Top 10 Underrated Disney Movies
Disney has countless films that have gone down in time as classics, and a handful of films released recently that have become instant classics. Their list of films is long & studded with beloved movies, but in this list I’m going to highlight 10 that I don’t think get the love (or at least mention) they deserve. I’m looking at both Disney’s live action & animated filmographies and I’d love to hear any movies you think are so underrated that they were even excluded from this list.
Emperor’s New Groove- I feel like it’s kind of a thing how underrated 2000’s ‘Emperor’s New Groove’ is, so I’ll knock it out first. This was a film often watched growing up in the Wilson household and is my brother’s favorite Disney movie (when he was a kid he referred to it as ‘The Llama Movie’). Featuring the voice talents of David Spade (Kuzco), John Goodman (Pacha), Eartha Kitt (Yzma), Patrick Warburton (Kronk), & Wendie Malick (Chicha). The film was in development for six years and faced many changes, one of which was its transition to a comedy, as well as seeing a director change. Kuzco is a very slept on flawed protagonist, Yzma is an incredibly memorable villain, & Kronk is perhaps the GOAT of the henchman trope. This film is quotable, a good laugh, & should be talked about more.
Meet the Robinsons- This movie (like many on this list) was absolutely beloved by yours truly as a kid. I found Lewis extremely relatable due to our shared hairstyle, both being nerds, and the fact I also am going to be extremely successful in the future. Though this film doesn’t feature the all-star cast most of Disney’s films do, it does feature a fun, quirky ensemble of characters including inventors, robots, frog conductors, superheroes, puppets, stuntmen, and a dinosaur plus a heartwarming story of an orphan looking for a family. Also my wife & I both frequently reference the character of ‘Bowler Hat Guy.’
G-Force- I’m not going to act like this is a good movie. However, it is a fun movie. Featuring a real life cast of Zach Galifianakis, Bill Nighy, & Will Arnett, the film combines live action & CGI characters to tell a story about a team of specially trained rodents who get put in a pet shop and must escape to save the world. I can admit that sounds dumb. And maybe it is. But either way the film is fun & features the vocal talents of Sam Rockwell, Tracy Morgan, Penelope Cruz, Jon Favreau, Nicolas Cage, Steve Buscemi, & Dee Bradley Baker as 4 guinea pigs, a mole, a hamster, & a fly, respectively. I also had some really cool toys from this movie so that may contribute to the nostalgia factor here.
Brother Bear- My brother & I loved watching ‘brother movies’ when we were younger, & ‘Brother Bear’ was one of our frequents. It tells the story of an Alaska native, Kenai (Joaquin Phoenix), who gets turned into a bear after vengefully killing the bear responsible for his brother’s death. He bonds with a young cub named Koda (Jeremy Suarez) in what is an extremely heartwarming story.
Treasure Planet- 2002’s ‘Treasure Planet’ is an animated sci-fi adventure film starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Jim Hawkins, a young man seeking adventure. Based on Robert Louis Stevenson’s ‘Treasure Island’ the film takes the classic story into a space setting which means… space pirates! I think it’s universally agreed that space pirates are one of the coolest possible things to ever exist. The ensemble is filled out by Brian Murray as John Silver, a mutinous cyborg alien, David Hyde Pierce as Delbert Doppler, a dog-like alien astronomer, Emma Thompson as Captain Amelia, the feline-like alien captain of the RLS Legacy, & Martin Short, as B.E.N. an amnesiac abandoned robot for what may be the most fun series of words I’ve stringed together.
The Fox and the Hound- The oldest film on this list, 1981’s ‘The Fox and the Hound’ tells a sweet story about a fox and a hound (surprising, I know) who become friends despite their realization they are meant to be instinctual adversaries. A beautiful story of friendship the film stars Mickey Rooney & Kurt Russell as the titular animals.
Sky High- Until recently, I believed this film was a DCOM (or Disney Channel Original Movie for my less cultured readers) and was shocked to learn it was actually a theatrical film. In retrospect, the quality of special effects & talent in the film would’ve been remarkably impressive for a made-for-tv movie. The film follows a young man (Michael Anganaro) who is the son of the world’s best superheroes (Kurt Russell & Kelly Preston) and begins his career at a high school for superpowered individuals. A great coming-of-age story, the film also features the likes of Danielle Panabaker, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Patrick Warburton, Steven Strait, Nicholas Braun, Jim Rash, Dave Foley, Cloris Leachman, Bruce Campbell, & Lynda Carter.
Bedtime Stories- I’m not going to look it up, but I’m sure this film performed poorly with critics due to it being an Adam Sandler-led flick. A joint production between Disney & Sandler’s Happy Madison Productions, this is one of Sandler’s few family friendly outings. A fantasy comedy that entails bedtimes stories told by Sandler’s character coming true and his stories getting exceedingly more outlandish. Also starring Keri Russell, Guy Pearce, Russell Brand, Richard Griffiths, Jonathan Pryce, Courteney Cox, Teresa Palmer, Lucy Lawless, & Aisha Tyler, I decided to look it up and it has a 27% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes. Justice for Bedtime Stories.
The Rocketeer- A joint superhero film & period piece, ‘The Rocketeer’ stars Billy Campbell as an early 20th century stunt pilot who finds a jetpack and uses his newfound ability of flight for good! With Alan Arkin, Jennifer Connelly, Paul Sorvino, & Timothy Dalton also appearing, this 1991 film had its sequel scrapped, though a sequel has reportedly been in development since 2012 and has had a variety of writers, directors, & producers attached.
A Goofy Movie- Maybe this movie isn’t slept on. But I feel it is. In my newfound life as a dad, I watched this and it made me so sad for Goofy, who himself is an incredibly caring, thoughtful, yet clumsy single father. The film is a great road trip comedy, and features one of Disney’s coolest character designs in Powerline.
