Monday, August 29, 2016

My Top 5 From The Last Ten

It's been a long time since my last post and I thought I should get back into giving y'all something to enjoy. 

BTW, I am going to do a follow-up regarding my last post in the near future. I will let everyone know when I do. Now, on to this post. 

After watching a Disney movie on the Freeform (used to be ABC Family) channel, I made a comment on the WDW Today Podcast's Nashville group Facebook page.

Part of what I wrote proclaimed that the film is probably my favorite Disney movie of the last decade. (2006-2016).

After commenting on my post, one of the 3 podcast hosts, Logan Sekulow, suggested that everyone post their own list of their top 5 favorite Disney animated movies (including Pixar) from the last 10 years.  

I was going to post my answer in the FB group page but I wanted to add some explanation for why the list is what it is.

Before I do that let me mention that, although I considered them, there's no Pixar films on my list. I was as surprised about this, myself. There are Pixar movies that I like but they are not my favorites and didn't make the list. 

Now in a countdown format here's my list. 

5. Bolt: This film has several elements that makes it a very good Disney film. First of all it's a "dog story." Disney has a long list of main or supporting canine characters in it's films over the years. John Travolta's Bolt does the tradition proud.  There's also lessons in: friendship, love and loyalty and learning your place in the world. I really like it. 

4. The Winnie The Pooh Movie: This 2011 film is a triumphant return for everyone's favorite honey loving bear and his friends.

 The search for a legendary creature stalking the 100 acre woods, and Zoey Dechannel's really fun songs (the "good-bye" song that plays during the end credits is an earworm waiting to happen)puts it on my list. 

3. Frozen: The animated mega hit has the right combination of a great story, likeable characters, and an amazing soundtrack. 

I don't know why but the when I saw this film for the first time the turn of Prince Hans in the third act took me totally by surprise. That's something that doesn't usually happen to me with a Disney film. 

I must confess, there is a special reason that this movie is so high on my list. My granddaughter loves this movie. Sharing that enjoyment has allowed me to make lifelong memories with her for more than 2 years. That's why I love Frozen. 

2. Wreck It Ralph: The originality of this one and the video game universe it's set in just fascinates me. There is so much in this film that I discover something new almost every time I watch it. There are a couple of scenes that are absolutely funny on a genius level. The puns, both visual and spoken, are plentiful. Some make me laugh out loud every time I watch them. 

The adventure the title character goes on as part of his search for respect and acceptance is something I think everyone can identify with.  

1. Tangled: This film has all Disney touches that makes it a classic. It's based on a well known fairy tale and has an evil and manipulative villain. There's a terrific animal character, shows that there's good in all people no matter how they look. Last but not least, there's romance, magic, and, best of all, music.

This movie was the holiday release the year I turned 50 years old. I was obsessed with the soundtrack for more than 6 months afterwards. 

It is by far my favorite Disney animated movie of the past 10 years. 

 So there you have my top 5 animated Disney movies of the last 10 years. Like most lists it's personal and very subjective. Yours may be totally different for reasons special to you. Let me know what they are.