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By David Young · November 20, 2023
Other than “magic,” one word seems to have remained synonymous with Disney movies throughout their 100 years of moviemaking: Animation. Audiences have been whisked away on journeys to the bottom of the sea, to faraway lands, and even inside the mind of a young child through beautifully hand-drawn and computer-generated animation.
From Disney’s collection of animated stories to those of their partner studio Pixar, we explore the feature-length animated classics and modern masterpieces that have become the cornerstone of animated storytelling in Hollywood!
A mermaid princess makes a Faustian bargain in an attempt to become human and win a prince’s love.
A kind-hearted street urchin and a power-hungry Grand Vizier vie for a magic lamp that has the power to make their deepest wishes come true.
Lion prince Simba and his father are targeted by his bitter uncle, who wants to ascend the throne himself.
When Max makes a preposterous promise to a girl he has a crush on, his chances of fulfilling it seem hopeless when he is dragged onto a cross-country trip with his embarrassing father, Goofy.
A cowboy doll is profoundly threatened and jealous when a new spaceman action figure supplants him as top toy in a boy’s bedroom.
An orphan who lives with his two cruel aunts befriends anthropomorphic bugs who live inside a giant peach, and they embark on a journey to New York City.
To save her father from death in the army, a young maiden secretly goes in his place and becomes one of China’s greatest heroines in the process.
In order to power the city, monsters have to scare children so that they scream. However, the children are toxic to the monsters, and after a child gets through, two monsters realize things may not be what they think.
After his son is captured in the Great Barrier Reef and taken to Sydney, a timid clownfish sets out on a journey to bring him home.
After his son is captured in the Great Barrier Reef and taken to Sydney, a timid clownfish sets out on a journey to bring him home.
A rat who can cook makes an unusual alliance with a young kitchen worker at a famous Paris restaurant.
In the distant future, a small waste-collecting robot inadvertently embarks on a space journey that will ultimately decide the fate of mankind.
Read More: From Rides to Reels: Magical Movies Based on Disney Rides
78-year-old Carl Fredricksen travels to Paradise Falls in his house equipped with balloons, inadvertently taking a young stowaway.
When a boy’s beloved dog passes away suddenly, he attempts to bring the animal back to life through a powerful science experiment.
When the newly crowned Queen Elsa accidentally uses her power to turn things into ice to curse her home in infinite winter, her sister Anna teams up with a mountain man, his playful reindeer, and a snowman to change the weather conditions.
After young Riley is uprooted from her Midwest life and moved to San Francisco, her emotions – Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust, and Sadness – conflict on how best to navigate a new city, house, and school.
In a city of anthropomorphic animals, a rookie bunny cop and a cynical con artist fox must work together to uncover a conspiracy.
Aspiring musician Miguel, confronted with his family’s ancestral ban on music, enters the Land of the Dead to find his great-great-grandfather, a legendary singer.
After landing the gig of a lifetime, a New York jazz pianist suddenly finds himself trapped in a strange land between Earth and the afterlife.
In a magical world full of technological advances, elven brothers Ian and Barley Lightfoot set out on an adventure to resurrect their late father for a day.
On the Italian Riviera, an unlikely but strong friendship grows between a human being and a sea monster disguised as a human.
In a realm known as Kumandra, a re-imagined Earth inhabited by an ancient civilization, a warrior named Raya is determined to find the last dragon.
A Colombian teenage girl has to face the frustration of being the only member of her family without magical powers.
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Hundreds of moments big and small have found their way onto our screens at home from the studios of Disney and Pixar. Those moments, whatever size they may be, deliver something powerful to us through animated magic. Each Disney movie is written in a way that transports us into another world — possible only thanks to the power of imagination and clarity of vision.
Though it might be in a fantasy world, a desolate future scape, or our very own oceans, every one of these Disney movies — hand-drawn or computer-animated — inspires and awes its audience. As long as Disney and Pixar have a love for animated storytelling, they’ll be able to seize our attention through stories like the ones listed here.
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