Top Ten 2/10/09

As each year goes by, we get older and tend to fall out of touch with our childhood. At any age when you hear the word "Disney" those long lost childhood memories come flying back.

The first Disney movie was released in 1937 and since then over 200 Disney or Disney/Pixar movies have been released. Here is an attempt to find the top ten, in the hundreds of remarkable works done by Disney.


10. Fox and the Hound (1981) –This film is the 24th of the Disney animated features. This film depicts a very unlikely friendship between a fox and a hound dog. The film stars the voices of Mickey Rooney, Kurt Russell, Jack Albertson, Jeanette Nolan, and Pat Buttram.

At the start the two characters are very young and do not realize that their friendship is frowned upon. Tod, (Rooney) is the orphaned fox taken in by an old woman, known as Widow Tweed (Nolan). Meanwhile, right next door, Amos Slade, (Albertson) a hunter has bought a young hound dog that he names Copper. Copper (Russell) is a naïve character that just seems to want to have somebody to play with. When Slade’s older hunting dog Chief (Buttram) seems to pay no attention to the pup, Copper and Tod soon meet and declare that they will be “friends forever”. After sometime, Slade discovers Tod on his property and declares to Widow Tweed that he will one day kill Tod. Widow Tweed then decides to take Tod to a wildlife reserve so that he will be safe away from Slade. At this point some years have gone by, and the characters have now become “adults”. Copper and Tod are once again reunited when Slade is hunting for Tod but gets into some trouble with a bear. Tod comes to Slade’s rescue, diverting the bear’s attention. Weak and exhausted from the battle, Tod is almost shot by Slade, but Copper steps in between his master and his friend, refusing to move. In the end, Slade and Copper return to their home, and Tod to the forest, where he can look down on the houses of Tweed and his old friend.

This is a wonderful Disney movie because it is an unlikely storyline. The characters are very endearing it just goes to show that you can be friends with anybody that you want to, no matter what society or anybody else thinks.

9. Newsies (1992)—when this film was originally released it was considered to be one of Disney’s lowest grossing live-action films. It later gained popularity when it was released on VHS and DVD. The film stars Christian Bale, David Moscow, Bill Pullman, and Ann-Margaret. This film is considered to be a musical, although that was not the intention upon its original release.

The film is based on the true story of the Newsboy Strike of 1899 in New York City. The main character is Jack “Cowboy” Kelly (Bale). At the age of only 17, his dream is to leave New York and travel to Santa Fe. After David Jacobs (Moscow) and his little brother Les (played by Luke Edwards) become newsboys to help support their family, the news gets out that the newsies must pay 1/10 of a cent more for the papers, Jack decides that he and his fellow newsies should go on strike until the prices are back to normal. Failed attempts to negotiate with Joseph Pulitzer (Duvall), lead the Jack and David to call upon all of the newsies in the state of New York. With some help from reporter Brian Denton (Pullman) and vaudeville performer Medda Larkson (Ann-Margaret), Jack, David, and all of the newsies of New York finally cause Pulitzer to give in to their demands after they write their own paper encouraging other non-union child laborers to stand up for their rights.

Another great Disney film. I enjoy this film very much because of the issue that it addresses. It isn’t one of those “once upon a time” or “happily ever after” stories. Christian Bale gives a great performance, and he is fantastic in all of the songs. “Santa Fe” is a wonderful song that really showcases Bale’s talents and character in the film.

8. Wall-E (2008)—this is a computer-animated film directed by Andrew Stanton and produced by Pixar. Wall-E was released on June, 27, 2008, and is now ranked as the third highest grossing opening-weekend for a Pixar film. It was also nominated for six Academy Awards, and won the 2009 Golden Globe for Best Animated Picture.

It is the early 22nd century and Wall-E is the last robot on Earth. He is a trash compactor robot and spends his days cleaning the planet, but other than him, there is no one living on Earth. They have all traveled into space when the Buy-n-Large company stated that it was no longer safe for humans to inhabit the earth. One day, Wall-E meets EVE, a robot sent from space that is searching for forms of life on Earth. It is love at first sight for Wall-E, but EVE is all business. She soon finds a plant, and is sent back to outer space. Wall-E follows her and he and EVE discover that the ship’s Auto system does not want to return back to Earth, even though Earth can sustain life. After a heated confrontation, Wall-E and EVE are able to get the Axiom ship to return to Earth. In the end, Wall-E, EVE, and all of the humans work to rebuild and start a new life.

Wall-E is an adorable movie and my personal favorite Disney/Pixar film. This film is unlike many other Disney films in that there is hardly any dialogue. The random beeping and few words that the characters do say, while not regular dialogue, can still get the point across to the audience

7. National Treasure(2004)—this film was directed by John Turteltaub, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, and stars Nicholas Cage, Diane Kruger, Justin Bartha, Sean Bean, Jon Voight, Harvey Keitel, and Christopher Plummer. This is the first film of the National Treasure franchise.

Nicholas Cage stars as Benjamin Franklin Gates, a man who is an expert in history. His family name is also often criticized because they believe that there was treasure “beyond your wildest dreams” that was hidden and guarded by the Knights Templar. Ben was told as a child by his grandfather (Plummer) that his ancestor was given a clue as to the treasure’s location. In the present, Gates and his assistant Riley Poole (Bartha) travel to a colonial ship with Ian Howe, (Bean) the man who is financing their expedition. After finding their clue, Ian betrays Ben and Riley wanting to find the treasure for himself. As the film progresses, it is a race to find the treasure, and with the aid of Dr. Abigail Chase (Kruger), Ben’s reluctant father (Voigt), and with an FBI agent (Keitel) hot on their trail, Ben and Riley race to find the clues. Some of the clues are found on the back of the Declaration of Independence, at Independence Hall, and on the Liberty Bell just to name a few. In the end, Gates outsmarts Ian to finds the treasure and is able to clear his family name.

A fantastic movie if you are interested in history. Although there is no clue on the back of the Declaration of Independence, other facts that Cage states, are very true. Even though the film is based on a fictional treasure, it still gets you thinking, and hoping that something like that would exist.

6. Old Yeller (1957)—this film is based on the novel of the same name by Fred Gipson. It was directed by Robert Stevenson and stars Tommy Kirk, Kevin Corcoran, Jeff York, and Dorothy McGuire. The film was originally released on Christmas day of 1957.

The film is set in Texas, post-Civil War. Tommy Kirk stars as Travis Coates, a young man whose father has left on a cattle drive. Travis is left as the man of the house with his mother Katie (McGuire) and younger brother Arliss (Corcoran), with the occasional visit from family friend Bud Searcy (York), and his daughter Lisbeth. A stray dog travels on to the Coates’ property and Arliss soon falls in love with the dog and begs to keep him. Much to Travis’ dismay, his mother let’s his younger brother keep that “yeller” dog. After some time, Travis begins to like Old Yeller and the dog proves that he cares for the family, saving them numerous times from danger. Yeller saves Travis from getting bit and killed by wild hogs when they are out marking the animals. Arliss is saved by Yeller when he is playing with a bear cub and the angry mother bear starts to come after him. In his final, heroic rescue, Yeller saves Katie and Lisbeth Searcy from a rabid wolf, but at a horrible cost. As a result of the fight with the wolf, Yeller contracts rabies and the Coates family slowly watches as he turns into a wild animal. In the end, Travis shoots his beloved dog to put end his suffering. Before Old Yeller dies, the Coates’ family discovers that Yeller and Lisbeth’s dog had puppies. The Coates keep one of the puppies and want to train him to be like Old Yeller.

Old Yeller is a fantastic film in my opinion. It was one of the first movies I can remember watching. For a film that was made in the 1950’s, it is very well done. Another enjoyable aspect of this film is that the character of Old Yeller is just a regular dog. He can’t talk to humans or anything that you would normally see had the film been animated.

5. Pirate’s of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)—is the first installment of the Pirates franchise and was released on June 28, 2003. The film was directed by Gore Verbinski and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. The stars of this film are Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Kiera Knightley, Jack Davenport, and Geoffrey Rush. It is the first Disney film to receive a PG-13 rating, and was nominated for five Academy Awards.

We first see Elizabeth Swann at the age of about 10 or 12 sailing with her father (the governor) out in open sea. She spots a ship in the distance on fire. She then spots Will Turner, a young boy about her age, floating on a piece of debris in the water. After he is rescued she sees a medallion around his neck and fears that he is a pirate. She ends up taking the medallion from him as he passes out due to exhaustion. Skip ahead eight years later, Elizabeth (Knightley) is proposed to by Commodore James Norrington (Davenport). When she faints, Elizabeth falls into the water and is saved by Captain Jack Sparrow (Depp), who has just sailed into Port Royale. Sparrow is arrested for piracy, but is later able to escape. While hiding he meets the now blacksmith Will Turner (Bloom) and Sparrow is later captured after a long sword fight. Jack’s ship, the Black Pearl comes to Port Royale looking for the medallion that Elizabeth has. The ship is not captained by Barbosa (Rush). Elizabeth is kidnapped and wanting to save her, Will helps free Jack from prison and the two go after Barbosa. The audience later learns that Will’s father was a pirate and was killed by Barbosa and his men. As punishment, under the moonlight the crew of the Pearl, they become skeletons, unable to die. To lift this curse they need the blood of “Bootstrap Bill’s” offspring. Jack and Will form a crew and follow Barbosa and eventually save Elizabeth. We also learn that Jack is also one of the cursed men of the Black Pearl. Barbosa is killed when Will finally lifts the curse and Jack is almost executed in Port Royal, but is saved by Will and Elizabeth. He sails off into the sunset again aboard his ship, the Black Pearl.

The first installment of the Pirates films is my hands down favorite. Johnny Depp masters the character of Jack Sparrow. His comedic timing could not be any more spot on. The love story between Elizabeth and Will is bearably believable, not too over the top. The costumes, music, and sword fights really help add in all of the extra details, while the special effects are out of this world.

4. Beauty and the Beast (1991)—this is the 13th animated film by Disney and premiered on November 13, 1991. It received to Academy Awards and is the only Disney film (animated) to have been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture. The film stars the voices of Paige O'Hara Robby Benson, Richard White, Jerry Orbach, Angela Lansbury, David Ogden Stiers, Bradley Pierce, and Rex Everhart.

In the beginning of this film, we meet a rude and conceited prince. When he refuses to let a beggar woman come in from the cold, the woman reveals that she is an enchantress. She punishes him for his actions and turns him into a hideous beast. He must learn to love and be loved by someone before the last petal of a rose falls. Years later, we meet Belle, (O’Hara) a beautiful, intelligent, young woman who loves to go on adventures when reading. She is being pursued by the conceited Gaston (White) but turns down his advances. When Belle’s father Maurice, (Everhart) an inventor, is lost in the woods on the way to show off his new invention, he stumbles into the Beast’s castle and becomes his captive. After Belle finds her father she trades places and agrees to stay with the Beast, while her father is free. In the castle, Belle meets Lumière, (Orbach) the candelabra, Cogsworth, (Stiers) the clock, Mrs. Potts, (Lansbury) the teapot, and Chip, (Pierce) the teacup and Mrs. Potts’ son. After much time together Belle and the Beast (Benson) fall in love and when he is attacked and wounded by a jealous Gaston, Belle expresses her love, breaking the spell. In the end, the two live happily ever after.

The Beauty and the Beast will always be considered a Disney classic. It is the epitome of what a “happily ever after” story is supposed to be. The music in this film is also amazing.

3. The Great Mouse Detective (1986)—this is the 26th animated film by Disney and was originally released on July 2, 1986, and re-released twice (July 1992 and August 1999). This film stars the voices of Barrie Ingham, Vincent Price, Val Bettin, Susanne Pollatschek, Candy Candido, and Alan Young.

This movie is set in 1897 London. It is young Olivia Flaversham’s (Pollatschek) birthday, when all of a sudden, someone breaks into her father’s (Young) workshop and he is kidnapped. Left all alone, Olivia searches for the famous Basil of Baker Street (Ingham). Along the way she meets Dr. David Q. Dawson (Bettin), a retired member of the 66th Regiment, who was coming to London to start a new life. Together Dr. Dawson and Olivia find Basil, and although reluctant at first, he decides to take the case. Basil deduces that Mr. Flaversham was kidnapped by Professor Ratigan (Price), a rat who has a long history as an enemy of Basil. To do Ratigan’s bidding is Fidget (Candido), a bat with a peg leg and a broken wing. After figuring out where Ratigan is hiding, Basil figures out that Ratigan wants to kill the Queen, and have Flaversham make a robotic queen that Ratigan can control. After saving Olivia’s father and the Queen, Basil and Ratigan face off at and in Big Ben. In the end, Ratigan falls off of Big Ben, and Basil survives and decides that he and invites Dr. Dawson to stay and work with him to solve future mysteries.

The Great Mouse Detective is not one of those Disney films that everyone knows about. I enjoy this movie because of the comparisons that they made of Basil to Sherlock Holmes. I think it is a brilliant way to make a literary reference.

2. Miracle (2004)—this film is based on the true events of the men’s hockey team of the United States in the 1980 Olympics. The film was directed by directed by Gavin O'Connor, written by Eric Guggenheim, and stars Kurt Russell, Noah Emmerich, Eddie Cahill, Patrick O'Brien Demsey, Michael Mantenuto, Nathan West, and Eric Peter-Kaiser. Miracle received the ESPY Award for Best Sports Movie in 2004.

In the beginning of the film, Herb Brooks (Russell) is offered the job as head coach of the United States Olympic men’s hockey team. When he meets with his good friend and assistant coach Craig Patrick (Emmerich), they are holding open tryouts in Colorado. When Brooks cuts the field down to 26 players after the first day, Patrick and some USOC hockey officials are skeptical. Some of the names on that list include: Mike Eruzione (O'Brien Demsey), from Massachusetts, Rob McClanahan (West), from Minnesota, Jack O'Callahan (Mantenuto), also from Massachusetts, Jim Craig (Cahill), from Massachusetts, and Mark Johnson (Peter-Kaiser), from Wisconsin. After many months of training, the list of 26 is cut down to the 20 that will compete in the Olympics. It is also after many months of working together that all of the players learn to work as a team, instead of only thinking of themselves. Once in Madison Square Garden, the U.S. team makes it to the semifinals where they must face the undefeated Soviet Union. Though the odds are clearly not in their favor, the U.S. holds on until the final goal of the game is scored in the final period by Mike Eruzione, putting the U.S. in the lead 4-3. Against all odds, the U.S. is able to hold on to that lead and beat the Soviet Union, to move onto the finals. The U.S. goes on to play Finland for the gold medal and comes out victorious, proving that they have, once again, done the impossible.

Miracle is one of the few Disney movies to take on a sports story like this. While there are some comedic moments, it is the serious moments that really shine. All of the actors clearly convey they emotions very well, making you feel both nervous when they play the Soviet Union, and elated when they win. I believe that one of the best aspects of the film is that some of the sports commentary you hear during the game against the Soviet Union, is the actual commentary that was said on that night. Bravo to Kurt Russell, Eddie Cahill, and Patrick O'Brien Demsey. They really convey their characters well and are what holds the team together.

Lion King (1994)—this film was released in theaters on June 15, 1994, and is Disney’s 32nd animated film. The film is ranked as the highest grossing, traditionally-animated film in history. The Lion King received two Academy Awards in the areas of music, and a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture. It features the voice talents of Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Matthew Broderick, Jeremy Irons, James Earl Jones, Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella, Whoopi Goldberg, Cheech Marin, Jim Cummings, Niketa Calame, Moira Kelly, Rowan Atkinson, and Robert Guillaume.

This film begins with the birth of Simba (Thomas). We are introduced to Mufasa (Jones) and Sarabi, and we can see that all of the animals in the entire kingdom have come to see their future king. That is, all except for Scar (Irons). He is Mufasa’s brother and believes that he should be the king. After a brief, heated confrontation, Scar and Mufasa part ways and the film picks up with Simba, as a cub. He is ready to go out into the kingdom with his dad, and is upset when Zazu (Atkinson) brings word of hyenas in the pride lands. We also learn that Scar is meeting with three hyenas, Shenzi, Banzai and Ed, (Goldberg, Marin, and Cummings) and he is extremely upset that they could not kill Simba and his friend Nala (Calame) when they had the chance. After some planning, Scar comes up with a plan in which Mufasa is killed trying to save Simba from a stampede. Scar makes Simba think that it is all his fault, gets him to run away, and wants Shenzi, Banzai and Ed to kill him. Simba escapes the hyenas alive and with Simba gone, Scar takes over as king. Sometime later, Simba meets a meerkat named Timon (Lane) and a warthog named Pumbaa (Sabella). They teach Simba “hakuna matata” which means “no worries”. Thinking he can’t go back home, Simba stays with Timon and Pumbaa. Some years later, a wise old baboon named Rafiki (Guillaume)realizes that Simba is alive. With the help of Rafiki and Nala (Kelly), Simba (Broderick) realizes that he must go back to reclaim his right as king. The pride lands have now become a wasteland, but with the help of Timon, Pumbaa, and Nala, Simba faces his uncle Scar and defeats him, taking his place as the rightful king.

This film has always been and will always be a classic. It has a fantastic cast, music, and storyline, making it enjoyable for all ages, and is my personal favorite.