Welcome to How to Start Watching, in which our staff will recommend movies that will help you start watching a particular genre, director, film movement, etc. It’s a list of movies, but with a purpose that isn’t recounting the best or even favorites. Each entry will suggest a few films that will help you find a way into more movies! A starter pack, if you will.

by Ryan Silberstein, Managing Editor, The Red Herring

With the release of Raya and the Last Dragon coming to Disney+ this Friday, I figured it was a good time to write up a “starter pack” for Disney Animation. With that streaming service firmly unlocking the fabled “Disney Vault'' for good, these films have never been more accessible. Looking across the 84-year history of animated feature films, I tried to pick representative samples from each era.

The Originals

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (dir. David Hand, et. al, 1937)

Might as well start with the first, right? Seriously, I could spend hours talking about how special Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is, not only for being the first attempt at making a feature-length animated film, but for containing so many innovations as well as the seminal ingredients of the “Disney Princess formula.” Watching it today, it is just as vibrant, magical, and scary as contemporary reviews say it was back in 1937. These films continue to become deeper and better at many things, but the core of it is all right here. 

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (dirs. James Algar, Clyde Geronimi & Jack Kinney, 1949)

During World War II, Disney’s feature output shifted to “package films” made up of a few related segments rather than a single long story. The first two of these, Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros, are based on Walt Disney’s goodwill trip to South America. These are often strange and uneven, but the final one, consisting of only two segments, is the one I would recommend trying first. 

I wrote about this film for its 70th Anniversary, focusing on the half based on The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, so please check that out for more of a deep dive. I will say here that both segments are fun and engaging, with some of the best character animation Disney had done, up to that point. Each employs a different art style and rhythm, but nonetheless work well together as portraits of their idiosyncratic central figures. 

Sleeping Beauty (dir. Clyde Geronimi, 1959)

To me, this is the pinnacle of princesses. From the art direction that blends medieval styles into Art Deco, to the music that riffs on Tchaikovsky, everything about the way this story is told is perfect. And that’s without even mentioning Maleficent, the best villain in all of Disney’s canon. She’s relatable, without ever being softened, and the animation of her dragon form at the end is still astonishing. This is my pick for the best work the studio has ever done. 

One Hundred and One Dalmatians (dir. Clyde Geronimi, Hamilton Luske & Wolfgang Reitherman, 1961)

I wanted to include this because, as an immediate followup to Sleeping Beauty, it is hard to imagine a film so different. One Hundred and One Dalmatians used Xerography to reduce costs in the animation process, and as a result of that process’ limitations, the artwork has a scratchy, rough style that sets it apart. This compliments the first Disney Animation feature to be set in a modern time period, and its blues-inspired songs. Walt disliked how much this was moving away from the fantasy settings of previous films, but it really helps it stand out. 

Next Steps: Pinnochio and Fantasia are high water marks for hand-drawn animation. Cost was no object, and these are practically indulgent as far as looks go. 

The Wilderness Years

Robin Hood (dir. Wolfgang Reitherman, 1973)

After Walt Disney died in 1966, the studio continued to work on animation as best they could. There are a number of interesting projects in the late 60s through the late 1980s, but Robin Hood is the only one that feels truly essential to me. It’s notable for its “animals as people'' conceit, casting foxes, bears, lions, and snakes in the roles of the characters in the Robin Hood story, but adding music from Roger Miller and modeling Robin Hood and Little John on Butch Cassiday and the Sundance Kid. This gives the film a unique flavor and personality, not only among this studio’s output, but also among Robin Hood adaptations. 

Next Steps: The Black Cauldron and The Great Mouse Detective are the final two films of this era, and offer a ‘changing of the guard’ in a way that foreshadows what is to come. 

The Renaissance

The Little Mermaid (dirs. Ron Clements & John Musker, 1989)

Possibly the second most important film on this list after Snow White, The Little Mermaid was not only a return to form in terms of quality, but also set the template for the next 30+ years of Disney animation.That template includes: a spunky, young protagonist, a cute and funny animal sidekick, drawing from classic stories, and Broadway-style musical numbers. While the movies that immediately follow are better, in my opinion, The Little Mermaid packs an incredible amount of story and character into its 83 minute runtime, and the songs are fantastic. Of course there are things about it that haven’t aged well, but this is the last time the animation was done all by hand and using the multiplane camera that was built in the 1930s. It is a true landmark in the medium, as well as for the studio. 

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (dirs. Gary Trousdale & Kirk Wise, 1996)

For the second film to represent this era, I wanted to pick something a bit later on because I don’t think that people necessarily need a guide to some of the most culturally-present films of the last few decades. But Hunchback, along with Pocahontas, tried to take on more challenging material in order to appeal to adults as well as children. Neither film is entirely successful in that regard, but Hunchback stretches a bit further in both directions. This not only has a fantastic musical number about a priest’s sexual frustration, but also has a trio of pop culture referencing Gargoyles to balance it out. Overall, this is also the more visually impressive of the two, as well. 

Next Steps: Mulan and Tarzan both strike a better balance that hews slightly closer to the template mentioned above, and are better films than Hunchback for it, while also being somewhat overlooked. 

Wilderness Part 2

The Emperor’s New Groove (dir. Mark Dindal, 2000)

This was the third feature film released by the studio in the year 2000! The other two, Fantasia 2000 and Dinosaur, are mostly forgotten, but New Groove has lived on thanks to younger millennials and Gen Z kids. The Disney of their youth was weirder, less polished, and less focused than those who grew up in the early ‘Renaissance’ period. New Groove started as an ambitious project like Hunchback, but over the course of its difficult production, morphed into a strange and hilarious buddy comedy starring the voices of David Spade and John Goodman. 

Next Steps: The other films that are more interesting than good from this era are Treasure Planet, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, and Lilo & Stitch, which all find their own ways of breaking the Disney princess mold. 

New Renaissance 

Princess and the Frog (dirs. Ron Clements & John Musker, 2009)

To date, Princess and the Frog is the last hand-drawn animated film from Disney. It’s also wonderful, in its own right. Not only was it a good step forward for diversity within Disney’s characters, but it is a heartwarming story with some great songs. While it signifies an end to an era, I hope Disney will one day return to the medium they helped cement in the public’s imagination. Warning, with its New Orleans setting in full force, this one will make you hungry for beignets and jambalaya. 

Next Steps: Disney’s output of the last decade or so has been pretty solid. While I still prefer the hand-drawn approach, films like Tangled, Wreck-It Ralph and Moana have continued the tradition and tried to tackle new subjects and settings.