10 Not Disney Movies People Forget or Overlook

My mom started collecting movies before I was born, while now she has thousands at her disposal plus a fully stocked Vudu account, the memories of my favorites lingers with me, although not all of them are easy finds. When you’re a kid, you just kind of assume most animated films are Disney because let’s face it, they usually are. As long as I can remember I’ve been a fan of animation, and the absolute magic it brings to the screen, which is why I’m here, to remind the world of a movie or two they may have forgotten. Of course some of these will probably be familiar if you’re as big a fan as I, but if you don’t recognize a movie and it seems interesting, give it a watch, if you can find it.

*Some of the company’s that made these like, 21st Century Fox and Dreamworks have been bought out by Disney since these were released. I’ve still got them on the list considering when they came out they were not considered a Disney movie.*

#10 - Anastasia

This movie, a Don Bluth special, holds a sacred spot in a lot of hearts. Not only has this story been told over and over again, it has now become a Broadway musical, and a hit no less. This childhood favorite tells the story of the lost Romanov daughter who was thought to have survived the slaughter of her entire family. While I still love this movie, the story of the musical brought me to tears over and over again and I only hope I’ll be able to see it again one day.

# 9 - Thumbelina

Another Don Bluth film with breathtaking animation and music to make your heart soar, you’ll never be able to look away. This classic follows the tiny girl, named Thumbelina, on her journey to be United with her love, the fairy Prince Cornelius. With songs that get stuck in your head, and some kind of creepy frogs, she finds her way back to her man, and they survive the cold and heartless winter, barely.

# - 8 All Dogs go to Heaven

I swear I’m not just listing every Don Bluth film, but they’re all great if you haven’t noticed. This one was very different to the others, following the dog Charlie as he refuses to die and cheats his way back onto Earth where a little orphan girl flips his world upside down. It’s a tear jerker if you aren’t careful or if you have a dog. Just remember all dogs really do go to heaven.

# 7 - The Prince of Egypt

Despite my own beliefs about heaven this religious masterpiece is probably one of the most beautifully animated stories ever told from the Bible. It’s filled with themes of understanding our own backgrounds, doing what’s right, and forging our own paths. If you’ve read the Bible, or if you haven’t, this is still a phenomenal movie and just thinking about the rendition of When You Believe by Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston gives me goosebumps.

#6 - The Road to El Dorado

While I do think most people know this movie I have come across some who had no recollection and had to be reminded; poor saps. This is another great film that takes the cake when it comes to comedy and the power of friendship. These two con men con their way into being Gods at the lost city of gold, but when they realize their paths in life are starting to splinter, it’ll take more then money to buy their happiness. I mean they are mighty and powerful Gods. If you said it in the voice, let’s be friends.

#5 - The Iron Giant

If you haven’t seen the Iron Giant, please do, and grab some tissues, you’ll need it. We get to watch the young boy Hogarth (what a name folks!) as he stumbles upon a giant robot that becomes his best friend. Another powerful lesson in this movie is doing what’s right and that even though people hurt you, it’s not okay to hurt them. Goodness gravy, I’m crying all ready.

#4 - The Pagemaster

If you remember this movie, kudos, so many have forgotten this wondrous adventure Mcauley Caulken went on within the walls of a library, where the animated side characters were books! It’s a magical plot that helps us understand the importance of facing our fears, and preserving when we seem to face obstacle right and left. It changes from real life to animation and then back, so while it does have some good screen time as real people, I’d still consider it an animated film.

#3 - The Swan Princess

I’ve only ever met one person who has seen this movie and we would quote, “Have no fear!” every time we saw each other. This is one of the few Princess movies that wasn’t Disney based and you can tell based on how rare it is to find. This tells the story of a Princess cursed to be a swan when the moon touches the lake, and a girl by day. So basically it’s a new rendition of Swan Lake. Her Prince Derek, although not a very smart guy, must find a way to save her before the spell is permanent. I say he isn’t smart due to this meme.

# 2 - The Quest for Camelot

This probably is one of the greatest stories told during the reign of King Arthur (minus Merlin but I’m still in season 2 so no spoilers). I would consider it my favorite animated version since we actually see the King as an older man and it’s the daughter of one of his passed away knights that we follow as she tries to save the city her father died for. She stumbles upon a blind man voiced by the famous Cary Elwes who teaches her to listen to the earth and inadvertently her heart. If you aren’t into the renaissance vibe that’s cool, but the soundtrack features Steve Perry, and it alone is worth watching for.

#1 - The Princess and the Goblin

I have saved the most rare and hard to find, but just as amazing, for last. A story filled with friendship, selflessness, and heroism we watch as the young Princess Irene, shows us what it means to be a Princess. Also she has a cat named Turnip, and it’s super cute. She befriends a miner’s son, Curdie, who discovers the Goblins’ evil plans to overthrow ‘the sun people’ (humans) and marry the Princess to force everyone to obey. The Princess rescues her friend, who shows everyone how to defeat the goblins with stomping on their feet and the power of song. In the end the Goblins try to kidnap the Princess but between her and Curdie they are no match. It’s whimsical, cute, and a great film to watch if you’re a little girl who wants another awesome Princess to look up to. Although it wasn’t perceived well and these days, good luck trying to find a copy.

My mom still has all of these on VHS and even though those days are long gone and everything is digital or 4K the nostalgia remains all throughout my heart. So if you’ve forgotten a classic or two don’t fret, you can find a lot of them on Netflix or Hulu these days! With the US still in quarantine, we continue to stay home and find new things to watch, so I hope I’ve sparked some interest in an old animated treasure.

Happy watching!