic. And that's wherever our database of the 25 champion Disney animated movies comes in.

Beasts and beauties, ladies and tramps, princesses and frogs - Walt Disney Animation Studios has been creating sublime ground-breaking amusement for implicit 100 years and its diagnostic films, starting with 1937's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, person cemented a cinematic legacy.

As we present fertile the 25 top Disney animated films - sorry, nary Pixar connected this list, folks (that's a different list) - delight support successful caput that this was a Herculean effort (a hint based connected 1 of the movies connected the list, perhaps?) involving the weighing of time-honored classics, caller upstart arrivals, the famed '90s resurgence/revival, and our ain idiosyncratic favorites. It's a blending of the champion and brightest that Disney has to offer.

Mirror, mirror, connected the wall, what's the fairest Disney movie of all? Let's instrumentality a travel of whimsy, wonderment and wickedness - cheque retired our picks beneath for the 25 champion Disney animated movies ever!

25. Encanto

Encanto was Disney's 60th animated movie and it remains 1 of its brightest. The movie is acceptable successful Colombia and is simply a solemnisation of not lone that beauteous state and its people, but besides however we tin flooded household trauma and larn determination is truthful overmuch much going connected wrong of america than we whitethorn amusement connected the surface. Although this movie leans into magical realism and deals with characters with ace strength, shape-shifting abilities, and more, these are each stand-ins for antithetic members of astir families.

In measurement with that, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s fantastic songs assistance uncover truthful overmuch astir Encanto’s Madrigal household and support america singing and dancing agelong aft the credits roll.

24. Alice successful Wonderland

Based connected the surreal mid-Victorian epoch novels by Lewis Carroll, 1951’s Alice successful Wonderland wasn’t received good by critics erstwhile it was archetypal released, but has since been hailed a triumph of animation acold up of its time. With bold and vibrant colors, trippy characters voiced by luminaries similar Sterling Holloway and Ed Wynn, and an abstract escapade that attracted the '60s counterculture immoderate years later, Alice successful Wonderland has go a somewhat subversive cult classical among the Disney canon.

Combining the Carroll books Alice’s Adventures successful Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, this amusive and flashy movie utilized iconic creator Mary Blair to make a communicative afloat of popping wonders and dreamlike oddities.

23. The Emperor’s New Groove

More of an out-and-out drama than astir Disney offerings, and coming connected the heels of Disney's '90s resurgence, 2000's The Emperor's New Groove was a flimsy detour from much accepted workplace fare successful favour of a slapstick-driven mismatched buddy escapade featuring a much markedly Chuck Jones cartoon-ish animation style.

Featuring the voices of David Spade, John Goodman and Patrick Warburton, New Groove is simply a redemption communicative centered connected an arrogant teenage Incan emperor named Kuzco who is transformed into a llama by his ex-adviser. The roller coaster accumulation for the movie - which began arsenic a much mature and accepted Disney communicative called Kingdom of the Sun (featuring six songs by Sting!) - saw the full task alteration packaging and power code aft the container bureau disappointments of some Pocahontas and The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Though New Groove is purposefully little expansive and epic than astir of Disney's offerings, it's inactive a hearty and hep hero's travel filled with unabashed silliness and nonsense.

22. Cinderella

Though not the archetypal adaptation, oregon re-telling, of the celebrated fairy communicative (which has origins dating backmost to a Greek communicative from the 1st period BC), Disney's 1950 container bureau smash Cinderella is genuinely iconic. As 1 of the biggest risks of Walt Disney's career, Cinderella would wage disconnected large time, becoming his astir palmy movie since Snow White and helping to prevention Disney Animation aft a drawstring of under-performing films that saddled the workplace with a $4 cardinal debt.

With a tighter archetypal fund that forced filmmakers to sprout successful live-action first, Cinderella would flooded galore obstacles, delighting movie-goers with imaginative art, glowing colors, mischievous humor, memorable songs ("A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes," "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo," etc) and an endearing rags-to-riches communicative astir unjust oppression and triumphant reward. The solid slipper, the Fairy Godmother, Jaq and Gus - Cinderella is simply a parade of majestic moments.

For more, cheque retired our 75th day retrospective of Cinderella to larn however it saved Disney from closing its doors good earlier its time.

21. Sleeping Beauty

As the past of the classical animated fairy tales produced by Walt Disney himself, 1959's Sleeping Beauty was initially a disappointment astatine the container office, but has travel to beryllium recognized arsenic 1 of the top and astir beloved of Disney's aureate era. This is the workplace astatine its astir iconic, with frolicking woodland creatures, a warbling princess, an evil sorceress and a handsome prince connected a majestic steed.

Filled with vibrant color, modern designs and euphony based connected the Tchaikovsky ballet, it looks and sounds antithetic than immoderate of the films that came before. The meticulously hand-painted cells inspired by medieval creation person a stylized look to them and a striking palette filled with antithetic combinations of violet, green, ochre, indigo and fuchsia. The last climactic conflict betwixt Prince Phillip and Maleficent successful the signifier of a gigantic dragon remains 1 of the astir beauteous and thrilling sequences ever animated.

20. Lady and Tramp

With a shared spaghetti drawstring buss that would go a landmark infinitesimal for each rom-com to travel it, Lady and the Tramp was a monolithic deed for Disney backmost successful 1955 - a emotion communicative that inactive endures the trial of time. Based connected the antics of communicative developer Joe Grant's ain English Springer Spaniel Lady, combined with Ward Greene's abbreviated communicative "Happy Dan, the Whistling Dog," Lady and the Tramp created mismatched magic acceptable to songs co-written by popular vocalist Peggy Lee (who besides voices 1 of the dogs).

As the archetypal animated diagnostic filmed successful the (brand-new, astatine the time) CinemaScope widescreen process, Lady and the Tramp captivated crowds with the communicative of the refined and due Lady falling for a stray street-wise mutt called Tramp. During production, Disney offices were filled with unrecorded animals for the animators to notation truthful that the communicative could beryllium told exclusively from the constituent of presumption of the animals. The communicative whitethorn not person the standard of different Disney classics, but the elemental charm and richly colored animation marque it 1 of the champion of the bunch.

19. Tangled

This instant classical from 2010 featured Disney’s charming instrumentality connected the German fairy communicative "Rapunzel.” With the institution momentarily focused connected gender-neutral titling, arsenic we’d spot again with 2013’s Frozen, Tangled told the communicative of a young princess with magical agelong hair, voiced by Mandy Moore, who’s held captive by a pistillate who uses the girl’s innate powers to cheat death.

With 3D creation inspired by oil-on-canvas Rococo-style paintings, Tangled was a compelling and analyzable premix of escapade and romance that brought unneurotic some modern and classical elements of Disney. Tangled, portion wildly loved by fans, besides holds the unusual favoritism of being the astir costly animated diagnostic of each clip acknowledgment to an highly agelong improvement process arsenic good arsenic extended investigating done for the animation processes (as it was the company’s first-ever afloat computer-animated film).

18. The Princess and the Frog

Loosely based connected a communicative that, successful turn, is loosely based connected the Brothers Grimm fairy communicative "The Frog Prince," Disney's The Princess and the Frog took the "fairy tale" retired of Europe and perfectly placed it successful America - 1920s New Orleans to beryllium specific.

Taking cues from workplace classics similar Lady and the Tramp and Bambi, 2009's The Princess and the Frog would dip its toed into the past arsenic the archetypal Disney movie aft a six-year interruption to beryllium a accepted hand-drawn feature. It would besides look up to the future, however, arsenic Anika Noni Rose's Tiana - a 19-year-old waitress who dreams of owning her ain edifice - would beryllium the first-ever achromatic Disney Princess.

The film's old-fashioned Bayou charm harkens backmost to the studio's aureate epoch - helping it basal retired during a clip erstwhile animated features were riddled with pop-culture gags and goofs - portion the communicative enchants with astute and saccharine swampland critters, evil voodoo sorcerers, and ageless themes.

17. 101 Dalmatians

One of the astir witty and entertaining Disney films of each time, with 1 of the astir memorable villains successful cinema history, the quasi-musical 101 Dalmatians from 1961 gave audiences a scrappier, sketchier animation benignant - acknowledgment to caller Xerox exertion (and a humble fund compared to predecessor Sleeping Beauty) - coupled with a amusive household escapade astir a litter of Dalmatian puppies who are kidnapped by a wealthy, fashion-obsessed heiress who wants to usage their fur to marque into coats.

It's the Betty Lou Gerson-voiced Cruella de Vil, and her renowned taxable song, that bargain the amusement however. Rumored to person been modeled aft Zsa Zsa Gabor, Cruella's look, flair, and crazed cackle instantly infused her into the ranks of the astir malicious movie evil-doers of each time. Though not a plush spectacle, 101 Dalmatians runneth implicit with heart, humor, and hu... dogmanity.

16. Dumbo

Despite World War II spelling retired container bureau doom for astir of Disney's films successful the '40s, the classical Dumbo, from 1941, which was purposefully designed to beryllium abbreviated and bare-bones simple, managed to beryllium the astir palmy representation for the workplace successful that decade. At 64 minutes, Dumbo was a pleasant, straight-forward alternate to the ambition of Fantasia from the erstwhile year.

Though humble successful delivery, Dumbo, astir a lowly circus elephant that's perpetually and cruelly ridiculed for having comically over-sized ears, stands arsenic 1 of the astir precious and endearing animated films of each time. With simpler animation than its predecessors, and watercolor backgrounds, Dumbo is simply a tiny communicative that delivers a giant-sized affectional punch, teaching america that portion we each mightiness yearn to beryllium similar everyone else, it's our differences that specify america and marque america special.

15. Robin Hood

Using amiable anthropomorphic animals to archer the fable of Robin Hood, this offbeat oddball gem from 1973 featured acclaimed folksy songs and a Butch and Sundance buddy movie code that helped it become, astatine the time, Disney’s highest grossing movie to date.

Robin Hood takes immoderate knocks due to the fact that it features immoderate recycled bits of animation and its low-key accepted charm is mode antithetic from the majesty showcased successful different institution classics, but sometimes simpler designs and humbler approaches marque for the astir beloved stories.

14. Tarzan

Disney's rollicking 1999 adaptation of "Tarzan of the Apes" by Edgar Rice Burroughs capped disconnected the studio's '90s triumph streak with an animated feast of sweeping 3D backgrounds, utilizing a then-new method (called "Deep Canvas") that allows CGI to lucifer a accepted painting.

With a revolutionary ocular travel and benignant that pushed the envelope of the full medium, and Academy Award-winning euphony from Phil Collins ("You'll Be In My Heart" took location Best Original Song that year), Tarzan is simply a spirited, thrilling spectacle featuring affluent storytelling and colorfully conceived creation that enactment a caller peculiar rotation connected the much-told communicative of a young antheral raised by gorillas successful the jungles of Africa.

13. Hercules

Hercules is decidedly a movie that’s grown successful notoriety and appreciation successful the years since its merchandise successful 1997. Generally not successful the speech erstwhile the Disney '90s Renaissance is brought up, Hercules, loosely based connected the legendary “Son of Zeus” Heracles, is simply a amusive premix of Preston Sturges-style screwball drama from Hollywood’s bygone epoch and '90s popular civilization beats. It's a rollicking hero's quest - seasoned with a people inspired by gospel and R&B euphony - astir an improbable do-gooder torn betwixt 2 worlds.

A amusive blending of pluckiness, fast-paced action, and animation based connected English cartoonist Gerald Scarfe, Hercules features memorable songs, an inspired wisecracking villain, and a feisty heroine resistant to being the classical “damsel successful distress.”

12. Bambi

Bambi. It’s unusual that specified a sweet-sounding, playful enactment should beryllium synonymous with puerility trauma. The 1942 film’s astir memorable country sees Bambi’s parent murdered by "man" and the young fawn desperately searching for her successful the snow. It’s the benignant of happening that stays with you. But Bambi is much than conscionable that scene. It’s a communicative astir the nonaccomplishment of innocence, but besides 1 astir increasing up, accepting responsibilities, and uncovering retired that portion loved ones can’t beryllium replaced, you tin physique a household of your own.

And it’s not each somber either - successful Thumper, Disney created 1 of its best, astir beloved comic characters. Unlike Disney’s different movies of the era, Bambi doesn’t diagnostic magic oregon overly fantastical elements. The animation is delicate, much fable-like successful quality, and each the much potent and affectional for it.

11. Pinocchio

Disney's defining animated feature, based connected Italian children's caller The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi, was hailed by critics arsenic a superb and masterful follow-up to Snow White. Audiences disagreed nevertheless and the studio's 2nd outing was thing abbreviated of a container bureau catastrophe erstwhile it was released successful 1940. Pinocchio would get re-released a fewer years aboriginal and recoup astir of its losses, lone past becoming the popular civilization improvement we cognize it arsenic today.

The classical communicative of a woody puppet lad named Pinocchio brought to beingness by a bluish fairy, and retired to gain imperishable humanity by being "brave, truthful, and unselfish," is mostly considered to beryllium the apex of animation, Disney oregon other. With smart-aleck silliness and sinister scariness, on with a chemoreceptor that grows with each prevarication and a singing "conscience" cricket named Jiminy (the Oscar-winning "When You Wish Upon a Star" is inactive the opus astir associated with Disney), Pinocchio is simply a beautifully crafted saga.

10. The Jungle Book

The past movie Walt Disney himself worked on, 1967's The Jungle Book (inspired by Rudyard Kipling's publication of the aforesaid name), is simply a lively and hilarious romp pursuing a 10-year-old lad named Mowgli. Raised successful the Indian jungle by wolves, helium navigates done an escapade with panthers, pythons, tigers, and a care-free carnivore named Baloo.

With delightful tunes by Robert and Richard Sherman (Mary Poppins, The Enchanted Tiki Room) and a sublime communicative that we'd spot echoed a spot aboriginal connected successful some The Lion King and Tarzan ("Hakuna Matata" owes a large woody to "Bare Necessities"), The Jungle Book emits a funky, trippy vibe that's helped it stay a household favourite for 50 years - adjacent much truthful than immoderate of Disney's much celebrated prestige projects. It's a blessed blue-sky classic.

9. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

As the archetypal ever full-length animated feature, 1937's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is the movie that launched a dynasty. While it surely wowed audiences astatine the clip who were inactive accustomed to short, simplistic cartoons, Snow White inactive retains its entreaty adjacent among the glitzier, flashier animated films of the 21st Century.

All movies, beryllium they live-action oregon animated, are meant to entreaty to the viewer's emotions. Snow White is 1 of Disney's astir heartfelt and engaging efforts, transforming the classical Brothers Grimm communicative into a rousing, family-friendly adventure. Here, each a princess needed to find her existent emotion was a adjuvant set of dwarfs, a fewer catchy tunes, and prime animation that inactive holds up today.

For more, cheque retired the communicative of Snow White successful our Disney 100th day retrospective and our reappraisal of the Snow White live-action remake.

8. Frozen

At a glance, 2013's Frozen appears to beryllium modular Disney fare: fairy communicative castles, beauteous princesses, household secrets, dashing princes, plucky sidekicks. But it does overmuch to play astir with those elements, subvert expectations, and archer a overmuch much modern benignant of Disney story.

There’s a decent chunk of X-Men folded successful here, too, arsenic Elsa’s cryokinetic powers (she tin frost anything) alienate her from her household and society. She spends astir of her puerility locked distant successful her bedroom, incapable to play with her sister. The overarching emotion communicative present isn’t astir Elsa oregon Anna uncovering their prince but the 2 sisters rebuilding their fractured relationship. Smartly, the aged Disney trope of a Prince’s buss breaking a spell is reworked present - it’s the sisters’ emotion for 1 different that is susceptible of thawing a frozen heart. In truthful galore ways, Frozen feels similar classical Disney, but its communicative is refreshingly modern. (Also, it has this small opus called "Let It Go" which proved to beryllium precise popular.)

7. Mulan

Coming connected the heels of Disney films similar The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Hercules, 1998's Mulan took connected the tried-and-true Disney coming-of-age communicative attack with a twist. As a main character, Mulan has much successful communal with the struggles of Aladdin oregon Simba than the pistillate Disney heroines who came earlier her, and arsenic specified it's casual to statement her Disney animation's archetypal enactment heroine.

Mulan's driving ambition was to bring grant to her household and prevention her country, shirking romanticist responsibilities successful the process, successful a taxable that Disney Animation Studios didn't truly revisit again until 2016's Moana. Between Ming-Na Wen and Eddie Murphy's fantabulous dependable acting performances and the film's stunning animation and catchy songs (from Christina Aguilera's "Reflection" to "I'll Make a Man Out of You"), Mulan was a standout successful a decennary loaded with standout Disney animated films.

6. Moana

Featuring soaring songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton) and Opetaia Foa'i, Moana is the astir caller movie connected this database - released backmost successful 2016. With lively and layered characters, and awe-worthy 3D animation, Moana is an inspiring and ambitious summation to the champion Disney has to offer.

The communicative of Moana, the strong-willed girl of a main of a Polynesian colony who is chosen by the water itself to reunite a mystical relic with a goddess, is 1 of heart-in-hand heroism, calling for peoples of the satellite to clasp their household and community. And who tin defy Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson arsenic the Demigod Maui? Myths, mirth, and majestic philharmonic numbers - Moana has it all!

5. Fantasia

A Disney masterpiece and a milestone successful animation arsenic a whole, determination is inactive truthful overmuch to praise astir 1940's Fantasia, adjacent present astir 80 years since it was released.

The episodic, mostly non-narrative epic is of people acceptable to assorted pieces of celebrated orchestral music, resulting successful sequences similar the climactic "Night connected Bald Mountain" (featuring the awesome demon-creature Chernabog) that are hallmarks of the genre. Technically peerless, featuring animation that is inactive among the champion ever created, the movie was an experimentation that beautifully blended popular civilization with classical music, bewildering and dazzling viewers for generations.

4. The Little Mermaid

The 1970s and '80s were thin years for Walt Disney diagnostic animation. After fundamentally inventing the genre and perfecting it to an creation form, the studio's estimation suffered from a drawstring of forgettable films similar The Black Cauldron and The Great Mouse Detective. But that each changed successful 1989 with the merchandise of The Little Mermaid, a instrumentality to the glorious philharmonic fantasies of Disney's past.

Telling the communicative of a mermaid named Ariel who dreams of becoming quality and falls successful emotion with a prince, the movie had each the qualities of an extravagant Broadway philharmonic and beauteous animation to match. Its numbers from the superb squad of Alan Menken and Howard Ashman - songs similar "Part of Your World" and "Under the Sea" - became instant classics worthy of the Disney legacy. And the film's occurrence would usher successful a renaissance for Disney animation that dominated the decennary to come.

3. Aladdin

Boasting 1 of Disney’s catchiest soundtracks - courtesy of composer Alan Menken and songwriters Howard Ashman and Tim Rice - positive an iconic show from Robin Williams arsenic the Genie, it’s nary astonishment Aladdin became the highest-grossing movie of 1992, beating hits similar Batman Returns, Sister Act and The Bodyguard for a home full of $217 million, and $504 cardinal worldwide.

The communicative of a scrappy "street rat" turned prince is based connected a Middle Eastern people communicative from One Thousand and One Nights (better known arsenic Arabian Nights successful English), and was primitively pitched successful 1988 by Ashman, who unluckily didn’t unrecorded to spot the finished product. The task had a amazingly tumultuous past considering however iconic it became; workplace caput Jeffrey Katzenberg reportedly didn’t attraction for the archetypal draught of the screenplay by directors John Musker and Ron Clements, and successful April 1991, asked the duo to wholly rewrite the story, without pushing backmost Aladdin’s scheduled November 25, 1992, merchandise date. The clip crunch intelligibly didn’t impact the prime - Aladdin remains 1 of the astir beloved films from Disney's renaissance era, spawning 2 direct-to-video sequels, an animated series, a Broadway adaptation and an upcoming live-action remake from Guy Ritchie.

2. The Lion King

Coming astatine the tallness of the Disney animation revival of the aboriginal 1990s, The Lion King was a immense deed - successful fact, it remains the highest-grossing traditionally-animated movie ever released.

Today, Simba and Scar and Mufasa are household names acknowledgment to the tremendous popularity not conscionable of this film, but besides of the sequels and soundtracks and Broadway plays and each the remainder of it that person been based connected the original. But backmost successful 1994, who could person predicted that these characters would participate the lexicon of Disney's astir fashionable creations?

Simba's travel to adulthood, retribution, and his rightful spot arsenic the Lion King isn't an particularly caller oregon groundbreaking communicative - connected the contrary, it's afloat of tried and existent Disney hallmarks (tragic origin, comic carnal sidekicks, beingness lessons learned, etc.). And yet, it works amazingly well, possibly due to the fact that of the unsocial vibe fixed the proceedings by the artists' African landscapes and the percussive beats of composers Elton John and Tim Rice. The movie combines accepted concepts with caller and absorbing angles - let's telephone it the Disney Circle of Life.

For more, cheque retired our 30th day retrospective of The Lion King to larn however it was the movie "no 1 was expected to attraction about."

1. Beauty and the Beast

There's a crushed Beauty and the Beast became the archetypal full-length animated diagnostic movie to ever beryllium nominated for Best Picture astatine the Academy Awards: It's a stunning enactment of art. As portion of Disney's '90s animation instrumentality to glory, the movie takes a "tale arsenic aged arsenic time" and spins it into a timely communicative of acceptance that transcends its genre. Beauty and the Beast is bolstered by its gorgeous animation, fantastic dependable acting and Alan Menken and Howard Ashman's music, which has since go immoderate of Disney's astir iconic.

Though we whitethorn instrumentality it for granted now, Beauty and the Beast marked a large displacement successful however Disney approached its "princess" tales, and looking backmost we tin spot this movie is an evident departure from the days of Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. Indeed, its interaction tin inactive beryllium felt from Mulan to Moana. Beauty and the Beast acceptable a caller barroom for Disney Animation Studios erstwhile it was released successful 1991, and it's a modular inactive felt crossed the committee successful the movies they marque successful the existent era.

Note: This database was updated successful March 2025 with the latest Disney releases considered for inclusion. It was primitively published successful 2018.