Classic Disney deserves high appreciation, and I don’t know if it’s getting it. 

If you grew up in the early to mid 2000s and had a somewhat typical childhood, your Disney experience probably hinged on movies like Lilo and Stitch and Princess and the Frog. 

My mother, for whatever reason, did not encourage that type of consumption, so I mostly watched things like Dual Survival and Curse of Oak Island on Discovery. I was, however, able to dredge up certain Disney movies, the ancient ones, in the back of our DVD/VCR cabinet (yes, we did have one of those). 

Sleeping Beauty was a staple, as were Bambi and Peter Pan. Because they were literally some of the only children’s movies at my disposal, I watched them many many times. I’m not sure if my devotion to these movies is sentimental, or if they’re actually purely better. I am predisposed to like older things, and by “older,” I really just mean not-of-my-time things. So, it would be wise to consider that my estimation is overstated.

I’d like to find out, though, using metrics and criticisms, whether my dearly held assertion is validated by others. Are early Disney movies actually better?

And clearly, the capabilities of modern animation far outpace that of the early days. For that reason, whether you think it is fair or not, I am disregarding animation rendering. Sleeping Beauty may be grainy, and some techniques outdated, whereas Frozen may look smooth and seamless, but that won’t factor into my estimation. 

IMDb ratings are generally more synonymous with the public consensus because the public is who sources the ratings. Rotten Tomatoes, however, is purely sourced by critics, and because this is kind of an uppity topic to begin with (I mean, I’m writing about the noteworthiness of children’s movies), I will default to them. 

I will compare the crim de la crim of Disney’s “Golden Age” to that of its “modern age.” The 70s and 80s presented themselves as a lull—no, a deadly hiatus—for the animation department at Disney. If you’re interested to learn more about this, I recommend the documentary on Disney+ Waking Sleeping Beauty. 

Given said hiatus, I define the “modern age” as 1990s-today, enveloping both the “Disney Renaissance” and “Disney Revival.” Dates of the Golden Age vary, but I am counting from 1937-1959. The movies from that age I am rivaling the modern era with are Fantasia, Sleeping Beauty, and Pinocchio. The corresponding modern age movies I am comparing are The Little Mermaid, Coco, and The Lion King. Why this selection? I feel these are the crim de la crim, and though lists vary in their rankings, these are in the top 3-5 in most I checked. 

Fantasia has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 95%, Sleeping Beauty has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 89%, and Pinocchio has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 100%. This gives for an average of 94.6%.

The Little Mermaid has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 93%, Coco has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 97%, and The Lion King has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 93% as well. This gives for an average of 94.3%.

So, in comparing the Rotten Tomatoes scores the difference is close to negligible. 

In terms of what the critics say, the praise for movies such as Fantasia seems to stem from respect at the type of undertaking. Critic Dave Kehr of the Chicago Reader (listed as a “top critic” on Rotten Tomatoes) said “The concept and some of the episodes are tainted with kitsch, but there’s no other animated film with its scope and ambition.”

Much of the reason older films are notedly remarkable is that they were the first to brave whatever experiments they did. Fantasia is two hours and five minutes of mushrooms dancing, volcanoes exploding, Mickey Mouse sorcerer-ing, and more of the like. 

The lack of critic-consensus reflects that both eras at their crim de la crim must be equally valid. For me, however, that one came before the other, breaking the ground for the other, and having the sentimental place that is does, is enough for me to proudly stick by the Disney movies of its golden age. 

In any case, I hope that on hearing about the glory of these movies, you revisit them. I recommend starting with Fantasia, as the plot is very loose, and having it on in the background alone will fill you in on some of its wonder.