My Top 5 Disney Animations

Alright so by now you have probably figured out that I adore Disney movies, especially the animations. So let me know what you think of my list and if you agree with my top picks.

1: Tangled (2010)

I know what you're thinking. Tangled? Really...?

Well I would just like to inform you that this is the best movie ever. Not only does it have an original and witty 'prince' but

I also love the story line that Disney came up with while still (kind of) sticking to the original. Let's face it, the original story of Rapunzel was really depressing...

Anyway, how can you not love a story that has an evil, over-bearing and manipulative mother, a cute chameleon for a side kick and a dangerous hunk out to ruin everyone's day in his search for his own castle?

I really like the way that Mother Gothel presented herself to Rapunzel, I mean for eighteen years she didn't realize that the woman was nuts and then when she did it was only because she got a taste of true and unconditional love as well as adventure.

Mother Gothel is basically Disney's sneaky way of showing us what it's like to live with a selfish and manipulative parental figure and showing us that it is not alright and you can escape. I also love the way that Flynn changes himself to be able to deserve Rapunzel's love and the way that he supports her after he gets to know her. This is a lovely and heart warming story that I would watch seventy more times.

2: Mulan (1998)

Mulan has always been one of my favorites and I have probably seen it about 6-10 times and I could easily recite more than half of the lines from memory if I tried.

I think the main reason that this movie resonated with me so much is because of what a strong female figure Mulan is.

The story is about a girl who doesn't fit into the traditional mold of proper marriage material and when her father is called to arms she decides to go and fight in his place, in disguise, since he is too old and has no sons to fight for him. She is a woman which means that she would have been executed if the imperial army found out about her treachery but she did it anyway to save her father. Which I think is quite selfless.

Of course the heroine also has a guardian from the ancestors which comes in the form of a tiny talking dragon as well as a lucky cricket that her grandma gives her to help her along.

Together they train, with a fair amount of witty and sarcastic comments, and she becomes a proper part of the imperial army before she is found out and even after she is pardoned by her general and threatened death if she is ever seen again she still goes after them to save the emperor from the Huns even after nobody believes her.

I think it was brave of her and I always wanted to be brave like that when I was younger.

3: Alice in Wonderland (1951)

Alice in Wonderland is definitely one of the best older animations that Disney ever had. I have recently read the original book by Lewis Carroll and I cannot believe that the studio managed to embody so many of the characters so perfectly.

I have always loved the Mad Hatter and the Cheshire Cat in this movie, because of how little sense they made and how it seemed to not bother them at all, and since I last watched it my love for the characters has only grown. Alice is such a dreamy young girl who hardly ever listens and is always wondering about why things are the way they are. This reminds me so much of myself when I was younger and sometimes even now. I loved the idea that there might be a world out there that made perfect sense to me because everything was what it wasn't and likewise everything that it was, it wouldn't be.

Although when reading the book I did notice that, as with most Disney animations, they had downplayed the horrible parts, like how horrid and rude Alice really was as she seemed to think that she was rather smart and resented being put in her place by the residents of Wonderland.

The musical numbers were also rather good and I still find myself referencing the Queen of Hearts from time to time after humming that I was simply painting roses red.

Nevertheless, it will always remain a classic that I hope will stay in my heart and mind for a long time still to come.

4: Lilo and Stitch (2002)

What can I say? I adore this movie.

Lilo and Stitch can be so underrated sometimes which is really sad because it's such a lovely movie to show to children who have older or younger sisters.

It delicately handles the fact that Lilo and Nani's parents have died and that Nani is trying to get custody of her little sister. The film centers on Lilo who has prayed for an angel but gets an alien fugitive instead. Thinking that it's a dog, Nani allows Lilo to keep him and during this time Stitch uses Lilo as a bullet proof vest and she tries to teach him to care about other people.

One of my favorite quotes from this movie is:

"Ohana means family, family means that nobody gets left behind or forgotten."

And isn't that just such a beautiful way to look at family? A way to say that no matter what happens they will always be there for you and they will always remember to love you. I also love how the studio shows the way that Nani loves her little sister more than anything and is doing her best to keep her safe and to keep their family together...but they are still sisters after all and they don't forget to embody that either.

5: Brave (2012)

This movie is, again, all about family.

It centers around Princess Merida and her family as she is forced to be a proper princess by her mother and later pushed into a marriage choice that she doesn't want, so she goes to a witch and requests a spell to change her fate.

"Our fate lives within us, we just have to be brave enough to see it."

Alas, the spell turns her mother into a bear and now she has to protect her mother from her father who viciously hunts bears ever since one ate his leg many years ago and she also has to reverse the spell.

This Scottish based story has gorgeous accents, beautiful animation styles and a good way to show people that no matter how annoying your mother might be, she loves you and you should never try to change that.

Brave has also got one of the few princesses that doesn't end up with a prince or even a love interest which I think makes her even more courageous. She is doing this for love, just like all the other princesses, but hers is a love of family and I think that is much stronger.

As always, please drop a comment if you liked this and...

Thanks for reading xx