What movies?

[Alison1975]

My youngest 3 kiddo's are not big movie kids.. they've seen a lot of the "newer" Disney movies, but probably almost none older than 5-6 years ago..ack.. So, before we take them in August I want them to have watched all the Disney movies they may run into within the parks.

SO that said.. we don't own many ( gasp..my mother has em all on VHS but I don't have a VCR..lol)..and I want to know which movies you all suggest are a huge MUST watch before August and I will start buying them on Blu Ray!!! HELP!!

 

[becanya]

How old are they? Old enough to ride splash mountain? My kids aren't familiar at all with the whole "Brer Rabbit" story, and it's central to that ride. You should definitely pick up some older Disney cartoons with the Fab Five...check Netflix. My kids have also really enjoyed Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers, a show from the early 80s featuring the chipmunks. They really aren't in a lot of other shows. Also "A Bug's Life" which is prominent in AK along with the "Dinosaur" movie. My son (5) loves that movie. Fantasia will also pick up a lot of the themes that they might have missed in the more recent films. This is our favorite part of trip prep!

 

[PryncessLace]

Dumbo
Alice in Wonderland
Peter Pan
Cinderella
Beauty & the Beast
The Little Mermaid
Sleeping Beauty
Lady & The Tramp
Sword in the Stone
Robin Hood
Mary Poppins
Oliver & Company
Aladdin
The Lion King

 

[HouCuseChickie]

My girls are 2 and 4 and they are HUGE Disney nuts...probably b/c I've gone crazy with Disney movies to prep them for our trip. We are sort of the reverse of you guys- we own more of the older movies. TIP- many of these are in the vault, but you can find them used for decent prices on Amazon and Ebay. I've broken the movies down into what we own and what we don't own and some thoughts on each...

What we Own-
1) Sleeping Beauty- worth it if they are interested in meeting the princesses...although it's middle of the road as far as faves go
2) Cinderella- she is the fave and worth it if they want to meet her
3) Princess & the Frog - they like the movie and will probably get to meet Tianna
4) Snow White - DD2s fave and they will most definitely meet her
5) Aladdin - They love Jasmine and should be meeting her, but don't love the movie (the humor goes over their heads right now)
6) Little Mermaid - One of the faves and they should get to meet Ariel
7) Mary Poppins - They like the movie, but it's too long for them. They will be meeting MP
8) Alice in Wonderland - They LOVE Alice and will be meeting her
9) Beauty and the Beast - another fave and they should be meeting Belle
10) Pinocchio - I hate it, but they like it and may get to meet characters from this
11) Peter Pan - they used to love it more, but it's one of my faves and they may get to meet Peter Pan, Tink, and who knows- maybe even Hook and Smee
12) Mulan - they're so/so with this, but they may get to meet her
13) Pocahontas - they don't love the movie, but they love her and want to try and find her
14) Brother Bear - They like the movie, but doubtful they'd meet the characters
15) Wall-e - I think we all hate this and would be fine not meeting anyone from this movie
16) Lilo and Stitch - They don't love it, but it's DH's fave and the girls will be meeting Lilo and Stitch
17) The Jungle Book - They like this and I know there's a chance they'll meet some of the characters
18) Robin Hood - They are so/so with this one, but I know the characters can appear from time to time
19) The Lion King - They are not big fans, but it will be good prep for the show in AK
20) Toy Story - this is their least fave of the 3, but good b/c they'll be meeting characters from this
21) Toy Story 2 - this is their fave- ditto on the rest
22) Toy Story 3 - this is the 2nd fave - ditto on the rest
23)24)25) Various Winnie the Pooh DVDs- the like these, but not as much as other things
26)27) Mickey Mouse (and rest of core character) DVDs- of course both of ours are holiday ones, but it ensures they know characters like Chip and Dale, Pete, and Clarabelle, as much as the fab 5
28) Phineas and Ferb - they love P&F and it will pay off on the off chance we see them
29) Fantasia - They hate it
30) Fantasia 2000 - Ditto
31) Huey, Duey & Luey DVD - They really like the nephews but I doubt they'd ever see them
32) We have a bunch of the Tinkerbell movies DVRd b/c they do like her (I think Lost Treasure is their fave)

We don't own
1) Dumbo - I was waiting on the anniversary edition but it never came out. DD4 has at least seen Dumbo and it's good prep for the ride
2) Aristocats - I don't like the movie, so I didn't buy it, but they may meet Marie, so I've introduced them to her
3) 101 Dalmations - Not a big fan of this, so didn't buy. Cruella is probably the only one you may see in the parks
4) Bambi - I can't own it b/c I'd just cry. They might meet Thumper though, so it could be worth getting
5) The Rescuers - Cute movie that we wouldn't mind owning, but I didn't see the value in buying it for this trip
6) Pete's Dragon - DH likes this one, but it's not a fave of mine. It factors into MSEP so it could be worth it
7) The Sword and the Stone - DH likes it and there is something with this in MK, but I just don't think it would appeal to our girls
8) everything else PIXAR - the girls like Toy Story, but nothing else really captures their attention. Nemo, Monsters Inc, and Cars are at least a consideration. We saw UP in the movies and HATED It (I know I know- people loved it), so I'd never actually buy the DVD
9) I'd love to get Song of the South, but I doubt Disney will ever rerelease it.
10) lady and the tramp- just never did anything for me and not sure if it would really pay off for the trip
11) Oliver & Co - also never did anything for me and didn't see any need for the trip
12) Fox and the Hound - love it but it makes me cry and I couldn't see value in it for this trip

***Also, keep an eye out on the various Disney channels as they've been known to show a number of the feature length films on there--i.e. you could DVR a few things and save some $. It also can be a pain, but there are a lot of movies up on YouTube. Sure you have to watch them in 8-15 segments, but it's still free. We watched Dumbo on there the other week. Also, Itunes sometimes has movies that aren't currently available in DVD form.

OK- that's all I can think of right now. Hope it helps!

 

[wm49rs]

Depending on their ages, I might also toss The Sound of Music and Bedknobs and Broomsticks on that list. Both are great, not too scary, and have terrific music in them.....

 

[Alison1975]

I have a feeling I may be better off trying to find a VCR since my mother owns every Disney movie...LOL

 

[wm49rs]

I have a feeling I may be better off trying to find a VCR since my mother owns every Disney movie...LOL

Well, you definitely don't need to buy them on Blu-Ray, and portable DVD players can come in handy on long trips.....

 

[Alison1975]

my kids hate watching TV in the car..we we drive 997 miles every spring to GA.. I prefer the combo packs with Blu Ray and DVD

 

[Alison1975]

So i just turned my brain on and put them all in my Netflix Queue.. DUH me!! Thanks for the list.. I got all but I think 2 that netflix just doesn't have... for these i will borrow a VCR!

 

[greebomusic]

We're lucky.. I only had to buy the Herbie collection and my son is set!

 

[slappy magoo]

Look around for Song of the South. Most rides based on movies, you don't need a lot of explanation to understand what the ride is trying to go for - I mean, do you really need to have ever seen Dumbo in order to figure out what the Dumbo ride is shooting for?

But Splash Mountain is based on the stores of Br'er Rabbit from Song of the South, which to the best of my knowledge has never had a proper video release in the USA. I'll leave it up to you to look up "Song of the South" in the forums or on the internet in general to find out why. As a result, while Splash Mountain is a lot of fun, people unfamiliar with the movie or the Br'er Rabbit stories might not know why the attraction is designed the way it is, what it's referencing, etc. I'm not an advocate of buying bootleg movies, but it's unfortunate because if you want to watch it on your tv - regardless of whether YOU have a TUBE or newer hidef tv - you're out of luck.

Which is a shame, because knowing the stories, IMHO, makes the ride more enjoyable.

 

[WDWmazprty]

All the princess movies, all the Pixar movies, and a lot of the classics (Dumbo, Pinnochio, Snow White, etc.)

 

[ABigBrassBand]

Look around for Song of the South.

I approve! :sohappy:

If I had children, the first Disney films I'd show them are Fun And Fancy Free, Fantasia, Alice In Wonderland, Song of the South, and Snow White...in that order.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Look around for Song of the South. Most rides based on movies, you don't need a lot of explanation to understand what the ride is trying to go for - I mean, do you really need to have ever seen Dumbo in order to figure out what the Dumbo ride is shooting for?

But Splash Mountain is based on the stores of Br'er Rabbit from Song of the South, which to the best of my knowledge has never had a proper video release in the USA. I'll leave it up to you to look up "Song of the South" in the forums or on the internet in general to find out why. As a result, while Splash Mountain is a lot of fun, people unfamiliar with the movie or the Br'er Rabbit stories might not know why the attraction is designed the way it is, what it's referencing, etc. I'm not an advocate of buying bootleg movies, but it's unfortunate because if you want to watch it on your tv - regardless of whether YOU have a TUBE or newer hidef tv - you're out of luck.

Which is a shame, because knowing the stories, IMHO, makes the ride more enjoyable.

There was a Song of the South release on VHS back in the 80s. You sometimes can find legit copies on ebay, but they sell for $$$. I still wish Disney would pull this out of the vault and put it on DVD, but I don't see it happening.

 

[slappy magoo]

There was a Song of the South release on VHS back in the 80s. You sometimes can find legit copies on ebay, but they sell for $$$.

I know parts of Song of the South have been issued in the past - most notably some of the musical segments for their "Sing-a-long Songs" series. I also know that the animated Br'er Rabbit segments* have been aired on various Walt Disney programs, and I think compiled for a home video release. But I don't think the movie as a whole has ever been released. If I'm wrong, hey, I'm sorry. Wikipedia backs me up - though of course, wikipedia is only a slight bit more factual than a rumor about a 5th WDW theme park spread by a monorail driver. But snopes also backs me up and they normally know their stuff

http://www.snopes.com/disney/films/sots.asp

I also know that it has been released in other parts of the world; I believe, when you see bootleg versions of the movie being sold on ebay, they're usually copies of a video released in England (which would explain why there's no dubbing into other languages, or no foreign language subtitles.

*For those not in-the-loop, most of Song of the South is a live-action movie taking place shortly after the Civil War. One of the characters, Uncle Remus, is a local stoyteller who regales the children in the movie, most notably the protagonist, Johnny, with stories about Br'er Rabbit, Br'er Fox and Br'er Bear. The storytime portions of the movie are animated. Usually, if you find anything Song of the South related on a Disney video, it's the animated sequences from the movie, and Uncle Remus (James Baskett) singing Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah, which is a combination of live-action and animation.

 

[sshindel]

I smile at this. I had a mental list of the movies that I wanted my kid (about to turn 3) to see before our trip, so she knew the characters she'd be seeing. I think I covered most of them without her missing too many that she didn't know (the only one I can think of is Dumbo, which she already knew and loved from her previous trip, but to her it's only a ride, never seen the movie). In no order, my WDW-prep-list I had mentally made was:

• 101 Dalmations
• The new Fairy movies (Tinker Bell ones)
• Toy Story 1-3
• A Bugs Life
• Monsters Inc
• Cars
• Up
• The Incredibles
• Finding Nemo
• Ratatouille
• WALL-E
• Alice in Wonderland
• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
• Peter Pan
• Pinnochio
• Alladin
• Lion King
• Beauty and the Beast
• Sleeping Beauty
• Cinderella
• Snow White
• Mary Poppins
• Aristocats
• Jungle Book
• Classic Mickey Mouse / Donald Duck cartoons (so she knew more than Mickey Mouse Clubhouse)
• Three Caballeros / Saludos Amigos
• Lilo and Stitch
• Star Wars (ok, she decided to love these after seeing the Ewoks one night on TNT, but hey, no complains on my part)
• Pirates of the Carribean (just bits, which backfired, I think she thought the ride was going to involve the Kracken, and decided she didnt want to ride it )

I'm sure I missed a few, but that was mainly what I had tried to do for "preparing" her. She loved it, and the only ommission I remember was Fantasia. Oh well, next time

 

[HouCuseChickie]

I know parts of Song of the South have been issued in the past - most notably some of the musical segments for their "Sing-a-long Songs" series. I also know that the animated Br'er Rabbit segments* have been aired on various Walt Disney programs, and I think compiled for a home video release. But I don't think the movie as a whole has ever been released. If I'm wrong, hey, I'm sorry. Wikipedia backs me up - though of course, wikipedia is only a slight bit more factual than a rumor about a 5th WDW theme park spread by a monorail driver. But snopes also backs me up and they normally know their stuff

http://www.snopes.com/disney/films/sots.asp

I also know that it has been released in other parts of the world; I believe, when you see bootleg versions of the movie being sold on ebay, they're usually copies of a video released in England (which would explain why there's no dubbing into other languages, or no foreign language subtitles.

*For those not in-the-loop, most of Song of the South is a live-action movie taking place shortly after the Civil War. One of the characters, Uncle Remus, is a local stoyteller who regales the children in the movie, most notably the protagonist, Johnny, with stories about Br'er Rabbit, Br'er Fox and Br'er Bear. The storytime portions of the movie are animated. Usually, if you find anything Song of the South related on a Disney video, it's the animated sequences from the movie, and Uncle Remus (James Baskett) singing Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah, which is a combination of live-action and animation.

It's been some time since I'd looked into Song of the South release info, but after going back to Wikipedia...it must have been the 1982 and 1991 releases outside of the US that I was thinking of. Either way- Disney should seriously consider the release of a DVD in the US. Wikipedia says they consider the film to be "antiquated and fairly offensive," but I think that can be said of a number of things in a wide variety of Disney movies, yet those films get released from the vault. Oh well- we have 2 different books with the Tales of Uncle Remus so our kids know who these characters are- one with the Disney animation.

 

[Alison1975]

Song of the South I've seen several times.... my kids will watch too as my mom has a VHS copy...

As for the princesses.. my daughter strongly dislikes anything classic princesses...sigh..

 

[ABigBrassBand]

There was a Song of the South release on VHS back in the 80s. You sometimes can find legit copies on ebay, but they sell for $$$. I still wish Disney would pull this out of the vault and put it on DVD, but I don't see it happening.

They did say that they're not denying it a while back, which makes me very hopeful. Also, they're going to lose the rights soon, so they'll probably take advantage of that and re-release it one more time.

It's extremely sad that one of Disney's best rides has little to no backstory told in the parks--that being said, offer some more Twilight Zone merchandise in the ToT gift shop (I mean original Twilight Zone merchandise/DVDs)

 

[slappy magoo]

It's extremely sad that one of Disney's best rides has little to no backstory told in the parks--that being said, offer some more Twilight Zone merchandise in the ToT gift shop (I mean original Twilight Zone merchandise/DVDs)

I don't mind buying DVDs in the parks if it's hard to find stuff, but original Twilight Zone DVDs can be found anywhere, and usually for less than the premium they charge at the parks, as can books about The Twilight Zone, books with original stories that are packaged as stories from The Twilight Zone, CDs from the Twilight one radio dramas, etc...

unless you don't mean "sell DVDs and merch of the original series The Twilight Zone" but rather "sell DVDs and merch that are original, but based on the original series The Twilight Zone, and only available in the parks." In which case, I'm not sure they could anyway, as CBS owns the rights to "The Twilight Zone" and Disney merely licensed it for the theme parks. Heck, even the original "Tower of Terror" tv-movie that aired on The Disney Channel, which was a spinoff of the attraction, isn't called "The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror" most likely for that very reason.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0131620/