Over the years Walt Disney have produced some of the most iconic and much loved characters and stories making them the number one provider of family entertainment.But over those years what movies were produced has changed. They started with the straight forward animation finding success with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Jungle Book. Then they incorporated their animation with live action producing Mary Poppins, Bedknobs and Broomsticks and Pete's Dragon.Today along with their partnership with Pixar, that has produced a string of very successful CGI animated film, they also specialise in live action movies bring the likes of Pirates of the Caribbean and High School Musical to the small and big screen.Here at Femalefirst we look back on over eighty years of work in an attempt to find the top ten Disney movies of all time.
1. Beauty and the Beast 1991
Disney's 'tale as old as time' is a contemporary retelling of the classic French fairy story an remains one of the most popular animations almost twenty years after it's release.
The release of Beauty and the Beast saw a return to form for Disney and the film remains the only animation ever to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards.
The enduring legacy of Beauty and the Beast is the movie's heart and soul, the telling of a simple fairy story with unforgettable characters who deliver the message that the greatest thing that you will ever learn is to love and be loved in return.
And for an animation to deliver so profound a message in so convincing a way is, even to this day, an amazing achievement, the ballroom scene is one of the best moments ever committed to film.
2.The Lion King 1994
The Lion King was one of the last truly great traditional Disney animations before it's partnership with Pixar and the CGI animation era.
The 32nd Disney movie The Lion King is the highest-grossing traditionally animated feature film in the United States. Grossing over $783 at the global box office.
Like Beauty and the Beast before it The Lion King restored Disney's supremacy as the number one animators as the film also did well critically.
3.The Jungle Book 1967
The Jungle Book is a very significant picture in Disney's history as it was the last picture that Walt Disney himself worked on, he died during it's production.
Inspired by The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling the film remains one of the most popular films in the Disney collection with a string of classic songs.
4.Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs 1937
The film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was a cinematic milestone as it was the very first full length animation film in English and colour, which earnt Disney an honorary Oscar.
The film was the most successful motion picture of 1938 grossing over $8 million.
The fairytale still remains as popular today as many still recognise the feat that Disney achieved getting it to the big screen, the film kick started Disney's golden era.
5.Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl 2003
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is the film that, on paper at least, should not have been a success. Based on a film genre that never did well at the box office and inspired by a theme park ride that filmed was slammed before it was ever released.
Yet the film didn't crash and burn it became one of the most successful films of 2003 grossing almost $654 million worldwide.
The film gave birth to one of the biggest cinema icons of the last decade Captain Jack Sparrow as well as delivering two sequels, both of which appear in the top five biggest grossing movies of all time.
6. Toy Story 1995
Toy Story was the first collaboration between Disney and Pixar and saw the beginning of CGI animation which was to set a standard that other studios would try to match.
Based around the toys of a nine year old boy Toy Story grossed $354,300,000 worldwide and, at the time, was labelled the greatest animation movie ever made by some critics.
Toy Story began a successful partnership between Pixar and Disney that have brought a new breed of animation to the big screen with much success.
7. Bambi 1942
Bambi was only Disney's fifth full length animation motion picture to be released and is based on the 1923 book Bambi, A Life in the Woods by Felix Salten.
The film is seen as a milestone in children's animation as it combines the usual trademarks of Disney movies: lighthearted, bright set to music with the harsh realities of life.
The film was the first Disney movies to bring the idea of death to such a young audience.
8. Aladdin 1992
Aladdin was the thirty first animated feature to be produced by Disney and was based on the story of Aladdin and the magic lamp from The Book of One Thousand and One Nights along with some influence from The Thief of Baghdad.
Aladdin was released during a period were Disney was enjoying a new success, sandwiched in between Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King. It was the most successful film of the year grossing $504 million worldwide.
With the help of Robin Williams' unforgettable performance as the Genie Aladdin was a hit critically and commercially.
9.Mary Poppins 1964
Released in 1964, and based on a series of books, Mary Poppins was a new kind of Disney film as it blended it's well known animation with live action.
The film received thirteen Oscar nominations winning five, including Best Actress for Julie Andrews.
10. High School Musical 2006
High School Musical is the one of the most successful Disney Channel Original Movies to be released and has brought musicals to a whole new generation.
Labelled as the grease of it's time High School musical made stars of it's cast as well as spawning a sequel and a movie due for release later this year.
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw