Best of Disney Animated Features (13-4)

13. Cinderella (1950)
Most of the stereotypes that people associate with Disney are present in this movie and that is not a bad thing.  This is as archetypal and standard as it gets with Disney, this is them in their element.  Cinderella is a popular, basic fairy tale but Disney adds some cinematic fantasy elements as well as making the lead feel more like a real person than a princess.  Fun, catchy songs and the most subtle villains in Disney's catalog.

12. Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977)
Recently rewatched this and I always love this movie.  The humor in Winnie the Pooh is so unique.  Most humor tends to be harsh, but this is just pleasant.  The characters are all classics and the Sherman Brothers gifted this with some of their best work.  The Hundred Acre Wood is a fun world with a distinctive fantasy logic.  Whimsical and charming, it is just like childhood but with a lot of intelligence in the dialogue.

11. Lady and the Tramp (1955)
One of the most iconic romances in all of cinema.  The story of a good girl and a bad guy has been told a lot, but never this well.  This puts the perspective on the good girl character and her development is very natural as she develops along with Tramp.  This is just such a sweet, idealistic romantic movie.  The perspective that the dogs have of the human world is also very clever.  Different than a fantasy movie, but it still represents how great Disney animators are at creating characters.

10. Peter Pan (1953)
One of the screen's best fantasies and best adaptations of Peter Pan.  The flying scenes are perfectly animated and Never Land is very well designed.  The character of Wendy is often overlooked, but her character arc is a great look at growing up.  Of course the real scene stealers are Captain Hook and Smee.

9. Lilo & Stitch (2002)
Every time I watch this movie I get something new out of it.  When I first watched it as a kid I was amused by Stitch's antics, then around middle school I related to Lilo, then I understood the Ugly Duckling metaphor and now I see how much is going on with Nani.  This is a movie unlike any other.  It finds pathos in a family, sci-fi comedy centered around surfing and Elvis.  This movie has its own style and heart, great characters and a really good story.  It manages to be both touching and unconventional.

8. Aladdin (1992)
A great fantasy and adventure movie.  All of the characters are great and leave an impact.  The supporting characters are fun and expand the four leads who all have a lot going on.  The Genie is one of the best comic relief characters of all time and the work of Robin Williams and Eric Goldberg on the character still stands out as the perfect combination of voice actor and animator.  The movie and music can be energetic and hilarious, but it is always able to be meaningful and deep.  You laugh at this movie, but you really care too.

7. The Lion King (1994)
One of the most popular movies of all time.  This was an enormous success that Disney has not been able to replicate since.  This movie has a huge scale to it, but it still very personal in its story and humor.  The songs are great and the characters have become iconic.  This has a lot of great replay value and holds a special place in the heart of many people.

6. Bambi (1942)
This was never my favorite growing up, but the last time I watched it I was completely blown away.  Disney has improved on the look of nature many times, but this is their best nature backgrounds.  This is a very tight movie, only 79 minutes, but it accomplishes a lot.  It really is a very in depth coming of age story.  People are quick to point to this movie as sad, but that sad scene is very deserved and perfectly executed.  This movie balances fun and cute with harsher realities about life, without going too far either way.

5. The Little Mermaid (1989)
One of the biggest game changers in animation history.  This was the first Broadway style Disney musical and created the format that dictates Disney films to this day.  This has an three-dimensional princess, memorable songs, a distinctive fantasy world, menacing villain, vital supporting characters and clever writing.  It does so many things that were repeated by lesser movies right.  This movie and the following three Disney musicals were so critically and commercially successful because they aspects that were marketable (the songs, comic relief characters, princess) all work along with the great story.

4. Fantasia (1940)
The amazing thing is that this was not even the most ambition thing Walt Disney had ever attempted.  Definitely the most successful non-narrative film of all time.  Not a success on its initial release, but quality won out on later releases and it is now considered to be a masterpiece.  The film is structured as a concert and each of the shorts feature some of Disney's most creative animation.  The highlight is easily Mickey Mouse's best appearance in Sorcerer's Apprentice followed by Dance of the Hours and Night on Mount Bald.  The shorts are all different, but feel like they belong in the same feature.  It is a shame that Disney has not played with the format and intention of the animated feature this much again.  This is pure experimentation that did something really magnificent.

Unsung Disney Legends: Glen Keane

We all know the characters, the movies and the songs but it is easy to forget that we are not watching actual characters.  Many people designed and worked on them.  Todays retrospective is on Annie Award and Winsor McCay Award winning industry icon: Glen Keane.

The Bear

Keane's first work in animation was as a layout artist on TV series such as Star Trek: The Animated Series.  For Disney he was a character animator for Penny and Bernard in The Rescuers and Elliot the Dragon in Pete's Dragon.  He also did models and animation on A Family Circus Christmas, which is significant because his father was the creator of Family Circus.

But the scene where Keane made his mark was when he was supervising animator on The Bear in Fox and the Hound.  While the movie is lovingly remembered by those who grew up with the film it is not well regarded by animation critics.  Fox and the Hound has many story problems and the animation is not the best, however every thing I have read on the film praises Keane's animation.  Back in 1981 Disney animation was in a rut and this scene was the highlight that took many by surprise.

I grew up with Fox and the Hound and I vividly remember The Bear and the emotions I felt seeing this realistic, relentless force of nature who was a threat to the main characters.  Those eyes and that snarl are extremely terrifying and emotional.  A great start to a great career.

Where the Wild Things Are

Animation in the early eighties was not in good shape and Disney animation was not taking any risks.  When Keane saw 1983's Tron he was amazed by the revolutionary use of computer animation and could not understand why Disney animation could not experiment with it.  Keane collaborated with John Lasseter who would clearly go on to do great things with CGI on a short animation test based on Where the Wild Things Are.  Disney did not move forward with the project although they owned the rights (although I wished they had since it would have been much better than the live-action version we finally got in 2009).  Nevertheless this test was revolutionary at the time.

Professor Ratigan

Keane had been a character animator on the character of Gurgi in The Black Cauldron, but he really stole the show oin what is considered a comeback for the cartoon studio when he was supervising animator on the villain of The Great Mouse Detective.  The world's greatest criminal mind is a clear cartoon creation, acting larger than life in every frame.

Ariel

When Glen Keane heard the song Part of Your World he demanded to work on Ariel.  Other animators asked why, because pretty girls were not his thing.  Keane responded that he had to.  He had an emotional connection to that song and wanted to bring it to life.  His love for this character is really a large part of what makes The Little Mermaid work.  Ariel is a character of passion and love, emotions that the audience completely buys into.  This was Keane's first real gracefully moving character, which the rest of his characters would become known for.

Marahute

What is unquestionably the highlight of the underrated movie The Rescuers Down Under is the opening flying sequence.  It is absolutely breathtaking and a great first use for the CAPS computer animation system.  Keane did the supervising animation for the eagle Marahute.  Keane animates this character with such majesty and gives it the perfect balance between realistic and fantastic.

Beast

Keane showcases his incredible range on the character of the Beast from the Academy Award nominated Beauty and the Beast.  The creature could be more menacing than The Bear from Fox and the Hound and yet more heartfelt than Ariel.  The most loved sequence is the ballroom scene which is just lovely to be hold and also fascinating to watch when you realize how graceful this beast is moving.

Aladdin

The next title character Keane animated was in Aladdin based on a Tom Cruise type persona Keane adds depth and emotion to an action star.  Much like with Ariel, it is heartbreaking to see Aladdin sing about wanting something more.  The character works in broad physical comedy, serious actions and more intimate character scenes.

Pocahontas

In my review of Pocahontas I named Keane's animation as the thing that makes the main character work.  Story wise there is not much to relate to, but the strength that Keane gifts her with makes her very compelling.  She is not a showcase of an ideal of female beauty, but rather she has an intimidating posture and strong movements.  Seeing this character run and jump or even just stand in the mist is a great experience.

Tarzan

I remember seeing Glen Keane on the Movie Surfers before on the video of Mulan discussing the upcoming movie Tarzan and how he was inspired by seeing his son do extreme sports.  The influence of skateboarding and snowboarding seems like an odd fit for a classic jungle character but it is just the kind of new thing that the story needed.  Keane's animation of the muscular dreadlocked lead is thrilling.  Naturally Keane is able to give the character strong emotions and use the character arc.

Long John Silver

Silver in Treasure Planet is very different from most of Keane's work.  This character is sloppy, overweight and at times unlikable.  But Keane was the perfect choice to animate this classic character as he was able to make his fatherlike connection with Jim, two-faced nature and conflicted emotions seem natural.  This is an underrated feature and while not Disney's best there is so much to like, Keane's work on Silver being one of them.

Tangled

Glen Keane was originally the director on Tangled (known as Rapunzel at the time).  But he had to step aside due to health reasons but he did stay on as a producer.  He also had designed the characters for the film.  Keane worked on combining traditional animation and computer animation styles.  His process was the inspiration for the Oscar winning short Paperman.  Tangled was the last Disney feature that Keane worked on as he has since left the company, but hopefully we will see the legend work on something very soon.