Credit: PixarRecently, The Hollywood Reporter released a list of the 50 Best Movies of the 21st Century (So Far). While many of these movies are the type of films that cinephiles would gush over, like Brokeback Mountain (2005), Get Out (2017), and Inside Llewyn Davis (2013), there are actually four movies that fall under the Disney banner on the ranking.
These four Disney movies are not what you would usually think of when it comes to Disney, like The Little Mermaid (1989) and The Lion King (1994) or even more modern movies like Big Hero 6 (2014) or Frozen (2013). You won’t see films involving cute animals, a Disney Princess, Star Wars, or anything directly from Walt Disney Studios.
Instead, these are films from companies that Disney has purchased over its lifetime, including Marvel, Pixar, and Searchlight Pictures (after 2019). Despite this, all of these movies carry the energy of what Walt Disney Pictures has been and always will be.
Even with that technicality, it cannot be denied that these four movies represent some of the best that Disney offers and deserve their spot on this list.
‘Black Panther’ (2018)
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If a Marvel movie was going to get a spot on this list, it would be Black Panther, and deservingly so. While Captain America, Captain Marvel, and Iron Man are all incredibly popular, none combined superhero action with a message of inclusion and incredible visuals inspired by Afrofuturism.
This is brought together with incredible performances from the late Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Letitia Wright, Angela Bassett, Daniel Kaluuya, Danai Gurira, and many more. And that’s not even mentioning the fantastic team behind the camera, including director Ryan Coogler.
What audiences saw wasn’t just a fantastic family action movie but a film making a statement. Black Panther remains one of the best Marvel movies ever made and is the only one so far to earn an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture.
‘Summer of Soul’ (2021)
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While Walt Disney Pictures is most recognized for its animated features, the company has a long-standing tradition of incredible documentaries, including dozens of Academy Award nominations and victories. This tradition continues today with 2022’s Best Documentary winner, Summer of Soul.
Directed by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, Summer of Soul follows the events of the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, which was largely ignored since Woodstock started on the same weekend even though it featured performances from Stevie Wonder, Sly and the Family Stone, Mahalia Jackson, Gladys Knight and the Pips, and so many more.
The documentary brings the festival to life with news footage, interviews with performers and attendees, and professional footage of the event that was almost lost to time. The film is entirely engrossing and is perfect for anyone who loves music or American history.
‘Wall-E’ (2008)
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It’s hard to pick the best Pixar movies since they are all good. Arguments could be made for Toy Story (1995), Inside Out (2015), Up (2009), and even Finding Dory (2016). However, nothing represents Pixar as a whole quite like Wall-E.
One of three animated films nominated for Best Picture, Wall-E tells the story of an old garbage robot left alone on Earth that falls in love with a fancy new robot named Eve. She has been sent to Earth to find any remnants of plant life after
Wall-E is the pinnacle of everything that Pixar does in its movies. It has a touching story with a profound message built around a passionate relationship. The formula works for a reason, and it has never been as good as in Wall-E.
‘Spirited Away’ (2001)
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Produced by Studio Ghibli and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, Spirited Away is steeped in Japanese culture and features a beautiful combination of childlike wonder and fantastical terror. Not to mention that the film is gorgeous. It stands out as one of Miyazaki’s best films for a reason.
So what makes Spirited Away a Disney movie? Well, there is a very good chance that it wouldn’t have reached the same heights as it did if John Lasseter didn’t see it. Lasseter loved it so much that he gushed about it to then-Disney CEO Michael Eisner, leading to Disney producing the English dub and distributing the film in North America.
Spirited Away brought Studio Ghibli to the broader public’s attention and would win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, the only Japanese and hand-drawn film to do so.
What other films under the Disney banner do you think should have made the list? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!