Originally Posted By gaston lives I mean, it could be a number of films. I like/prefer the older hand drawn animation, but the one I think that convinces me most of the 'reality' of the situation has got to be Tarzan. This movie has such great scenes with the water and fire mixtures and the surfing Tarzan in the trees, I get amazed everytime I watch it! Aladdin was the first Disney to WOW me with the animation in the cave of wonders,a nd beauty and the beast has a great combo of computer and hand drawn ani... Eihter way, Tarzan is the coolest, IMO. What's your fave?
Originally Posted By FerretAfros Sleeeping Beauty just can't be beat for the pure beauty of the character designs, movements and backgrounds. There's a reason that it took so long to make and went so far overbudget, and to me at least it was totally worth it. There's something to be said about a movie that could be paused at any single frame and it could very easily be turned into a beautiful stained glass window. I know some people say that it leaves them with a cold feeling, but I just think it's great.
Originally Posted By TALL Disney Guy Wow, Ferret and I totally agree! lol Yup, it's "Sleeping Beauty", hands down. Walt Disney himself said that the end result of the animation was "paintings in life-like motion". You just can't beat it. <I know some people say that it leaves them with a cold feeling> I think that's because SB is such a unique milestone of a film that was never done before or since. "The Encyclopedia of Animated Characters" says some people who see it after another Disney film like "Snow White" expect a different (more "regular") sort of film, like SW, so then they're disappointed. However, when they see SB first followed by SW afterward, they're disappointed in SW. Heh. It's just a different type of film, and one that works beautifully. <There's something to be said about a movie that could be paused at any single frame and it could very easily be turned into a beautiful stained glass window.> Yep, that's why I took screencaps with my digital camera of the entire film, and it was a labor of love.
Originally Posted By utahjosh My favorite animation in a single movie would have to go to Fantasia 2000. It has the classic walt-inspired "Sorcerer's Apprentice," plus an amazing variety of animation. But the unique designs of The Carnival of the Animals, Beethoven's 5th, and the Steadfast Tin Soldier combine to showcase animation at it's top form. My favorite is the Firebird Suite. Best. Animation. Ever.
Originally Posted By Schmitty Good Vibes In my opinion it is Pinochio. After Snow White's success, Walt threw everything he had into Pinochio, and I think it shows. The costs for Pinochio became so high that they were not recouped for a long time, much longer than the studio wanted. Because of that, there were some cut backs or compromises in all the following films. Also after that, WWII came along and the studio really had to cut back. Add to that, about this time came the animators strike. So I think the zenith was Pinochio. That said, I think there were better-animated films. I'm speaking solely about artistic quality, or "best animation".
Originally Posted By dsnykid I would have to agree with those of you that said Sleeping Beauty.. I could watch that movie on Mute, it is just that beautiful. THe detail in the drawings, the way everything was drawn with such intensity and purpose always gets to me.
Originally Posted By TALL Disney Guy <I could watch that movie on Mute, it is just that beautiful.> Whoa, that's a great idea...I just may do that sometime.
Originally Posted By SoThisIsLove My favorite moment is Ariel's "Part of Your World" when she's singing in her home....swirling upwards in that water...breathtaking. Good job, folks, on that film. We need to start a thread on the scores. Loved Little Mermaid/Hunchback's solo....oh my goodness, some gorgeous songs!
Originally Posted By BlueOhanaTerror Actually, some of the best personality animation, ever, is found in TREASURE PLANET, between John Silver and Jim.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan While not a feature film, "The Old Mill" is still amazing to me. I think 'Dumbo' is somewhat underappreciated among the Disney feature animated films. I think it did the best of any before or since in which the characters and backgrounds, while more cartooney, seem to all exist in the same world. Everything is rubbery and cuddly and full of life and richness. Sometimes, the features have more realistic characters and drop in more cartooney ones among them -- this is always a little jarring in a way (I'm thinking of LeFou in Beauty and the Beast -- he doen't seem to fit in with all the other humans in the movie, or the crazed chef in The Little Mermaid.) In terms of telling a series of wonderful stories without words, the Rhapsody in Blue segment of Fantasia 2000 is fantastic. And the character animation in Treasure Planet is also brilliant.
Originally Posted By Dznygrl The movie with the best animation also happens to be my favorite Disney movie of all time: Pinocchio!
Originally Posted By u k fan I tend to think of Disney Animation in eras so here are my picks. From the early days it has to be Fantasia. There's not much I can say about it that hasn't been said already. The Nutcracker is a particular fave of mine. Then going forward we have Sleeping Beauty. It's just beautiful. Every frame is like an intricate tapestry. Then I'd say Jungle Book. It looks so lush and tropical and has some great character animation, Baloo in particular. From the post Walt features up until the renaissance I'd pick The Rescuers, again it's got some really nice character animation. Then (and I'm slightly biased) from the renaissance era I'd pick Hunchback. Some stunning set pieces especially The Bells of Notre Dame opener. I do love this movie though! Then from the more recent offerings I'd say Lilo and Stitch and Treasure Planet, but for different reasons. As some have said the character animation in TP is awesome, but I've never seen an animated act like I have in L&S. Without any dialogue a simple glance can speak a thousand words in that movie. And TP is just gorgeous to look at. Total eye candy and with Silver and B.E.N. some of the best melding of CGI and traditional animation we've ever seen. If I had to pick a 123 from those, it would go 1) Sleeping Beauty 2) Lilo and Stitch 3) Treasure Planet This is based purely on animation though not on anything else like music or story!!!
Originally Posted By TALL Disney Guy <I think 'Dumbo' is somewhat underappreciated among the Disney feature animated films.> Are you kidding me?? "The Sword in the Stone" underappreciated, yes. "Dumbo" is overrated if anything, IMO. Well, I don't necessarily mean in terms of film quality, but in appreciation and accolades. So many people, whether it be in Disney books or on the Internet, go on and on over what a wonderful masterpiece "Dumbo" is, fawning all over it, how everything came together, it's just the high point of Disney's animated films, yada yada yada---and I just don't buy it. Sure it's a nice movie, but there's nothing extra special about the animation or backgrounds---they're just, like you said, "cartoony". I don't dislike "Dumbo", I just don't understand all the praise it garners from fans and animators. It just doesn't have a unique style like "Pinocciho" or "Cinderella" or "Sleeping Beauty" or "Jungle Book" or "Rescuers", to name several. Dumbo is just "there". Jeez, sorry to make the animated board sound like WE. ;-)
Originally Posted By basil fan Wow, what a tough question! Pretty much every film mentioned so far is a major contender (Cars? uh...), but I'm leaning towards Peter Pan. While not one of my top 10 films, the animation is brilliant. Not sure if that's my final answer. Henchmen, Minions & Thugs: Disney's Second-Class Villains <a href="http://www.whatsitsgalore.com/disney/henchmen.html" target="_blank">http://www.whatsitsgalore.com/ disney/henchmen.html</a>
Originally Posted By actingforanimators I somewhat agree with UK Fan in that you have to look at periods. I look at the crew or the generation, and I break that down in to five distinct Generations - The Pioneers, The Nine Old Men who grew up under the Pioneers, The Arrival of the Second Generation who trained under the Nine Old Men, The Second Generation on their Own, and the Next Generation which is principally artists who trained under the Second Generation. So, my own list would be: FANTASIA - the pinnacle for Fred Moore and Bill Tytla. Mickey and Chernabog may well be the high water marks of all Disney animation - IMHO LADY & THE TRAMP - For my money, the most consistent character animation and the most effective and distinctive personalities the Nine Old Men ever conjured, with almost everyone at the Top of their Game, particularly Frank Thomas and John Lounsberry and Eric Larson; THE RESCUERS - Milt Kahl's career high, Ollie Johnston's most moving and charming work since Bambi, and the last decent animation from Don Bluth, as well as great emerging talent like Glen Keane, Dale Baer, Andy Gaskill and Ron Clements; POCAHONTAS - both subtle character acting and broad cartoon comedy including Nik Ranieri's career high Meeko, Glen Keane's best female character work, the zenith of John Pomeroy's career on John Smith, and a vastly under appreciated and subtle turn from Ruben Aquino on Powhatan; TREASURE PLANET - Sergio Pablos in rare form on Doppler, John Ripa in a stellar breakout turn on Jim Hawkins, Ken Duncan pulling out the stops on not one but two characters - Amelia and Scroop, T. Dan Hofstedt’s very solid (no pun) Mr. Arrow, of course Glen Keane's (to date) swan song on 2D as John Silver. In between all of these there are of course great individual performance, which I've written about nearly a dozen times now, but for overall work within a single film and not just star turns I'd go with the above. If I had to rank the five I'd say 1. Fantasia 2. Lady & the Tramp 3. Treasure Planet 4. The Rescuers 5. Pocahontas
Originally Posted By trekkeruss I suppose one could break it down, and think about which film has the best animation, sans background paintings; just the animation itself. On that score, I suppose for classically drawn I'd go with Fantasia. Maybe Fantasia 2000 for digitally rendered. Both films went for pushing the envelope, which is why I would choose those two. But arguments could be made for other films as well; each has something special to offer.
