I have been here for a few months, and I noticed that I did not post my opinion of the weakest to strongest DP Film. Since it would not be fair to put all of these films together (as they were made in different times), I will do it in eras. The Renaissance Era is the era when the company was as successful and popular as they were in the Classic Era. This was also before the decline of traditional animation and before the treacherous Post-Renaissance Era, so I will be doing The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Pocahontas, and Mulan.

Here is Part 1 of this series: My Opinion on the Strongest DP Film of the Classic Era
link

5. Pocahontas

Good
The two best things about this movie are the animation and the soundtrack. The animation has a realistic, more serious time to it than any other Disney feature film, and the colors, lines, and shapes they use in the movie makes the movie pop. The soundtrack is by far one of Disney's best, and can compete with the soundtracks of the "Fearsome Foursome" renaissance films. "Colors of the Wind" and "Just Around the Riverbend" are the strongest songs in the movie with the strongest message and lyrics. "Virginia Company", "Steady as the Beating Drum", "Mine, Mine, Mine", and "Listen with your Heart" are good songs with good lyrics as well. The other songs are decent. This movie does great in the musical aspect, with tv songs and score moving the movie forward. What I do like is how the European and Natives are portrayed in this film. The Europeans want to be rich and to support for their families, and thinks the Natives are savages, while the Natives are at home with nature, but are also a bit aggressive as well (they just come out of a war in the beginning). They make it clear that both sides are not perfect.

Not Good
Even though I like this movie, there are some issues with it. The first one is that it is not well-paced even the slightest. The first half is just introducing the characters and the situation; Pocahontas and John Smith do not even meet until mid-way through the movie. Because of this , Pocahontas and John's relationship seems much more like lust, and the second half is kind of rushed. Another issue is that this movie suffers from Disney cliches when it does not fit into the context of the movie; it is supposed to be more adult, serious, and something never been done, but when you have sidekick-it is, and an unnecessary villain, and a bunch of characters who have the same archetypes of previous Disney films (even though I like most of them), it only makes the film weaker. It is also too short, and should have added more scenes with the tensions between the Natives and the British grow (that seems contrived), and Pocahontas and John got to know one another as individuals instead of just talking about their people.

Overall
Even though the portrayal of the Natives and Settlers are done well and the soundtrack and animation are a
mongst the best in Disney, the bad pacing, unsettling cliches that don't fit, and the short time span holds it back from being anything higher than decent.

4. Beauty and the Beast

Good
I know most people are going to disagree with this one, and to be honest, this is pretty interchangeable with position #3. There are a lot of good things about this movie. The best thing about this movie are the characters; all are entertaining, and serve purpose in the story. Belle is an isolated, smart, brave girl, Beast is a lonely, tortured, and sad soul. that really has a heart, Gaston is the narcissistic, self-absorbed "Town Hero", and there are so much more characters to describe (if I do, this article will be extremely long). The second best thing about this movie is the soundtrack. The most powerful are "Be Our Guest", "Beauty and the Beast", "Something There"; screw it, all of the songs are powerful in their own way. The score is extremely strong, and sets the mood appropriately as well. The backgrounds are also extremely well-animated and detailed. I like how they slowly made Gaston more villainous and crazy, while the beast became more sympathetic and humane, especially since in the beginning, they are pretty much the same.

Not Good
Even though this film is considered "Disney's Best Film" by a majority of fans, this film has more than a few issues. The major one are the timeline issues/plot holes; it is said that the rose will drop its last petal on the Beast's 21st year, and that they have been cursed for 10 years, meaning that he was 11 when cursed. Themis would be no problem, but the ripped up portrait of the Beast as a human looks like a grown man. This is not the only major plot hole in this movie, but if I explain them all, the article would be extremely long. The timeline issues also causes an issue with Belle and Beast's relationship, which leads me to my next point; I find their relationship to be a bit contrived. Not factoring the timeline issues, it seems like it is developed a bit too suddenly to be believable. Approximately a day after belle was saved in the woods, he suddenly says he wants to do something for her, even though the previous night, he was willing to spass at her (maybe he just wanted to repay her for saving him). It goes through the 1-2 day montage of "Something There" and then it goes straight to "Beauty and the Beast" and they are in love. You just see them reading, dancing and throwing snowballs. The timeline issues only makes than relationship look 20 times worse than it already did. Also, the character animation is extremely inconsistent, especially with Belle.

Overall
While this film has strong characters, a good plot, strong soundtrack, and backgrounds, the timeline issues contradicts almost every single aspect of this movie, making it more confusing and weaker.

3. Aladdin

Good
Like I have said earlier, this is pretty interchangeable with Beauty and the Beast. Like its immediate predecessor, there is a lot of good things about this film. One aspect that it excels in are compelling characters; Aladdin is a flawed, sympathetic, insecure but somewhat cocky street rat, Jasmine is the want-to-be independent, resourceful, flirty, no-nonsense princess, Jafar is a deceitful, cunning, charismatic, and interesting villain, and the rest if the side characters are likeable (most of the time). The plot is well-executed, and well-paced. You need feel like a scene is being dragged out, or ending too soon, it knows when to start and end a scene perfectly. Another great aspect are the songs; some are fast-paced like "Prince Ali" "One Jump Ahead" and "Friend Like Me", it's slow duet "A Whole New World", and the slow introduction song "Arabian Nights". Each song is catchy and entertaining in its own way. I know some people so not like the animation, but I think it suits the film, and beautifully creates the atmosphere in the movie, and gets you invested in Agrabah.

Not Good
This film does have some issues which is a turn-off. The most obvious and bold one is the humor and the pop-culture references. The humor works sometimes, but other times it ruined the moment, falls flat, or seems extremely over-the-top. The pop-culture references dates the film by a lot, and makes Agrabah seem Americanized, since the references are to amuse American audiences, and to modernize it instead of showing some real Muslim culture. Aladdin, Genie, Jasmine, and Abu seem modern as well; they talk and sound like people from the late 80s to the early ninties, which ultimately Americanizes the characters. The last issue is that it has some plot-holes that should not have been left I handled. The biggest one is Genie giving Aladdin the wish to be a prince. In the ending, Aladdin could not be with Jasmine because he is not a prince, and Genie asks him if he wants to be a prince again through a wish? What! He was already supposed to be a prince, hence "Prince Ali". This also has us questioning Genie's powers.

Overall
Even though the film has good characters, a well-executed plot, a beautiful soundtrack, and great animation, the pop-culture references, the humor and the Americanization makes this film dated.

2. The Little Mermaid

Good

This film is pretty much close to flawless; it has relatable, developed characters, a fantastic score and soundtrack, great animation (not the best), a well executed, interesting plot, and a timeless feel to it; I'll describe more in detail. Even though I do not like Ariel, she is determined, adventurous, bratty, and a stereotypical 16-year old, Eric is the young, musically-talented hopeless romantic, Sebastian is the old-fashioned, musically-talented, protective crab, Ursula is a sneaky, deceitful, passionate villain (one of Disney's best), and there are so much more. Another great aspect is the soundtrack. Each song fits perfectly in the movie, and progresses it to the best ability that it can. "Part of your World" is the broadway-like, passionate tune, "Under the Sea" is a fun, catchy, and Caribbean themed song, "Kiss The Girl" is a romantic, moving song, "Poor Unfortunate Souls" is the perfect villain song that defines Ursula well. The plot is tightly and perfectly paced, with many events taking place, and lacks plot holes. This movie knows what it is, and does it well.

Not Good
While this film is near perfect, there is one big problem; the message. It is not that the message is bad, but it is no executed really well. The message of this movie is to go after your dreams, not to be prejudice against others, and that it is alright to me go of your children, but the way it is executed kind of botches it. Ariel wants to be a human, and is fascinated by the world, while Triton does not like it at all. They constantly gets ink disagreements for this and when he blows up her collection, she goes to Ursula out if spite, known that she is a witch. She leaves without telling her family, and the entire kingdom is searching for her. Ursula tries to take over the kingdom, but is of course stopped. For all of the trouble she caused, she gets rewarded for it, and she does not really learn anything. She does say "Daddy, I didn't mean to. I didn't know", but that was after he found out and Ursula took over. She never took full responsibility and learned from it, and the few hints that they give to us is not executed well.

Overall
This movie is a masterpiece; developed characters, amazing soundtrack, decent animation, and a tight plot, but the message is not executed the best that it could be.

1. Mulan

Good
I know many of you will not agree with me placing this movie as the best DP Renaissance film, especially over positions 2-4, but you will soon find why. This film knows exactly what it is, and does it perfectly. There are no continuity issues, botched message, pop-culture references, and everything makes sense. There are a lot of positives to this movie. The characters are perfectly developed and executed; Mulan is an outspoken, clumsy, improvising outcast who wants to please her family, Shang is a serious, athletic, confident, and nervous commander, The three soldiers are entertaining, believable, and naive soldiers, and there are so much more characters that are likeable. The plot is action packed, well executed, detailed, and entertaining. Each scene is there for a reason, and is never run for too long or cut off too short. The soundtrack is different from the other Disney soundtracks, and each of the four songs have a different theme and mood to them. "Reflection" is the passionate, melodic ballad, "Honor to Us All" is the introductory song that introduces the does situation, and the world of the movie, "A Girl Worth Fighting For" is the slow beat sidekick song, and "I'll Make A Man Out Of You" is the upbeat, fun song. The score is extremely powerful as well. The animation is very different, and it really dives in to the Chinese theme well.

Not Good
The biggest complaint that I have about the movie is about Mushu. He can be entertaining at times, but he is really out of place and distracting in the movie. This takes place in Ancient China, and is a more serious film, but when Eddie Murphy yells about whatever, it takes the focus away from what is really important, and gets annoying. I think they Shiism have toned him down, or recast him for an Asian actor, so he could blend in more with the movie. It seems like they were trying to replicate what Genie was in Aladdin, but that film was not as serious as this movie is, and this film is not as obnoxious like Aladdin (but this film is supposed to be, so Genie blends). Also, the ending could have been done better. Shang comes to Mulan's house and stays for dinner, and then Mushu goes to the ancestors and rubs in their faces about what he accomplished; again, ruining a sweet moment. It just feels unsatisfying after such an epic climax scene.

Overall
This film is more consistent than the others, with it's strong characters, well-executed plot, strongly carried message, strong animation and soundtrack, but the ending feels somewhat unsatisfying, and Mushu is extremely out of place, and ruins certain scenes.

Thank everyone who read my article. Please comment below to share your opinions about the results and these films.