Disney Through the Years - The 2000s: The Animated Features
Welcome back to the series of feature articles focused on Disney movies.
For the past year I’ve been going decade-by-decade through the history of Walt Disney Company’s feature films. I will review each film from Walt Disney Animation Studios and rank them.
For details on the perimeters of this series check out this 1980s article that marked the halfway point in the series. But this series does only include movies available on Disney+.
I was also doing an additional feature in the series that focuses on every live action film by Walt Disney Pictures. But it’s been since July since I posted in this series. The goal was to be done with the project in September. That did not happen. Aside from life getting in the way of my goals… I’m going to be real: I experienced serious burn-out when I attempted the live action ‘90s movies.
It took until October for me to decide to just finish the animated portion of the project. There were less than 25 movies left. I could handle that. So, in-between life and year-end viewing, I pressed on. The 2000s did not make that easy as you will discover ahead. Here are my reviews and rankings of the Disney Animated Studios films of the 2000s. You will find these movies under the Search tab of Disney+ and under Animated Collection.
Fantasia 2000
The studio started the century right off the bat with this return to its roots released on New Year’s Day of 2000.
Fantasia 2000 attempted to bring to life Walt’s idea of making a series of Fantasia movies that would include elements of previous entries while adding new ones. This film retains only ‘The Sorcerer’s Apprentice’ segment. This entry also, mercifully, is only 75 minutes long as opposed to the original’s 2-hour runtime. This allows for less opportunity for the film to drag. As a result, it succeeds in ways the original didn’t. The segments are punchier, livelier, and are occasionally more majestic than anything in the original 1940 film. The animation coloring is bolder, at times brighter. The selection of pieces are more memorable.
The only areas where this entry falters are 1) the celebrity guest interstitials are only mildly amusing most of the time and do little more than pad the runtime and 2) there was some combination of traditional animation with CGI and the CGI has aged a bit, sometimes taking away from a segment’s full effect (‘Pines of Rome’).
But this was a strong beginning to the decade and a year that would cram no less than three animated theatrical releases.
Dinosaur (2000)
An asteroid and resulting meteor shower seemingly destroys everything and the few surviving prehistoric animals must journey to a possible land untouched and plentiful in foliage.
So, apparently, this film had been in development in the script stage since the late ‘80s. But it was envisioned to be more like a nature film without any talking animals and would end in an extinction-level event. That, unsurprisingly, evolved through the ‘90s into something else. Something that apparently resembles a boring version of The Land Before Time with CGI animation. Honestly, the animation in this film is so crude that it’s like staring at an 80-minute eyesore. The only exceptions are the asteroid sequence and the wide shots of huge landscapes. It’s the character animation that’s extremely rough. And the script and dialogue does nothing to improve the experience. For a twenty-minute stretch the most exciting thing that happens is the characters find water. This is really rough stuff, folks.
The Emperor’s New Groove (2000)
An arrogant and spoiled Peruvian emperor gets turned into a llama by his former advisor in an attempt to usurp the throne.
This is the third movie in the same year by Walt Disney Animation Studios and it’s already illustrating a very weird period for the studio. The follow-up to the CGI swing that was Dinosaur is this cheap-looking cartoon. That sounds disparaging, but really, by comparison, it is baffling that this film cost only $27 million less than Dinosaur. I believe that is due to an overhaul of the story that doubled the costs.
The Emperor’s New Groove is a very enjoyable film on its own terms. It’s wacky, hilarious, and perfectly voiced by its cast (David Spade, Patrick Warburton, John Goodman, and Eartha Kitt are the principles here). However, as a Disney movie, it is very unusual. This film has more in common with Looney Tunes than Pinocchio. It’s like taking the tone Aladdin’s Genie brought to that film and making an entire film built around it. It’s dramatically different from anything in the Disney catalogue. It is more akin to what we’d see DreamWorks birth a few months later. And, because of this, it can’t help but feel slight and inferior to the best the Disney studio has to offer. It is, by far, better than many of the studio’s more sincere efforts around that time. And better than most of the studio’s output for most of the 2000s. But there is a reason it barely has any presence in pop culture or the Disney Parks. It’s an enjoyable, yet mostly forgettable lark.
Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)
Set in 1914, this science fiction adventure is about a linguist who comes in possession of a sacred book that may guide a crew to the lost city of Atlantis.
Again, the studio takes a big swing with a conventional sci-fi adventure story, moving further away from musical fairy tales. And the result, unfortunately, is a dull mess. The stunt casting of Michael J. Fox and James Garner is distracting to say the least; everyone else is able to disappear into their characters, but those two stick out like sore thumbs. The characterizations are flat. The villain is dull and forgettable, much like this adventure that should invoke the wonder of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Unfortunately, Disney does not have a great history overall with science fiction: The Island at the Top of the World, The Black Hole, Tron were all baffling misfires. Atlantis continues that tradition in animated form.
Since the studio is currently hell-bent on remaking its animated films into live action, it’s inevitable that this will be remade, as well. It may actually be an improvement for once.
Lilo & Stitch (2002)
An alien creature crashes in Hawaii and uses a little girl and her guardian sister to hide from capture by an intergalactic federation.
This film has many strengths, chief of which is its depiction of a broken family. That is unique and novel coming from a studio that historically only kills off one parent and focuses on the bond between a single parent and child. In this case we have a story that exists not in a fairy tale or a hundred years ago, rather today. This film was the studio’s first attempt at reflecting families other than the traditional nuclear family - and the challenges that come with such situations. The weight and heart of the film comes from this element.
The story of the alien is truly unusual for Disney and feels very much like DreamWorks material, rather than Disney. The result is somewhat disjointed. And the ending doesn’t quite make sense with regard to the fate of a couple supporting characters. But, considering the period the studio was going through, Lilo & Stitch was the best film it produced since 1997’s Hercules.
Treasure Planet (2002)
A young man and a crew use a map that might lead them to the legendary Treasure Planet in this sci-fi adventure.
Like with Atlantis, Disney took a big swing at sci-fi adventure and failed. What’s more garish in this film is the attempted combination of CGI and 2D hand-drawn animation, which has aged poorly. This was a phase that other studios dabbled in and thankfully abandoned eventually. That said, occasionally there is beautiful imagery to be discovered here and there.
The characters and plot are incredibly forgettable and uninteresting, however. Ultimately, it’s no wonder Treasure Planet was a huge box office failure, because there just isn’t any of the Disney magic or the excitement found in the best sci-fi adventures here.
Brother Bear (2003)
A young Inuit man kills a bear he blames for the death of his oldest brother and is transformed into a bear himself.
So now we have a film in a more traditional Disney mold in that it continues the theme of the relationship between man and nature and also continues the trope of killing off a mother. Plus, there are songs, although they are primarily non-diagetic, much like in Tarzan a few years before. But this is the most vanilla and forgettable presentation of those Disney traditions. Let’s set aside the Native American material, which is about as problematic as Pocahontas, but not as offensive as Peter Pan, and focus on the story.
So, a young man witnesses his brother sacrifice his life in order to save the other two brothers’ lives from a Kodiak bear. The main character blames the Kodiak for his brother’s death and sets out to kill said bear. As soon as he does he is transformed by the Northern Lights into a bear. He then befriends a bear cub who promises to lead him back to the mountain with the Northern Lights so he can be turned back into a human. But he’s only transformed when he sacrifices his life for the cub’s. Not a lot of this makes much sense. And there’s very little in the way of development in order for any of this to have any emotional impact. Even the lesson the main character is supposed to learn is half-baked.
Honestly, the only highlights in this film are one or two songs by Phil Collins. Otherwise, this thing can be added to the stack of bottom-barrel Disney fare, a pile that has been growing steadily by this point.
Home on the Range (2004)
A mismatched trio of cows must capture a cattle rustler for his bounty in order to save their idyllic farm from foreclosure.
In which Disney movie did Roseanne Barr, Dame Judi Dench, and Jennifer Tilly team up?
In which Disney movie did Randy Quaid play a villain?
Welcome to another round of obscure Disney trivia. I doubt you knew the answer to those questions was this movie.
At this point I feel like the two publishing company writers from Elf are pitching the movies for Disney. "What if Roseanne Barr…? But she's a cow..."
"What if Randy Quaid was a cattle thief named Slim... But he's fat... And yodels..."
*Insert eager looks for approval*
Chicken Little (2005)
Chicken Little once caused a panic in his town by thinking the sky was going to fall. A year later and now the joke of the town, Little has an opportunity to redeem himself when his suspicions turn out to be an alien invasion.
This movie is an excellent example of the term ‘muddled’. It starts out with Little causing the panic and failing to provide proof of the cause of his panic. And then it becomes a father/son movie about baseball and a son’s attempts to make his dad proud. But then it takes a wild left turn about 45+ minutes through its 75 minutes of story. It just never coheres. Add on top of that an incessant soundtrack of pop songs (I could swear we go at one point from one montage to another) or references to pop songs, which gets old real fast. And a CGI animation that is more successful than the attempted realism of Dinosaur, but still not great. The critics were brutal about these same points and for good reason. While this isn’t as much the Nothing Bar several of the decade’s other releases were, it is still so far from the level of quality and class the studio is known for.
Meet the Robinsons (2007)
A 12-year-old orphan science whiz is whisked away by a young time traveler to prevent a villainous plot and meet the time traveler’s family. Hijinks and an amazing secret follow.
So, this film is slightly more enjoyable than its reputation suggests with an enjoyable comic villain played by the film’s director, Stephen Anderson. It’s still far from the studio’s potential and much closer to the quality of lesser studios of the time. The reason is the animation is baffling in its poor quality. By 2007, Toy Story 2, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, and The Incredibles had all been released by Pixar. Ratatouille was released the same year as this film. All of these other films look in 2022 at least twice as good as Meet the Robinsons. The characterizations also fail to live up to the best in studio history. And the film fails to set the stage or even characterize Wilbur, the time traveler, in a way that helps us buy in. That said, the bar was dropped considerably in the 2000s, so in a pile of mediocrity this film gets by.
Bolt (2008)
A TV star dog (John Travolta) who thinks his show is real must travel across the country to be reunited with his person (Miley Cyrus).
This is when Walt Disney Animated Studios got back on track. It’s only marginally weaker than a couple other previous releases this decade and leaps beyond others. There are a few things that make this film work:
a) it’s a story about a kid and a dog. Who isn’t appealed by that?
b) the film gets a lot of comedic mileage with the conflict between what Bolt believes to be true and real life. Characters like the stray cat Mittens reacts to Bolt’s delusions and there are several cut-aways from an animal’s perception to reality that create excellent comedy.
c) the hamster Rhino, a fan of Bolt’s TV show who gets to actually live out an adventure with his hero, is one of the most hilarious sidekick characters in Disney history.
With the possible exception of The Emperor’s New Groove, Bolt is the most hilarious Disney animated movie of the 2000s. Yet, it doesn’t quite reach heights of greatness. But Disney would just keep getting better from here for the better part of the next 15 years.
The Princess and the Frog (2009)
A prince visiting New Orleans is turned into a frog by a man practicing dark magic.
The studio returned to traditional hand-drawn animation for the first time in five years. And this is their best-looking animated film since Fantasia 2000. While not having the most memorable songbook, the songs are certainly a huge step up from anything else they produced in the 2000s. The villain song ‘Friends on the Other Side’ and ‘Dig a Little Deeper’ are the stand-outs here.
The characters are animated well and there’s even a sidekick death that the movie softens, but doesn’t shy away from, a rarity in Disney animation. The film is most notable for its cast of mostly black characters and New Orleans jazz. These qualities make The Princess and the Frog stand out from the studio’s catalogue. While still not among the best in studio history, The Princess and the Frog certainly helped the studio end one of their worst decades on a high note.
The Ranking
The Princess and the Frog
Lilo & Stitch
Fantasia 2000
Bolt
The Emperor’s New Groove
Meet the Robinsons
Chicken Little
Atlantis: The Lost Empire
Home on the Range
Brother Bear
Treasure Planet
Dinosaur
What do you think?
What is your pick for the best Disney animated film of the ‘00s? Comment below.
Next on Disney Through the Years, Disney continues its streak! Does it ever stumble along the way? Keep an eye out to find out!