When it comes to Disney movies, there are several masterpieces like The Lion King and Cinderella that have since become classics. What not everyone knows, however, is that the animation studio has a number of forgotten works. Many of which are recent, while others date back to the first movies ever created by Disney.
Some of these now-forgotten movies have decent critic reviews, maybe even a passing performance at the box office, but nearly all of them have received low ratings from regular viewers (even on the most popular site in the niche: IMDb).
10 Home On The Range (2004) Convinced Disney Traditional Animation Was In The Past
Home on the Range was one of Disney's traditionally-animated features, followed by The Princess and the Frog five years later. In fact, this was the movie that seemed to persuade Disney that traditional animation was something they needed to leave in the past.
Simply put, Home on the Range wasn't much of a success. The movie grossed only a little more than its budget and received mixed reviews from critics, who regarded it as nothing more than a film for children to be distracted by.
9 The Black Cauldron (1985) Is Now A Cult Classic
While now considered a cult classic, The Black Cauldron was arguably one of Disney's biggest failures. The movie was an unusually dark work that underwent severe editing to cut out particularly disturbing scenes. Interestingly, this was the first Disney animated movie to use computer-generated imagery.
The Black Cauldron grossed less than half of its budget at the box office and received mixed reviews. At the time, it was the most expensive animated movie ever made, which made its failure especially damaging to Disney.
8 Dinosaur (2000) Was The Most Expensive Computer-Animated Movie Ever At Release
Despite being the fifth-highest-grossing movie of 2000, Dinosaur is seldom remembered nowadays. At the time of its release, it was allegedly the most expensive computer-animated movie and one of Disney's first steps into CGI animation.
Dinosaur received mixed reviews with many critics saying that the plot was too dull and simplistic, although the realism of the animation — which now looks outdated — was still praised.
7 Oliver & Company (1988) Has A Predictable Plot
Interestingly, Oliver & Company was pitched and approved shortly after the failure of The Black Cauldron. Even more peculiar was that the movie was released on the same day as The Land Before Time, but still became a box office success. Much like Home on the Range, Oliver & Company's predictable plot was the reason critics gave the movie mixed reviews, deeming it only good for entertaining young kids.
6 The Rescuers Down Under (1990) Is Lost In The Sea Of Anthropomorphic Animal Cartoons
The sequel to The Rescuers, The Rescuers Down Under is hardly remembered even by the fans of the studio. When it comes down to it, both movies are somewhat forgettable in the sea of cartoons with anthropomorphic animals. The Rescuers Down Under was well-received by critics, but it underperformed at the box office since it was competing with the biggest comedy movie that year: Home Alone.
5 The Rescuers (1977) Received Positive Critical Reviews And Became A Commercial Success
Like its sequel, The Rescuers isn't fondly remembered nowadays. That being said, the first movie is one some audiences might recognize.
Released to positive critical reviews, The Rescuers became a massive commercial success, explaining why the sequel was greenlit in the first place. But that, obviously, didn't save the movie from being forgotten over time.
4 The Adventures Of Ichabod And Mr. Toad (1949) Is An Example Of A Disney Package Film
Released in 1949, The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad represents a period in Disney history when the studio actively created so-called package films consisting of multiple short stories tied together by a single theme or event. This movie was the last one of the period, with the next package film released only thirty years later.
Out of the two stories in the movie, most remember The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. At the time of its release, the movie received positive critical reviews and is still regarded as an accomplishment, even though it's not well known to the general public.
3 Winnie The Pooh (2011) Received Glowing Praise From Critics
Disney's most recent traditionally-animated movie is 2011's Winnie the Pooh, which is the fifth theatrical release in the franchise. Luckily, it didn't suffer the fate of most sequels and instead received glowing positive reviews from its critics. And yet, the movie was commercially unsuccessful due to competing with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 (2011).Winnie the Pooh's lack of success was reflected in the number of ratings regular viewers gave it.
2 Fantasia 2000 (1999) Failed To Capture The Magic Of Its Prequel
1940's Fantasia is considered to be a monumental work, especially taking into account that it was only the third animated theatrical movie created by Disney. However, the fate of its sequel, Fantasia 2000, is much worse. The original Fantasia is remembered and discussed to this day, while 2000 subsequently underperformed at the box office despite positive reviews. Moreover, Fantasia 2000 was directly compared to the original, which audiences considered to be superior.
1 The Great Mouse Detective (1986) Was A Critical And Commercial Success
The Great Mouse Detective is probably the most well-known movie on this list, but it still numbers among Disney's most forgotten works. The movie was closely linked to The Black Cauldron, which was released the previous year. Fortunately for the studio, The Great Mouse Detective was a critical and commercial success, helping Disney get back on track after its recent losses.