The other night, my brothers, my girlfriend and I were watching Treasure Planet on Amazon Instant. On a whim, my one brother decided to throw it on and we couldn't help but sit there and marvel at how beautiful the film was in HD. For an almost 11 year old film, it still held up and still looked amazing. The one thought that ran through our minds, and came out of our mouths several times, was that it was an underrated Disney classic; one of their unsung heroes that wasn't popular enough to even thought to be ruined by direct to video sequels. There are several films that have earned this honor, and some of them will surprise you. Some of these films could still be called successful, and indeed a lot of people will have cursory memories of them. But they weren't big enough to get the Theme Park treatment. They weren't successful enough to be called "Disney Classics" (and if I have to hear
one more person mistake Anastasia as a "Disney movie", I'm going to flip. It was a Fox film! Just because it was in the clamshell casing Disney was famous for, does not make it a Disney movie!), and don't think the classic label is limited to merely animated films, because Disney also have some awesome live action films that are criminally overlooked, despite being cult classics. Indeed, with John Lasseter installed as a big wig at Disney Pictures, the films from the parent studio are starting to catch up to the films from Pixar when it comes to quality. Some may even tell you that with Wreck-It Ralph, the Mouse House is back on top of the game (I would be one such person, so let's just concede that point right at the start). Before his even hand though, there have still been some innovative films that just didn't get the attention they deserved. Even in one special case, there's a film Disney seems to completely disown, and yet they've banked so much of their image and success on key parts of its mythology. Whether you're with kids, or still a kid at heart, this list of ten should bring back some pleasant memories, as well as hopefully lead to some new ones that are equally as pleasant...
Honorable Mention: Song Of The South
Now before you cry "racist!", hear me out. Is the film racist as all let out? Yes, it is. But did Disney secretly build an empire out of it by using one of its most memorable songs (and one of its most memorable tales) to further its legacy? You bet your Brer Rabbit they did! "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" is practically the unofficial Disney theme song, right behind "When You Wish Upon A Star", and the ever popular Splash Mountain attraction also helped put it on the map! Hell, when you stay at the resorts, they constantly broadcast "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah Tips For Today". The song is one of the most memorable melodies of Disney history. So why is it an "Underrated Classic"? Well, when you successfully bank so much of your business on a film you're still ashamed of, and still won't officially release on home video, then you're basically making the film an inadvertent classic. It might not be classic for its actual message, but its content is ingrained in the Disney iconography like a hidden Mickey in plain sight (note to self: schedule script meeting for Da Vinci Code knock off at Disney).
And now, our feature presentation...