Best Disney Movies With Animals As The Main Stars

1973 | 1 hour 23 minutes | Directed by Wolfgang Retherman, David Hand
 

Voiced by Brian Bedford, Phil Harris, Roger Miller
 

Robin Hood is an animated musical adventure comedy film that's based on the English folk tale of the same name with the characters reimagined as anthropomorphic animals. Here the famous swashbuckler and the hero of the poor, Robin Hood, is a red fox. His sidekick, Little John, is a bear, and together with other inhabitants of Sherwood, they try to suppress the rule of greedy Prince John, a lion. Besides being well-animated and highly entertaining, Robin Hood can surely boast about its undeniable wit, one that's intelligent and savory.

1994 | 1 hour 28 minutes | Directed by Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff
 

Voiced by Matthew Broderick, Jeremy Irons, James Earl Jones
 

Raise your hand if you've not shed a tear while watching this animated musical drama as a kid. If you haven't, then there's probably something very, very wrong with you. In all seriousness, though, however many controversies follow this animated flick, it's still one of the best Disney movies, hands down. From the catchy tunes in the background and the foreground to loveable and diverse characters, The Lion King has all the ingredients to make it a timeless classic.

1970 | 1 hour 18 minutes | Directed by Wolfgang Retherman
 

Voiced by Phil Harris, Eva Gabor, Sterling Holloway
 

The Aristocats is an animated romantic musical comedy based on the story by Tom McGowan and Tom Rowe. The story here revolves around a family of aristocratic cats—retired opera singer Adelaide Bonfamille's white kitty Duchess and her three kittens, Berlioz, Toulouse, and Marie. Once the family's butler figures out that the cats are to inherit all of Adelaide's fortunes, he drugs them and kidnaps them. However, his plan goes awry, and with the help of an alley cat called Thomas O'Malley, the classy cats find their way back to Paris and to the safety of Adelaide's home. And you know, if your super-sophisticated friend finds this to be one of the greatest animated movies of all time (in my case, her name is Monika. Hello, Monika!), then you know it's very worthy of your time!

1955 | 1 hour 16 minutes | Directed by Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske
 

Voiced by Barbara Luddy, Larry Roberts, Peggy Lee
 

Lady And The Tramp is an animated musical romance film produced by Walt Disney. And although you might've already known that, you probably didn't know that the movie was based on a 1945 Cosmopolitan magazine story Happy Dan, The Cynical Dog by Ward Greene. The movie centers around a beautiful, odds-defying love story between a pampered American cocker spaniel Lady, who hails from an upper-middle-class family, and a stray mutt called Tramp. When the two of them meet, it's like their romance was written in the stars—if it all starts quite coldly between them, we all know how the story ends! Lady And The Tramp is a delightful fantasy that hasn't lost its charm even after almost 70 years.

2016 | 1 hour 48 minutes | Directed by Byron Howard, Rich Moore, Jared Bush
 

Voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Idris Elba
 

Zootopia is a computer-animated buddy cop film about anthropomorphic mammals all coexisting in the titular town. In a very unlikely partnership, we have a bunny cop, Judy Hopps, befriending a red fox con artist, Nick Wilde. Now, this dynamic duo will solve a criminal conspiracy involving the disappearance of predators from the town of Zootopia. Zootopia was praised for being a well-rounded animated movie with a thoughtful message and enough laughs to keep the younger audiences entertained. And that's an A+ from us!

1961 | 1 hour 19 minutes | Directed by Clyde Geronimi, Hamilton Luske, Wolfgang Reitherman
 

Voiced by Rod Taylor, Betty Lou Gerson, J. Pat O'Malley
 

Although 101 Dalmatians has had plenty of ecranizations throughout the years, the one that we'd like to include in our list is the original Disney animation from 1961. It is based on Dodie Smith's novel The Hundred And One Dalmatians and centers, well, you know it, around Dalmatian puppies. A litter of them is kidnapped by the villainous Cruella de Vil, who wants to turn them into fancy fur coats. The puppies' parents, Pongo and Perdita, set out to rescue their little ones, saving, in addition to their own, 84 more Dalmatian puppies brought from pet stores, bringing the total count to 101. It's a witty, charming, heartwarming animation that proved to be a remarkable success among both the younger and the older audiences.

2003 | 1 hour 40 minutes | Directed by Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich
 

Voiced by Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould
 

Finding Nemo is a computer-animated adventure film that tells the story… of a fish! To be exact, a whole flock of them. However, our main heroes here are an overprotective clownfish dad called Marlin, his goofy son Nemo, and a regal blue tang Dory who has some problems with memory. One day Nemo gets separated from his school of fish and disappears. Marlin and Dory set out to find the missing Nemo, and, along the way, Marlin learns that taking risks might be a good thing and comes to terms with Nemo's growing up. Finding Nemo was a massive success upon its release, and critics didn't spare any praises for it! So, if you've somehow missed it, now it's time to fix that blunder.

1942 | 1 hour 10 minutes | Directed by James Algar, Samuel Armstrong, David Hand
 

Voiced by Hardie Albright, Stan Alexander, Bobette Audrey 
 

Bambi is an animated drama film based on the 1923 book Bambi, A Life In The Woods by Austrian writer and hunter Felix Salten. It's a story of a white-tailed deer called Bambi. He's not just some deer but a prince-to-be of the forest. Life is beautiful for Bambi until the point when a Man kills his mother. Mournful and alone, the young deer has to figure out life in the woods by himself and with the help of his best friends. It's a heartwarming and heartbreaking coming-of-age story, an exceptional view into the life of animals, and a beautiful adaptation of the original material. So good, in fact, that Bambi is now added into the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress as being culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant.

1981 | 1 hour 23 minutes | Directed by Ted Berman, Richard Rich, Art Stevens
 

Voiced by Mickey Rooney, Kurt Russell, Pearl Bailey
 

The Fox And The Hound is an animated buddy drama film produced by Walt Disney Productions and loosely based on a novel of the same name by Daniel P. Mannix. The story centers around Ted the red fox and Copper the hound's unlikely friendship. It's a struggle for them to continue their bond, as the surrounding society's views push them to act as adversaries since the duo are enemies by nature. It's a cheery old-fashioned movie that doesn't break any new grounds with its story or animation but has loads of heart. And that is by far one of the most important things!

1988 | 1 hour 14 minutes | Directed by George Scribner
 

Voiced by Joey Lawrence, Billy Joel, Cheech Marin
 

Oliver & Company is an animated musical film loosely based on Charles Dickens's novel Oliver Twist. Here, our Oliver is a homeless kitten roaming around the streets of New York. He's taken in by a gang of mutts who survive the mean streets by stealing from others. During one of these robberies, Oliver meets a young girl Jenny, and this encounter will change his life forever. Oliver & Company might not be the most stellar piece by Disney, but it sure is plenty of fun with its never-ending adventure and loveable, colorful cast.

2007 | 1 hour 51 minutes | Directed by Brad Bird, Jan Pinkava
 

Voiced by Brad Garrett, Lou Romano, Patton Oswalt
 

Ratatouille is a computer-animated comedy film that follows the story of Remy—a rat with a dream of becoming a professional chef. Of course, there's the problem of him being a rat, and a rodent in a kitchen is never a good idea! However, after one fateful event, Remy finds himself to be the head chef in one of the most renowned Parisian restaurants, and soon the whole culinary world turns upside down. Ratatouille is an exceptionally warm, thoroughly heartfelt, and beautiful piece of animation that rightfully gained its place among the top animated movies of our time.

1967 | 1 hour 18 minutes | Directed by Wolfgang Reitherman
 

Voiced by Phil Harris, Sebastian Cabot, Louis Prima
 

The Jungle Book is an animated musical comedy film following a story from Rudyard Kipling's 1894 book of the same name. The plot follows Mowgli—a kid accidentally abandoned and left in an Indian jungle. He's raised by wolves there and has wise friends—Bagheera the panther and Baloo, the bear—to advise him. They understand that Mowgli has to go back to his kin, especially so before the arrival of human-hating tiger Shere Khan. The Jungle Book is a true Disney classic—uncomplicated, jovial, and absolutely suitable even for the youngest viewers.

1986 | 1 hour 14 minutes | Directed by Ron Clements, Burny Mattinson, David Michener
 

Voiced by Vincent Price, Barrie Ingham, Val Bettin
 

The Great Mouse Detective is an animated mystery adventure film whose main protagonists are mice and rats living in Victorian England. It goes like this—a little mouse girl's toymaker father is abducted by a bat. The tiny mouse asks the help of Basil of Baker Street, the Sherlock Holmes of the sewers, in finding her dad. The crime is not a simple one, and Basil unravels a deep plot that might affect the Crown itself. The Great Mouse Detective is a real journey and an emotional rollercoaster of a watch—it's never boring and always surprising!

1977 | 1 hour 14 minutes | Directed by John Lounsbery, Wolfgang Retherman, Ben Sharpsteen
 

Voiced by Sebastian Cabot, Junius Matthews, Barbara Luddy
 

The Many Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh is an animated musical anthology film based upon the Winnie-The-Pooh books by A. A. Milne. The movie consists of several animated shorts, each of them showing our beloved teddy going on some pretty eccentric adventures. Those adventures include honey, of course, bees, balloons, Eeyore's birthday, a flood, and so much more. The Many Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh might be one of the most faithful Disney adaptations of the original literary source—a heartfelt, warm, and exciting animation! 

2016 | 1 hour 37 minutes | Directed by Andrew Stanton, Angus MacLane
 

Voiced by Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Ed O'Neill

Finding Dory is a computer-animated adventure film and a spin-off sequel to 2003's Finding Nemo. Now our main hero is Dory—a friendly but forgetful royal blue tang fish that suffers from memory loss every couple of seconds. Somehow she does remember that when she was a kid, she got separated from her parents and set out to find them. Her quest is supported by her friends Marlin and Nemo, who we've met in the first movie. Full of charm, good humor, and warmth, Finding Dory is the perfect sequel and not any less successful than its terrific predecessor.

1990 | 1 hour 17 minutes | Directed by Hendel Butoy, Mike Gabriel
 

Voiced by Bob Newhart, Eva Gabor, John Candy
 

The Rescuers Down Under is an animated adventure film and a sequel to the 1977 film The Rescuers, which was based on the novels by Margery Sharp. In The Rescuers Down Under, two Rescue Aid Society agents, Bianca and Bernard, travel to the Australian Outback to save a boy named Cody and a rare golden eagle from a murderous poacher. And although the critics thought the story of The Rescuers Down Under to be a bit sub-par, the amazingly beautiful visuals make it all up. It's a dreamy watch with probably the most stunning flight scenes ever.

1995 | 1 hour 21 minutes | Directed by Mike Gabriel and Eric Goldberg
 

Voiced by Mel Gibson, Linda Hunt, Christian Bale

Pocahontas is an animated musical historical drama based on the life of a Powhatan woman Pocahontas and the arrival of English colonial settlers in seventeenth-century Virginia. Of course, this is a heavy romanticization of the real story that occurred way back, but that's the deal with Disney in general, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. And while some might think that Pocahontas lacks in the fun department, it's still one of the most beautifully drawn animations of the time and one of the more thoughtful ones.

1998 | 1 hour 21 minutes | Directed by Darrell Rooney, Rob LaDuca
 

Voiced by Matthew Broderick, Neve Campbell, Andy Dick
 

The Lion King II: Simba's Pride is an animated direct-to-video romantic musical drama film. It's the sequel to the original The Lion King, with its plot heavily influenced by Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Simba and Nala's daughter Kiara is a mischievous cub who often escapes to play in the forbidden lands. There she befriends a lion named Kovu, and their friendship might be the resolution of a feud between Simba's pride and the outcast pride of Scar. Although as a stand-alone movie, The Lion King II: Simba's Pride would've been really great, its predecessor overshadows everything that came after it. So, do not expect The Lion King's greatness to be matched, but watch this sequel with an open heart because it is still a pretty awesome animation!

2009 | 1 hour 37 minutes | Directed by Ron Clemens, John Musker
 

Voiced by Anika Noni Rose, Keith David, Oprah Winfrey 
 

The Princess And The Frog is an animated musical fantasy romantic comedy film based on the novel The Frog Princess by ED Baker, which is based on a German folk tale collected and published by The Brothers Grimm. The story is set in 1920s New Orleans and centers around Tiana—a hardworking waitress who dreams of opening her own restaurant. After kissing a prince who has been turned into a frog by an evil doctor, she becomes a frog and has to figure out a way to turn back into a human before it is too late. It's a movie that isn't flashy but rather boasts its strengths by showing us multi-layered characters, an original story, and shying away from meaningless action scenes and all the razzle-dazzle to mask possible flaws. Of which there are none in The Princess And The Frog.

1995 | 1 hour 18 minutes | Directed by Kevin Lima
 

Voiced by Bill Farmer, Jason Marsden, Jim Cummings

1995's A Goofy Movie star is none other than Goofy himself. And with Goofy as the main man, you just know that the adventures about to unfold will be kooky, wacky, and loads of fun! The movie centers around Goofy and his son Max, who's now in high school. Since Goofy is a good dad wishing to strengthen the father-and-son relationship, he takes Max for a bonding session. It turns out it's a fishing trip he had in mind and one that's very misguided yet hilariously fun for us to watch.