Most of us grew up on Disney movies as kids: seeing the princesses and princes across the big screen. There were some pretty great Disney movies then, and now. To this day, I'm still a big fan of Disney, and I love seeing their new works in the theater. The truth is: you're never too old for a Disney movie. Side note: this top 10 list is open to all Disney movies! This means I took into account animated movies, live-action movies, Pixar, and Disney Channel Original Movies. Yes, it was thought long and hard over but here is the final list. Disclaimer: this list contains spoilers!
10. "Stuck in the Suburbs"
Out of the many DCOMs I've seen, Stuck in the Suburbs is the most prevalent to me. It features, Brittany, a girl who lives in a small town. She longs to get out, so when she meets Natasha, a girl who says she has traveled the world, they become instant friends. Brittany seems to be living the dream even more after her favorite pop star, Jordan Cahill comes to film a music video. Jordan's a typical pop star: loved by many pre-teen girls, yet he just wants to be his own person because of his pushy manager. When Jordan and Brittany mistakenly swap phones, Brittany ends up meeting up with Jordan, along with Natasha. He tells them that their town reminds him of a small town he grew up in, and how he misses his past life. He even tells Brittany "you can get stuck anyway, the suburbs is just a state of mind."
9. "Sky High"
I grew up with Sky High! Sky High tells the story of freshman Will Stronghold, the son of two famous superheroes: The Commander and Jetstream. However, Will initially has no powers, making him a sidekick. Yet, he befriends many sidekicks in his class. The only issue: once he finally gets his superpowers, he's promoted to the hero class, and gets caught up in popularity. The lesson here is simple: never forget your friends, popularity isn't the most important thing in life. You should remember where you came from. Later in the movie, when the school is doomed, it's up to the sidekicks to save the day. Here, we see you don't need a label to save the day. In Sky High, it was said that after graduation sidekicks would be paired with heroes as their partner. Yet, it seems that the sidekicks are really just the heroes too.
8. "Toy Story"
I wanted Pixar to be represented on this list, and it seemed it was it fit best here. After much thought, I ended up picking Toy Story. This movie was always around in my childhood, and it tells the well-known story of how people that seem like your enemies can really just be your friends. Woody was jealous of Buzz so he looked for any excuse to get rid of him. But when they both end up at Sid's house, they learn that they actually make a good team, and end up being friends. Most importantly, they realize they are capable of living amongst the other toys successfully.
7. "Emperor's New Groove"
Emperor's New Groove is completely underrated. Kronk is hilarious, Yzma is the perfect villain, and it's a good story about Kuzko, a man who experienced a change of heart. This idea has been done countless times, yet it works for Emperor's New Groove. Kuzko goes on a quest to learn to think beyond himself. He becomes friends with Pacha, a village man. Throughout the movie, there are various comedic moments, stabs at pop culture, and endearing moments. Plus, David Spade's Kuzko, and he's hilarious.
6. "Aladdin"
A classic princess movie, but classic nonetheless. It's a movie that teaches you can break the mold. Aladdin, a street rat, falls for a princess. With the help of a genie, he is able to get her to fall in love with him. It features great music like "Friend Like Me," not to mention Genie is the best character. It features quirky sidekicks like Abu or Rajah and the ever annoying Iago. Plus, it's one of Robin's Williams most iconic movies, with good reason too.
5. "Pocahontas"
People criticize Pocahontas as it pits the Europeans as the villain, saying that they were mean to the Natives, and only wanted to look for gold. However, in some ways this is true; some nations, like Spain, killed natives without a second thought. They thought they were just savages, and they thought conquest was more important. It teaches people to see both perspectives (this is even spelled out explicitly in "Colors of the Wind."). From the Native's point of view, the colonists were invading their homeland, from colonists point of view, they saw land and new opportunity and resources. Some looked down on the Natives, and that they only stood in their way.
4. "Big Hero 6"
Big Hero 6 is a hit or miss movie for most people, but it is an amazing movie that at its roots is about how to deal with loss. Hiro is grieving the loss of Tadashi (his brother), and Baymax (a robot designed by Tadashi) must help him through. It has comedic moments, usually delivered by Fred or Wasabi, to balance out the tough times, like Tadashi's death scene (let's face it, a movie wouldn't be a Disney movie without death in there somewhere). The movie is a tear jerker, especially at the end when Hiro must sacrifice Baymax, a friend he has grown close to. The characters are awesome, the plot is well thought out, and c'mon, who doesn't love Baymax?
3. "Zootopia"
Zootopia may seem like a children's movie as it is a Disney, but it appeals to adults as much as it does to children. There are many undertones in the movie addressing how there really is no "utopia." Zootopia seems like a perfect place beloved by everyone with no predator-prey relations, yet there're issues. Judy Hopps, the main character is only seen as a stereotypical bunny, even after graduating from the police academy. Nick Wilde is only seen as a cunning fox, but he is able to break out of this stereotype after he becomes a cop. It teaches kids that the world isn't perfect, and to overlook stereotypes/prejudices.
2. "Hercules"
Hercules is another overlooked movie. It shows a seemingly mortal boy who turns out to be a hero, the son of Zeus. It shows heroes can be in the most unlikely places and they can be anywhere. Hercules defeats many monsters, much to the dismay of Hades, yet Hades is able to find Hercules' weakness: Meg. This shows we all have a weakness, even if people seem perfect. No one is perfect. Yet, we all have our strengths. It also shows us if we work hard enough, we will be able to reach our goals, as exhibited by Hercules training montage. And c'mon, the muses are amazing, and Hercules is on it's way to Broadway!
1. "Mulan"
Even though she isn't technically a princess, Mulan is amazing. People say that Frozen featured the first lead woman who was strong and independent. I beg to differ. Mulan was a strong woman, who volunteered for her father in the war! She was willing to risk her life just so her father wouldn't have to go as he was too weak. She disguised herself as a man, even if she would get caught. She taught girls that they can do what boys can and that you should take initiative. She warned people that the Huns were coming even if no one would listen; she stood by her beliefs. Plus, Eddie Murphy is great as Mushu, and "I'll Make a Man out of You" is the greatest Disney song ever.
"Remember that this whole thing was started with a dream and a mouse." -Walt Disney
