Walt Disney created an empire with his animation studio. Films like Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and Fantasia raised the standard for animation, storytelling, and music composition. The animation studio was rising as high as the stars they wished on. Until Walt and his brother Roy passed away, Disney fell prey to a massive slump. For 18 years, Disney would see fickle success with their films. On the verge of bankruptcy, they cast the die on returning to the musical format that put the company on the map in the first place.
With 1989’s release of The Little Mermaid, the studio hired Broadway performers for the main roles. This tidal wave of success led to a decade’s worth of back-to-back successful films both in musical and nonmusical form, hiring notable Broadway performers, composers, and prolific comedians like the late Robin Williams. Disney has seen many eras, but their Renaissance Era was the one that gave a rebirth to animation, storytelling, and musical composition. With this era came a whole new world of adventure, ushering in the company that is remaking old classics with big names in Hollywood. Here are the best Disney films in the Renaissance Era.
10 Pocahontas
While the Disney version of Pocahontas paints a love story and weaves a tale of standing up for what is right, the true story behind this musical is abhorrent. First, the real Pocahontas was around 10 years old when she met John Smith, per TIME. Yet, Pocahontas’ age in the film is around 18, joining a few of the adult princesses or queens. Though this age difference may not seem like an issue, when the real Pocahontas was around 14 years old, a minister began teaching her about Christianity and an older man named Thomas Rolfe married her, as the aforementioned TIME article outlines. Pocahontas, in real life, was a victim of child marriage whose faith was erased by colonizers.
9 The Hunchback of Notre Dame
The 1996 adaptation of Victor Hugo’s novel, Notre-Dame de Paris, differs in many ways to its source material. Although books being adapted into musicals is nothing new, Disney’s adaptation of the French novel matched the dark themes of marginalization and racism. The Hunchback of Notre Dame begins with Claude Frollo, a priest at the famed cathedral, almost drowning a baby with a deformed face named Quasimodo. As an adult, Quasimodo meets Esmeralda, a Roma who sends Frollo into a lustful and murderous rage.
8 Tarzan
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In 1999, the Disney Renaissance Era ended with the critically acclaimed Tarzan. Starring Glenn Close as Kala, Minnie Driver as Jane, and Tony Goldwyn as Tarzan, the story of Tarzan takes place in the jungle. Kala, an ape, discovers an abandoned human infant and chooses to raise him as her own. Tarzan constantly feels left out by his family for the obvious reason that he isn’t an ape. One day, while sliding along the trees and flying among the vines, he discovers a group of people who look like him. Tarzan is not a musical, but the music was composed and sung by Phil Collins. The animated classic is even getting a reboot from Sony.
7 The Rescuers Down Under
Following the success of The Little Mermaid, Disney decided to release a sequel to the 1977 classic, The Rescuers, though it is not a musical. In the original film, Bianca (Eva Gabor) and Bernard (Bob Newhart) are tasked with rescuing Penny, a kidnaped orphan. In the sequel, Bernard and Bianca are asked to rescue Cody and his kangaroo, Faloo, in the Outback. In addition, late comedian John Candy lends his voice to the albatross, Wilbur. The Rescuers Down Under is also the first action-adventure animated feature of the era.
6 Hercules
The animated musical Hercules changed much of the myth of Heracles on which it is based. For instance, Hercules is the son of Hera and Zeus in the film, but in the myth, he is the son of Zeus and a mortal. He had 12 labors that were a punishment from Hera, not Hades. The feature is one of the funniest musicals of the era thanks to the trainer, Phil (Danny DeVito), and the narration of the Muses. Hercules is next in being given the live-action treatment.
5 The Lion King
A parallel of Hamlet, The Lion King might be the most popular animated musical of the era. Fittingly, the ensemble cast is largely comedians. With Nathan Lane, Cheech, and Whoopi Goldberg, the animated feature is laugh-out-loud funny, making the live-action rendition all the more challenging. While Beyoncé and Donald Glover voiced and sang for their respective roles, Seth Rogan and Billy Eichner felt the pressure of being the comedic leads.
4 Aladdin
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The most colorful live-action rendition matches the beauty of the animated 1992 feature. Aladdin is the second Renaissance Era feature to cast a comedian, but instead of being the comic relief, the Genie plays a bigger role. In the animated feature, the late Robin Williams is both comic and life coach. The performance by Williams absolutely changed the trajectory for every Disney feature after. Because of this, Aladdin will forever be the funniest film of the era.
3 The Little Mermaid
With the live-action rendition starring Halle Bailey releasing in 2023, The Little Mermaid is already a massive discussion, just as the original was back in 1989. As the film that kicked off the era, the musical format set under the sea and on land was a beautiful reminder of how Disney pushes the envelope. Each of the cast members are prominent Broadway actors, inspiring future films to follow suit. The success of Ariel’s story ensured Disney’s future.
2 Beauty and the Beast
The third film of the era, The Beauty and the Beast, employed the same formula as its musical predecessor, The Little Mermaid. Most of the cast, from Belle (Paige O’Hara) to Mrs. Pots (Angela Lansbury) are Broadway actors. The animated feature is also a marvel of animation. For example, the ballroom dance sequence between Belle and the Beast was virtually unseen before the movie premiered. As D23 describes, chess pieces were used to help map the movements. Finally, the ballroom animation was a feat due to its 3-D effect, something that hadn’t been accomplished previously.
1 Mulan
The final musical of the era is based on a Chinese ballad: Mulan. The ballad was composed around 400 A.D. and is about a woman named Mulan who goes to war in place of her father. The animated feature stays somewhat close to the original ballad, although some liberties were naturally taken. Mulan has some of the biggest singers of any Renaissance musical, like Christina Aguilera and Donny Osmond. Additionally, the actors in Mulan are the most ethnically diverse actors of all the Renaissance era films.