Toon Talk: 100 Years of Magic - 100 Movies, Part Two
Page 4 of 6
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#81. KIWIS, BIG ADVENTURE
The resourceful mice heroes of The Rescuers returned for an Australian outing in The Rescuers Down Under (November 16, 1990), the first animated theatrical sequel. A stunning opening sequence flight through the Outback was courtesy of CGI.
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#82. TALES AS OLD AS TIME
One of the most acclaimed animated films ever made, Beauty and the Beast (November 22, 1991) is the crown jewel of the modern Disney regime. The first animated feature ever nominated for the Best Picture Academy Award, it won two Oscars and three Golden Globes (including Best Picture - Musical/Comedy) and went on to be transformed into one of the longest-running Broadway shows in history. The 30th animated feature is set for a BIG return next year, in a newly enhanced and amended presentation exclusive to IMAX and other large format theaters everywhere.
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#83. EXTRA! EXTRA!
The turn-of-the-century New York newsboy strike was the basis for Disney's latest family musical Newsies (April 10, 1992). Initially a flop, the film has become a cult favorite among Disney fans, including several fan-based websites.
#84. HOCKEY PLUCK
Disney's Bad News Bears on Ice flick The Mighty Ducks (October 2, 1992) hatched two sequels (D2: - and D3: The Mighty Ducks in 1994 and 1996, respectively) and is the only movie to inspire a real-life professional sports team, the Anaheim Mighty Ducks.
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#85. DUDE, WHERE'S MY CARPET?
Robin Williams' wise-cracking Genie conjured up box office magic for the Oscar-winning musical adventure Aladdin (November 25, 1992). The 1994 video premiere of The Return of Jafar was the first in a long line of profitable (and controversial) direct-to-video sequels.
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#86. A TOMB WITH A VIEW
The oddest, quirkiest, most unusual animated film ever released by Disney (or anyone else, for that matter), Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas (October 22, 1993) has outgrew it's cult beginnings to become a pop culture landmark. Sprung from the imagination of former Disney animator Burton, this musical ghost story was a tour-de-force of stop-motion animation. Director Henry Selick returned to the medium with 1996's James and the Giant Peach.
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#87. KING OF THE JUNGLE
The box office jungle, that is. The Lion King (June 24, 1994) roared onto the silver screen with sprawling savannas, infectious songs and an all-star cast, eventually becoming the most successful animated film of all time. Like Beauty and the Beast before it, it won two Academy Awards, three Golden Globes (including Best Picture - Musical/Comedy) and evolved into a Tony Award-winning Broadway smash.
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#88. AMERICAN BEAUTY
For the first time a Disney animated feature was based on a historical figure, the American legend Pocahontas (June 23, 1995). Factual inaccuracies aside (what, there really wasn't a talking tree?), this West Virginia-Side Story won two music Oscars.
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#89. BOSOM BUDDIES
Computer animation had drastically changed the field of animation by the mid-nineties, and the overwhelming popularity of the first all-CGI feature Toy Story (November 22, 1995) further solidified that fact. A joint venture between Disney and Pixar, the unconventional, Oscar-winning "buddy movie" revealed the secret lives of toys and introduced toon superstars Woody and Buzz Lightyear. The smartly written script earned an Original Screenplay Oscar nomination, the first for an animated film.
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#90. GYPSIES, GOATS AND KINGS
The darkest of the Disney animated features, The Hunchback of Notre Dame (June 21, 1996) delved into heretofore untouched themes of desire and redemption in it's retelling of the Victor Hugo classic. A German stage version of the musical has been playing in Berlin for years.