Close your eyes, think really hard and try to think of the most underrated Disney film you can. One that is never brought up in conversations and gets easily forgotten. One that deserves so much more love than it gets.
Have you got one in mind? I can bet it probably isn’t the one I’m about to say.
Ready?
Alright, alright, before you get out your pitchforks and tell me that my opinion is wrong, hear me out.
I know that there are tons of underrated Disney films out there. However, those films have gotten some limelight lately and have been acknowledged for being so brilliantly made. People bring up The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Atlantis: The Lost Empire now when talking about their favorite Disney films. However, during conversations about underrated Disney movies, I never have heard Newsies even mentioned.
(I'm not counting the Broadwaymusical here. This argument is strictly for the 1992 movie. That adaptation is another article for another day.)
This phenomenon has led me to believe that is is one of the most underrated Disney movies out there, in close running with Oliver and Company .
Allow me to convince you why I believe that this is a movie that deserves so much love.
Newsies is actually based off of the Newsboys' strike of 1899. This strike was put together to combat the unfair compensation of Pulitzer and Hearst's child labor forces of newsboys. This child's fight was actually a successful strike, decreased paper sales for the abusive paper companies, and increased wages for news hawkers. It's honesly super interesting to learn about.
Fun fact: My great-grandfather was an original Newsie!
Fast-forward 93 years and the cult-classic Disney film has been released.
Initially, the film was a flop, both with critics and the box office. I guess the world just wasn't ready for the pizazz of the Great White Way on the silver screen.
As unfortunate as that is, the movie was designed to mimic the style of Broadway shows in full, from the script to the staging. Anyone who is a fan of Broadway musicals would love this film for that alone, as it is truly a gem to watch.
These boys are adorable, sing in city accents, and can dance!
The plot is interesting, the songs are catchy, the characters are memorable, and the visuals are great! What more do you want?
The only thing better would be a sassy character from Brooklyn!
Oh wait...
Look out for the kings of New York, ‘cause the Newsies are here to stay!
