10. Pinocchio (1940): The movie that made me the
good boy I am today. If you think I'm going to be turned into a jackass on
Pleasure Island, fagedaboudit! I save that for Friday mornings.
9.
Toy Story (1995): Possibly the
easiest animated Disney movie for any adult to sit through more than once. The
first major computer generated cartoon movie, it ushered in a trend. Whether
the trend is good or bad has yet to be determined.
8.
The Rescuers (1977): Included
because it is the only Disney animated movie to make me laugh out loud in a
theater. Penny to Bernard and Bianca: "Who are you?" Bernard: "We're here to
rescue you." Penny: "Couldn't you have brought somebody bigger?" Well, I
thought it was funny.
7.
20,000 Legaues Under the Sea
(1954): An absolutely great little boy movie. Kirk Douglas and Jame Mason star
in the story of Captain Nemo and his submarine, the Nautilus. Thrills! Chills!!
Giant squids!!!
6.
Bambi (1942): I absolutely defy anyone to keep
a dry eye when Bambi's mother dies. My first lesson in mortality.
5. Dumbo (1941): One of the best animated movies
ever made, because it captures everychild's fear that he is different, and
raises every child's hope that one day he can soar.
4. Mary Poppins (1964): Disney's best
non-animated film, with a wonderful performance by the ever-classy Julie
Andrews and the wonderful Dick Van Dyke. But it still didn't deserve the Best
Picture Oscar as much as In Cold Blood did.
3. Beauty and the Beast (1991): The only animated
film ever to be nominated for Best Picture. Okay, so it was a weak year. But
the movie has sparked a musical and a cottage industry, and my daughter loves
Belle.
2. Fantasia (1940): It's hard to tell whether
Fantasia helped or harmed thce cause of classical music, but it certainly
brought it to the masses. "Night on Bald Mountain" is about as scary as a
cartoon can get, and "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" is a masterpiece of
animation.
1.
Snow White and the Seven
Dwarfs (1937): The first full length Disney animated feature,
which was either going to make him or break him. A colossal risk and a colossal
success. Still a wonderful movie, and the song "Hi Ho" has sent me off to work
smiling on more than one occasion.