Greetings and Salutations everyone,

Within the past few weeks I have spent a lot of time being around my nieces and nephews who all are on the largest Disney craze, friends who are currently planning trips to Disneyland in the coming months, and have been exposed to other Disney related media along the way. All of this has brought along a nostalgic Disney kick which has had me going back and watching some of my favorite Disney classics from many many years ago. So instead of doing a straight up movie review, I decided to list my top 5 favorite Disney animated classics of all time.

5. MULAN- In many Disney animated films the protagonist is usually female, most of the time though they still get stuck in the "Damsel in Distress" roll and need to be rescued by the handsome prince, animal friends, or other random characters. Mulan was a great change of pace which puts the female lead in a very strong roll and actually acts out as a proper protagonist and not only saves the day, but all of China. Good solid cast, memorable songs, and a nice sub-dark tone mixed in that makes you feel like the film isn't dumbing down to the lowest common denominator.
Why isn't it #1? While overall it is enjoyable and fun, it has a good cast of characters, but not great, the music is nice, but not incredibly memorable, but it still tells a great story, and has a great female lead who doesn't come across as annoying like so many others.

4. The Lion King- At one point this was my favorite animated Disney film, The animation is arguably the best out of any Disney film, and it has some of the best music/memorable songs ever. This was a highly praised film, and it deserved every right to be praised as oneof Disney's finest, if not thee best ever.
Why isn't it #1? I've watched Lion King over and over as a kid, listened to the sound track over and over. A #1 film should have longevity and lasting power, being as good watching it the 100th time as it was the first. Lion King while still a favorite, lost steam along the way, the more I watch it the more I realize how some of the characters and other elements of the film don't quite stack up to other Disney films, mostly Timon and Pumba, after a while those two wore my patients pretty thin, throw in their spin off TV series, and my annoyance goes up even more. Great movie, but not quite great enough to be my #1

3. Beauty and the Beast- Though nothing like the original story, this version was absolutely amazing. Great story telling, very memorable music, and is the first animated motion picture to ever be nominated for best film in the Academy Awards. Beauty and the Beast has been voted by the viewing public in many polls as being the greatest Disney animated film of all time, and I think it deserves the praise it has gotten over the years.
Why isn't it #1? Beauty and the Beast had kind of an opposite effect on me that Lion King had. I loved it when I first watched it, but didn't think it was anything grand or spectacular, over the years I would go back and watch it, and realize along the way how great it really is the more and more I watch it. Story wise it is very well told and good, but my top two Disney films had stories to them I enjoyed a lot more. So nothing actually bad against Beauty and the Beast, just a preference thing.

2. The Hunchback of Notre Dam- Like Mulan I like this film because it broke the mold of so many other Disney films, instead of a beautiful princess we have a disfigured, tormented protagonist in Quasimodo, a very likeable character who you can feel his joys and pains throughout the film. The villain Frollo is one of Disney's finest, the music is my favorite in any Disney film, and like Mulan, it has a lot of dark undertones that makes the film enjoyable for all, and doesn't feel like it's dumbing down to or talking down to the audience.
Why isn't it #1? The music is by far my favorite of all the Disney soundtracks, but this strength is also it's weakness, I can pop in the soundtrack and listen to it all day, never actually watch the movie again, and be satisfied. Most of the cast is enjoyable, but others, (Mostly the Gargoyles) tend to be out of place, not bad, but just didn't hold as strong as other members of the cast. I loved this movie, it has it's few flaws, but it is because of those few elements that makes it only my second favorite.

Honorable Mentions: Aladdin, Sleeping Beauty, the Rescuers Down Under, Pinocchio, Lady and the Tramp, Sword and the Stone, Robin Hood, Black Cauldron.

1. Fantasia- Absolutely amazing, this movie was so far ahead of it's time that it tends to be forgotten when people talk about Disney animated favorites, but the different visuals, variety of animation styles, and stories pared up with some of the greatest classical music ever makes this one a joy to watch. You don't always need dialogue to tell a good story, and I love how Fantasia can keep me interested and entertained in each and every one of its stories throughout the film. Disney tried to recreate the wonder of Fantasia with Fantasia 2000, a nice attempt to recreate the original, it had some memorable moments, but just couldn't duplicate the magic of the original. Big named stars voice acting, blends of state of the art CGI mixed in with the animation and now complete CGI imagery just cannot compete with the splendor which is Fantasia, and that is why it is #1 on my list.

And there you have it. This is just what I consider my top 5 and is just my personal opinion, and I welcome all of you to contribute and add your favorite Disney animated films to this thread as well.