Compiling any list of Disney’s theatrically released animated feature films is not a straight forward process and different versions with have their own provisos. Before we proceed then, here are mine.
Firstly and perhaps obviously I’m not including movies from any subsidiary companies. I am just looking at the work of Walt Disney Animation Studios. So there’s nothing here from Pixar or the more recently acquired 20th Century Fox Animation and Blue Sky Studios. I’m also not putting anything in from Disneytoon Studios who released The Tigger Movie, Piglet’s Big Movie and Pooh’s Heffalump Movie. Interestingly I’m leaving out 1977’s The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh as well as it comprised of three previously released animated featurettes from 66, 68 and 74 with a little bit of extra material linking them together. There will still be a small amount of Pooh on this list though.
The new Lion King film isn’t here either as even though it is a fully animated movie, it was made by Walt Disney Pictures, not its main animation wing.
Also missing will be the five musical compilation films made in the 1940s; Saludos Amigos, The Three Caballeros, Make Music Mine, Fun and Fancy Free and Melody Time. They miss out partly because they do not tell feature length stories, but mostly because I haven’t seen them which is why the two Fantasia movies are here even though they fit the same description.
Finally, it should be noted that there are some of these films that I have not seen since their original release, so something like The Black Cauldron for example, is placed on the basis of the remembered opinion of an eight year old boy rather than the deeply considered ruminations of a grown adult. Still, there are any number of aspects of my life heavily influenced by the sentiments of that same eight year old kid, including most of my feelings about Star Wars, so I’m going with it.
Off we go then, from 51 down to 1, here are all of the Walt Disney Animation Studios theatrically released feature films, including the freshly released Frozen II, ranked in order of my personal preference:
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51. Home on the Range
50. Winnie the Pooh
49. Snow White
48. Dumbo
47. Pinocchio
46. The Fox & the Hound
45. Bolt
44. Oliver & Company
43. Brother Bear
42. Meet the Robinsons
41. Ichabod & Mr. Toad
40. Atlantis
39. Chicken Little
38. Wreck it Ralph
37. The Rescuers Down Under
36. The Hunchback of Notre Dame
35. Fantasia 2000
34. Ralph Breaks the Internet
33. Fantasia
32. Bambi
31. The Black Cauldron
30. Pocahontas
29. The Emperor’s New Groove
28. Basil The Great Mouse Detective
27. Lady & the Tramp
26. Alice in Wonderland
25. Cinderella
24. Peter Pan
23. Tarzan
22. Big Hero Six
21. Lilo & Stitch
20. Sleeping Beauty
19. The Sword in the Stone
18. Robin Hood
17. Hercules
16. Aladdin
15. The Rescuers
14. The Princess & the Frog
13. Treasure Planet
12. Beauty & the Beast
11. Frozen II
10. Zootropolis
9. 101 Dalmatians
8. Mulan
7. Tangled
6. The Aristocats
5. Frozen
4. Moana
3. The Lion King
2. The Little Mermaid
1. The Jungle Book
The Not Left Handed Either Film Guide 
Wow, you rated Chicken Little higher than Dumbo, Pinocchio, and Snow White? Well, I respect your opinion, but gosh, that hurts, lol!
But I am glad to see Robin Hood very high on the list!
I’ve been hoping you’d respond to this post. Snow White is so dated and I find it and Dumbo and Pinocchio quite twee.
Well I guess we’re just gonna havta agree to disagree on that, lol.
I know it is unfair to judge films for not ageing well (in my opinion) but I feel that there are movies like The Aristocats and The Rescuers that that still totally stand up in a way some of those earlier ones don’t.
Your list does not look at all what my list would look like. But that’s why I enjoy reading lists like this, to see how our opinions are similar or differ. Disney has a big and varied catalog that there are going to be differences between viewers. I’m impressed The Jungle Book nabs your number one spot.
Thanks, I’ve had some comments about some of the classics being quite near the bottom of the list but even something like Aladdin doesn’t quite sit with modern sensibilities. I really like a lot of the newer films and the studios is definitely in another strong period. Nothing beats Jungle Book though.