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10 Forgotten Disney Gems That Deserve Way More Love Than They Get
It's hard to think that a company as massive and prolific as Disney could put out anything that isn't a massive smash-hit. After all, this is the company that gave us masterpieces like The Lion King, Aladdin, Gargoyles, and DuckTales.
However, for whatever reason, sometimes the company's work failed to find an audience, or even just to be remembered as fondly as some of their other stuff. In the case of these 10 shows and movies, chances are you haven't seen them, and you need to fix that immediately.
Robin Hood (1973)
This is my absolute favorite Disney movie and nobody seems to even remember it! It has everything you could want out of one of these: memorable characters, catchy songs, tense action, and lots of humor. It's basically perfect. Oh, and that catchy whistle theme song.
The Mighty Ducks (1996)
In one of the weirdest TV adaptations of a movie/sports franchise ever, The Mighty Ducks wasn't about a kids hockey team, but rather a team of hockey-playing alien ducks who come to earth to 1) save our world from the alien overlord that enslaved theirs, and 2) play some professional hockey. It's about as weird as it is awesome.
The Great Mouse Detective (1986)
Another absolute Disney classic that everyone seems to forget about, this cartoony take on Sherlock Holmes has some amazing performances and great storytelling, especially with the legendary Vincent Price as the villain, Professor Ratigan. Fun fact: Ratigan was one of the late actor's favorite roles, as he'd always wanted to be in a Disney movie.
Adventures of the Gummi Bears (1985)
Who would have thought that a cartoon based on a fruit-flavored candy would be so compelling? The Gummi Bears got into all sorts of epic adventures, and the show was an absolute treat to watch.
We'll be seriously impressed if you remember all of these next ones...
The Black Cauldron (1985)
During a time when Disney wanted to dip their toes into more "mature" fare, they adapted Lloyd Alexander's best-selling The Chronicles of Prydain series into this movie. It flopped at the box office, which is unfortunate because it's pretty great. John Hurt is absolutely TERRIFYING as The Horned King.
The New Adventures of Winnie The Pooh (1988)
Everyone's favorite bear of very little brain got his own TV series in the late 80s that actually ran for several seasons! No joke, this is probably one of the best shows Disney ever produced, and I still miss it.
Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)
Following the Disney Renaissance of the 90s, the company was struggling to hit the success of movies like Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King again, meaning they started experimenting a lot more. One of the movies that came from this was Atlantis, which had beautiful animation and a pretty mature story, but seemed to be largely ignored by an audience that was done with Disney.
Bonkers (1993)
A cop drama with cartoon characters, this show had one of the catchiest theme songs of all time. Let's get real though; Bonkers himself was kind of annoying.
Treasure Planet (2002)
Another movie from around the same time as Atlantis, this sci-fi retelling of the classic Treasure Island may not be one of Disney's absolute best, but it is a hell of a lot of fun to watch. Seriously, pop yourself some popcorn and enjoy the ride.
Dave The Barbarian (2004)
A hilarious cartoon that only ran for a year, the adventures of the hulking warrior was less Conan and more comedy. We're still not sure why this one didn't catch on.