Disney, Film, Inspiration

Taking On Disney (In Chronological Order)

July 13, 2018

Anyone that knows my husband and I, know that we have a “thing” for Disney.

One of our very first conversations involved our mutual agreement that “Aladdin” was by far Disney’s best animated film. And while at first I assumed it might have been an act just to get me to like him, I found out quickly that Eli did in fact grow up loving the Mouse every bit as much as I did. And so the Disney side of our relationship started going full force: opening weekend movie dates, trips to Disneyland, Disney World, and even Disney Paris! We would listen to the soundtracks on long road trips, and play Disney trivia with each other to see who knew the films best (me, obviously). Eli proposed in the very spot we had decided to start dating in front of Sleeping Beauty’s castle, and surprised me with an engagement dinner at the exclusive Club 33. I even walked down the aisle on our wedding day to “I See the Light” (which we both agree is the most stunning sequence in any Disney film ever)! We definitely found our childhood soulmate in each other. 

Needless to say, the Mouse has been a pillar in our relationship. 

But there’s one thing we realized that we’d never done before… watched every animated Disney film in chronological order! Thus our mission began. This is the current list we’re working with according to what the Disney company considers to be its full-length animated features.

 1. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
 2. Pinocchio (1940)
 3. Fantasia (1940)
 4. Dumbo (1941)
 5. Bambi (1942)
 6. Saludos Amigos (1942)
 7. The Three Caballeros (1944)
 8. Make Mine Music (1946)
 9. Fun & Fancy Free (1947)
 10. Melody Time (1948)
 11. The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949)
 12. Cinderella (1950)
 13. Alice in Wonderland (1951)
 14. Peter Pan (1953)
 15. Lady and the Tramp (1955)
 16. Sleeping Beauty (1959)
 17. 101 Dalmatians (1961)
 18. The Sword in the Stone (1963)
 19. The Jungle Book (1967)
 20. The Aristocats (1970)
 21. Robin Hood (1973)
 22. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977)
 23. The Rescuers (1977)
 24. The Fox and the Hound (1981)
 25. The Black Cauldron (1985)
 26. The Great Mouse Detective (1986)
 27. Oliver & Company (1988)
 28. The Little Mermaid (1989)
 29. The Rescuers Down Under (1990)
 30. Beauty and the Beast (1991)
 31. Aladdin (1992)
 32. The Lion King (1994)
 33. Pocahontas (1995)
 34. The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)
 35. Hercules (1997)
 36. Mulan (1998)
 37. Tarzan (1999)
 38. Fantasia 2000 (1999)
 39. Dinosaur (2000)
 40. The Emperor’s New Groove (2000)
 41. Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)
 42. Lilo & Stitch (2002)
 43. Treasure Planet (2002)
 44. Brother Bear (2003)
 45. Home on the Range (2004)
 46. Chicken Little (2005)
 47. Meet the Robinsons (2007)
 48. Bolt (2008)
 49. The Princess and the Frog (2009)
 50. Tangled (2010)
 51. Winnie the Pooh (2011)
 52. Wreck-It Ralph (2012)
 53. Frozen (2013)
 54. Big Hero 6 (2014)
 55. Zootopia (2016)
 56. Moana (2016)

So here’s the plan: to watch them all (as quickly as life and time allow), take notes on things we love as well as things that might seem questionable re-watching as an adult, and for me to create one illustrated piece or sketch for each film as we go along. Clearly it’s a comprehensive list, and will probably only get longer as we keep plugging away at this project. But I thought it would be fun for any other fans out there to follow along, reminisce on childhood favorites, and maybe even get inspired to re-watch some of the magic in their own homes. There will be a bit of back-logging if you’ve been following along with me on Instagram (we’ve gotten through about 15 so far), but hopefully you’ll stick around to see more from this magical undertaking!

What Disney movies are you most excited to see here?
Do you have any favorites you’ll revisit yourself?

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