Fifty-four Disney movies have been produced by the Walt Disney Animation Studios in California, starting with Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs in 1937. The latest was Big Hero 6, released in 2014. Three more movies are in the pipeline due to be released sporadically over the next three years. They are bound to be must see Disney classics.
These animated movies fall into various genres, including musicals (Jungle Book (1967), Frozen (2013)), fairy stories (Cinderella (1950), Sleeping Beauty (1959)), history (Pocahontas (1995), The Hunchback of Notre-Dame (1996)), and animal tales (The Lady and the Tramp (1955), The Aristocats (1970)).
Characteristic of Disney are the movies where actors interact with the animated characters with such classics as Mary Poppins (1964), with Julie Andrews playing Mary. It is interesting that this movie is also famous for the most appalling English accent courtesy of Dick Van Dyke which is ironic as the author of the Mary Poppins books, upon which the film was based, had insisted all the actors should be English.
Another classic live action/animation movie was Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971) where the lucky kids got to travel to Isle of Naboombu on their bed. I can't have been the only kid who turned the knob on my bedpost and hoped.
Disney movies are for everyone, although the biggest hits are those enjoyed by adults too. Kids like to watch these movies on a daily basis and it helps if they are fun for parents too. A list of A-list celebrities appear as voices in the movies including the vibrant performance of the late Robin Williams, Aladdin (1992), or Whoopi Goldberg for The Lion King (1994).
A typical "What is your favourite....?" question concerns animation and everyone has their favourite. With such an extended history of film-making, a favourite is not always a film from childhood. Simply a film that has spoken to them for whatever reason. For great songs a classic is Jungle Book (1967), and I defy anyone not to dance to I wanna be like you-hoo-hoo. The most recent movie with annoyingly catchy tunes is Frozen (2013), where Let it Go has been used in TV adverts in the UK, played hundreds of times a day in December 2014. Although perhaps not the most spectacular example, everyone should see Frozen just so they are able to join the discussion.
A great tale of adventure is Peter Pan which consists of pirates, wild children living in the woods, an alarm clock in a crocodile, and a boy who never grew up. Disney excels at romances, of which there are a lot. One that shines is Little Mermaid (1989) which tells the love story of a man and Aerial. There are some jolly tunes like Under the Sea, vibrant colours and loveable characters.
Disney decided to tap a different audience with The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) which appealed to kids, adults and goths. This is the story of Jack Skeleton who kidnaps Santa to take over the Christmas holiday. A dark, macabre movie with great (if dreary) songs and an un-Disney appearance to it ensures this movie could only be successful.
Not everyone will agree with the choice of movies presented here, and in a year's time perhaps the list of must-see Disney movies would be different as, as the audience matures their choice of movies changes although it is inevitable that of the fifty-four movies there will always be a favourite that stands out.
These animated movies fall into various genres, including musicals (Jungle Book (1967), Frozen (2013)), fairy stories (Cinderella (1950), Sleeping Beauty (1959)), history (Pocahontas (1995), The Hunchback of Notre-Dame (1996)), and animal tales (The Lady and the Tramp (1955), The Aristocats (1970)).
Characteristic of Disney are the movies where actors interact with the animated characters with such classics as Mary Poppins (1964), with Julie Andrews playing Mary. It is interesting that this movie is also famous for the most appalling English accent courtesy of Dick Van Dyke which is ironic as the author of the Mary Poppins books, upon which the film was based, had insisted all the actors should be English.
Another classic live action/animation movie was Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971) where the lucky kids got to travel to Isle of Naboombu on their bed. I can't have been the only kid who turned the knob on my bedpost and hoped.
Disney movies are for everyone, although the biggest hits are those enjoyed by adults too. Kids like to watch these movies on a daily basis and it helps if they are fun for parents too. A list of A-list celebrities appear as voices in the movies including the vibrant performance of the late Robin Williams, Aladdin (1992), or Whoopi Goldberg for The Lion King (1994).
A typical "What is your favourite....?" question concerns animation and everyone has their favourite. With such an extended history of film-making, a favourite is not always a film from childhood. Simply a film that has spoken to them for whatever reason. For great songs a classic is Jungle Book (1967), and I defy anyone not to dance to I wanna be like you-hoo-hoo. The most recent movie with annoyingly catchy tunes is Frozen (2013), where Let it Go has been used in TV adverts in the UK, played hundreds of times a day in December 2014. Although perhaps not the most spectacular example, everyone should see Frozen just so they are able to join the discussion.
A great tale of adventure is Peter Pan which consists of pirates, wild children living in the woods, an alarm clock in a crocodile, and a boy who never grew up. Disney excels at romances, of which there are a lot. One that shines is Little Mermaid (1989) which tells the love story of a man and Aerial. There are some jolly tunes like Under the Sea, vibrant colours and loveable characters.
Disney decided to tap a different audience with The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) which appealed to kids, adults and goths. This is the story of Jack Skeleton who kidnaps Santa to take over the Christmas holiday. A dark, macabre movie with great (if dreary) songs and an un-Disney appearance to it ensures this movie could only be successful.
Not everyone will agree with the choice of movies presented here, and in a year's time perhaps the list of must-see Disney movies would be different as, as the audience matures their choice of movies changes although it is inevitable that of the fifty-four movies there will always be a favourite that stands out.
