All 56 Walt Disney Animated Classics: Ranked From Worst To Best

23. Robin Hood (1973)

Robin Hood Disney
Disney

Far from as critically appreciated as it deserves to be, Robin Hood is without doubt one of the most under-rated of all of Disney's films. it seemingly attracts accusations of banality and boringness, which is just plain ludicrous.

Yes, it is curiously rooted in the 70s, despite being a timeless tale, but there is infinite charm in the animation and in the characters, and some of the songs are brilliantly catchy. There are problems of course, because there's a fundamental lack of magic, but the Robin Hood legend is lovingly recaptured with a tongue-in-cheek rascal spirit.

It's almost universally appealing to the family, doesn't bother to moralise and it feels like an old-style swash-buckler that more modern critics simply don't seem to understand. Luckily, they're wrong.

22. The Princess And The Frog (2009)

The Princess And The Frog
Disney

Like Mulan, The Princess And The Frog is a perfect homage to its setting: there's something magical about New Orleans that the story channels and the enigmatic spirit of the place is captured lovingly. It's almost like a love letter to the spirit of carnival.

It's a good thing that the film is so pumped full of personality too: this wasn't a time for hand-drawn animation, given the rise and heady successes of Pixar, and again, it was a case of Disney taking a gamble and it paying off. The music is great, the characters well-drawn and entertaining and the story is a mix of classical elements and modern flair. How I wish there were more animations of its type now.

Also, if you didn't absolutely ball your eyes out at the death of Ray, you have a heart made of stone.

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