Disney essentially owns 1/3 of this world, and within their ranks of animated classics, owning both the Star Wars and Marvel franchises, and planting a new theme park every 72 hours, they also have a storied history of live-action films….with real people…who aren’t cartoons.

Don’t believe me? I’m not going to lie, that’s fair. But you SHOULD believe Amanda Woomer-Limpert, our resident connoisseur on all things Disney. I promise you, this is not a Ranked! to be taken lightly, and this list would NOT exist if I couldn’t find the concerted expert to tackle it……or it would exist, but in a version written by me, that we can all agree would be a disaster of epic proportions. Take it away, Amanda!

Greetings, Disnerds! It’s me! The Geekiverse’s resident Disney geek, Amanda! Now I may not be a registered Disney historian but I have worked at Walt Disney World, visited a majority of the parks around the world, sold my soul to the Mouse, and I’ve somehow managed to see every single Disney movie ever made (hooray for no life!) so if there’s anyone around here who would unabashedly call themselves an expert, it’s this girl right here.

With Disney’s newest live-action film, A Wrinkle in Time, coming out this week, we’re going to count down the top ten best live-action Disney films. Now three things to keep in mind before you start to hate on my list: 1). None of these will be live-action remakes like Cinderella or Beauty and the Beast. We’ve already written reviews for those bad boys and I’m going to focus on the original live-action only films. 2). All of these films have a 7/10 or higher on IMDb. I took that into account in my ranking as well as the movies I like, and my husband throwing a fit that his favorite wasn’t higher on the list. 3). This was REALLY hard to just pick ten. I could have included Hocus Pocus, Cool Runnings, Remember the Titans, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Pirates of the Caribbean, Tron, and Pete’s Dragon just to name a few off the top of my head. So, without further ado…

Top 10 Live-Action Disney Films

10. Old Yeller (1957)

This film from 1957 earned a spot on this list because it has managed to traumatize children for generations now. It was considered to be an important cultural film for baby boomers and is considered by many to be the one of the best “boy and his dog” films. It’s a simple story: boy meets dog, boy falls in love with dog, dog gets rabies, boy has to kill dog (spoiler alert?). It’s based off of a Newberry Award winning book (which I had to read in third grade) and even got a sequel film (obviously, not about Old Yeller… sorry… too soon?). The story may be simple but the damage it’s done to kids over the last 60 years is impressive. So impressive, you’d think a movie about a boy having to kill his pet dog would be difficult to stomach but it’s currently at 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and is considered “a nice little family feature.” Clearly the baby boomers were tougher than I am because I’m still scarred 20 years later.

9. Enchanted (2007)

Whether you love or hate Disney movies, Enchanted is a perfect, light hearted film to watch–being both a love letter to Disney films of yesteryear as well as a parody of the ridiculous tropes found in Disney films. Enchanted doesn’t take itself seriously and because of that, it’s not only a smashing success, but also a hoot. It tells the story of Giselle (Amy Adams), a doe eyed hopeless romantic ready to marry her Prince Charming in an animated fairy tale world before being sent to New York City in the real world. There, she manages to still make magic for the people around her while also saving the day. It has both animation and live-action elements, extraordinarily catchy songs, ridiculous one-liners, and over the top costumes. A sequel is supposedly in the works and the fact that it’s taken over 10 years to do that is just wrong.

8. Escape to Witch Mountain (1975)

While this may not be one of the higher rated films on this list, it is a nostalgiabomb for me, so it managed to snag a place on this list. Escape to Witch Mountain is a fun sci-fi tale of Tony and Tia: siblings who have psychic and telekinetic abilities. This is one of the first movies I remember seeing where the kids were the central focus and they were the ones to save the day. It’s a creative story with a cool twist at the end (don’t worry, I won’t spoil it). But most of all, I friggin’ loved Tia’s “star case” purse and I still want one. This movie went on to inspire a whole slew of movies: the film’s official sequel, Return from Witch Mountain (1978), the TV movie Beyond Witch Mountain (1982), the Wonderful World of Disney remake Escape to Witch Mountain (1995), and most recently Race to Witch Mountain (2009) which starred The Rock. But, as we all know, the first is always the best.

7. Bedknobs & Broomsticks (1971)

This was a movie I grew up with–it was one of my mom’s favorite films–and my husband grew up on it as well so it seemed like I’d be a bad wife and daughter if I didn’t include this one on my list. And it’s here for good reason! In many ways, it’s similar to Mary Poppins: including live-action and animated sequences, songs written by the Sherman Brothers, and even some of the same actors. But where Mary is a no nonsense nanny but also supposed witch, Miss Eglantine Price is a witch and not afraid to show it. Taking place during the Blitz on London during World War II, she takes her three wards on a wild adventure on one of her beds (it’s not as weird as it sounds). It’s a fun whimsical movie where the little guy gets to have their day and stick it to the bad guys (aka: the Nazis). This movie got five Academy Award nominations and won for best visual effects. If you’re a fan of Mary Poppins but are looking for something a bit more whimsy, make sure to add Bedknobs & Broomsticks to your movie queue.

6. Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993)

If Old Yeller was a bit disturbing to me as a child, Homeward Bound was traumatizing (but in a good way). It tells the story of Chance, Shadow, and Sassy (two dogs and a cat) on their adventure through the Rockies to get back to their owners. It starts out humorous and light hearted and you can’t help but be thoroughly impressed by the training of these animals. But throw in a cougar, one dog getting bit by a porcupine’s butt, a cat falling over a waterfall, and an old golden retriever falling into a ditch just minutes from home and you’ve got a sob fest waiting for you. I grew up on this movie (it was the very first VHS I ever bought myself) and yet I still cry every single time I watch Shadow run to Peter. Every. Single. Time.

5. The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)

Let’s be honest: this is the best version of A Christmas Carol in existence. No, don’t argue. You know it’s true. It follows the classic story of Scrooge and his all nighter with three ghosts who try to get him to stop being a first rate jerk to literally everyone. Michael Caine plays Scrooge and that’s basically the last person you see. Gonzo and Rizzo the Rat are our narrators, Kermit the Frog is Bob Cratchit, Fozzie Bear is Fozziwig, Miss Piggy is Emily Cratchit, Robin the Frog is Tiny Tim, Waldorf and Statler are Robert and Jacob Marley, and Bean Bunny plays the unfortunate Christmas caroler, “It’s Christmas Day!” boy, and the little guy shivering under the newspaper who makes me cry every time I see it. The film is fun with catchy songs while also delivering on the creep factor that A Christmas Carol has. This was also the very first film from the Jim Henson Company to be released after Jim Henson passed away in 1990.

4. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954)

This was a demand of my husband since this is his favorite Disney movie. Period. Based off of Jules Verne’s 1870 novel of the same name, this story was ahead of its time. It’s considered to be one of the first science fiction stories as well as an early precursor to the steampunk genre. It also managed to describe the design and function of submarines… before there were submarines. The film does a great job of taking Verne’s adventure and turning it into a fun film with some suspense, comedy, and danger. Throw in a mad scientist, a giant squid attack, and a really catchy sea shanty, and you’ve got one hell of an entertaining story! When it was first released, it was considered to be the finest live-action Disney film with superstars like Kirk Douglas, James Mason, and Peter Lorre all having major parts to play.

3. Saving Mr. Banks (2013)

Easily my most watched movie on this list, Saving Mr. Banks is definitely the most interesting live action film on this list, mostly because it’s based (loosely, I’m sure) off of history. It centers on the development of Mary Poppins where author, P.L. Travers (Emma Thompson, meets with Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) as he tries to obtain the rights to her books. The title of the film comes from Jane and Michael Banks in Mary Poppins and Mary coming to help save their father. It’s fun to look at the story in hindsight (ie. we know that Mary Poppins makes it to the big screen despite Travers’ doubts) and it is just filled with charming fun. The acting from everyone–Thompson and Hanks as well as Paul Giamatti, Jason Schwartzman, Bradley Whitford, and Colin Farrell–is incredible and heart wrenching. If you are a fan of Disney, the man, and not just the studio, this is a movie that you have to see. It will make you feel more connected to Walt Disney, the Walt Disney Company, as well as Mary Poppins. It’s a lesser known Disney movie that should be in every fans’ library.

2. Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989)

I think many of us can say that Honey, I Shrunk the Kids had some place in our childhoods. It’s a fun science fiction adventure that had special effects that still manage to hold up fairly well almost 30 years later. The movie tells the story of Dr. Wayne Szalinski (Rick Moranis) who accidentally shrinks his kids, Amy and Nick, as well as his neighbor’s kids, Russ and Ron, and throws them in the backyard. The kids’ adventure through the backyard is both exciting and dangerous where they pig out on oatmeal cream cookies, fly on bumblebees, fight scorpions, sleep in a Lego, and befriend an ant, named Antie. And let’s be honest, watching Antie save the kids from the scorpion is one of those classic traumas in your childhood that only Disney can offer. This movie was so big, it became Disney’s highest grossing film upon its release and stayed that way for five years. It won multiple awards and is on the 100 Greatest Family Films list.

1. Mary Poppins (1964)

Was there any doubt that she’d be number one? Mary Poppins: practically perfect in every way. If you haven’t seen this movie, why? The story is about a dysfunctional family where Jane and Michael Banks put out a call for a nanny, a call that Mary Poppins (Julie Andrews) answers. She takes the children on a wild adventure along with Bert the chimney sweep (Dick van Dyke… my grandpa boyfriend) while also finding a way to fix the Banks’ family dynamic. This movie is considered to be Walt Disney’s crowning achievement. It got 13 Academy Award nominations including Best Picture and managed to win five of them–Best Actress for Julie Andrews, Best Film Editing, Best Original Music Score, Best Visual Effects, and Best Original Song for “Chim Chim Cher-ee.” In 2013 it was selected to be preserved in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”

Only time will tell where Ava DuVernay’s adaption of Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle In Time will fall on this list. From what I’ve seen of previews and clips, it looks like it will be just as inspiring, imaginative, and stunning as the book. A Wrinkle In Time hits theaters Friday, March 9th.

Amanda Woomer-Limpert is a writer/editor for The Geekiverse, a former Disney cast member, and a huge bookworm. A Wrinkle In Time has been one of her favorite books since 5th grade when her mother gave it to her to read.

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