My Favourite Underrated Disney Movies

There are lots of Disney movies out there that need more love. They either get a low rating or are lost among the movies that got the most hype and love.

When I was brainstorming this list. I realized that the movies I chose had the following traits: a serious villain who doesn’t play around, a story with complex details, or they were simply overlooked from being released not long after another film that was more successful.

You could probably find other articles online that will contain the same ones that I’m about to list.

1. The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Still hands down, one of my favourites. It’s one of the darkest Disney films made that covers a lot of mature themes like lust, genocide, and racism. Another thing that makes it dark is you get a villain like Claude Frollo who is far more realistic than any other Disney villain will ever be. I cosplay as him in case you didn’t know that yet! (Do yourself a favour and just search Frollo on this site, you’ll find pictures of it soon enough!)

Unfortunately, this movie is hugely overlooked, and I think it’s all because of the fact that these movies get marketed to children first, and children want happy, colourful, and funny stories. They won’t understand the mature concepts this movie presents. As an adult, you can appreciate it cause you understand it. It’s dark, realistic in a way, and humor is still present through it all.

2. Treasure Planet

Anybody remember this one? It combines 2D animation but with a touch of 3D animation too. It’s a futuristic sci-fi version of the original story and I love it for its exhilarating moments and many different alien characters. I want to have a Morph for a pet!

It was well received by critics and was even nominated for an Oscar for best animated film, but it flopped in the box office so it’s no wonder people seem to forget it exists. It’s not just about positive reviews and nominations, but what also grabs people’s attention is how successful it was in the box office.

3. Atlantis: The Lost Empire

This is probably the very first sci-fi Disney film that has made.

It’s also considered one of the first Disney films to focus more on the story and adventure than being a musical. That’s what I love about it. As much as I love musicals, sometimes I want to watch a Disney film with a more serious approach to the story and this is one of them.

But unfortunately, the movie didn’t do well in the box office, some critics liked it for its combination of CGI and 2D and different approach to storytelling while others said the opposite. Because of it’s lack of success, one of its characters: Kida, was shunned from being an official Disney Princess. But she will always be one to me.

4. Dinosaur

Remember this one? I think this movie is even more forgettable than the others I’ve mentioned so far.

The characters are all CGI generated, but the backgrounds are said to be shot in real locations. I remember the time the teaser trailer came out during the showing of Toy Story 2. At that time part of it scared me, but I eventually decided to watch it. What I thought was done well was the movie’s soundtrack, it’s amazing and I’ve had dreams in the past where I hear parts of it. A good example is the track where the egg travels, it goes from epic to amazing as you listen.

So I wonder what gets this movie overlooked? I heard critics say they didn’t like the choice to make the characters talk because it took away what could have made this movie stand out. Or it probably came out around something else that turned out to be a lot more popular.

5. The Rescuers: Down Under

I never saw the first film, but I think this one was definitely overlooked as it was released not long after The Little Mermaid. In cases like this, there’s a movie that comes out and is a big success, and when the franchise releases another afterwards, the hype for its predecessor is still present so people may not always pay attention.

Who would’ve thought that an international rescue organization would be run by mice inside the UN HQ? I liked this movie mainly for the humor surrounding the villain and his pet and Cody’s bond with the eagle. Some stories just simply need more love.

6. The Great Mouse Detective

There are so many movies surrounding mice in the Disney universe. Mice are generally creatures we don’t like in our houses, except for the cult of people who like to keep them as pets. It makes me wonder if Disney is trying to send us a message about how we should see mice.

Anyway, this is another Disney movie I love. It’s the mouse version of Sherlock Holmes filled with charming characters including both Basil and Ratigan. Ratigan is probably one of the most charismatic villains out there who can also be very intimidating too, but he often gets forgotten because most fans tend to remember Scar and Jafar better. I’ll take Ratigan over the latter any day!

7. The Emperor’s New Groove

Definitely one of the funniest Disney movies in the forgotten realms. It even has a spinoff series that takes place after the movie. When I first watched the movie, there was a strong message present: You get what you give.

Kuzco was always a selfish ruler who never thought about his people at first. When Pacha tells him to reconsider building his summer resort on the village top, Kuzco refuses and in return Pacha refuses to help him return to the palace after he’s turned into a llama. I don’t know why this movie gets forgotten, but it definitely needs more love.

8. Tarzan

Who doesn’t love this one? It has been well-praised for its animation and it won an Oscar for Best Original Song that was You’ll Be In My Heart by Phil Collins, and that’s a beautiful song. There’s just something about that makes it unique like the action and Tarzan’s story trying to find acceptance in the herd as well as realize what he really is.

I actually think that he and Jane are adorable together and that final scene where she runs back to stay with him and they kiss, that is actually one of my favourite Disney movie kisses of all time! Oh and not to mention when Clayton meets his demise, it’s actually pretty disturbing. Most Disney villains fall to their death, some die in an explosion, but Clayton ends up hanging himself due to his own stupidity when he was trapped in vines.

So there’s really nothing that I can recall that makes this movie overlooked. I think it just simply is at times.

9. Pinocchio

The second Disney film ever made. Pinocchio won two Oscars related to its soundtrack but was and I quote “a box office disaster”. I can see why since it was released in 1940 and I don’t think many people were going to the movies during WWII. I think it’s also a rather dark film like THOND, especially when we get to the part involving the coachman because he was basically committing child trafficking by taking naughty boys off to Pleasure Island. Then they were encouraged to engage in gorging themselves, drinking, smoking, being destructive, and picking fights until they turned into donkeys. I tell you, Lampwick’s transformation scarred me as a child and I still can’t watch the movie as an adult without that part disturbing me.

This movie is truly a classic and is considered one of the greatest films ever made, and I don’t know why, but I feel like people do forget about it sometimes. I think it’s also because just like THOND, it’s got mature themes in it and can be dark at times. But, after writing this, it looks to me that just about every Disney film has dark moments in it.

And those are my favourite Disney films that I think need more love. Surprisingly, a lot of them involve animals, their soundtracks I remember fondly, they can contain dark moments and themes that only adults can understand, and some of them have hilarious moments. Yet, they are often lost within the more popular films.

What are your favorite underrated Disney films that I may have forgotten to mention?

👽Emily