Even though they just keep insulting their fans and predecessors by creating horrible direct-to-dvd sequels to their classics, there’s just no denying that Walt Disney Animation Studios (formerly Walt Disney Feature Animation) once knew how to make damn good films. Sure, the company’s slacked over the last couple of years and turned to the dark side, but their classics still remain and it’s always good to go back and remember just how awesome the company used to be. Of all their 47 official classics, I’ve managed to churn out a list featuring my personal top ten. Let’s see how I fared…

10. Cinderella (1950)

Cinderella, the twelfth Disney Animated Feature, will always be an unforgettable film, telling the classic tale of the beautiful girl who is abused by her ugly step-sisters and evil stepmother and forced into slavery, eventually winning the day by getting married to a dashing prince and living happily ever after. It’s a done to death tale, but who can hold that against it when the film has singing mice and pumpkin carriages. And best of all? Lady Tremaine, Cinderella’s evil stepmother, who might be one of Disney’s most deplorable villains, taking great pleasure in humiliating her step-daughter and making her life completely miserable. Not to mention songs such as Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo and The Work Song. And who can forget Jaq and Gus the lovable mice?

9. Fantasia (1940)

The third feature to come from the animation studio, Fantasia can still be considered Disney’s most ambitious project, ever, and perhaps one of the greatest works in animation history. A marrying of state of the art (for the time) animation and classical music, the film allowed for the animators at the time to experiment with techniques otherwise denied to them, including dabbling into the abstract and avant-garde. It also features some of Disney’s most memorable sequences, perhaps none so unforgettable as The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, which features Mickey Mouse attempting to use magic complete his chores, with devastating results. Who could forget that classic image of the marching broomsticks and flooding tower while fireworks burst from Mickey’s fingertips?

8. Peter Pan (1953)

Peter Pan is adapted from J. M. Barrie’s popular play Peter Pan, or the Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up and is the fourteenth feature film from the studio. While most of Barrie’s original dialogue was rejected for the film, it is best remembered for bringing the world of Neverland to life in ways which were never before possible, and adhering the to golden rule that Mr. Darling and Captain Hook should be portrayed by the same actor, in this case Hans Conried who supplied both voice and stood in as a live action reference.

7. Pocahontas (1995)

The thirty-third film from the studio, Pocahontas was the first Disney film to deal with decidedly more adult themes than any of its previous films, it was also the first Disney film to deal with actual historical characters, and last but not least, it was the first Disney film to deal with an interracial relationship. It features some of the most vibrant and crisp animation the company has ever produced, as well as an epic and moving soundtrack rooted in Native American culture. One of the film’s common criticisms is that its themes are too mature for most children to comprehend, but in my opinion that makes it much more endearing.

6. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

The very first feature film to be released by Walt Disney Feature Animation, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs also has the honour of being the first full length feature animation in colour with optical sound, in history. It’s a mouthful, but it’s a pretty big deal. The film set up Disney with the formula they would become renowned for, a classic tale with catchy music and a love story ending happily ever after. It’s considered by most critics to be the greatest animated film of all time and is listed in the United States Film Registry as culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant. While it’s not my pick for number one, there’s no denying just how influential the film has been on the entire animation industry and it will forever remain a classic.

5. Aladdin (1992)

Aladdin is the thirty-first feature from the studio, and was the most successful film in the year it opened. Aladdin is best known for its unforgettable soundtrack by Alan Menken, Howard Ashman and Tim Rice flavoured with Arabian influences and catchy big bang jazz numbers. One Jump Ahead, Friend Like Me and Prince Ali are some of the best songs to ever come out of the Disney catalogue. Easily the film’s greatest achievement is the character of the Genie, voiced by Robin Williams, who literally steals the scene every time he is on screen.

4. The Jungle Book (1967)

The Jungle Book is the nineteenth feature from the studio, and the last film Walt Disney worked, who sadly passed away during its production. Telling the story of the feral child Mowgli, the film offers some of the most vibrant locations featured in Disney films, taking place in the wild Indian jungles and featuring a large cast of memorable animals. It also has one of my favourite Disney soundtracks, and best of all, a group of four Vultures clearly inspired by the Beatles who sing in barbershop quartet! I also distinctly remember it as being the first movie to make me cry. The movie just cannot fail.

3. The Little Mermaid (1989)

The twenty-eighth film from the studio, The Little Mermaid is based on Hans Christian Anderson’s fairy tale of the same name, and is responsible for breathing life back into the wavering animation genre, starting the era known as the Disney Renaissance. No matter how many times you see it, you just can’t help but sit all the way through it time after time, singing along to Under the Sea. With such longevity, it’s easy to see why this brought animated films back into the limelight.

2. The Lion King (1994)

The studio’s thirty-second feature film is also their highest grossing and arguably their most popular movie. It was the highest grossing animated film of all time from 1994 up until of Finding Nemo in 2003, but today holds the record as the highest grossing hand-animated film in history. Featuring an African-centric soundtrack collaborated on by a supergroup of musicians including Elton John, Tim Rice and Hans Zimmer, it has in my opinion the best Disney soundtrack ever made. It also features Jeremy Irons as my favourite Disney villain, Scar, who is just despicably evil. The Lion King is also one of the most emotionally charged Disney movies to date - I challenge any viewer to maintain a dry eye during Mufasa’s death scene.

1. Beauty and the Beast (1991)

The thirtieth film from the studio was a literally groundbreaking critical success, being the only animated film (to date) to ever be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture (losing the Oscar to The Silence of the Lambs). It did win two Oscars for Best Original Score and Best Original Song and was nominated for six Oscars in total. Beauty and the Beast is easily Disney’s best love story. It also has the distinction of being the first Disney film to feature a villain whose biggest flaw is his ego and chauvinism, sure to be a hit with feminists everywhere! In my opinion, the film also marked the first time a Disney film had a male protagonist who wasn’t a textbook cliche. The Beast was genuinely captivating, with flaws and real humanity, unlike the standard fairy tale princes of previous Disney films. Finally, the film contains one of my favourite Disney moments ever: Beast’s howl of rage after Belle leaves the castle.