America's Childhood: 75 Years of Disney Animation

[caption id="attachment_1023" align="aligncenter" width="421"]Walt Disney Animation Studios Walt Disney Animation Studios[/caption]

My roommates and I are embarking on a journey: We are going to watch every Disney animation film, in chronological order.

This journey was sparked over breakfast one morning, as we expressed a wish to go back and watch the old Disney movies that defined our childhood now that we've graduated from college and have "nothing to do." As we thought more about it, we realized how cool it would be to actually watch all of them, not only looking at how Disney films have progressed through time, but more importantly how America's childhood has been shaped over the last 75 years. These films are so iconic for so many, that, in a sense, studying these tales will deepen our understanding of what it means to grow up in America.

Now, watching every film with the Disney logo on it would be too large a task. So we have limited our list to the feature-length films made under Walt Disney Animation Studios. You can find our reference list here.

As I write my thoughts about the films, you will see them linked to the list. (Note: I have already written about The Princess and the Frog. I will go ahead and link to it now, but expect an update to the post after I watch it again.)

UPDATE: Now that we are no longer living together (I got a new job and left my good friends!) I will continue this task on my own. Hope you are still interested!

Walt Disney Animated Films

  • 1937 – Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
  • 1940 – Pinocchio
  • 1940 – Fantasia
  • 1941 – Dumbo
  • 1942 – Bambi
  • 1943 – Saludos Amigos
  • 1945 – The Three Caballeros
  • 1946 – Make Mine Music
  • 1947 – Fun and Fancy Free
  • 1948 – Melody Time
  • 1949 – The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
  • 1950 – Cinderella
  • 1951 – Alice in Wonderland
  • 1953 – Peter Pan
  • 1955 – Lady and the Tramp
  • 1959 – Sleeping Beauty
  • 1961 – 101 Dalmatians
  • 1963 – The Sword and the Stone
  • 1967 – The Jungle Book
  • 1970 – The Aristocats
  • 1973 – Robin Hood
  • 1977 – The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
  • 1977 – The Rescuers
  • 1981 – The Fox and the Hound
  • 1985 – The Black Cauldron
  • 1986 – The Great Mouse Detective
  • 1988 – Oliver & Company
  • 1989 – The Little Mermaid
  • 1990 – The Rescuers Down Under
  • 1991 – Beauty and the Beast
  • 1992 – Aladdin
  • 1994 – The Lion King
  • 1995 – Pocahontas
  • 1996 – The Hunchback of Notre Dame
  • 1997 – Hercules
  • 1998 – Mulan
  • 1999 – Tarzan
  • 2000 – Fantasia 2000
  • 2000 – Dinosaur
  • 2001 – The Emperor’s New Groove
  • 2001 – Atlantis: The Lost Empire
  • 2002 – Lilo and Stitch
  • 2002 – Treasure Planet
  • 2003 – Brother Bear
  • 2004 – Home on the Range
  • 2005 – Chicken Little
  • 2007 – Meet the Robinsons
  • 2008 – BOLT
  • 2009 – Princess and the Frog
  • 2010 - Tangled
  • 2011 - Winnie the Pooh
  • 2012 - Wreck-It Ralph