Ranking The Disney Films Of 2018
Happy holidays, everybody. I hope you are all enjoying this season. As this is the end of the year and a monumental year for Disney in the box office, I thought I'd rank the Disney films from least favorite to most favorite.
Please note that these are a ranking of my PERSONAL favorites from best to worst.
10. The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (November 2)
Admittedly, I never got a chance to see this movie, so I technically cannot rank this movie. But I can talk about the factors that led me not to see the film. When they first started advertising the film, I was actually quite excited. The ad was simple and the use of the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies piqued my interest. But, as Disney began to show more and more of the film, it became less interesting to me. I'm not sure why, but I think it was because I couldn't tell what the movie was anymore. Was it an adaptation of The Nutrcracker ballet? Was it Alice in Wonderland 3? Or was it an action adventure film? But, it never got me to the movie theater.
9. A Wrinkle In Time (March 9)
I really, really, really wanted to like this film. The first trailer really got me with its haunting version of "Sweet Dreams." And it had everything going for it. It had a strong girl of color as the main character. It had a great director in Ana DuVernay. And it had Oprah, Reese Witherspoon and Mindy Kaling. But, I have to admit I found the film a little boring. I'm embarrassed to say that, while I remember reading the book when I was younger, I can't remember what it was about. But, I do think that it might have gotten too caught up in the scientific elements of the story that it ended up lacking the heart I wanted the film to have.
8. Christopher Robin (August 3)
This is where it gets harder to rank them because, in all honestly, I really enjoyed all the movies moving forward. I loved Christopher Robin, but I think it needed some editing. All the parts that took place in the Hundred Acre Wood were amazing. Even though I had seen scenes with Winnie the Pooh in the commercials, I wept a bit when I first saw him on screen. I thought the scenes between Pooh and Christopher Robin were very emotional and I loved them. But, it's the parts in London that I felt got a little convoluted and I found myself rolling my eyes. So, when I watch this movie, I tend to just watch the Hundred Acre Wood scenes and skip the rest. And, for that reason, this film comes in at number 8.
7. Solo: A Star Wars Story (May 25)
I really enjoyed Solo: A Star Wars Story. I thought that Alden Ehenreich did a great job in a role that would be impossible to compare with a legend. I thought Ron Howard did a great job taking over as director in a controversial move. The movie was really fun and I enjoy watching it in repeated viewing. My favorite scene is really how Han and Chewie met, mainly because I had no idea and I was surprised when they did meet. I also loved the cameo by a very famous somebody as I was completely surprised by that as well. The one thing is that I do think, for the most part, there was a little of hitting of beats mostly for fan service. But, given that this is a film about a well known legend in the Star Wars universe, I did not mind.
6. Ralph Breaks The Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2 (November 21)
I loved the emotional heart of the film being how Ralph and Vanellope deal with their changing friendship and how it's okay to have different dreams. And, the Princesses scenes are absolutely priceless. Gal Gadot also did a fantastic job portraying Shank from Slaughter Race. I could watch those scenes over and over again on repeat. Did I enjoy it more than the first? I can't say that I do mainly because I am obsessed with Sugar Rush and the racers. I know them all by name from memory. While I really enjoyed Slaughter Race, especially as an analog for Vanellope's "wanting place," it did not capture my heart like Sugar Rush did.
5. The Incredibles 2 (June 15)
Ever since the first film came out, I had been waiting for a sequel. While I don't generally like sequels, I do think superhero franchises can easily have one based on the fact that comic books are serialized source material. I feel that The Incredibles 2 is every bit as worthy of the original. I think it finds new areas in which we find out heroes dealing with every day things like doing math, watching a baby and dating. This is what made The Incredibles so great. While I still enjoy the first one a bit more, this one does come close.
4. Ant-Man & The Wasp (July 6)
If you asked me what hero is my favorite in the MCU, well, it would either be Captain America or Thor. BUT, my third favorite is Ant-Man! The first Ant-Man film is still one of my favorites in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While I don't think Ant-Man & The Wasp is better than the first, I do think that it's still as enjoyable and a worthy sequel. I just find Paul Rudd as Scott Lang to be absolutely charming. And, I really do love the chemistry between him and Evangeline Lilly as the Wasp. The laughs and action are there and the movie contains one of my favorite Stan Lee cameos.
3. Mary Poppins Returns (December 19)
Unlike The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, my interest in Mary Poppins Returns increased the more I saw of the film. It was a film I was very nervous about, but I have to say that I absolutely love this film. Will it ever be as good as the original? No. But, as a movie about Mary Poppins that really manages to pull at our heart strings as Mary Poppins fans, then, it's amazing. I think it is different, yet all together familiar. I loved the music to the film with several of the songs calling back to the original without mimicking them all together. And, I think Emily Blunt did the impossible by playing a role originally played by a Disney Legend and icon. She played her differently enough, yet was still very Mary Poppinsy.
2. Avengers: Infinity War (April 27)
Avengers: Infinity War had a lot of weight on its shoulders being the showcase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and culmination of 10 years of storytelling. And, I absolutely think they pulled it off. First of all, they managed to meld all different kinds of tones into one film, from the more serious to the light hearted humorous moments. I didn't know if they could do it, but I've learned to just trust in Marvel Studios as they have not really let us down. I remember this film ending and having to sit there for a moment, asking myself what happened and how do I actually feel. For a film to evoke that kind of reaction is a special kind of film.
1. Black Panther (February 16)
I had a really hard time trying to figure out which film I liked more - Avengers: Infinity War or Black Panther - as I love them equally. But, I think I ultimately chose Black Panther for its ability to tap into the zeitgeist in terms of race relations. To me, it was a game changer in Hollywood. Here, you had a super hero film headlined by an African American with a cast of people of African descent being directed by a critically acclaimed African American director. But, not only that, the supporting cast was largely strong women who were strong in different ways - one a warrior, one a scientist, one a spy and one a queen. It was honestly beautiful seeing a diversity of ways in which women could be powerful. Just a wonderful movie.