Disney Animated Movies List

Disney animated movies were born at Walt Disney Animation Studios in Burbank, CA, and the animation studio was founded on October 16, 1923, by Roy O. Disney and Walt Disney.

Disney Animation is an American animation studio that creates animated feature films, short films, and television specials for the Walt Disney Company.

Visit Disney’s official website for career information and see the breakdown of Disney Eras and the full Disney movies order below. Don’t forget about Disney Plus Day coming on September 8, 2022.

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Disney Animated Movies List

Movie	Release Date	Awards
Wish	2023	None
Strange World	2022	None
Encanto	2021	Oscar; Golden Globe; Grammy
Raya and the Last Dragon	2021	None
Frozen II	2019	None
Ralph Breaks the Internet	2018	None
Zootopia	2016	Oscar; Golden Globe
Moana	2016	Grammy(2)
Big Hero 6	2014	Oscar; Golden Globe
Frozen	2013	Oscar(2); Golden Globe; Grammy(2)
Wreck-It Ralph	2012	None
Winnie the Pooh	2011	None
Tangled	2010	Grammy
The Princess and the Frog	2009	None
Bolt	2008	None
Meet the Robinsons	2007	None
Chicken Little	2005	None
Home on the Range	2004	None
Brother Bear	2003	None
Lilo & Stitch	2002	None
Treasure Planet	2002	None
Atlantis: The Lost Empire	2001	None
Dinosaur	2000	None
The Emperor’s New Groove	2000	None
Tarzan	1999	Oscar; Golden Globe; Grammy(2)
Fantasia 2000	1999	None
Mulan	1998	None
Hercules	1997	None
The Hunchback of Notre Dame	1996	None
Pocahontas	1995	Oscar(2); Golden Globe; Grammy
The Lion King	1994	Oscar(2); Golden Globe(3); Grammy(2)
Aladdin	1992	Oscar(2); Golden Globe(3); Grammy(4)
Beauty and the Beast	1991	Oscar(2); Golden Globe(3); Grammy(4)
The Rescuers Down Under	1990	None
The Little Mermaid	1989	Oscar(2); Golden Globe(2); Grammy
Oliver & Company	1988	None
The Great Mouse Detective	1986	None
The Black Cauldron	1985	None
The Fox and the Hound	1981	None
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh	1977	None
The Rescuers	1977	None
Robin Hood	1973	None
The Aristocats	1970	None
The Jungle Book	1967	None
The Sword in the Stone	1963	None
One Hundred and One Dalmatians	1961	None
Sleeping Beauty	1959	None
Lady and the Tramp	1955	None
Peter Pan	1953	None
Alice in Wonderland	1951	None
Cinderella	1950	None
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad	1949	None
Melody Time	1948	None
Fun and Fancy Free	1947	None
Make Mine Music	1946	None
The Three Caballeros	1944	None
Bambi	1942	None
Saludos Amigos	1942	None
Dumbo	1941	Oscar
Pinocchio	1940	Oscar(2)
Fantasia	1940	Oscar – Honorary
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs	1937	Oscar – Honorary

This list does not include the movies Disney has collaborated with Pixar on like Disney Pixar’s Elemental, Lightyear, and Luca.

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Disney Animation Links

Here is a list of Disney Animation Studios movies starting with the most recent. Which ones are your favorites? Also, check out the official 12 Disney Princess list, Disney Princess Playlist, and Female Disney Villains. Share a comment on our Facebook page.

Discover our Disney Musicals, Disney Halloween movies, and Walt Disney Princes list.

Check out Disney sequels on Disneytoon Studios and Disney characters that start with i.

Disney Attractions

Build your own custom lightsaber at Savi’s Workshop. This adventure has many great reviews and is a family favorite.

Disney Animation History

If you love animated films, then you love Walt Disney. How much do you know of this great company that has brought a ton of hit animation movies to our screens for close to a century now? Let’s start here, Walt Disney Animation is an animation studio that is part of the Walt Disney Studios and is headquartered in Burbank, California. It produces animated films, television specials, and short films. The studio has dazzled the world with over 56 productions since its establishment in 1923.

1923-1928: Early Years

In 1923, Walt Disney partnered with Roy O. Disney to establish the Disney Cartoon Studios in Los Angeles. They began with the production of Alice Comedies, which were silent short films. Margaret J. Winkler’s Pictures distributed the Alice Comedies and the 1927 Oswald the Lucky Rabbit in collaboration with Universal Pictures.

After disagreements between Walt Disney and Winkler Pictures emerged, Disney and his head animator led a handful of staffers into secretly producing cartoons that starred a new Disney character, Mickey Mouse. The Galloping Gaucho and Plane Crazy were the first two Mickey Mouse cartoons previewed in 1928.

However, the third movie, Steamboat Willie, marked a new era by becoming Disney’s first cartoon that featured synchronized sound. It became a major success and the most popular cartoon feature in the U.S. upon its debut in 1928.

1929-1934: Snow White

The Silly Symphonies were the second Disney Animation of sound cartoons that debuted in 1929. They served as an experimentation ground for new animation techniques. After financial disputes emerged between the studio and Powers (the company that distributed Mickey Mouse), the animation studio proceeded with releasing Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1938, which was made available by Columbia.

It became the leading feature in animation to be produced in Technicolor and English and is considered Walt Disney’s greatest achievement. After completing the expensive $1.4 million, the movie experienced unprecedented success and became the highest-earning film of that time. Considering inflation, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs currently ranks as the 10th highest-grossing film of all time.

1935-1949: Pinocchio and WWII

Inspired by Snow White, Disney released Pinocchio and Fantasia. Both were not financial successes when first published in 1940.

A union strike followed in 1941, resulting in the exodus of numerous animation professionals. After withstanding the storm, the studio released Dumbo just before America entered into World War II, which became another box office success. Bambi then followed in 1942.

Works on Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland were put on hold as Disney Animation focused on shorts, war propaganda, and military training films like 1934 and Victory Through AirPower. Starting with Saludos Amigos, Disney began producing inexpensive package films that comprised short subjects depicted by animated or live-action framing.

1950-1966: Walt’s Death

After Sleeping Beauty’s release in 1959, the Disney Animation department experienced considerable downsizing. The studio also transitions from hand-done linking of cells to xerography, a technology that helped to speed up production. The 101 Dalmatians became the first movie to use this technology. Sadly, Walt produced two more features, The Sword in the Stone and The Jungle Book, before his death in 1966 from lung cancer.

1967-1988: Rivalry and Corporate Reconstruction

After the death of its founder, the company pressed forward with the movies: The Aristocrats (1970), Robin Hood (1973), The Rescuers (1977), and Pete’s Dragon (1978). In 1979, 11 animators led by Don Bluth left the studio to form Don Bluth’s production, Disney’s main competitor during this period.

The company underwent a major reconstruction after it narrowly escaped a hostile takeover. Paramount Picture’s Michael Eisner became CEO working with Jeffrey Katzenberg, while former Warner Bros employee Frank Wells became president.

In 1985, Disney released an unimpressive The Black Cauldron. It then founded a Television animation division, which Roy E. Disney supervised to put the company back to its glory days. The studio’s Oliver & Company and The Land Before Time were both box office successes. Who Framed Roger Rabbit was later released and achieved not an only commercial success but also won four Academy Awards.

1989-1999: The Renaissance era

1989 saw the release of The Little Mermaid, which grossed a whopping $89 million. It was successful as it received 2 Academy Awards for Best Song and Best Score. The Rescuers Down Under, a film that was a sequel to 1977 The Rescuers, followed with disappointing sales. However, the film was notable as it was the first feature to be digitally produced.

Beauty and the Beast came in 1991 and became the first animated movie to receive an Oscars nomination for Best Picture. It, however, earned Golden Globe’s Best Picture and 2 Academy Awards for Best Song and Best Score. Aladdin (1992) and The Lion King (1994) followed being the highest-grossing films of their years. The Lion King went down in the record books as the highest-grossing traditionally animated movie in history.

Pocahontas and Hunchback of Notre Dame were also released during Disney Renaissance and achieved box office success. Pocahontas earned the Best Original Song and Best Score at the Academy Awards. With the bright future, Disney Animation pressed forward with other noteworthy successes such as Hercules, Mulan, and Tarzan.

2000-2004: Post-Renaissance era

After the Renaissance, the studio successfully released Atlantis: The Lost Empire, The Emperor’s New Groove, and Dinosaur while suffering disappointments with Brother Bear, Home on the Range, and Treasure Planet.

The company soon realized a decline in revenue and quality. The decline was ascribed to the use of traditional animation methods. To survive in the cutthroat competition it was experiencing, Disney animation changed its animation method from WDFI to CGI, sold off traditional animation equipment, and performed layoffs.

2005-2008: Lasseter’s Entry

2005’s Chicken Little became the studio’s first CGI animated movie. In 2006, Pixar Walt Disney Company purchased Pixar in a $7.4 billion deal. John Lasseter, a Pixar executive, became the Chief Creative Officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios.

He saw the release of Bolt and Meet the Robinsons, which experienced failure and critical acclaim, respectively.

2009-Present: Dawn of a new era

Lasseter’s agenda when he took over was reviving the fairytale formula used by classic Disney. This was achieved through The Princess and the Frog in 2009. The feature received overwhelming acclaim from both audiences and critics. In 2010, Disney Animation saw the release of Tangled, a version of Rapunzel.

The film got numerous positive reviews and became the studio’s most successful film since The Lion King. Tangled acted as a landmark as it is the first movie to employ a combination of computer imagery and traditional animation. Following it was Winnie and the Pooh and Wreck-it-Ralph. Paperman moved to win a myriad of accolades for the animation studio.

In 2013, Disney saw the release of Frozen, a version of The Snow Queen. The animated feature was a financial juggernaut, surpassing the sales of The Lion King to not only become the studio’s highest-grossing movie but to be the highest-grossing animated feature of all time. It also won Best Original Song (Let it go) and Best Animated Feature. Following up was Big Hero 6, which earned over $652 million.

In March 2016, the world was given Zootopia, a surprise hit that mirrored the success of its impressive predecessor, Frozen. It achieved over $1 billion to become the second-highest-grossing feature of Disney Animation. Its achievements were brought to the Academy Awards, where it won Best Animated Feature. Later the studio released Moana, Inner workings, and Cars 3.

What the Future Holds

With nearly a century under its belt, Disney Animation is still a giant in the industry, and its future projects show no detours from the studio’s successful run. We can all expect the return of the 101 Dalmatians in December 2017 with its remake Cruella starring Emma Stone.

The retro-gaming animation, Wreck-it-Ralph will also be back with its sequel, Ralph Breaks the Internet, in 2018. Magic Camp, Mulan, and The Incredibles are also expected in the same year.

2019 will see the release of Dumbo and Toy Story 4. The same year, mega-hits for Disney Animation will be back on screens with Aladdin. Frozen 2 and not to forget The Lion King are also to be released then.

Looking for more Disney history? Check out the often-overlooked Silly Symphony created by Walt Disney and ugly Disney characters list.