Best Disney movie of the 1950s?

[Big Disney Fan]

What do you think is the best Disney animated movie of the 1950s?

[Pokeholic_Prince]

I really thinks it's "Lady and the Tramp." and not just the best of the 50s, but definatly one of their best top 15 for sure. The animation s gorgeous, the music, and the charcters are all fantastic. It is a simple story done well and the pasta scene is by far one of the best, if not best kiss moments in movie history. Love this film.

[ProfessorRatigan]

Sleeping Beauty. For me, it's the most impressive film, artistically speaking, that the studio has ever made. The backgrounds alone make it the best of the 50s movies, a period that I find terribly overrated.

[Magic.Mirror]

Cinderella without any word

[NeverLand]

Of course Cinderella ♥

[Semaj]

Lady and the Tramp

It was just different from what Disney, and even other studios were doing at the time.

[qindarka]

Lady and the Tramp easily. Not too big on Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan.

[Lazario]

Best is boring. Let's talk least good:
Lady and the Tramp, easily.

The animation is stunning, but that's Disney. The Siamese Cats are entertaining villains for - what - 2 minutes. The Christmas scenes are beautiful. The beginning of the pound scene is very sad and heartbreaking. The actor playing Trusty has some personality. And what Tramp the character symbolizes is interesting.

But, in the end, it's an old-fashioned (get ready for a word no one wants to hear but here it comes - tee hee - anyway) wank-job to that Americana-nostalgia trip that Walt found favorable. What the film is worth, in virtues, amounts to maybe 50% strength. And I'm being extremely generous. Literally, just about all the characters are wholly unlikable. The story is an UTTER BORE! There are just about zero confrontations. Aunt Sarah is not an interesting antagonist, so she just winds up being a story inconvenience. Same with the rat. Same with the dog catcher. Same with the idea that there's any kind of meaty conflict between Tramp and Lady's other dog friends. Lady is a dog. I'm not trying to be cute. She's so dull, she may be tied with Mr. Toad as one of my least favorite classic Disney characters period. I think I might even be able to manage more like for the Dalmatians' puppies and I legitimately hate Rolly. There isn't a single letter (of a word in a sentence, you get the picture) that comes out of her character's mouth that has any substance or is interesting in the slightest. If there's anything worse than the idea which people already hate of a Snow White, Cinderella, or Aurora waiting for a man to take her away it has to be a character who still can't do anything by herself, gets that help from a male character anyway, and all the while has a snooty attitude about it. Is that attitude earned? No. She just gets it by being from the right side of town. And, yet, there's always an open opportunity to say she gets it from her owners or her other dog friends... Nope; she just decides she's better when the script says "now, this is where we use the fact that she's a big snob to initiate the Tramp in further persuading her not to be." Even when she's spending her time with him, when he's making his quite smart speech about getting out and seeing the world... what does Disney do?: Has the dogs putting their lives on hold... for the HUMAN'S BABY... Not their baby... The HUMAN'S baby... Even The Aristocats knew better and so Madame to the cats and their have-to-get-home mission was like family. They took care of each other. Emotionally. Did anyone at her cherished home even know she was missing???:

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[Super Aurora]

Alice in Wonderland.

Alice is so kawaii sugoi uguu!

[disneyboy20022]

Sleeping Beauty, the art is different from the other Disney Animated Classics, and beautiful at that. Plus, the one of the most iconic villains/villainess', the Mistress of all Evil, Malifeicent.

[Super Aurora]

Best is boring. Let's talk least good:
Sleeping Beauty, easily.

The animation is HOLY SHIT mindblowning, but that's Disney. maleficent was an entertaining villain for - what - 2 minutes. The Christening scenes was beautiful. The Fairies taking Aurora to the woods scene is very sad and heartbreaking. The actor playing Philip has some personality. And what Sleeping Beauty the character symbolizes is interesting.

But, in the end, it's an old-fashioned (get ready for a word no one wants to hear but here it comes - Mwahahahaha - anyway) wank-job to that medieval fantasyland-nostalgia trip that Walt found favorable. What the film is worth, in virtues, amounts to maybe 50% strength. And I'm being extremely generous. Literally, just about all the characters are wholly unlikable. The story is an UTTER BORE! There are just about zero confrontations. Maleficent is not an interesting antagonist, so she just winds up being a story inconvenience and Character induced stupidity. Same with the crow. Same with the dumbass buffoon soldiers of hers. Same with the idea that there's any kind of meaty conflict between Mally and Aurora's silly Aunts. Aurora is a doll. I'm not trying to be cute. She's so dull, she may be tied with Mr. Toad as one of my least favorite classic Disney characters period. I think I might even be able to manage more like for the ballerina in Steadfast Tin Soldier and I legitimately hate that segment. There isn't a single letter (of a word in a sentence, you get the picture) that comes out of her character's mouth that has any substance or is interesting in the slightest. If there's anything worse than the idea which people already hate of a Snow White, Cinderella, or Ariel waiting for a man to take her away it has to be a character who still can't do anything by herself, gets that help from a male character anyway, and all the while has a clueless attitude about it. Is that attitude earned? No. She just gets it by being from the right side of of the force(Yoda would be proud!). And, yet, there's always an open opportunity to say she gets it from her Aunts or her other furry friends... Nope; she just decides she's better when the script says "now, this is where we use the fact that she's a big airhead to initiate the prince in further ditching his kingdom for her." Even when she's spending her time with him, when she's making her quite boring speech about getting out and seeing the world... what does Disney do?: Has the couple putting their lives on hold... for the Fairies agenda... Not their dreams... The FAIRIES' ... Even Snow White knew better and so the dwarves to the Snow White and their protect-her-from-nasty-old-witch mission was like family. They took care of each other. Emotionally.And creepily.... Did anyone at her cherished home even knew she was struck by spinning wheel???:

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I thought you love Sleeping Beauty?

[ProfessorRatigan]

I agree with Lazario's assessment of Lady and the Tramp. I've always found it dull as dishwater. I wouldn't say it's the least best of the 50s (for me, that would have to be Alice in Wonderland, which I just plain don't enjoy), as I'd rather look at it than, say, Peter Pan or Cinderella, even. The animation in Lady and the Tramp is stunningly beautiful. I find the styles of Cinderella and Peter Pan to be rather bland. The 50s look of Lady and the Tramp suits it well and serves the story. I don't feel the same can be said of Cinderella & Peter Pan.

Peter Pan, for me, is one of my least favorite of the Disney classics. I've never liked it. The songs were always irritating to me, the main character completely unlikeable. Tinkerbell was a complete MONSTER. Wendy was annoying. Hook was annoying and WAY too comical. The slapstick from him and the crocodile robs him of any menace whatsoever. He's a hysterical, preening, screaming queen. And god DAMN does he grate on my nerves. (Maybe it's because I saw Peter Pan later in life and was spoiled by the villains that came after, such as Maleficent, Cruella, Ursula, Ratigan and Jafar, who were all also comical but still MENACING. They seemed to actually present a threat to the main characters in their films.) Mr. Smee's voice also irritates me. (I can't understand what he's saying without subtitles on. That's probably a bit nit-picky, I'll grant.) The Lost Boys also always annoyed me. But the biggest flaw with the film, I think, is that Never Land never really POPS. At least Wonderland FELT like a real, loopy, magical place. Never Land could have been any other place in the world in the Disney Peter Pan story and it wouldn't have made much of a difference. The location has absolutely zero-personality or charm. (Then, that seems to be a problem that has plagued every adaptation of the Peter Pan story, not just Disney's.) Think of great movie settings: Oz. Hogwarts. Middle Earth. I feel as though I've been to all of those places. But I've never felt I've been to Never Land. A shame.

Cinderella I love, but, again, it just doesn't do anything for me visually. Still, I would rank it second best behind Sleeping Beauty, which I feel has the most charm, most strikingly independent style of story, music, animation of the period and the most iconic characters. (Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan both brought great personalities to the table from the get-go. Sleeping Beauty and, to a lesser extent, Cinderella, really didn't. They had less to work with as far as source material goes, and therefore impress me more with what they did. I think that's an important distinction to make.)

[monorail91]

I am awful at doing the polls (I cannot figure out these forums for the life of me) but definitely Sleeping Beauty is my favorite of the 1950s! I think like Bambi before it, Sleeping Beauty really thrust animation up into an even higher level of art. It is a masterpiece on an entirely new level and is not only visually stunning but has gorgeous music and the best villain ever to come out of the Disney studios. My favorite Disney movie from Walt's lifetime!

[Khonnor]

1. SLeeping Beauty
2. Lady And The Tramp
3. Peter Pan
4. Cinderella
5. Alice In Wonderland

[Atlantica]

I think in terms of 'best' it has to be Sleeping Beauty. It is a visual feast for the eyes, breathtaking score, and features the greatest animated villain of all time.

However, the most iconic of the 50's would probably be a tie between Cinderella and Peter Pan. Cinderella for her transformation scene, Pan for flying through London/ the enduring image of Tinker Bell that is in constant use today.

On a personal level, it would be Alice. I just adore that movie; the style, the score, the characters (including Alice herself). I has a special place in my heart.

[JustOneBite87]

Lady And The Tramp is a ridiculously charming story. Period. Not to mention an absolute love letter to turn of the 20th century America. As an adult with a knowledge of history and particular love and affinity for the early 1900's era I appreciate the film far more than I ever did as a child who had no idea about the evolution and complications of society and technology. How could anyone dislike it?

Very hard for me to choose between Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella as to who the champ of the decade really is. Financially speaking obviously that title would have to go to Cindy. And while I would say that Sleeping Beauty is certainly the most artistically appealing and has the most beautifully adapted score, the title character in Cinderella a bit more three-dimensional personality-wise than Aurora, who is asleep through nearly half of her film. Also I sort of cringe how both protagonist fall in love with their respective princes at first sight without knowing a thing about them.

As a child I found Peter Pan had more repeat entertainment value as an amusing fantasy adventure film than Alice, which really is just a series of music numbers set in a strange world surrounding a frustrated little blonde girl. Still, they both have their charms and I can't really imagine having one in a Disney home video collection without the other right beside it on the shelf, or DVD rack respectively.

[Wonderlicious]

The 1950s used to be my favourite period of Disney animation, though the 1937-42 period has probably overtaken it recently. Needless to say, I still very much like the films made during that period, and it becomes really hard to choose. Since Alice in Wonderland is one of my de-facto favourites, I'll just go with that.

[Big Disney Fan]

I had put up that poll, but it seems as though Cinderella got all the votes and the rest none at all. What gives?

[Semaj]

Alice in Wonderland. Great music, great characters, great art, fun story.

Lady and the Tramp is a close second. It was very different from what Disney and even other animation studios were doing at the time.

Edit: Dafuq? I forgot I already posted my answer. :-/

[monorail91]

I had put up that poll, but it seems as though Cinderella got all the votes and the rest none at all. What gives?

How do you vote? I typed in my rankings (Sleeping Beauty = 1, Alice = 2, etc) and hit Submit but it didn't seem to change the poll results.