Walt Disney has, over the years, made history. Virtually certainly, there isn’t a person on our planet who hasn’t seen at least one film from the company’s wand, if not several.
That said, obviously this company needs no further introduction. It made you happy, it made you cry, it even made you laugh, and every time you see a Disney movie, you go back to your childhood without fail.
Besides, it doesn’t matter what year you were born (i.e. how old you are now), the important thing is to find it in yourself to still enjoy it as you did as a child.
So, have you ever wondered what movie Disney was releasing the year you were born? If so, here’s the full list, by year, of the best and “hottest” movies in the history of world cinema.
This list might help you revisit some of the productions that were certainly extremely dear to you, but also learn about others you may not have known about.
All Disney films released from 1937-2005: now you can identify with one of them, depending on the year you were born
1937 – Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
1938 – Disney did not release any films, but was working on Pinocchio and Fantasia.
1939 – Disney did not release any feature films. However, fans were able to see several short cartoons in theaters, including Donald’s Lucky Day, Society Dog Show, Mickey’s Surprise Party, The Practical Pig, Goofy and Wilbur, The Ugly Duckling, The Hockey Champ, Donald’s Cousin Gus, Beach Picnic, Sea Scouts, The Pointer, Donald’s Penguin, The Autograph Hound, The Standard Parade, and Officer Duck.
1940 – Pinocchio and Fantasy.
1941 – Dumbo.
1942 – Bambi.
As can be seen, the two films, Dumbo and Bambi, which to some extent have something in common, were released around the same time, a sign that Disney producers were then in a period when they wanted people to feel more acutely that animals have souls too.
1943 – Victory Through Air Power.
1944 – The Three Caballeros – in Mexico.
[1945 – The Three Caballeros (in the United States).
1946 – The Song of the South.
1947 – Fun and Fancy Free.
1948 – Melody Time.
1949 – The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad.
1950 – Cinderella.
1951 – Alice in Wonderland – based on a beloved and later controversial novel by Lewis Carrol.
1952 – The Story of Robin Hood and His Merry Men.
1953 – Peter Pan.
1954 – 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea – based on a novel by the famous author Jules Verne.
1955 – Lady and the Tramp.
1956 – The Great Locomotive Chase.
1957 – Old Yeller – The first film in which Disney brings up the love of people for dogs, and vice versa.
1958 – Tonka.
1959 – Sleeping Beauty.
1960 – Swiss Family Robinson.
1961 – 101 Dalmatians – the film of a generation.
1962 – In Search of the Castaways.
1963 – The Sword in the Stone.
1964 – Mary Poppins.
1965 – That Darn Cat! (That Darn Cat!)
1966 – Fallow me, Boys! (Follow me, Boys!)
1967 – The Jungle Book – a film, but also a song that has remained etched in everyone’s memory.
1968 – Herbie and The Love Bug.
1969 – The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes.
1970 – The Aristocats.
1971 – The Barefoot Executive.
1972 – Now You See Him, Now You Don’t.
1973 – Robin Hood.
1974 -Herbie Rides Again.
1975 – Escape to Witch Mountain.
1976 – Freaky Friday (starring Jodie Foster, who was a child at the time).
1977 – The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.
1978 – The Cat from Outer Space.
1979 – The Black Hole.
1980 – Popeye.
1981 – The Fox and the Hound.
1982 – Tron.
1983 – Trenchcoat (Cloak).
1984 – Disney didn’t release any films this year because it was in the midst of changes in the management of the company.
1985 – The Black Cauldron.
1986 – The Great Mouse Detective.
1987 – Benji the Hunted.
1988 – Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
1989 – The Little Mermaid.
1990 – DuckTales the Movie.
1991 – Beauty and the Beast.
1992 – Aladdin.
1993 – The Nightmare Before Christmas.
1994 – The Lion King.
1995 – Toy Story.
1996 – James and the Giant Peach.
1997 – Helcules (Hercules).
1998 – Mulan.
1999 – Toy Story 2.
2000 – Fantasia 2000.
2001 – Monsters, Inc. (Monster Factory).
2002 – Lilo and Stitch.
2003 – Finding Nemo.
2004 – The Incredibles.
2005 – Chicken Little.
So, we have taken the liberty of highlighting those major titles among Disney’s releases from 1937-2005, which has certainly opened up a new opportunity: that of observing which period was the most “fruitful” for the giant in terms of public appreciation.
Although the 2000s saw the release of enough productions that were successful with the general public, by far Disney’s “golden age” can be considered the 1990s-2000s period, with seven major titles.
More important than the productions everyone already knows about, however, at this point are the titles that most likely don’t tell you anything. They give you the opportunity to enrich your general knowledge of Disney, but also of cinema in general.
And if you haven’t heard of them, it doesn’t mean that they’re any less well made than the others, but perhaps that they came on the market at an inopportune time, in more ways than one, or, as the case may be, didn’t get as much publicity as the others whose names you know in your sleep.
Recall that Disney currently has partnerships with Marvel, Lucasfilm, Pixar and many other big companies that have chosen to shake hands with the giant, so you can rest assured: the story didn’t end in 2005, on the contrary, moving forward and benefiting from an impressive diversity designed to satisfy even the pickiest of viewers.