Making a list of 11 most successful Disney movies ever was everything but an easy task. During its history that spans back to 1923 when Walt and Roy Disney established Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, the company has produced dozens of films that were groundbreaking in numerous aspects.
So in order to make this list we decided to choose one or more film from every decade that in our opinion have stood up (or will stand up) against the test of time. Our main criteria were all time gross earnings (inflation adjusted), awards and reviews, as well as whether the film was subject of adaptations and sequels. The order in which movies appear on this list is based on the time of release and does not reflect our opinion on movies’ artistic quality.
And, if you are that into Disney movies, enjoy another Disney-related article and find out who is the richest Disney princess of them all.
Since our aim today was to present only 11 most successful Disney movies ever, some works such as Jungle Book, Tarzan, Cinderella, Lady and the Tramp, Beauty and the Beast were not included. Finally, films that were made in the last few years were given some extra space because they reflect a new trajectory for the company after it acquired Pixar and Lucasfilm. Let’s start with the oldest one or our list:
11. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the first Disney’s animated feature film, was an immediate success – it was not only well received by critics, but it also generated a considerable profit for the company. The idea for a full-length movie based on the Grimm’s fairy tale, which came from Walt Disney, was welcomed with skepticism. Roy Disney tried to dissuade his brother from producing it, while Hollywood at first looked at it as “Disney’s Folly”. However, it became the highest grossing film in 1937. Since then, the movie had been re-released seven times in theaters, and in 1990 it was made available in video format. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs earned $943.94 million, which makes it the highest grossing Disney movie of all the time and 10th most profitable film ever. In 1939 Walt Disney received an honorary Oscar for Snow White, and the film itself was nominated for the Academy Award in the category of Best Music.
10. Pinocchio (1940)
The period between 1940 and 1950 was full of challenges for Disney. The World War Two left theaters empty; there was no money for making new movies, and dozens of employees were recruited into Arm Forces. This was the time of a Package Era (1943-1949) – period in which company tried to save money by making movies which were a compilation of shorter works. Still, at the beginning of the 1940s, Disney released three highly acclaimed works – Pinocchio (1940), Bambi (1940) and Fantasia (1941), which is currently 23rd highest-grossing movie of all the time. Pinocchio and Bambi are also placed high on the list of the most profitable films. We decided to include Pinocchio on our ranking for two reasons – first, it won three Academy Awards (it was the first animated movie that was given competitive Oscar), and secondly, the movie has had a prevailing influence on the popular culture. It is also one of the rare movies which have received only positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, and it was included on numerous lists of the best-animated movies ever.
9. Sleeping Beauty (1959)
When one looks at the movies Disney produced in the 1950s (Cinderella, Lady and the Tramp, Peter Pan, Treasure Island, Sleeping Beauty, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Alice in the Wonderland,etc.), they realize how hard it is to make a ranking of the best Disney works. Almost each one of these accomplishments was pioneering in some sense (for example, Treasure Island was first Disney live-action movie, Alice in the Wonderland was one of the first cult films, Lady and the Tramp was filmed in the CinemaScope widescreen film process…). Although a few Disney movies from the 1950s accumulated great profit and critical praises, we decided to include Sleeping Beauty on our list. With $629.37 million gross revenues, it is the most profitable Disney movie from this period. The profit was not the only reason why the film found its place on this list. The appearance of Sleeping Beauty marked the end of fairy tale adaptations which started with Snow White and had been Disney’s distinguishing feature. It was not until 1989 and Little Mermaid that Disney released another fairy tale based work. Although Sleeping Beauty did not receive as much critical praise as Cinderella, which won three Oscars, the movie and its characters have remained alive ever since they first appeared on the screen. The release of Maleficent (2014) proves that Sleeping Beauty contains a universal value which transcends the time.
8. 101 Dalmatians (1961)
101 Dalmatians is the second highest grossing Disney movie of all the time. It earned $865.28 million and it has been reissued four times in theaters. In 1996, Disney released live action remake of 101 Dalmatians, with Glen Close as Cruella De Vil, and then, four years later a sequel called 102 Dalmatians. Recently the company announced that it has been working on a new remake, which would center on Cruella, a character that found a place on AFI’s 100 Years…100 Heroes and Villains made by the American Film Institute.
7. Mary Poppins (1964)
Among listed movies, Mary Poppins the next one in our list of most successful Disney movies ever, received the most awards. The film was nominated for Oscar in 13 categories (including Best Picture), which is still the highest number of Academy Award nominations that any Disney work has received. Mary Poppins won five Oscars – for Best Actress (Julie Andrews as Mary Poppins), Best Film Editing, Best Original Music Score, Best Visual Effects, and Best Original Song. It was also awarded one Golden Globe and two Grammies. The critics have praised the film that ranks 7th in our list of most successful Disney movies ever for its music, animation, and Julie Andrews’s performance. The film, which is seen by some as Walt Disney’s “crowning achievement“(it was the only movie which was nominated for Best Picture Oscar while Disney was alive) will soon have its sequel. Mary Poppins Returns, starring Emily Blunt in a leading role, will be released on Christmas Day in 2018.
6. The Rescuers (1977)
The 1970s and 1980s are usually referred to as the dark era for Disney. During the period company released few works that equaled the commercial success of previous movies. Moreover, Disney films received fewer accolades than those made before and after 1970-1980s. This does not mean that everything that came with the Disney signature was a failure. For instance, The Rescuers, which occupies the 6th place on the list of 11 most successful Disney movies ever received solid reviews while earning $48 millions after the release and being reissued in theaters two times. The story about international mouse organization which helps abduction victims was the first company’s big hit after Jungle Book and Walt Disney’s death. The movie was nominated for the Oscar in the category Best Song.
5. Little Mermaid (1989)
Little Mermaid ranks 5th on our list of most successful Disney movies ever. It was released in 1989, and its appearance is usually seen as the beginning of the period called Disney Renaissance, during which the company managed to recover from previous box office bombs and further expand its business. The movie, which was based on the work of Danish author Hans Christian Andersen, was the first fairy tale adaptation since Sleeping Beauty and it marked Disney’s return to its hallmark – animated fairy tales. Compared to other films on this list Little Mermaid earned far less, but it was well received among critics, winning two Oscars, two Golden Globes and two Grammies – all in musical categories. Critical acclaim was followed by the great popularity of soundtrack album, which was sold in two million copies in the period between its release and September 1990. The movie was adapted for the stage performance on Broadway, and it was recently announced that the story will have its live-action version.
4. Lion King (1994)
Picking the best Disney movie of the 1990s meant that we have to choose between accomplishments such as Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Pocahontas, Lion King, Hercules, Mulan, Tarzan…. We decided to put the Simba’s story on this list of most successful Disney movies ever mainly because it ranks the best of all Disney movies on IMBD list of top-rated films. With a score of 8.5, Lion King occupies 50th place. Moreover, the movie earned $771.98 million, which puts it in 20th place among the highest grossing films of all the time. It was also subject to a few adaptations and sequels, including Broadway musical, TV series and direct-to-videos. Lion King that ranks 4th in our list of most successful Disney movies ever assembled notable figures from music and film industry – Hans Zimmer wrote the score and Elton John, together with Tim Rice, wrote songs. Voice cast included Matthew Broderick, Jeremy Irons, Rowan Atkinson, Whoopi Goldberg…
3. Frozen (2013)
We are continuing our list of most successful Disney movies ever with Frozen, a winter tale which was based on Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Snow Queen” and Broadway’s musical “Wicked”, which is the highest grossing Disney’ work unadjusted for inflation. The movie tells a story about two sisters, Elsa and Anna, and their struggle to build a loving relationship. Elsa, who was born with the unusual ability to turn her surroundings into ice, has difficulties controlling her supernatural powers since they are triggered by her emotions. To save those she loves from herself, something Elsa has been doing since she accidentally hurt Anna while they were children, older sister spends time alone, looking cold, distant and unemotional. During the coronation, upon hearing that Anna wants to marry a prince from a neighboring kingdom, Elsa gets so angry that her emotional outburst turns the kingdom into ice. She runs away into the mountains, leaving the kingdom in an eternal winter. Anna, with her three helpers – ice harvesters Kristoff, who takes on a role of a guide, reindeer Sven, and snowman Olaf, who dreams of sun and summer holiday – embarks on a journey to find her sister and remove the spell from the kingdom. Two heroines will reunite, but Elsa’s uncontrollable emotions will hurt Anna again. The only cure for wounded sister is “an act of true love”. In this movie, it won’t come from a prince, not even from a guy with a noble heart, but from Anna herself. At the same time, love will also be a mean for restoring normal weather in the kingdom. The movie won 72 awards including two Oscars (Best Animated Feature Film and Original Song).
2. Inside Out (2015)
Among listed movies, along with Mary Poppins, Inside Out that ranks second in our list of most successful Disney movies ever, has accumulated the greatest critical acclaim. The film has almost perfect Metascore, it was listed as 41st among The 21st Century’s greatest films, it won 91 awards including Oscar, Golden Globe, BAFTA, Annie Award….
The movie centers around eleven-year-old girl Riley Andersen, who moves from her hometown in Minnesota to San Francisco. The story, which was praised by critics as emotionally intelligent, follows Riley’s inner life and her personified emotions – Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust. Riley responds to the major life change with sadness which is confusing and scary. In a panicking attempt to eliminate Sadness from the girl’s head, Joy creates additional chaos. The denouement comes when Joy realizes that she must work together with Sadness to secure normal life for Riley. The movie was directed by Pete Docter, who got the idea for the story when he noticed changes in his daughters’ behavior. Before developing the entire screenplay, Docter reached out to psychologists wanting to find out more about working with emotions and their influence on a person’s social life. Although psychologists, who ended up as scientific consultants for the film, were not entirely satisfied with the portray of Sadness, they praised the movie’s moral – that emotions help reason and improve social interaction. And now, let’s see the number one in our list of most successful Disney movies ever.
1. Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)
As said before the order of the movies on the list of the 10 most successful Disney movies ever is based on the time of their appearance and not the quality and that’s the reason why Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) occupies the first place.
In 2012, Disney bought Lucasfilm, the company which produced Star Wars franchise, from its owner and creator George Lucas for $4.05 billion. Shortly after the acquisition, it was announced that audience can expect sequel trilogy that would include Star Wars: The Force Awakens (also known as Star Wars: Episode VII), as well as episodes VIII (which should appear in 2017) and IX. Moreover, Disney and Lucasfilm have been planning spin-offs and standalones which would fill the gap between three releases. The first episode of the trilogy that is set 30 years after Return of the Jedi broke a few box office records – it was the highest grossing star wars film (inflation not adjusted), the most profitable sequel adjusted for inflation, and the movie which made the third highest revenues ever. Star Wars: Episode VII received 104 nominations (including five for Oscar) while winning 47 (BAFTA, Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, AFI Award, etc.).
