The Disney List

I love all things Disney. If you're even remotely acquainted with me, you know this already. With that in mind, I'd like to give a brief list of some of my favorite Disney films. If you enjoy these or any Disney films as much as I do, get in touch with me. I'd love to hear from you.

In no particular order:

1. Beauty and the Beast: I never was that big on romantic musicals until I saw this masterpiece. It was the first true modern classic for Disney in my book. It has action, suspense, romance and a brilliant message of looking behind the physical to find what truly makes a person beautiful. It also features an excellent villain, Gaston.

2. Hercules: I've always felt that this film never got the respect it deserved. It suffers from what I call post-Lion King syndrome. It seems that after Disney released The Lion King, folks expected every film they produced after that be a grand epic. Hercules in fun. That's all. The music, the characters, Hades, Pegasus and more all add up to a simply entertaining film. I don't mind the historical inaccuracies at all. Besides, this story is based on mythology!

3. Mulan: This film was a shocker to me. I expected it to be just another feel good flick from the Mouse that Walt Built but it is so much more than that. It's a wonderful coming of age tale of a young woman who's breaking cultural barriers. It's a war epic. It's a comedy. It's simply fantastic.

4. Old Yeller: If you don't love Old Yeller, you should be dragged into the street and shot. This is one of the greatest live action films I've ever watched. It ranks right up there with Shane as an epic tale. I still cry in this film even though I know what happens in the end. Of all the films on this list, I recommend this one as a "must have" for your DVD library if you don't have it already.

5. Dumbo: For anybody who's ever felt like an outsider, Disney's Dumbo is the film to watch. A short, sweet film that's got a great message of being yourself no matter who makes fun of you.

6. The Hunchback of Notre Dame: One of Disney's darkest animated features in my book, Hunchback isn't littered with all of the feel good, cottony soft moments that most Disney films feature. This one is a dark tale of cruelty, discrimination, longing and, eventually, pure happiness. It features Frollo, who, in my opinion, is one of the cruelest, most vile villains ever produced by the Disney Company.

7. Cinderella: The quintessential love story, Cinderella is one of Walt Disney's greatest achievements. It's a wonderful love story full of magic and humor. I simply love it.

8. The Adventures of Ichabod and Mister Toad: Two excellent literary tales lumped together. I enjoy Mister Toad but simply love Ichabod. It's downright terrifying when Ichabod is chased by the Headless Horseman.

9. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl: Before its sequels made everybody confuses, Pirates made it cool to like pirates once again. It also breathed new life into the Pirates attractions at the Disney Theme Parks. Johnny Depp gives a great performance as Captain Jack Sparrow, but it's Geoffrey Rush as Captain Barbossa who makes this film great.

10. Song of the South: How many of you actually remember Brer Bear, Brer Fox, and Brer Rabbit? How about Uncle Remus? These legendary characters have all but been erased from Disney's long list of wonderful characters. Why? Because racism exists on both sides of the coin and Disney is too scared to release this film on DVD. Due to a lot of misunderstanding (and I'm betting most of it comes from folks who've never even watched the film), Disney is afraid that releasing Song of the South will damage their good name along race lines. Please bring back my laughin' place!

Did I miss anything? Let me know what your favorite Disney films are.