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

13. Dumbo (1941)

There's no getting around it: Dumbo is absolutely heart-breaking. It takes in adult themes as troubling as bullying, ostracising difference, social alienation and rejection and offers a positive, affirmative message that is as essential as the Ugly Duckling or Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer.

Dumbo carries all of the hallmarks of Disney's genius: it's relatable, funny, charming and set against a great soundtrack, and it looks beautiful. It was also bold - bravely including the controversial Pink Elephants drug sequence alongside more traditionally gentle sequences.

It boasts bucket-loads of charm, a heart that bursts with joy as much as it crumples with devastation and it carried a simple, unifying message that remains as powerful and important now as it was in the '40s.