The Best Disney Animal Animations
After The Release Of Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs, The Walt Disney Animation Company Changed The World Of Animation. Disney-Led Animated Films Were Regularly In Theaters.
According to recent years, they were the pioneers of new developments in this art and influenced generations with strong storytelling and beautiful imagery.
An example of Disney’s abilities can be found in films that focus more on animals than humans. Disney animators can give these fantastic animals a range of emotions and make them as dynamic and active as humans.
The Aristocats
| Director | Wolfgang Rittermann |
| voice actors | Phil Harris, Eva Gibber, Sterling Holloway, and… |
| IMDB score | 7.1 |
In France, the Duchess (Eva Guibert) lives with her children in the opera singer Adelaide Bonfamili’s (Hermione Bedley) house. When she decides that her cats will inherit her estate after her death, her servant Edgar (Rudy Mudd-Roxby) decides to get rid of them so the inheritance goes to her. Fortunately, he fails to kill them, and the cats meet a street cat named Thomas O’Malley (Phil Harris), who agrees to take them home.
Unfortunately, instead of being like other Disney family films, The Aristocats targeted a younger audience and suffered from this. For example, its humor, characters, and writing are much more bland than the films before and after. However, the film has catchy songs that will stay in your mind for a long time, and Edgar is a funny villain.
Dinosaur
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| voice actors | |
| IMDB score |
Alidar (DB Sweeney) is an iguana who lives with a population of lemurs who raised him after hatching. One day, a meteorite destroys his home, forcing Alidar and the survivors of his family to join a pack of wandering dinosaurs. They go to the special areas of a fruitful life, but thirst, hunters, and social Darwinist leadership make their journey difficult.
It could have been worse as Disney’s first all-CGI film apart from Pixar. The animation looks pretty good for the time, and the soundtrack by James Newton Howard is one of the best in Disney movies. Unfortunately, the story is predictable, and the abundance hurts the character’s meta-humor.
Bolt
| Director | Byron Howard and Chris Williams |
| voice actors | Miley Cyrus, John Travolta, Malcolm McDowell and… |
| IMDB score | 6.8 |
With the help of his human partner, Penny (Miley Cyrus), a superhero dog named Bolt (John Travolta) fights against the evil Dr. Calico (Malcolm McDowell). Bolt does not know that he is the star of a TV series and is never allowed to leave the scene. After the cliffhanger ending, Penny is stolen, Bolt frees himself, tries to rescue her, and ends up lost in New York City.
Bolt is an underappreciated masterpiece that heralded a change in Disney’s 2000s era. The film tells a fascinating story about achieving success while accepting the limitations that come with it. The voice acting and characters are all very charming, especially Bolt and a street cat named Mittens (Susie Esman), who befriends him on the way home.
The Rescuers Down Under
| Director | Handel Biotwey and Mark Gabriel |
| Actors | Bob Newhart, Eva Gibber, John Kennedy, and… |
| IMDB score | 6.8 |
Cody (Adam Raine), a young boy in Australia, rescues a giant golden eagle named Marahuthe (Frank Welker), who trusts the boy to see the eagle’s nest and eggs. On his way home, he is ambushed by McLeach (George E. Scott), who wants to sell the eagle. The news of her being trapped reaches the Rescue Aid Society, who send agents Bernard (Bob Newhart) and Bianca (Eva Gaber) to rescue her.
The Rescuers Down Under is one of those few sequels that are better than the original. The animation is beautiful, especially in the flight scenes, among the most impressive Disney sequences. Scott’s performance is also creepy and comedic, making him one of Disney’s most underrated villains.
One Hundred and One Dalmatians
| Director | Clyde Geronimi, Hamilton Lusk, and Wolfgang Rittermann |
| voice actors | Rod Taylor, Lisa Davis, Ben Wright, and… |
| IMDB score | 7.3 |
After introducing his owner, Roger (Ben Wright), to Anita (Lisa Davis), Pongo (Rod Taylor) and Anita’s spotted dog, Perdita (Kate Bauer), await the birth of their puppies. Unfortunately, Anita’s school friend Cruella (Betty Lou Gerson) takes an interest in the puppies when she learns about them. When Roger refuses to sell them to him, he hires two thugs to steal the puppies to make fur coats for him.
While the film is not an epic work, One Hundred and One Dalmatians do its job. It features several memorable supporting characters, from the clumsy toddler Cruella to the gray cat Major Tibbs (David Frankham), who is there to help save the puppies. Cruella also establishes herself as one of Disney’s best villains, thanks to Gerson’s performance and Mark Davis’ masterful animation design.
The Fox and the Hound
| Director | Ted Berman, Richard Rich, and Art Stevens |
| voice actors | Mickey Rooney, Kurt Russell, Pearl Bailey and… |
| IMDB score | 7.2 |
An older woman named Widow Tweed (Janet Nolan) finds an orphaned fox and calls him Todd (Keith Mitchell and Mickey Rooney). Meanwhile, his hunting neighbor, Amos Slade (Jack Albertson), brings home a puppy he calls Cooper (Corey Feldman and Kurt Russell) and trains him as a hunting dog. The two meet and become friends, but everyone tells them they must grow up as each other’s enemies.
Considering the film’s history of production problems, it’s amazing that it was released with such a high level of quality. The film has many annoying moments, such as its ludicrous slowness and contrasting tones, but its emotional moments make up for it. Along with the tragedy of Todd and Cooper’s friendship, the best example is the scene where Tweed has to let Todd go.
Lady and the Tramp
| Director | Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, and Hamilton Lusk |
| voice actors | Barbara Lodi, Larry Roberts, Peggy Lee, and… |
| IMDB score | 7.3 |
Lady (Barbara Lodi) is a cocker spaniel who lives with her owners, Jim Deere (Lee Miller) and Darling (Peggy Lee). Her life changes after her owners have a child, and Lady is placed in the care of her Aunt Clara (Verna Felton), who fears she may harm the child. This leads to him getting lost in the city and meeting an experienced stray dog named De Trump (Larry Roberts).
Lady and the Tramp is one of the best Disney love stories. Lady and the Tramp give each other’s different characters a lot of love and attention, and the writers carefully maintain the rhythm of their interactions so that the overall romance of the work feels sincere. Beautiful songs are in the position, such as “Bella Notte,” which plays during the iconic spaghetti-for-dinner sequence.
Bambi
| Director | James Alger, Samuel Armstrong, and David Hand |
| voice actors | Hardy Albright, Stan Alexander, Babet Audrey, and… |
| IMDB score | 7.3 |
In a peaceful forest, a deer gives birth to a baby named Bambi (Bobby Stewart, Donnie Dunagin, Hardy Albright, and John Sutherland). He has a happy childhood, spends it with his mother and friends, and enjoys the beauty of being young. But after the passing of months, Bambi becomes aware of the dangers of the world, especially the danger of the hidden hunter who is called only by the name of “Man.”
Bambi is a masterful work of art. The animators used real animals as references for their designs, which allowed them to work more realistically, and the background coloring by Tyrus Wong made the jungle even more magical. The story is one of the prominent examples that are less satisfied with anthropomorphizing animals, and as a result, its story is like watching life grow.
Dumbo
| Directors | Samuel Armstrong, Norman Ferguson, and Wilfred Jackson |
| voice actors | Sterling Holloway, Edward Brophy, Herman Bing, and… |
| IMDB score | 7.2 |
A circus elephant is born with big ears and gets the name Dumbo. When his mother is jailed for rummaging while defending himself against abusers, Dumbo finds himself alone and taunted by the other elephants. Fortunately, she is befriended by a mouse named Timothy (Edward Brophy), who tries to help her become a star.
Dumbo was produced to make Disney a quick buck after Bambi, yet it became one of Disney’s most emotional films. It is a story about the strange unification of creatures that help each other overcome life’s difficulties and turn their weaknesses into strengths. Dumbo’s animator, Bill Tytla, made a name for himself as one of Disney’s best, thanks to how hard and passionate he was to show Dumbo’s various emotions without dialogue.
The Lion King
| Directors | Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff |
| voice actors | Matthew Broderick, Jeremy Irons, James Earl Jones and… |
| IMDB score | 8.5 |
Simba (Jonathan Taylor Thomas) is the son of King Mufasa (James Earl Jones) and the future king of the Pride Lands. This angers her uncle, Oscar (Jeremy Irons), who is seeking his throne. While Simba learns the values of a good king, Oscar teams up with the hyenas to kill him and Mufasa.
While the first Disney team was busy producing Pocahontas, the second team took on the task of making The Lion King, and it became one of the best-selling classic animated works. The film’s story is powerful and accompanied by adult themes such as growing up, accepting responsibility, and learning from the past. The animators did a great job bringing the animals to life and moving the depth of field up and down to show their size and strength.
