1. Aladdin. I both listened to the score for this and played the Sega Genesis adaptation of it a lot as a kid, so I guess it's fair to say this film is a big part of my childhood. Irrespective of my intake of peripheral media related to the film, it's definitely one of Disney's best; great songs, bold colors, neatly self-contained plot, great character development, one of Disney's hammiest villains ever, the works. Might be interchangeable with #2, though.
   
2. Zootopia. I'm still sort of obsessed with this one. The setting is super-generic on paper - yeah, a world where only animals exist, except they walk and talk like humans do, haven't heard that one before, from Disney themselves no less (I mean, Mickey Mouse) - and yet in practice I still find the end result super compelling. Plus, it's a drat fun film noir/buddy cop film; that it touches upon something as topical as prejudice in American society and all the pitfalls the Great American Melting Pot brings along with it is just gravy. Also, I really adore the score; the guitar for Nick's theme is just too good. Might be interchangeable with #1, but given I have history with Aladdin while Zootopia is still pretty new, it's probably safer to put it higher for now.
   
3. Hunchback of Notre Dame. This one has a bit of a special significance for me, in that it came out just as my family and I were moving away from America for a three year stay in England, and I got to witness firsthand how the film that'd hit theaters in America was only just hitting theaters in Europe months later (and also, Burger King did the US toys, but McDonald's did them in England - or maybe it was vice versa, I forget). That said, the film on its own merits, sentimentality aside, is still amazing. Disney went dark for this one, but it paid off immensely. Frollo especially steals the show, basically taking the concept of a villainous lecher they had with Gaston but then removing any goofiness he had and replacing it with religious self-righteousness. I didn't mind the gargoyles as a kid, though as an adult I notice they should've been more consistent about whether or not they were figments of Quasimodo's imagination (like, if they are, then how are they participating in the climactic battle?).
   
4. Beauty and the Beast. The film itself is a classic, of course, presenting a wonderful cast of side characters besides the two leads, and that's not even getting into how Gaston's one of the most memorable film villains ever made (even if Jafar is more delightfully hammy in his villainy, and Frollo a more-compelling lustful villain). Some of my earliest memories were of some Disney VHSes containing sing-alongs of the film's songs, particularly "Be Our Guest". I also listened to this soundtrack a lot as a kid, though outside of the songs, I found Aladdin's better overall.
   
5. Nightmare Before Christmas. Though I think the love story between Jack and Sally is a bit rushed toward the end (given how oblivious Jack is all the way up until after the climactic fight), that Oogie Boogie seems like he was written in a bit late (he isn't even properly introduced until halfway in!) and that the Dr. Finklestein plot thread kinda went nowhere (given it was originally planned that he be Oogie Boogie, which obviously didn't happen in the final film), this is just a joy to watch otherwise, whether for Halloween, Christmas, or splitting the difference and watching it on Thanksgiving. Love the whimsical Danny Elfman score, too (and it's kind of nifty how Elfman's singing voice fits Chris Sarandon's speaking voice so well).
   
6. Up, I think. I don't remember as much of the second half as I probably should, but it was inoffensive enough, and that first half was downright magical and made the film on its own. Probably my favorite Pixar film just for that half.
   
7. Toy Story. Seeing an all-CGI animated film in theaters sure was a revelatory experience as a kid, one that's super easy to take for granted now that all animated films are all-CGI (barring anime and a few smaller releases). Besides that, it's just a well-made film all around that's still enjoyable to watch today, even after its CGI has aged considerably. Another film I played a lot of the game adaptation for.
   
8. Iron Giant, because this list is getting waaaay too friggin' Disney-centric. To be fair, though, Iron Giant really deserves its spot up here; it's just a solid film all-around. Really dug the cynical artist and overzealous antagonist agent - wish their names weren't escaping me at the moment (I remember Hogarth's name, at least?). That said, I vaguely recall having the Iron Giant books read to me during the aforementioned stay in England, and I recall them being very different... Notably, taking place in England instead of Cold War-era America.
   
9. Wreck-It Ralph!. While I'm a bit annoyed at how the Nicelanders gave Ralph poo poo for being himself, and then gave him poo poo for not being himself, and also somewhat annoyed at how the film basically goes from meta video game humor to almost entirely candy humor for the latter half of the film (probably to not alienate the not-insignificant chunk of the audience that's never played video games), this was a really solid film - one that I think I owe a rewatch at some point, thinking about it...
   
10. The LEGO Movie, to end this on another not-Disney film. Really loved how it played with the whole "chosen one" plot trope (even if it ultimately ended up playing it straight, sort of), but the twist with The Man Upstairs was super inventive. Add in some super witty humor and you have a pretty great film. Not sure how dated it'll feel in ten years or so, but for now, everything (about it) is awesome.
    

Shadow Hog fucked around with this message at 08:00 on Apr 7, 2017