10 best animated films from the Disney Renaissance

Photo: Disney’s The Lion King – Walt Disney Pictures

If you look at all the Disney remakes coming out this year, they have one thing in common: they were first made during the Disney Renaissance. One of Disney’s most profitable eras created some of its best films.

Whether you know what the Disney Renaissance is or not, most likely, you’ve seen a movie from that era. Lasting from 1989 though 1999, the decade was marked by back to back successes.  Walt Disney Studios made animated film after animated film, and they all made over $25 million.

Most of the films were based  on well-known stories, which brought in big audiences. The profit Disney made on these films led to it becoming the giant studio we know today. After all, the company made more money on these films than they had on almost all the films they created in the previous decades.

The Renaissance era also brought the powerful duo of Alan Menken and Howard Ashman together. If you’ve ever loudly sung a Disney song in your car, it was most likely written by these two guys.

The films from this era led to television shows being created as well as way too many sequels. Name a film from this period and most likely,  it has at least has one sequel, a TV series, or both.

But as hard as it tried with the sequels and the shows, Disney wasn’t able to recapture the magic of the original movies.  Once the 20th century ended, the quality of the films and the popularity plummeted.

The films from the Renaissance became instant classics once it looked like Disney had lost its touch. Aladdin, The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, and Mulan are still visible in pop culture today.

’90s kids love nothing more than nostalgia, and that has kept the popularity of these films alive and well. The rush to make remakes hasn’t hurt either. With the remake of Beauty in the Beast in 2017 and the soon to be released Aladdin and The Lion King, these films will stay in pop culture for a long time to come.

Let’s take a look at the top 10 films from the Disney Renaissance era.