Disney Top 10s

So with isolation fever setting in, now is the time to sit down in front of the TV and regress, right? And with Disney+ in so many homes now, it’s easier than ever to become a kid again. Everyone has their favourites but what are our top ten Disney only movies? To make life a little easier, we both have 3 honorable mentions that we can use over the course of this blog post. So that means that, on our first list, there’s no Pixar, no Marvel, no Star Wars; just good old fashioned Disney movies and why we love them. On top of that, Niamh and I will be working from the same list (any movies with Pixar co-production credits are not eligible this time around) but won’t be consulting one another or writing together for this one so let’s see what happens… *insert Disney castle logo and music here*

Emma’s Top Ten

10. The Mighty Ducks (1992) –  A movie as old as I am snuck its way onto the list but The Mighty Ducks is all about being the underdog, doing things your own way and having fun doing it. And FYI, only Emilio Estevez can make quacking seem cool besides “Are we Ducks or what?!” If the Flying V doesn’t inspire you to try doing things your own way and celebrating your success then I don’t know what will. 

9. Mulan (1998) – Mulan was the first Disney movie that really showed me some girl power. Yeah, she had to dress like a guy to get respect at first but, by the end of it all, Mulan was recognised as the hero of China (A female hero of China), brought honour to her family in an unconventional but effective way after being told she never would because she couldn’t act like a proper lady and protected her father from dying in battle by putting her own life at risk in more ways than one. Plus, on top of all the bad ass girl power, we get one of the best quotes, “the flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all” – nah! Just kidding, it’s Mushu yelling “All right, that’s it! Dishonor! Dishonor on your whole family! Dishonor on you! Dishonor on your cow!”

8. Pirates of the Carribean: Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) – Swashbuckling pirates, Will Turner, Elizabeth Swann, Barbossa, Jack Spar- sorry- Captain Jack Sparrow and the Pearl. I loved the adventure of it all, out on the high seas with music that you can identify from 50 paces and dialogue that was witty, sarcastic and funny. Just the story of Isla de Muerta and the cursed gold of Cortés was interesting enough but this movie introduced me to the wondrous phrase that is “I’m disinclined to acquiesce to your request.” Which means no, savvy? Plus, it doesn’t hurt that it had Orlando Bloom in a main role. It was the first time, for me, that Disney wasn’t all princesses and animated animals. That monkey, Jack, made me jump out of my skin the first time I watched that movie and when Geoffrey Rush tells you “You best start believing in ghost stories, Miss Turner… you’re in one” you listen to him.

7. The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004) – “A queen is never late, everyone else is simply early.” Queen Clarisse Renaldi taught me that and, damn, if I’m not going to listen to such an icon. It’s a sequel to an already great movie and it has Chris Pine in it… oh and the gem that is “I look like a moose… Yes but a very cute moose, make all the boy moose go waaahhh” Who needs a husband to be queen and who says you can’t have your fairytale ending after all? This is the movie that teaches girls that a woman doesn’t need a man to do a job she was born to do but having fairytale fantasies doesn’t make you any less of a queen.

6. Big Hero 6 (2014) – It’s beautiful, it’s colourful, it’s set in San Fransokyo! It’s the best of the US and Japan mashed together with technology that would boggle the mind. Big Hero 6 is gorgeously detailed and you could spend the entire movie just searching for and finding Easter Eggs. But Big Hero 6 wouldn’t be the same without our heroes, Wasabi, Honey Lemon, Gogo, Fred, Hiro and Baymax who are out to capture the person responsible for Hiro’s older brother, Tadashi’s, death. There’s humour (Hairy baby, hairy baaabyyy), joy, sadness, genuine heroic moments and Fred the superhero nerd who’s dad *SPOILER ALERT* is voiced by none other than Stan Lee! Baymax looks so cuddly and gentle that it just screams hug me but he has such simple one liners that make it very clear he is the very best personal healthcare companion. Fist Bump! I am satisfied with my care!

5. The Lion King (1994) – From memory, The Lion King is the first Disney movie I ever saw and, to this day, my favourite Disney villain is a lion singing an army of hyenas into order while preparing for sen-saaa-tional news. A large part of my love for Scar is the performance Jeremy Irons gave to bring the conniving would-be king to life. Granted, I’d be pissed too if my parents literally named me Trash (Taka) and my brother King (Mufasa) in our native language. As a kid I loved “I Just Can’t Wait To Be King” and, as I grew up, I still loved the music of the movie (Hakuna Matata, Be Prepared, The Circle of Life, Can You Feel the Love Tonight) and the lessons that Simba learns: “Look inside yourself. You are more than what you have become. Remember who you are” delivered in James Earl Jones’ dulcet tones and “Oh yes, the past can hurt. But the way I see it you can either run from it or learn from it.” and we’re not talking about that moment, it’s still too soon! Long live the king.  

4. Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland (2010) – Alice in Wonderland was always one of my favourite stories and then Tim Burton got his hands on it and it became pretty much exactly what I imagined it should have been. It even had a Jabberwocky, a Bandersnatch and the Vorpal Sword and Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen, Anne Hathaway as the White Queen and Johnny Depp as the Hatter and as much as 6 impossible things before breakfast. It has all the madness that Wonderland needed with a stunning Futterwacken on Frabjous Day. “Down with Bloody Big Head.”

3. Tangled (2010) – This gets in on my list for a few reasons. 1) Because of one Eugene Fitzherbert, better known as Flynn Rider, the Disney prince who won my heart with one line: “You were my new dream.” Yeah, it’s cheesy as all hell but it also came from the one prince who started out as a lovable rogue, who refused to sing and then when he realised what was in front of him set out to do right by the person he really cared about. I’m sorry but you have to live up to Flynn if you want to date me. 2) The animal sidekicks – Pascal and Maximus never say a word but they are more expressive than some people I know and are the cutest additions to an already cute story. And, finally 3) “When Will My Life Begin” and “I See the Light” are amazing songs that I fell in love with and made me love this movie too. Please Note – All applicants for the position of my Flynn Rider must contact me directly. Thank you!

2. Hercules (1997) – Hunkules had to be on my list. It’s been a favourite of mine for years simply because I’ve always loved Greek mythology (despite the story’s inaccuracies). The icing on the cake for me has always been the music. Who doesn’t love ‘Zero to Hero,’ ‘I Can Go the Distance,’ ‘One Last Hope’ and ‘I Won’t Say I’m in Love’? If you don’t love these songs, you’re wrong. Plus, there’s Pegasus and Phil, two of the best sidekicks a demigod could ask for, and Meg. If you ever want to see my whole personality represented by a Disney princess, it’s Meg. “Have a nice day.”

Honorable Mention: 

• Meet the Robinsons (2007) – Just for the quote “I have a big head, and little arms!”*Insert arm flail here* This is a very random quote that Niamh and I say to one another for some reason and, even though I now have no idea why we quote it, it still makes me laugh. This is such an uplifting, bright movie that shows the importance of one person in the grand scheme of things.

1.Lilo & Stitch (2002) – *Stitch voice* Hi! To people who know me, it’s probably no surprise that I adore the highly violent, blue ball of fuzz with a vendetta against frogs that is Stitch. This adorable little guy is my spirit animal: positively violent in the rain, a joker, loves a good nap, easily frustrated and a little bit of a drama queen too. The main reason I fell in love with this movie is the most iconic messages that it had to offer. One that I always associate with my closest friends: “Ohana means family…Family means no one gets left behind or forgotten.” And then there’s Stitch’s moment of redemption: “This is my family. I found it all on my own. It’s little, and broken, but still good. Yeah, still good.” Who’s cutting onions? *gross sobbing*

Niamh’s Top Ten

10. The Lion King (1994): This is the earliest Disney movie memory I have. The first of the Disney fun facts involve this one… Apparently as a toddler, I wouldn’t go to sleep without listening to ‘Circle of Life’. Apart from its sentimental value, who doesn’t love a telling of Hamlet using Lions, Timon and Pumba and of course their trademark carefree saying ‘Hakuna Matata’. 

9. A Muppet’s Christmas Carol (1992): For as long as I can remember, this movie has been a tradition to watch at Christmas time with family. It has one of the most underrated movie soundtracks of all time, in my opinion. As a child I knew the Ghost of Christmas Future scared the living daylights out of me but, overall, I loved all of the characters from this classic! 

8. The Haunted Mansion (2003): This one is for nostalgic reasons, this is one movie my siblings and I LOVE! Eddie Murphy, a talking head in a crystal ball and a star crossed love story in the forms of a comedy? Yes please! Anyone who hasn’t seen it, go watch it! Also, it’s one of my favourite rides in Disneyland Paris and Disney World Orlando due to how accurate it is in comparison to the movie. 

7. Lilo and Stitch (2002): Experiment 626 and his Ohana had to make the list! My sister and I used to dress up like Hawaiian dancers and dance around the room to the opening song ‘Hawaiian Rollercoaster Ride’. In recent years, it has become associated with Emma, Stitch is her all time favourite character! I adore the story line and the animation too in this movie. 

6. Aladdin (1992): The genie, the genie and, oh, the genie. If I was to have a Disney character best friend it would have to be the genie. The music is phenomenal and catchy AF! Another movie that I bow down to their use of body language for the sidekicks. It is also the film that showed us to get the person who will truly love you for you, leave all the pretenses at the door and allow the real you to shine through.

5. Tangled (2010): I adore Rapunzel! That is the main reason for loving this one. The soundtrack is AMAZING! Who doesn’t love singing along to ‘When Will My Life Begin’ and ‘See The Light’. Disney truly outdid themselves on this one; two sidekicks who don’t talk but their body language show everything and make me laugh every time! Also let’s hope someday we find someone who looks at us the way Eugene looks at Rapunzel. 

4. Frozen (2013): This one is hit or miss when you are having discussions with people about it. For me, it is one of my favourite Disney movies for one reason and one reason only… “Love can melt a frozen heart.” Sisterly love and family love conquer ALL in this franchise. ‘Let It Go’, ‘Fixer Upper’ and ‘For The First Time In Forever’ are some of my favourite songs and, of course, Olaf and his warm hugs are worth melting for! 

3. Hercules (1997): “Oh hunny don’t you mean Hunk-u-les?”  This has to be one movie of my childhood that got me curious about the worlds mythical past! Is the movie historical inaccurate? Of course! Will we forgive them? Yes! My favourite joke in the movie is a linguistical one “Two words… I am retired!” *insert Niamh dying laughing every time*. This movie also holds my favourite Disney song of all time ‘I won’t say I’m in Love”. The muses, Herc, Meg, Hades, Phil and Pegasus just yasss are characters that stand alone by themselves. 

(Anyone who knows me won’t be surprised by my top two. If like Emma you got these in the wrong order don’t feel bad.)

2. Peter Pan (1953): If the Lost Boys allowed girls in the group that weren’t Tink or Wendy I’d have joined years ago. This is one of Disney’s Classics. The animation in my opinion captures another era’s masterpiece perfectly. What child growing up with Disney didn’t want to ‘follow the leader’, fight pirates and explore Neverland! As Tinkerbell (my favourite Disney Character) is the queen of Pixie Dust just remember what Peter always says “all you need is faith, trust and a little bit of Pixie Dust”. 

1.Beauty and the Beast (1991): *drum roll please* Beauty and the Beast will always be my number one choice. The original people! As much as I adore Emma Watson and the inclusion of ‘Evermore’ in the live version, the original animated version is always better. Not only has it a spellbinding soundtrack, the characters are fun! Belle is my favourite Disney Princess and I like to think I aspire to be her when it comes to reading! So, pull up a chair and let this castle of talking objects entertain you if you haven’t already seen it! 

Honorable mentions:

• The Princess and the Frog (2009):  Honestly, I adore how Disney captured the deep south for this one. In my opinion it is the most creative story line when it comes to an adaptation of a fairy tale. Again, another show-stopper of a soundtrack, lovable characters and it also has one of the creepier Disney Villains Dr. Facilier. 

• Pete’s Dragon (1977): A golden classic. This is the movie my mam couldn’t wait to watch with me when I was younger. Watching it in the 90’s, I remember sitting there and being awestruck at the fact they got a friendly dragon in a movie! It started my obsession with Dragon books to be honest. I still haven’t watched the remake from recent years because I am afraid it will take away from the magic of the original movie.

So now that the princesses, fairies and experiments have been ranked, let’s make it harder! Time to pull out a Top Ten from every Disney owned movie. This is the all out brawl among all Disney and Disney affiliated properties. Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, DCOMs; in other words everything! However(!), there are rules in this one: 1) Only one movie per number so there’ll be no cheating and saying all of Star Wars, if one of us loved A New Hope and The Force Awakens that’s two movies and only eight left to choose and 2) Disney must own the property so the likes of Studio Ghibli movies will not appear here as Disney only distributed some of the Studio Ghibli movies internationally and doesn’t own them. Avengers, it’s time to Assemble. Help us, Obi-Wan Kenobi, you’re our only hope.

Niamh’s Top Ten

10. Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1983): I feel fortunate when it comes to the Star Wars Saga. When I began to get into the Star Wars movies there were already three movies out. So, I grew up waiting for the rest to appear.I will mention the five reasons why this movie will always be my favourite of the Star Wars Saga and y’all can fight me if you want to try change my mind. It was the inspiration for my very first Cosplay, the special effects, the storyline, the Ewoks (which younger Niamh called “the teddy bears in the trees”) and THE MOMENT!

9. Lizzie McGuire: The Movie (2003): ‘Hey now, hey now! This is what dreams are made of!’ Like many of my friends Lizzie McGuire was the big sister we never had! After watching Lizzie battle through High School in the series, the movie was the perfect icing on the cake! Rome, a cute guy with a dark nasty secret and a doppelganger that helps smash a showstopper final number! Not going to lie when the movie came out I spent many many evenings with ‘This Is What Dreams Are Made Of’ making up dances. Also the best guy got the girl in the end and I am happy about that! 

8. Avengers Endgame (2019): Don’t get me wrong I adore the entire Avengers saga and Marvel movies in general but Endgame came out on top because EVERYONE is there for the final battle! Yes, it is cliche and yes, there is a lot going on in the movie before that but the final battle is everything. The CGI, special effects and moments for each character just YASSS! All that is left to say about the Avengers is, everyone FINALLY saw how amazing my special misunderstood pumpkin ‘The Hulk’ is. 

7. Toy Story (1995): I hate to think about how many times this video got watched after its release. I adore Toy Story and if people get me talking about my job; they would know I spent an entire month putting together a Toy Story themed event. Buzz and Woody were definitely fun lead characters but I always preferred the side characters, Rex, Bo and Mr. Potato Head to name a few from the first movie. 

6. Tangled (2010): see description from the above list. 

5. Frozen (2013): see description from the above list. 

4.  Hercules (1997): see description from the above list. 

3. Peter Pan (1953): see description from the above list. 

2. Halloweentown (1998): The best Disney Channel original movie of ALL time! (in my opinion of course but NO ONE can sway me). Firstly, Debbie Reynolds portrays Grandmother Aggie, a witch. Secondly, there is a portal between our town and Halloweentown. Thirdly, I always wanted to visit Halloweentown, yes, Halloween Characters that are friendly… I’m still not over Disney’s ‘Don’t Look Under The Bed’ but this helped. Lastly, as always when it comes to Disney Channel Original movies… KIDS RULE! 

1.Beauty and the Beast (1992): see description from the above list. 

Last Honorable mention

• High School Musical (2006): I couldn’t forget High School Musical be it in our friend group, stage school or, in our house with my sister and my cousin; High School Musical played a key role during Disney Channel’s golden years. Catchy musical numbers with entire dance routines, fun and loveable characters and 101 memories with this one. I will always be grateful to HSM for the fun memories created thanks to its music! 

Emma’s Top Ten

10. Cars (2006) – Growing up in a family that loves cars and car racing (but not necessarily Nascar), it was nigh on impossible not to include one of Disney/Pixar’s most iconic car movie in this list. And the fact that the opening song in the soundtrack is Sheryl Crow’s Real Gone, which brings back memories of one of the albums that I heard a lot of at home (Thanks Laura), and is then followed by the likes of Chuck Berry and Rascal Flatts is fantastic. The thing about Cars is that anything in real life that can be replaced by cars is replaced. Bugs are replaced by winged VW Beetles. Mountains and rock formations are replaced by the bonnets of some of America’s most identifiable and oldest cars. It’s cute, funny and just so smart about how it works and punny, so very, very punny. P.S. Go watch that ending with a real Michael Schumacher Ferrari(!) voiced by Michael Schumacher; this movie is always a sure fire win in my books.

9. Alice in Wonderland (2010) – See the Previous List

8. Spider-man: Far From Home (2019) – “Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown.” It’s time for Peter Parker to fill some big shoes and Tom Holland perfectly conveys the teenager not ready to take on such a monumental task. The whole world wants to know if Spiderman will step into Tony Stark’s shoes but I have to say I loved Happy’s speech at the end that 1) summed up that the world does not need another Iron Man and 2) showed just how hard it is to be Iron Man though Tony Stark never once shirked that responsibility: “Nobody could live up to Tony. Not even Tony. Tony was my best friend, and he was a mess. He second-guessed everything he did. He was all over the place. The only thing that he didn’t second-guess was picking you.” Yes, Iron Man is gone from the MCU but we don’t need another Iron Man when we have our friendly neighbourhood Spiderman instead 🙂 

7. Black Panther (2018) – Can a movie get into the Top 10 just because of Shuri? Because this one does. I’m kidding but “WHAT ARE THOSE?!?!” Anyway, Badass Good Girl Shuri and memes aside, this movie beautifully shows us the technologically advanced giant that is Wakanda and introduces us to perhaps Marvel’s best movie villain so far (and I will fight anyone who says otherwise), Killmonger. This was a spectacularly casted movie and the sets were stunning and I want to throw out a huge shout out to the Black Panther costume department for some truly stellar work incorporating traditional African cultural features into the fashions of the individual tribes of Wakanda during the first contest for the title of king. One of my favourite scenes, however, that shows just how T’challa’s death and Killmonger’s seizure of the throne turns the whole of Wakanda on its head, is the inversion of the throne room while Killmonger chairs his first council meeting. Also bonus points for Okoye’s girl power moment in which she’s asked by the man she loves if she would kill him and her response, without hesitation I might add, is “For Wakanda? Without question.” I stan!

6. Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) – After one movie, I think the world collectively despised Kylo Ren for what he did but, in this movie, we get to see the inner turmoil of Ben Solo. He didn’t, and it seems to me that he couldn’t, pull the trigger when it came to his mother plus we see that Kylo is struggling to find balance in the Dark Side. So the connection between Rey and Kylo shows that Kylo is more human that we first believed and more of a big kid as well, who asks what the other person can see on a Force Skype call, really? Overgrown man child much? One of the reasons I love this movie is because we see the Dark and Light side work together to bring about balance and can we just appreciate the beautiful shot that is Rey catching the lightsaber that Kylo force pulled towards them. I can not and will not understate the fantastic chemistry between Adam Driver and Daisy Ridley in this film! Also the stunning beauty that was Vice Admiral Holdo’s final act… My god was that created beautifully. Sound, or a lack thereof, really is a huge part of great cinema. May the Force be with you, always. Godspeed Rebels.

5. Coco (2017) – If you want colour and beauty in cinema, Coco is that film. Pixar went above and beyond with this film. There were so many gorgeous, tiny details throughout this movie that are impossible to ignore once you see them. Plus, on top of all that visual beauty there is the music. If the final rendition of  “Remember Me” by Miguel doesn’t make you cry, there is something very wrong with you. And “Un Poco Loco” is just the opposite and is bound to make you smile and always gets stuck in my head. It also really shows the meaning of a person’s second death and the importance of remembering those who’ve passed on and I really hope it is an accurate and respectful representation of Latin culture surrounding Día de Muertos, though based on the audience reviews it’s accurate down to getting threatened with a chanclas, that’s a kind of leather sandal (I think). 

4. Tangled (2010) – See the Previous List

3. Hercules (1997) – See the Previous List

2. Iron Man (2008) – This is and forever shall be the beginning of something spectacular. This is the dawn of the superhero universe that spanned over more than a decade and re-introduced the world to the powerhouse that is known as Robert Downey Jr. RDJ was so amazing that even Stan Lee said that he was exactly who he imagined Tony Stark to be. There is no higher compliment that can be received. And, in all of the Marvel universe, there is nothing more iconic than Tony Stark’s biting wit and genius except perhaps the last line of this movie: “I am Iron Man.” Love you 3000, RDJ.

Honorable Mentions:

• High School Musical (2006) – A basketball star and a smart girl who became stars of the musical. It could never happen. Oh but it did and it took the world by storm. It was a movie that really showed that people don’t fit perfectly into little boxes and shouldn’t have to and has some great memories attached to it. Now, what team?! WILDCATS!! Getcha head in the game!!
• Descendants (2015) – A very special shout out to the Evie to my Mal. If ever there was a Disney duo that really represented us at Our Muchness Guide, it’s the two leading ladies from the Descendants series. One who is the epitome of sweetness and well… yeah, me. “Evil dreams” 😉

1.Lilo and Stitch (2002) – See the Previous List

Unfortunately for us, this isn’t a sponsored post (We wish!). If it was, I’d have my Spidey/Spidergwen hoodie and Stitch onesie by now but I don’t and it kills me everyday. Hey Disney, hit us up and we’ll talk 😉 we’re always happy to help the House of Mouse if they send us free merch or to Disneyland/World (we’re not fussy). Hit us up, Mickey.