Disney+ Discussion

I don't know if this article was ever posted before on DVDizzy but I encountered it on Blu-ray.com a few months back and I found it very interesting. I can't post the link for 7 days so I'll have to post the title and the website it comes from and a quick Google search should help anyone find it from that.

Ranked: Most Popular Disney Classics in the USA
Martechseries.com

The top choices don't really surprise me with The Lion King, Aladdin, and Beauty and the Beast as the top three. Cinderella being #4 proves it is an undisputed classic despite attempts to cancel a timeless character. Cinderella and Tarzan being tied at #4 is really surprising to me though, not because Tarzan isn't a popular title, but because Disney hasn't promoted it in forever. That proves Tarzan is still beloved and Disney should work on getting the rights back to create new merch.

Pocahontas is in the top 10 which is also proof that this film is absolutely a classic and the stories out there about general audiences only watching the movie once in theaters and hating it can't be true. There's no way Pocahontas is in the top ten best selling VHS tapes of all time AND in the top ten Disney animated classics being screened on Disney+ for it to not be a popular title.

The only title that outright shocks me is The Little Mermaid since I didn't expect to see it so low. One Hundred and One Dalmatians didn't even rank though, which is a pity since the far inferior Robin Hood somehow made it onto the list. It's funny how Robin Hood was only selected for one of the early Disney VHS tapes because it was considered a B-picture but that same experiment ensured it became a beloved favorite for a new generation.

I think it must be this: https://martechseries.com/technology/ranked-popular-disney-classics-usa/

I'm happily surprised about Tarzan being so high up for sure. I'm super pleasantly surprised about Dumbo being so high up. (How does the site know that people are searching for the animated classics & not the live-action remakes, I wonder...? I adore Pocahontas and I'm with you- I think it's more beloved than some realize! So, you make a super good point about Robin Hood- it's one that we always had when I was little, and it's a favorite of mine...I always call it my "blanket" of a movie, it's comforting to watch because I've always had it to watch. Yeah, TLM being so far down is SUPER weird. How is that possible!?

I'm surprised that The Emperor's New Groove isn't on there, to be honest. It has a big following.

Yes, thank you again for posting the real link! You've been a life-saver as always!

I'm also very pleased with Dumbo being so high up. I do think you have a point though about how since the article is based on searches, some of the live-action remakes might also be searched for which would alter the results. However, while that may explain the high placements of movies like Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, Dumbo, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, The Jungle Book, etc., it wouldn't explain how movies like Pocahontas, Tarzan, Robin Hood, etc. ranked so high or why some live-action remakes like Mulan and Lady and the Tramp still were at the bottom.

Robin Hood was one of those movies that I also watched a lot as a child specifically because of VHS. However, it hasn't really been a favorite of mine for the last decade or so based on how cheap it is. The biggest issue for me was I watched Walt Disney's live-action version of Robin Hood for the first time on Disney+ and wow, that movie blew the animated one out of the water. I was so impressed with Walt's film which felt like a definitive Robin Hood live-action feature. Not only was it accurate to the source material, but Maid Marian was a breath of fresh air. For all the flack Walt gets from the public about his treatment of female characters, his Marian was empowered and daring, while not losing her femininity. I have no idea how Disney could have done so well with this character in 1952, but then two decades later, regressed with the animated Maid Marian. One would think it would have been the opposite.

I think the issue with TENG is that it's only well-liked by millennials who grew up with it. And a lot of TENG fans aren't typical Disney fans in the first place so while TENG appeals to them, the rest of Disney wouldn't so they might not use Disney+ to watch it. I'm not sure how well it does when it comes to merchandise either because I saw Disney made products for its 20th Anniversary last year but I don't think those items sold very well. Lilo & Stitch is a far more popular and iconic film from the same era but that didn't rank either.

I've wanted to use Disney+ to catch up with all the Disney live-action films that I've either never seen or haven't seen since I was a kid, but I haven't even started WandaVision yet, let alone backlogs of films. But hopefully over time I will be able to catch up. My mom a few years ago showed me the Errol Flynn Robin Hood movie, and I would take the animated film over that film...it wasn't bad, but I love the animated one!

That's a good point about TENG...it is a different kind of film. I wish we had a metric publicly available of how merch is doing (besides the annual list of what toy brands sell the best)...I know that my husband got me a TENG shirt for Christmas, and he's not lurking on Disney sites, so he found it easily enough. :p

That's true about L&S not being on there... It's interesting what's popular in the minds of people not as obsessed w/ Disney like we are.

I've been using Disney+ primarily for the same reason, watching old live-action movies I never got the chance to see. Growing up, the only classic live-action film I was familiar with was Mary Poppins, as well as Pete's Dragon to a lesser extent. I've seen so many classics like Pollyanna, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (both of which I own the DVDs for now), Old Yeller, The Parent Trap, The Moon-Spinners, That Darn Cat!, etc. I've never seen the original Errol Flynn Robin Hood and everytime it's on TV, I'm usually busy or not in the mood, but I do need to catch that one day. It's considered the definitive Robin Hood picture and Errol Flynn's most iconic role ever. Usually people who saw the live-action Disney movie feel that Errol Flynn's version was superior, but I'm not sure if I would feel the same way.

Hope you get a chance to watch WandaVision, it's totally worth it!

I've seen some TENG stuff in Hot Topic as well, mainly a few T-Shirts. Robin Hood also gets a lot of T-Shirts there, as well as some other Dark Age films. It would be nice to see what films sell the most merch, but typically the only rankings we can get is the sales numbers of which Disney films have sold best on home video.

Lilo & Stitch is still a juggernaut internationally, mainly Japan and China.

Disney+ movies and TV titles for April 2021 revealed!
https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/1166616-disney-movies-and-tv-titles-for-april-2021-revealed

Adventures in Wonderland!!! Ewoks!!!

Hey, since "The Sword in the Stone (1963)" and "The Black Cauldron (1985)" got 4K masters, do you think these films on that streaming service could have 4K masters?
- Fantasia (1940)
- The Jungle Book (1967)
- The Aristocats (1970)
- Robin Hood (1973)
- The Rescuers (1977)
- The Great Mouse Detective (1986)
- The Rescuers Down Under (1990)
- Fantasia 2000

You know, if they gave TBC a 4K release, I think that it's very possible that those films will also be released in 4K on Disney+!

As for "The Jungle Book (1967)", I'm definitely hoping it would be part of that Signature Collection line (on physical media), either before or after being 4K on that streaming service. Well, my best guess is after being 4K, and besides, I believe Disney has been trying their best putting 4K masters on any animated films.

CoolZDane wrote:

Hey, since "The Sword in the Stone (1963)" and "The Black Cauldron (1985)" got 4K masters, do you think these films on that streaming service could have 4K masters?
- Fantasia (1940)
- The Jungle Book (1967)
- The Aristocats (1970)
- Robin Hood (1973)
- The Rescuers (1977)
- The Great Mouse Detective (1986)
- The Rescuers Down Under (1990)
- Fantasia 2000

I think the The Sword and the Stone and The Black Cauldron are exceptions. The former had such a bad restoration that Disney themselves don't refer to it anymore or use it for screencaps on social media. The latter never got a Blu-Ray restoration so they must have had a 4K one ready instead when it came for a Disney+ release. All the other movies have Blu-Ray releases and while the restorations weren't perfect, they never received the same amount of controversy as TSITS one.

For anyone who wants any Disney+ film on physical media, please sign this.
https://www.change.org/p/the-walt-disney-company-disney-films-on-physical-media