Every Disney Animated Movie, Ranked From Worst to Best

Chances are you grew up on Disney movies, which means your favorite is likely the one you watched the most on a loop—much to your parents’ chagrin. But just because you couldn’t stop watching your go-to Disney pick doesn’t mean it resonated with critics, who haven’t loved all of the Mouse’s output over the past several decades. In fact, you might be surprised by how things stack up in this ranking of every Disney animated movie based on Rotten Tomatoes scores, from the worst reviewed to the best. Read on to see if you agree with the critics, or if you’d like to tinker with the order.

RELATED: 24 Feel-Good Movies to Lift Your Spirits.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 18 percent

In this lesser-known (and far less beloved) sequel to a movie that’s much higher on this list, Haley Joel Osment voiced Mowgli, and John Goodman voiced Baloo.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 26 percent

Though Planes is a spinoff of Cars, it wasn’t produced by Pixar Animation Studios—which may be why it didn’t fare nearly as well with critics.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 28 percent

You may think of Doug Funnie as being a Nickelodeon character—and he is—but both the later episodes of Doug and this feature film were produced by Disney. Not that many people even remember that this movie exists.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 37 percent

Zach Braff voiced the titular character in Disney’s take on Chicken Little, whose insistence that the sky was falling did not impress the critics.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 37 percent

Though Phil Collins also composed the songs for Brother Bear, neither the film nor the soundtrack made as big of an impact as that of Tarzan.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 44 percent

Despite its lukewarm reviews, Planes was enough of a financial success to score this sequel.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 45 percent

In Return to Never Land, Wendy’s daughter Jane follows in her mother’s footsteps by taking a trip to Peter Pan’s adventure-filled stomping grounds. Most critics would have rather watched Disney’s 1953 original.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 49 percent

A pretty passionate fanbase would happily argue with Atlantis’ dismal Rotten Tomatoes score. It’s become a cult classic in the years since its release.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 48 percent

All the star power behind it—including Oscar-winner Ariana DeBose and Chris Pine—couldn’t save Disney’s most recent animated feature from its critical fate. (It didn’t do particularly well at the U.S. box office either.)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 52 percent

If you have a fondness for cows and/or country music, Home on the Range might be in your Disney top 10. Otherwise, it’s pretty forgettable.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 53 percent

This modern take on Oliver Twist features the talents of Bette Midler, Huey Lewis, Billy Joel, and other big ’80s stars, but even a banger like “Why Should I Worry?” wasn’t enough to sway reviewers.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 54 percent

Pocahontas was released at the tail end of what many would consider a golden age of Disney musicals, but its more somber story didn’t garner as much love as The Lion King or Aladdin.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 54 percent

Some critics were impressed by the complex story and sophisticated animation of The Black Cauldron, but others felt that it paled in comparison to other Disney classics.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 58 percent

Kids would grew up singing “Oo-De-Lally,” and—let’s face it—having a crush on Robin Hood as a fox, probably couldn’t care less, but recent looks back at the film have criticized it for reusing animation from prior Disney films.

RELATED: 20 Date Night Movies You and Your Partner Will Both Love.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 58 percent

While nowhere near as acclaimed as Fantasia, this musical anthology from Disney includes some favorites, like Peter and the Wolf and The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 59 percent

Goofy (and his son, Max) get the spotlight in this 1995 feature. It may not break 60 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, but ask any ’90s kid who still knows all the words to Powerline’s songs if they care.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 60 percent

Neither viewers nor critics were all that thrilled to spend a full-length movie with the characters from Disney’s animated series Recess.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 62 percent

Winnie the Pooh’s bounciest, most overly enthusiastic friend takes center stage in The Tigger Movie, in which Tigger endeavors to find his family.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 64 percent

The Aristocats is considered by most to be one of Disney’s lesser animated features, but there’s no denying that “Ev’rybody Wants to Be a Cat” is still one jazzy musical number.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 65 percent

Dinosaur was lauded for its visuals—the film sets the actions of computer-animated creatures against live-action backdrops—but lost points with reviewers for its weak plot.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 66 percent

Disney’s take on Arthurian legend is probably most notable for featuring the first musical contributions by Robert B. and Richard M. Sherman, the songwriters who went on to compose for The Jungle Book, Mary Poppins, and other iconic releases from the studio.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 67 percent

An orphaned boy travels 30 years into the future in this family comedy, which was also released in 3-D.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 69 percent

Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic adventure novel goes to space in this 2002 family film—the third Treasure Island adaptation in Disney history.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 70 percent

After Tigger, sweet, loyal Piglet was the next Hundred Acre Wood character to get his own movie, which features several songs by Carly Simon.

RELATED: The Worst-Rated Disney Park, New Data Reveals.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 70 percent

Pinocchio‘s Jiminy Cricket serves as the framing device for this combination of two Disney stories: Bongo, about a circus bear who falls in love with a bear in the wild, and Mickey and the Beanstalk.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 71 percent

Victor Hugo’s novel isn’t obvious fare for an animated Disney adaptation, but many critics were wowed by this darker turn for the studio. However, several still pointed out that attempts to make The Hunchback of Notre Dame palatable for children (including a trio of funny gargoyles) didn’t really pan out.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 72 percent

Thirteen years after The Rescuers premiere, it finally got a sequel: The Rescuers Down Under. Though not as beloved as the original, it does have the distinction of being the first Disney animated sequel to be released in theaters.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 72 percent

Strange World, about a family of intrepid explorers, fared pretty well with critics, but audiences were unmoved. It was a major box-office bomb, losing Disney at least $100 million, according to Variety.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 75 percent

Long before unlikely animal friendships were all the rage on Instagram and TikTok, The Fox and the Hound gave kids a somewhat saccharine allegory about prejudice and finding common ground.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 75 percent

Scoring higher than Make Mine Music, Melody Time is another anthology film, this one featuring shorts including The Legend of Johnny Appleseed and Pecos Bill.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 76 percent

ABC Kids’ series Teacher’s Pet, about a boy who goes to school with his dog (every kid’s dream!), got a movie-length finale in 2004.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 77 percent

With an age-appropriate detective story (and a villain voiced by Vincent Price!), The Great Mouse Detective no doubt set many children on the path of reading all the Arthur Conan Doyle stories they could get their hands on.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 78 percent

After the massive success of Frozen, there was no question that the movie about Arendelle’s two princesses was going to get a sequel. Critics mostly agreed that it doesn’t hit the same heights as the original, however.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 78 percent

While Disney’s adaptation of J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan has been touted for its rich color palette and magical storyline, it’s also been slammed in recent years for its racist depiction of Native Americans.

RELATED: The 15 Movies That Won the Most Oscars.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 79 percent

Bob Newhart and Eva Gabor voice two heroic mice in The Rescuers, which also features a tragically under-sung Disney villain in Geraldine Page’s Madame Medusa.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 80 percent

The Hundred Acre Wood gang makes peace with Pooh’s dreaded heffalumps in this follow-up to Tigger and Piglet’s spotlight movies.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 80 percent

Disney teed up a feast for the eyes and ears with their long-awaited Fantasia sequel, which was released in IMAX theaters in 2000.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 81 percent

The anthology release Saludos Amigos was actually created during World War II to promote better relations between the U.S. and Latin America—the more you know!

Rotten Tomatoes score: 82 percent

Hercules definitely takes liberties with Greek myths that otherwise aren’t fit for children, but reviewers weren’t troubled by that.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 84 percent

Alice in Wonderland didn’t catch on when it was initially released in theaters in 1951, but a 1974 re-release saw the Lewis Carroll adaptation finally achieve classic status.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 84 percent

Another film created to influence attitudes about Latin America, The Three Caballeros features live-action cameos from Latin American stars including Aurora Miranda.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 85 percent

Disney’s first Black princess leads this subversive fairy tale set in 1920s New Orleans.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 86 percent

Featuring the voices of Lea Salonga, Ming-Na Wen, BD Wong, James Hong, and more, Mulan adapts a legend that can be traced all the way back to the 4th century.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 86 percent

If you want to learn more about what the movie that became The Emperor’s New Groove was supposed to be, seek out the 2002 documentary The Sweatbox. Regardless, the final version’s more comedic tone and iconic vocal performances by Eartha Kitt, Patrick Warburton, and David Spade have made it a fan favorite.

RELATED: 6 Disney Movies That You Can’t Watch Anywhere Now.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 87 percent

A chaotic alien gets taken in by a little girl being raised by her older sister in Hawaii in Lilo & Stitch, which is one of the rare Disney features that’s based on a completely original story.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 87 percent

Wreck-It Ralph‘s titular character, the big bad in an arcade game, decides he wants to become a hero instead. It’s an especially fun watch for gamers, who will easily spot all the Easter eggs and cameos referencing video game history.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 88 percent

This 1949 feature combines two classic stories: The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 88 percent

Songs from the Sherman Brothers, vocal performances by Disney legends including Phil Harris, and the source material provided by Rudyard Kipling all helped to make The Jungle Book a hit with critics.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 88 percent

In a rare case of a sequel being higher rated than the original, Ralph Breaks the Internet ekes out ahead of Wreck-It Ralph based on their reviews.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 89 percent

Tarzan breaks from tradition in not having any of the characters sing, but you’d be hard-pressed to find a Disney animated musicals fan who doesn’t rank the soundtrack, featuring songs by Phil Collins, among the studio’s very best.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 89 percent

The tale of Rapunzel gets a modern update (and the titular character gets a lot more agency) in this film, featuring the voices of Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 90 percent

John Travolta and still-teen-star Miley Cyrus were the big names behind Bolt, which follows the adventures of a TV star pup who believes he’s really a super-dog.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 90 percent

Like Alice in Wonderland, Sleeping Beauty was also a bomb for Disney upon its initial release—only on a much larger scale. Fortunately, the ensuing decades have been kinder to Princess Aurora, and the film is now regarded as a major achievement.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 90 percent

Not the last Winnie the Pooh film on our list, this one was acclaimed for introducing the Hundred Acre Wood to a new generation.

RELATED: The Worst Animated Disney Movie of All Time, According to Critics.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 90 percent

You may not have realized this, but Big Hero 6 is technically one of the studio’s Marvel films. While it’s not super-faithful to the comics, it is based on the company’s “Big Hero 6” crime-fighting team.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 90 percent

Frozen was a full-on phenomenon when it came out in 2013, and it wasn’t just kids who were addicted to its sisterly love story and the Oscar-winning power ballad “Let It Go.”

Rotten Tomatoes score: 91 percent

Critics were somewhat baffled by Bambi‘s realism compared to Disney’s more fantastical animated features when it first hit theaters in 1942. Of course, attitudes changed over time, and the coming-of-age story is now celebrated among the greatest Disney films of all time.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 91 percent

This adaptation (and softening) of the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale marked a transition in Disney animation—with composer Alan Menken’s and lyricist Howard Ashman’s songs, The Little Mermaid evokes the structure of a Broadway musical. Disney continued this trend into the ’90s and beyond.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 91 percent

Speaking of Broadway, music by Hamilton composer Lin-Manuel Miranda scores this story about a Colombian family imbued with a variety of magical powers. And if you have a child of a certain age, we’re willing to bet you can sing every part of “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” without missing a single word.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 92 percent

Hamlet set among the animal kingdom of Africa with songs by Elton John and Tim Rice, The Lion King broke box office records when it was released in 1994.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 93 percent

The origin of this romance between a pampered house pet and a mutt from the wrong side of the tracks came from Disney story artist Joe Grant and his own dog, Lady. He was inspired by the way she had to adjust when he and his wife welcomed their first child.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 93 percent

Despite being released amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Raya and the Last Dragon still made an impact, especially when it began streaming on Disney+.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 93 percent

Beauty and the Beast has the distinction of being the first animated film to ever be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. (It lost to Silence of the Lambs, but it did score Academy Awards for Original Score and Original Song.)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 95 percent

Disney unforgettably combined animation and classical music with Fantasia, which many critics lauded as a surprisingly sophisticated masterpiece.

RELATED: 12 Oscar-Winning Movies That Are Offensive by Today’s Standards.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 95 percent

Marring its heartwarming story about an outcast elephant, Dumbo has been criticized for incorporating anti-Black stereotypes. Thus, it’s one of the classic movies that carries a content warning on Disney+.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 95 percent

Aladdin also unfortunately carries a warning about racist content. Despite those missteps, its vibrant characters, catchy songs, and a characteristically enthusiastic performance by Robin Williams won over audiences and reviewers.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 95 percent

Inspired by Polynesian mythology, Moana introduced young star Auli’i Cravalho, who went on to appear in the Mean Girls musical movie, and introduced Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson into the Disney canon as demigod Maui. (You’re welcome.)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 97 percent

Not only Disney’s first animated feature film but the first animated feature to be produced in the U.S., Snow White still ranks among the highest-rated.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 98 percent

Walt Disney and his team scored raves for this timeless 1950 fairy tale, though some critics complained that Cinderella and Prince Charming were far too dull as main characters to compete with the story’s lively villains and animal friends.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 98 percent

With an antagonist in Cruella De Vil who still has children leaving their night lights on, One Hundred and One Dalmatians renders a pretty violent story watchable with gorgeous animation—and an army of puppies.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 98 percent

Zootopia earned almost universally glowing notices for telling a story about unconscious bias and inclusivity that’s not too heavy-handed or preachy to prevent it from being a crowd-pleaser for all ages.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 100 percent

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh combines several previously released featurettes with some new content, leading to frankly perfect reviews.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 100 percent

With even more sterling reviews than The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Disney’s second animated feature, 1940’s Pinocchio, is the greatest Disney film ever made, according to critics. Its enduring impact is evidenced by the elements of the story that became synonymous with Disney Parks and TV specials—namely Jiminy Cricket and the studio’s de facto theme song, “When You Wish Upon a Star.”