The 70s and 80s saw Disney with some animated features like The Aristocats became future classics, but these were few and far between. The studio had yet to turn to 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:original stories to make its mark. However, all of that changed at the end of the millennium.ဣ In the late 1980s, Disney began producing films that were gorgeously animated and had distinct audiovisual identities to go with their incredible storytelling.

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These films left an indelible impression on their audience, often becoming the𒅌 definitive versions 🍸of the tales they adapted. This period, spanning 1989 to 1999, is called the Disney Renaissance.

10 ๊ ๊ Pocahontas

A still frame from Disney's Pocahontas, showing John Smith holding hands with Pocahontas.

Year

1995

Directed by

Mike Gabriel, Eric Goldberg

Starring

Joe Baker, Christian Bale, Irene Bedard

Pocahontas was a rare misfire in a period of overall creative and artistic excellence. Much like the rest of Disney's Renaissance output, the film is gorgeously animated, but it may be too dark and violent for younger viewers and too historically pro♓blematic for older ones.

That said, it is still entertaining to watch if its historical inaccuracies are ignored. There are moments where the colours pop right off the screen, particularly in the 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:musical segments. The amount of memes it has inspired, such as Koco💫um running out of cover,𒐪 shows how the film managed to resonate with its audience despite its issues.

9 The Rescuers Dowಌn Under﷽

A still frame from Disney's The Rescuers Down Under showing a salamander with a young boy.

Year

1990

Directed by

Hendel Butoy, Mike Gabriel

Starring

Bob Newhart, Eva Gabor, John Candy

The Rescuers Down Under is the forgoꦇtten middle child of the Disney Renaissance, particularly as it was a sequel to a largely unknown 70s film. What it lacks in staying power, it makes up for in innovation. As the second Disney Renaissance film, it represented a massive shift in how animated movies were produced, being the first 2D film to be created entirely digitally.

Its Australian setting is also welcome, as the outback is explored through the lens of wonder and adventure. The film has a short running time, clocking in at only 7🔜7 minutes, so if you haven't seen it before, it won't take long to complete the Disney Renaissance puzzle with ๊this one.

8 The Hunchback👍 Of Notre Dame

A still frame from Disney's The Hunchback Of Notre Dame showing a porcine statue talking to Quasimodo.

Year

1996

Directed by

Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise

Starring

Tom Hulce, Demi Moore, Tony Jay

If you're picking a Disney Renaissance film to watch as an adult and don't care much for family-friendly shenanigans, t🌱he Hunchback of Notre Dame should be at the top of your list. It's dark and scary, verging on being downright shocking at times, but it's alsꦗo a daring condemnation of authoritarianism.

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Though there are𝕴 fantastical elements, and one psychedelic sequence where Tony Jay exercises his vocal chops in Hellfire, the story told here is rather grounded. Quasimodo, a deformed bell-ringer,🌱 is caught up in a conflict between the corrupt Judge Frollo and the Roma population of Paris, complicating the protagonist's desire to gain acceptance.

7 Hercules

A still frame from Disney's Hercules showing the titular hero atop a winged stallion.

Year

1997

Directed by

John Musker, Ron Clements

Starring

Tate Donovan, Danny DeVito, James Woods

Hercules was sꦏeen by critics as one of the weaker entries into the Disney Renaissance canon, due to its reliance on pop culture callbacks and contemporary humour in an ancient Greek setting. But clearly, the film caught on with audiences, as it continues to be discussed decades after its premiere.

The starry-eyed titular protagonist plays second fiddle in popularity to the 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:gleefully villainous Hades and the cynical mentor Philoctetes, voiced by Danny DeVito. Hercules' boy-to-man storytelling is nothing new, but its fusion o💯f contemporary humour with classical mythology is refreshing.

6 Tarzan

A still frame from Disney's Tarzan showing the titular character looking back over his shoulder.

Year

1999

Directed by

Kevin Lima, Chris Buck

Starring

Tony Goldwyn, Minnie Driver, Glenn Close

Tarzan represents the end of an era: it was the last Disney Renaissance film ever produced, and it came out at the turn of the millennium. Disney said goodbye to the 90s style with a fil🎃m that was both visually intriguing and sonically resonant. Phil Collins provided the soundtrack, providing the perfect audio accompaniment to this Disney adaptation of Edgar Rice Burrough's story.

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There are many beautiful bonds on display in Tarzan: between humans and animals and between foster parents and their children. Tarzan is adopted by the apes after his own parents are killed, and his mother, Kala, proves to be an affectionate mentor for him. This is a story of self-discovery with one of the prettiest s🐼ettings in an animate🍎d movie.

5 Mulan

A still frame from Disney's Mulan showing the titular character's face reflected in a sword.

Year

1998

Directed by

Barry Cook, Tony Bancroft

Starring

Ming-Na Wen, Eddie Murphy, BD Wong

Mulan was a fine accomplishment by Disney, telling a coming-of-age story about a character archetype the stu𓄧dio hadn't yet tackled: the woman warrior. Defying gender stereotypes and military regulat✅ions, Mulan joins the army in order to spare her elderly father from entering another grisly conflict.

Though its premise is serious, Mulan has many moments of side-splitting comedy. Most of these come courtesy of the cowardly Mushu, a small red dragon who accompanies Mulan under her ancestors' orders. Mushu is, in essence, the Donkey from S꧑hrek before there was a Donkey from Shrek, and Eddie Murphy excels at voicing him.

4 The Li꧟ttle Mermaid ♐

A still frame from Disney's The Little Mermaid showing the main character smiling and hugging a fish.

Year

1989

Directed by

John Musker, Ron Clements

Starring

📖René Auꦡberjonois, Christopher Daniel Barnes, Jodi Benson

The 🥃Little Mermaid was the film that kickstarted Disney's Renaissance: it was beautifully animated, had catchy songs, and easily identifiable characters. Its standout was Ursula, who would set the template for all Disney villains to come. Without Ursula, there would be no Scar, no Jafar, and n༒o Hades.

Many of Disney's storytelling conventions in the Renaissance were also set in stone with this film: 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:the 'I Want' song, the coming-of-age conceit, and the introduction of a new Disney♑ princess. The film ended Disney's creative drought and opened the floodgates to a golden age.

3 🌠 🔜 Beauty And The Beast

A still frame from Disney's Beauty and the Beast, showing Belle singing atop a hill.

Year

1991

Directed by

Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise

Starring

Paige O'Hara, Robby Benson, Richard White

Beauty a🃏nd the Beast forsook the action protagonist for a brainier archetype: its main character, Belle, is bookish and genteel, and her adventure lies not in scaling fantastical landscapes but in teaching a beast how to be human again. The story is based on a French fairy tale, and though its messages of kindness are subtle, they are effective.

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The film is far from being morally grandstanding, though: its deuteragonist - the tit♔ular Beast - i🐎s flawed but given a chance at redemption. It takes time, but he is able to earn his happy ending thanks to Belle's guiding hand.

2 Aladdin

A still frame from Disney's Aladdin, showing Jasmine and Aladdin looking awed while riding a magic carpet.

Year

1992

Directed by

John Musker, Ron Clements

Starring

Scott Weinger, Robin Williams, Linda Larkin

Though there are many adaptations of One Thousand and One Nights, Aladdin is the most recognizable one. It isn't surprising that the film achieved that: it has a catchy soundtrack and was a staple on every 90s kid's VHS. Its simple story is rendered compelling by its grꦇandiose setting.

Aladdin wasn't just a film but the impetus for a cross-media revolution. It inspired a high-quality and highly successful 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:video game adaptation, starting💜 a trend for Disney tie-in games. For another, it signaled the dawn of the celebrity voice actor. After Robin Williams' larger-than-life performance in this film, every studio wanted recognizable faces in the recording booth.

1 The Lion ♏King

A still frame from Disney's The Lion King, showing a young Simba having the juice of the jujube fruit smeared across his forehead by Rafiki.

Year

1994

Directed by

Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff

Starring

Jonathan Taylor Th꧃omas, Matthew Broderick, James ꦇEarl Jones

The Lion King was, for the longest time, Disney's gr🧸eatest triumph at the box office, on VHS, and in terms of sheer artistic achievement. It brought Shakespearean storytelling to a digestible format, transplanting the themes ⛦of Hamlet to an exotic savannah setting. It dictated perceptions of the animals portrayed therein for decades, which was bad news for hyenas.

Though it featured animalꦅ protagonists, the Lion King told a very humanistic story. Its themesꦉ of loss, jealousy, running from responsibility, and ultimately redeeming oneself were a core component of its young audience's childhoods. The remake grossed over a billion dollars for a reason: everyone wanted to relive those memories.

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