Ranking Disney: Wreck-It Ralph (2012), Part III
Late summer/early fall last year, I did my first real series of screenshot articles on the blog, a series I called Ranking Disney. It consisted of me ranking all the Disney films based on how I liked them. Which was fun. It was pretty simple, overall. But it did pave the way for Ranking Bond and for something I’m going to introduce in about ten days. Plus it was fun. I got to watch Disney movies for two months.
Anyway, since then, Disney released another movie. And I felt it would be appropriate to cover that film was well, since this is technically under the Ranking Disney umbrella. So that’s what we’re gonna do over the next three days, cover Disney’s newest film, Wreck-It Ralph.
It was a pretty spectacular film. Even if you didn’t grow up with video games, it was still a spectacular film. It just had so much heart to it. This is what Pixar usually is. It’s hard to think they made this and Pixar made Brave, since they feel like they’d be switched, most years. This film also continues Disney’s terrific run they’ve been on since Lasseter and Co. took over the Disney animation department. I feel like this and Tangled are top 20 all-time Disney films, and The Princess and the Frog and Bolt are right below that (along with Winnie the Pooh).
We continue today, celebrating the wonderful movie that is Wreck-It Ralph:
Ranking Disney: Wreck-It Ralph (2012), Part II
Late summer/early fall last year, I did my first real series of screenshot articles on the blog, a series I called Ranking Disney. It consisted of me ranking all the Disney films based on how I liked them. Which was fun. It was pretty simple, overall. But it did pave the way for Ranking Bond and for something I’m going to introduce in about ten days. Plus it was fun. I got to watch Disney movies for two months.
Anyway, since then, Disney released another movie. And I felt it would be appropriate to cover that film was well, since this is technically under the Ranking Disney umbrella. So that’s what we’re gonna do over the next three days, cover Disney’s newest film, Wreck-It Ralph.
It was a pretty spectacular film. Even if you didn’t grow up with video games, it was still a spectacular film. It just had so much heart to it. This is what Pixar usually is. It’s hard to think they made this and Pixar made Brave, since they feel like they’d be switched, most years. This film also continues Disney’s terrific run they’ve been on since Lasseter and Co. took over the Disney animation department. I feel like this and Tangled are top 20 all-time Disney films, and The Princess and the Frog and Bolt are right below that (along with Winnie the Pooh).
We continue today, celebrating the wonderful movie that is Wreck-It Ralph:
Ranking Disney: Wreck-It Ralph (2012), Part I
Late summer/early fall last year, I did my first real series of screenshot articles on the blog, a series I called Ranking Disney. It consisted of me ranking all the Disney films based on how I liked them. Which was fun. It was pretty simple, overall. But it did pave the way for Ranking Bond and for something I’m going to introduce in about ten days. Plus it was fun. I got to watch Disney movies for two months.
Anyway, since then, Disney released another movie. And I felt it would be appropriate to cover that film was well, since this is technically under the Ranking Disney umbrella. So that’s what we’re gonna do over the next three days, cover Disney’s newest film, Wreck-It Ralph.
It was a pretty spectacular film. Even if you didn’t grow up with video games, it was still a spectacular film. It just had so much heart to it. This is what Pixar usually is. It’s hard to think they made this and Pixar made Brave, since they feel like they’d be switched, most years. This film also continues Disney’s terrific run they’ve been on since Lasseter and Co. took over the Disney animation department. I feel like this and Tangled are top 20 all-time Disney films, and The Princess and the Frog and Bolt are right below that (along with Winnie the Pooh).
So today (and tomorrow and Friday) we celebrate the wonderful movie that is Wreck-It Ralph:
Ranking Disney: The Articles
Here is a compilation of all the articles involved in my mini “Ranking Disney” quest that I went on over the summer.
If you recall, I ranked my favorite 100 Disney songs, my favorite 100 Disney characters, and I also watched all 51 Disney animated films and ranked them according to how I liked them. This article is going to compile all of them (and also can be found up in the Favorite Films tab up top), and include a few others for fun.
My Favorite Disney Characters (50-1)
Here’s part two of my characters list. 50-1. (You can find 100-51 here.)
I’d like to say, before we get started — I highly recommend everyone attempting to make their own list of favorite Disney characters, because it’s a very enlightening task. Assuming you’ve seen all (or most) of the films (because you can’t really rank the characters without having seen some of the films. Package films are okay, but if you haven’t seen The Sword in the Stone, it’s kind of hard to rank things), you should really give this a go. Because when you think about who these characters are and what you truly like about them that’s not, “Well, it’s Pinocchio, and he’s a big character, and he kind of has to go high,” you really start to see where you truly think the interesting people are.
That said — I was very surprised at how number one turned out. There were a couple surprises for me at the top of the list. I expected the people that ended up in the top five to be high, but — specifically for number one, I thought that character would end up around like, number six. And I would have been really happy with that character ending up at number six. But as I kept ranking people (backwards, remember. I started at 100 and worked toward 1), I realized more and more that I actually liked that character better than everyone else on the list. Which is why I recommend that everyone attempt this, because if you have to actually decide which people you like better — I bet you’re gonna be surprised with your choices.
That said, let’s clear up the suspense. Finish the list.
My Favorite Disney Characters (100-51)
I did the songs and the films. I figured why not do the characters next? This isn’t just any characters list. This is a very specific type of characters list — mine. I went through every film, wrote down every person in the film who felt like they could be counted as a character, and then picked out my 100 favorites. And then I sat down and basically used process of elimination to work my way up to number one.
I’m ignoring their standing in the Disney canon. It might factor into my decisions somewhat, but I refuse to put Snow White in the top 20 just because she’s Snow White. I’m basing it on what I like about the characters, and what their actual character is. If you look at a lot of the really famous Disney characters, and what their character actually is, you’d be shocked at how few of them are actually interesting people.
A few notes, before we begin — I didn’t count Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, etc. Those characters. It’s just not fair to include them. I did, however, allow Pooh and the rest of those characters to be included. Pooh doesn’t demand a top ten spot. Mickey does. I’m also shying away from characters in the package films (like Peter, in “Peter and the Wolf”), though I suspect that they’re probably fair game, should you want to include them. Though I can’t imagine why anyone would seriously consider those characters to be “Disney” characters. I’m also only counting characters that appeared in the 51 animated films. So no Enchanted or shorts or anything like that. Only the official 51 canon films. Otherwise, things should be pretty obvious. I’ll try to explain why the characters are on there, but mostly they’ll be self-explanatory.
Also, one thing I want to say before I start this list – the Pink Elephants are part of a hallucination, and therefore I felt I couldn’t count them. I was heartbroken.
Ranking Disney: #1 – The Lion King (1994)
This had to be number one. It’s the only film of Disney’s that will actually get me to sit and watch entirely from start to finish. I love the rest of them (specifically Fantasia and Beauty and the Beast), but this is the only one I will watch in its entirety every time.
I feel like this is (and should be) a populist choice. It is, after all, the highest grossing Disney film of all time, and is really the film that manages to combine all the elements of a great Disney film. Fantasia‘s a little bit on the slow side and Beauty and the Beast is a bit slight on the villain/conflict aspect. This one has it all. The story, the songs, the characters, the comic relief — everything you could want in a film is here. Not to mention the message — “the circle of life” — it’s wonderful.
I love everything about this movie, and honestly, aside from the fact that Fantasia is Disney’s greatest artistic achievement, this is a slam dunk, no-brainer number one for me, all day, erryday.
Ranking Disney: #2 – Fantasia (1940)
Objectively, this is probably #1. Well — top three no matter what. I feel like, this and Snow White are probably in top three no matter what. To me, this is, not counting Snow White (which has to be the “greatest,” being the one that started it all), their greatest achievement. It’s a great piece of art, animation, and a great film on top of it all.
However — it’s not #1, because — when I watched it, I realized — I hold this film in very, very high regard, and I love it. But when I watch it, there are a few segments where, while the animation is great, they’re a bit slow for me, and it’s the kind of thing where I’d consider forwarding through some of it unless I was totally on board with watching the whole thing. Whereas the film I put at number one (which should be obvious by now) is a film where — I’ll watch that one all the way through, every time. And it feels like an experience. So, for fun purposes, I put this at two. But, in terms of full packages, this was so close to being my #1. (I also felt it would have been a really easy choice for #1, which is another thing I didn’t want to do.)
Either way — it’s fucking Fantasia. If this isn’t in your top three (okay, top five if you’re doing the list like I am, based on how much you like them, and top ten if you’re totally batshit and have weird tastes), you’re delusional.
Ranking Disney: #3 – Beauty and the Beast (1991)
Tale as old as time.
Song as old as rhyme.
It’s Beauty and the Beast.
Ranking Disney: #4 – Cinderella (1950)
It was a tough call for me, deciding between Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella for top 5. I went with this for several reasons. First, this is really the princess story in all of Disney. It’s both the first one and the quintessential one.
In terms of being what I consider the “first,” Snow White is great and all, but it’s not really a fairy tale. She meets the dwarfs and almost dies — there’s nothing romantic there. This, though — poor girl, gets her dream to come true for a night, then winds up getting her fairy tale ending anyway — this is the first one to do that. And, when you think of how a typical Disney princess story goes, you think of Cinderella first.
Plus — the songs. Sleeping Beauty doesn’t have any songs. It just really has the one great one. This one has about five great ones. The only real thing Sleeping Beauty has over this is the strength of the animation. This doesn’t look as good as that. But, story-wise, and song-wise — this wins easily. I had to put this one in the top five. (Also, it was actually #5 until two days ago, when I realized that, while I love The Little Mermaid more because I grew up with it — this is just better.)
I couldn’t put this any higher, even though I wish I could. It’s just — the top three are the top three. Still — we know what this is. If you had to pick the top five most classic Disney movies, I’d say the three that would go on everybody’s lists were Snow White, Fantasia and this. (The other two would be up for debate.)
Ranking Disney: #5 – The Little Mermaid (1989)
Oh… Mermaid. What a glorious, glorious film.
There are lots of reasons this goes here, none of which really need mentioning. Aside from the fact that it’s amazing all-around, from story to animation to songs, it was also the start of the Disney Renaissance, and was my first Disney film, so I really grew up with it — pretty much everything about this demands inclusion in the top ten.
Of course, I’ve said many times my list is about which films I personally like the best. So, while on an objective list, this would be in the second half of the top ten — in mine, it goes here. I actually had it at #4 until yesterday, when I realized that, while I would watch it more often than (and choose it most of the time over) the film that’s #4, I actually liked #4 better as a Disney movie. Not that it matters, since they both ended up top five.
I really don’t think I need to say much else here. It’s The Little Mermaid. Of course this goes here.
Ranking Disney: #6 – Sleeping Beauty (1959)
On purely animation terms, Sleeping Beauty might be the best thing they’ve ever done. I am in awe of every frame of this movie. Narratively, it’s not top five. But putting the two together — this is about right. Maybe I’m putting it a little high, due to my love of the visuals (plus, I’m aware Snow White is a top five, so, by default I’m putting it a bit high), but I still contend this is one of the top six or seven films Disney has ever made. This (along with Snow White and Cinderella) is really the template for all the Disney princess films.
This is also the film, I feel, that a lot of people think highly of, and go, “Oh, yeah, it’s a classic,” but no one really watches it all that much. I feel like most people (especially those who grew up in the 90s, like I did) would find it kind of slow. I understand that criticism and all, but — watch this film in 1080p, and you let me know whether or not this remains one of the best things they’ve ever made. Wait until you see these screenshots.
Ranking Disney: #7 – Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs has a special quality that separates it from the other films, because it’s the first Disney movie. It’s like Dr. No. The first time is something special. (I just discovered many other different analogies I could have used.)
While some would fault the quality of the animation (Snow White and the Prince barely have faces. It’s kind of creepy if you look hard enough at them), or the simplicity of the story, I think the fact that this is the first animated feature film ever (all right, first American animated feature film ever. But it’s not like any of those earlier ones are better than this is) that makes those not matter.
The great thing about it is how good they managed to make it. This film is actually better animated than about half of their entire catalogue. Ideally this is a top five film, probably a top three, but I’ve always said I was going to rank based on my enjoyment of the films first and foremost. So, I have to put it here, since, of the top films, I only really enjoy it around here. But, objectively — top five for them. Easy.
Ranking Disney: #8 – Lady and the Tramp (1951)
This movie was a real revelation to me. I didn’t remember having watched this as a child, though I’m sure I did. I really only remembered certain bits and pieces and a shot here or there. But, when they released this on Blu-Ray, and I saw it again after about fifteen years, I was absolutely blown away.
What struck me most about this film is how gorgeous the animation was. Plus, they made it widescreen. That appeals to me on so many levels (specifically because — it was 1955, and that was when widescreen was the thing. This and Sleeping Beauty are, to me, possibly my two favorite films in terms of animation simply because of the widescreen).
Plus, the story is so simple. I love when the stories are simple. It’s not really about anything, and the villains are all about the particular situation. I mean, how many films have as a villain a crusty old lady and tow cats? (Especially since they don’t really do anything too evil, yet it feels that way.) And, I guess the rat is kind of a villain too, but you get what I mean.
This film is absolutely perfect. I watched it before I figured out where stuff was going to be ranked, so I was surprised and delighted when I realized this was an easy top ten film. It’s so wonderful.
Ranking Disney: #9 – Aladdin (1992)
Oh, Aladdin. Such fond memories of this one. I saw this my senior year in a theater, and it was awesome.
Plus, it’s one of those films – most of us grew up with it, so, we’re slightly biased. I’ll admit, objectively, there are more classic films that probably make the top ten over this in terms of pure animation and stuff. But – I don’t care. I love this movie. It’s so much fun.
We all agree it’s top 15 anyway, so who cares? “A Whole New World” alone puts this top 12 or 13.
What else do I need to say? It’s Aladdin. Of course this goes here.
Ranking Disney: #10 – Pinocchio (1940)
Most people would consider this a top five Disney film for all time. And objectively, you’d be right. This is one of the single best pieces of animation ever made.
However, I did say when I was making this list — I was going to rank them based on how much I love them. And while I love Pinocchio – I’d rather watch the other 9 films on this list before this. I’d also rather watch Alice in Wonderland, which I put at #11 yesterday. And the reason I said I did that was because, while I think Alice is a much more entertaining film, and I love the animation more, in terms of how trippy it is and all the little things they do — this film wins in terms of the music, the heart, and the simple fact that it includes “When You Wish Upon a Star.” And, I’ll be honest — it doesn’t fucking matter anyway, since lists are bullshit.
So, objectively this is a top ten, probably top five Disney movie, so what better way to start my top ten?
Ranking Disney: #11 – Alice in Wonderland (1951)
I had this in the top ten for the longest time. But at the last second (the very last second. Like, two days ago), I bumped it here. The reason being — well, when you see what #10 is — all the reasons point to that as being #10. I do mostly take into account which ones I like most, and in that regard, this is definitely a top ten. I love this film. But, I do also take into account everything else about the films, and, in that respect, the film that ended up being #10 has the scales tipped in its favor in many respects.
That said — #11 is not exactly a bad position for this to be in. This film is amazing. I love how it’s animated. It’s a gorgeous film. And as I said before — strictly in terms of how I love the films, this is a top ten film for me. It’s so well-animated, and trippy as hell. I really like that part of it. How it’s mostly free-form than anything. We just sort of stumble through this world for 70 minutes.
But, all things considered — I had to ultimately put it here, which — #11 is still a great spot. (Plus, what do lists matter anyway?)
Ranking Disney: #12 – The Jungle Book (1967)
Do I really need to say anything about this one?
It’s The Jungle Book.
Oobee doo.
Ranking Disney: #13 – 101 Dalmatians (1961)
I know it’s a classic, but on top of that, One Hundred and One Dalmatians (spell it like that. You spell it the other way and you’re talking about the live action version with Glenn Close and Jeff Daniels) is actually a deceptively amazing movie.
I say that because — everyone knows it’s good. But when you watch it, you see just how good it is. There are some amazing moments in the film that are so different from typical Disney. There are barely any songs in the film, which is a rarity for them, but more importantly — there are some tense moments here. I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen Disney deal with suspense before this. There’s that scene near the end, where the puppies are hiding in the town, before they cover themselves in coal, and Cruella is driving by, looking in all the windows — that’s fucking scary, that moment.
And the film — it doesn’t feel like there are a lot of classic moments in it, but, when you watch the entire film, you do get a really great film.
Ranking Disney: #14 – Peter Pan (1953)
I had a real tough time with this film, because, on the one hand — I fucking love this movie. Peter Pan is about all that is great and wonderful with childhood. Plus, it’s a Disney classic, and an amazing film. On the other hand — there’s a lot in it that I don’t like. Those Indians, for example. And the fact that Peter is really a giant dick. So I knew this was going high, based on it being what it is and on the parts that I do like (specifically the idea of Wendy not wanting to grow up and Tinkerbell… more on her later), but I wasn’t sure how much the parts I didn’t care for would weigh it down.
I’m still not sure I made the exact right choice here. When ranking it, I had no problem sticking it here, but the more I think about the stuff I love about this film, the more I feel I should have ranked it a little higher. But, why quibble about one or two spots? Plus, when you see what the next two films are — they’re all pretty interchangeable at this level. As long as we can agree this is a top 15 film, that’s most of the battle anyway.
Ranking Disney: #15 – Bambi (1942)
This has to be the simplest of all Disney plots. Even more so than Dumbo. If you think about it — there’s really nothing here in terms of story you can point out except the one moment everybody remembers from this. Outside of that, it’s just — life in the forest.
It’s gorgeous, of course, and this is some of Disney’s best animation ever, but in terms of story, there’s really not anything here. But even so, it’s Bambi and you’d be an idiot if you didn’t consider this a top 15 of all time for them.
Ranking Disney: #16 – The Sword in the Stone (1963)
I love The Sword in the Stone so much. And I can’t really explain why fully. Every time I try to explain why this film is amazing, I can’t put it into words, and I usually end with, “Just — look at it. Watch it. It just is.”
There’s something about this film that makes it not feel like a Disney movie and yet it definitely is a Disney movie. I think that’s why I love it so much. You watch this, and it feels so slowly paced, and not really about anything in particular. The climactic moment at the end is sort of a — oh, yeah, we stumbled upon this, but don’t worry, great things will happen from it. I love that it doesn’t deal with any of the actual, you know, “important” parts of this story. It’s so –
Honestly — just look at it. Watch it. You’ll see why it belongs here.
Ranking Disney: #17 – Pocahontas (1995)
I liked Pocahontas a lot when I was younger. Then I forgot about it for years, as I went through my 14-21 years and ignored Disney altogether. And when it came time to make this list, I hadn’t watched it in years, and I thought it was gonna end up lower. I thought mid-20s was where this would end up, maybe #23 or #22 at the highest. But you know what — it belongs here.
It belongs here because it’s a classic story, the animation is gorgeous, and the songs are among Disney’s very best (“Colors of the Wind” is a top five for all time for them). There’s nothing bad about this movie. Even the story pretty much works. It’s a bit light on some character development here or there, but overall, it really works. You’d be crazy if you didn’t consider this a top 20 Disney movie of all time.
Ranking Disney: #18 – Tangled (2010)
I love Tangled. So much. I was practically giddy when I saw this. This movie does almost everything right. All my quibbles about it are minor (songs aren’t that good compared to the “Classic” Disney stuff, CG and not hand-drawn, still has a few annoying modern animated movie traits), and even so — it barely fits into the category of quibble-worthy for all of that stuff.
The movie itself is gorgeous, it’s funny as hell, always entertaining, and in all conjures up some of the best Disney moments they’ve done since their Renaissance. If they can put out something like this every year or other year — they’re doing all right by themselves.
Plus, it’s not even racist! I don’t think I spotted one really racist thing in this movie. Which is just a huge step for them. (Though again, with the CG. It’s just not you, Disney.)
