Big Hero 6 (2014) - I enjoy Big Hero 6 but don't love it. The storytellers show some courage, killing off one of the film's most appealing characters early. Unfortunately, at the end of the day it's just another superhero team origin story. And while the high tech, alternative Japanese-influenced San Francisco (San Fransokyo) setting is pretty interesting, it's not enough. We've seen this story before.
Zootopia (2016) - Another well-realized world, this one populated by intelligent animal species of all sorts, the city of Zootopia is a tribute to imagination, but the characters and themes of diversity and tolerance are really what works for me. The story has a couple of missteps in its metaphors for racism. Happily, its heart is clearly in the right place. The character arcs are well done and affecting. And I love the prominently featured Shakira song.
Moana (2016) - Did I say Wreck-It Ralph is the best modern day Disney animated film? I may have been premature, because Moana sure gives it a run for its money. The songs, mostly by Lin-Manuel Miranda, are fantastic and the two leading characters Moana and Maui are wonderful - complex, nuanced and charming. I love their interplay. The villains are also fun, especially the greedy giant crab, Tamatoa, plus the tiny coconut-headed pirates, the kakamora. Moana also has my favorite Disney princess animal sidekick of all time, the doofus chicken HeiHei. What a great film.
Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018) - RBTI is not as good as Wreck-It Ralph, but it takes a lot of chances by not retelling the same story, and moving the characters and their video game world in new directions. The story leaves some WIR characters behind, as it needs to, has no actual villain, and focuses on Venelope and Ralph's feelings and their changing relationship first and foremost. The Disney team took some big risks, and it pays off. Special shout out to the underused character Gord who is great. Also, this movie has the single best scene in 80 years of Disney animated films, with a winking nod to what came before. If you've seen the movie, you know what I mean.
Frozen II (2019) - In the modern era, Disney seems to have learned that sequels that merely repeat the successful formula of their predecessors are supremely uninteresting. Like RBTI, Frozen II also goes into new territory, in a darker story involving the mysterious disappearance of Anna and Elsa's parents, and attacks by mystical elements of nature. It's not as fairy-tale friendly as the first Frozen and I'm not sure I like the change. I enjoyed it both times I've seen it, but it's not a movie I'd search out. I will give them a lot of credit for one thing, though. Buried in one scene, Olaf makes a subtle reference to a decades old Jerry Seinfeld stand-up joke. Kudos.
Raya and the Last Dragon (2021) - This was released earlier this year on Disney+, so we forked over $30 to see it in our family room. If you've seen Nickelodeon's fantastic series, Avatar: The Last Airbender, it's pretty clear that Raya was inspired by that show. There are some cool elements in the story, and I like the structure of Raya, the instant Disney princess, having to travel from land to land, gaining allies to reunite her shattered apocalyptic world, but something about the film just doesn't click. On a final note, the kid in the boat who runs his own restaurant is easily the best character.
We had an absolute blast watching these films. I'm going to reread all my Disney binge posts and follow up with a final summary.
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