12 Greatest Ever Disney Trailers

Teasers and trailers have always been an incredibly important part of the movie industry, as they build anticipation for forthcoming movies, selling the characters and story to us in only a couple of minutes.

A good trailer introduces us to a unique world and memorable characters, using sound and visuals to indicate the approach of the film without providing too many spoilers. Over the years, they have evolved numerous times, but they have always focused on making new movies seem exciting and interesting.

Given their status as the oldest and most popular animation studio in the world, it is no surprise that Disney Animation are masters at using trailers and teasers to introduce us to their future animated classics.

From the old-fashioned charm of Snow White and Cinderella to the more modern and subversive approach embodied by the likes of Frozen and Wreck-It Ralph, each Disney film has a unique sensibility, and their best trailers have showcased this in a colourful and lively fashion.

Over the years, Disney have provided some incredible teasers and trailers...

Most of the trailers on this list are for more modern Disney films, as older trailers can often appear slow, with their dense narration and big title cards. However, this classic format can still do an excellent job introducing us to a new story. This is most evident in the original trailer for The Little Mermaid, which demonstrated that it would revive Disney’s classic fairy tale tradition.

The voice-over effectively communicated the plot, whilst the footage showed that protagonist Ariel would be a lot more dynamic than previous Disney princesses. Best of all, the trailer included excerpts from the soundtrack – one of Disney’s best. Part of Your World, Kiss the Girl and Under The Sea were all played in brief, showcasing their catchy charms whilst hiding their deeper meaning.

The trailer for The Little Mermaid made it clear that the film would not follow the tragic template of the original Hans Christian Andersen story, but instead take a much happier path. With the child-friendly comic relief and upbeat soundtrack being showcased, it was clear that this version was not created for Andersen purists.

However, the use of Ariel’s haunting singing over the intro and the impressive underwater visuals confirmed that the film would not entirely abandon the haunting and mysterious feel of the source material. The trailer for The Little Mermaid is not the most original or creative on this list but did an excellent job of confirming that Disney would be returning to their fairy tale roots.