Walt and Roy Disney founded Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio in 1923. At the beginning of 1926, that studio became Walt Disney Studio. Cut to 100 years later, and The Walt Disney Company is one of the largest entertainment companies on the planet by market cap by a decent margin. The company has had its fair share of ups and downs over the years, and particularly nowadays, one would be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn't have plenty of criticisms to make of the House of Mouse. But there's something that's absolutely undeniable: The studio has one of the largest, most legendary, and most iconic filmographies of any movie studio in history. From animation to live-action, Disney's family-friendly movies are a masterclass in how to aim films at younger audiences while also enchanting adults. That's what has allowed these films to remain absolutely timeless as time has gone by.

But of course, all studios—Disney being no exception—have a gallery of standout films that are among their most outstanding, their most important, or their most defining. Over the course of their 100+ year history, Disney have made and distributed such a tremendous number of great films that it's difficult to look at all of them and try to pinpoint the ones that scream "Disney" the most. Difficult, but definitely not impossible. When it comes to narrowing down a Mount Rushmore of Disney films, it doesn't necessarily mean their four best films. Rather, it's more so about their four most groundbreaking and revolutionary, the ones that have defined the universally endearing way they make movies over the years. There are several masterpieces that have been essential to Disney's evolution and survival since 1923, but selecting the four most essential ones is certainly doable. For the purposes of this list, only full-on Disney films count. No Marvel, no Pixar, no Star Wars: Just good ol' Disney productions.

4 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest' (2006)

Image via Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Disney is most definitely best known and most popular for its animated pictures, timeless pieces of visual wonder that have aged like fine wine. No conversation about the greatest and most important Disney films, however, could ever be complete without talking about their extensive live-action oeuvre. Of course, their current live-action work, almost entirely focused on remaking old animated classics by squeezing all the life and joy out of them, couldn't possibly be more infamous. But before that became a bad habit for the House of Mouse, they made several excellent, hugely entertaining, and absolutely legendary live-action projects every bit as iconic as their best animated efforts. Chief among those live-action works, at least in terms of popularity and box office revenue, is the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.

The Curse of the Black Pearl was an unexpected hit for the studio; not the first time they had made a film inspired by one of their popular theme park attractions, but definitely the first time that such a project had been immensely successful. At World's End, too, was a huge success, one of Disney's highest-grossing movies of all time. But it's actually the chapter sandwiched in between those two entries that's most deserving of a place in the Disney Mount Rushmore: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. It's arguably the last true swashbuckling epic Hollywood ever made, one of the best summer blockbusters since Jaws. It's jam-packed with memorable moments, astonishing set pieces that constantly have you wondering how the hell they were achieved, vibrant characters, and what's easily some of the best CGI in movie history.

3 'Beauty and the Beast' (1991)

Image via Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Back in 1991, the idea of an animated movie being nominated for the Best Picture Oscar, the single most coveted prize in the entire film industry, was unheard of. However, this was back during the start of the Disney Renaissance, a period from 1989's The Little Mermaid to 1999's Tarzan during which the studio produced a jaw-dropping streak of one commercial and critical success after another. It was a period during which Hollywood's—including, of course, Academy voters—perception that animation was just a lowbrow genre for kids was being challenged. Thanks to that, Beauty and the Beast became the first animated movie ever to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. It was a surprising but hugely popular inclusion that proved both audiences and studios were starting to open their eyes to the truth: That animation was actually a medium with just as many unique narrative capabilities as live-action.

This achievement couldn't have been achieved by a more deserving Disney film, either. The story of Beauty and the Beast had already received cinematic adaptations, but none like this one. It's one of the best animated Disney movies under 90 minutes long, a beautiful romance movie that's not just historic, but also massively enjoyable through and through. It's the kind of animated film that doesn't age: Its visuals are still majestic and utterly hypnotizing, its romance and character work still feels complex and nuanced enough to appeal to kids and grown-ups alike, and the aura of nostalgia surrounding it hasn't lost one bit of its potency. It's a stunning achievement full of beautiful musical numbers and memorable tunes, and it became the first animated film to gross over $100 million in the United States. It's one of the most culturally significant animated films ever made, and as such, definitely worthy of being chiseled into the side of the Disney Mount Rushmore.

2 'The Lion King' (1994)

Image via Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

The question of what the best animated Disney movie of all time is typically elicits many different answers, and unsurprisingly so. After all, nostalgia typically does a lot of heavy lifting in one's enjoyment of any particular entry in Disney's catalog. There is, however, one film that's bound to come up more than most; one film that's the highest-rated Disney Animation movie on Letterboxd, and deservedly so: 1994's The Lion King, one of the most perfect animated Disney movies of all time. Inspired by both Shakespeare's Hamlet and West African folklore, it may last only 88 minutes, but the emotional and philosophical effect it leaves on viewers lasts for a lifetime.

For one, The Lion King has several of the catchiest, best-written, and most iconic songs in Disney's whole catalog, both from Hans Zimmer's Oscar-winning score and Elton John and Tim Rice's soundtrack. On top of that, it has some of the most timeless and charming animation in the House of Mouse's filmography, making it the easiest thing in the world from the get-go to suspend one's disbelief that these not-so-anthropomorphic animals can speak and feel. Add to that its ensemble of endearing characters, its philosophically profound story about growing up and being in tune with nature, and the way it balances humor and pathos, and you get an all-timer animated masterpiece. The fact that it's Disney's best-ever movie alone would qualify it as a worthy member of the Disney Mount Rushmore. But as if that weren't enough, it's also historic in that it proved the most unexpected projects can make for the greatest films, as the studio originally thought this would be a commercial failure and sent all of their top players to work on Pocahontas instead.

1 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' (1937)

Image via RKO Radio Pictures

The top spot when talking about the Disney Mount Rushmore, if one is being as fair and objective as possible, could never possibly even be up for debate. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was the studio's first feature film, and by the time its theatrical run ended, it was the highest-grossing film of all time. That record was quickly obliterated by Gone With the Wind in 1939, but the fact that an animated movie was the highest-grossing movie ever at one point in history says a lot about the quality of this medium. Contrary to popular belief, this wasn't actually the first animated feature in history; but it was the first animated American feature, as well as the first cel-animated feature of all time. And there's no getting around it, either: It may not have been the very first in the room, but it was most definitely a pioneer, and the main player responsible for animation completely revolutionizing the film industry.

That's more than enough to make this the most legendary Disney movie of all time, and perhaps even the most legendary animated feature of all time. It's not the studio's best, and as one can expect from a nearly 90-year-old animated film, it has some elements that haven't aged the best. But that only adds to its nostalgic charm and its historical importance, and it's also undeniable that Snow White is still every bit as beautiful, entertaining, and musically catchy as it surely was back in 1937. It's one of the most important and groundbreaking films in the history of the Seventh Art, and as such, the face of its protagonist should definitely be the biggest on the Disney Mount Rushmore.

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Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

G

Fantasy

Animation

Family

Release Date

January 14, 1938

Runtime

83 minutes

Director

Ben Sharpsteen, Larry Morey, David Hand, Perce Pearce, William Cottrell, Wilfred Jackson

Writers

Ferdinand Horvath, Dorothy Ann Blank, Ted Sears, Merrill De Maris, Webb Smith, Richard Creedon, Otto Englander, Dick Rickard, Earl Hurd

Cast

See All

• 
  Adriana Caselotti

  Snow White (voice) (uncredited)
• 
  Lucille La Verne

  Queen / Witch (voice) (uncredited)

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