What is the oldest Disney movie? Top 15 earliest movies by the studio
Walt Disney started producing animated films in the 1930s. The company first started with short films before venturing into feature-length animated films. These movies have become among the most beloved and famous around the world. Discover the oldest Disney movies by the network.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
While selecting the top oldest Disney movies, we considered several vital sources to create the list. Data was derived from IMDb, The Disney Classics and Walt Disney Animation Studios. Most of the films have since been reimagined using the latest technology.
Oldest Disney movies
Walt Disney released the first animated feature film in 1937. Since then, the studio has been credited for producing some of the most acclaimed movies. Below are Disney compilation films and the order of release.
| Movie | Initial release |
| Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs | 1937 |
| Pinocchio | 1940 |
| Fantasia | 1940 |
| The Reluctant Dragon | 1941 |
| Dumbo | 1941 |
| Bambi | 1942 |
| Saludos Amigos | 1942 |
| Victory Through Air Power | 1943 |
| The Three Caballeros | 1944 |
| Make Mine Music | 1946 |
| Song of the South | 1946 |
| Fun and Fancy Free | 1947 |
| Melody Time | 1948 |
| So Dear to My Heart | 1948 |
| The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad | 1949 |
15. The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (G)
- Initial release date: 5 October 1949
- Running time: 68 minutes
- Budget: Unknown
- Total Box Office: $1.625 million
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr.Toad is an animated anthology film released in 1949. The story was based on the 1908 novel The Wind in the Willows and Washington Irving's 1820 Legend of Sleepy Hollow. The two parts were aired in the Disneyland television series but later distributed separately on home video.
14. So Dear to My Heart (G)
- Initial release date: 29 November 1948
- Running time: 82 minutes
- Budget: $1.5 million
- Total Box Office: $3.7 million
The classic film is an American animated action comedy-drama released by RKO Radio Pictures. So Dear to My Heart premiered in Chicago, Illinois, in 1948. It revolves around a boy named Jeremiah who adopts a black lamb and learns more lessons about love and dedication. The film was based on Sterling North's book Midnight and Jeremiah.
13. Melody Time
- Initial release date: 27 May 1948
- Running time: 75 minutes
- Budget: $1.5 million
- Total Box Office: $2.56 million
Melody Time is an animated musical anthology film released by Walt Disney in 1948. It consists of seven segments set to folk and popular music. Melody Time segments include Once Upon a Wintertime, Bumble Boogie, The Legend of Johnny Appleseed, Little Toot, Trees and Blame It on the Samba.
12. Fun and Fancy Free
- Initial release date: 27 September 1947
- Running time: 73 minutes
- Budget: Low budget
- Total Box Office: $3.165 million
Walt Disney produced the American animated musical fantasy film Fun and Fancy Free with Ben Sharpsteen. It was released on 27 September 1947 and featured two stories: Bongo and Mickey and the Beanstalk. Though Fun and Fancy Free is animated, it also uses live-action with Edgar Bergen, connecting the two stories.
11. Song of the South
- Initial release date: 12 November 1946
- Running time: 1h 35m
- Budget: $1.35 million
- Total Box Office: $65 million
Song of the South is an animated musical comedy-drama film released by RKO Radio Pictures in 1946. It was produced by Disney and directed by Harve Foster and Wilfred Jackson. The film follows the story of Johnny, a seven-year-old who visits his grandmother's plantation and has an extended stay.
10. Make Mine Music
- Initial release date: 20 April 1946
- Running time: 75 minutes
- Budget: $1.35 million
- Total Box Office: $2.25 million
Make Mine Music was Disney's eighth animated film, released in 1946. The film had a limited release, making it unpopular, especially outside the U.S. Make Mine Music had a budget of $1.35 million and made $2.25 million at the Box Office.
9. The Three Caballeros
- Initial release date: 21 December 1944
- Running time: 72 minutes
- Budget: Information not available
- Total Box Office: Information not available
The Three Caballeros is a Disney that features some Latin American culture. It features famous characters like Donald Duck and his close friends José Carioca and Panchito Pistoles. Carioca is a Brazilian parrot character, while Pistoles is a Mexican character and rooster. Donald Duck takes a trip around Latin America with his two friends in a live-action and animation sequence.
8. Victory Through Air Power
- Initial release date: 17 July 1943
- Running time: 77 minutes
- Budget: $788,000
- Total Box Office: $799,000
Victory Through Air Power was one of Disney's initial animated documentary films. The story is adapted from Alexander P. de Seversky's propaganda book of the same title. Seversky financed Victory Through Air Power, released to present Seversky's theories to the American people and government.
7. Saludos Amigos
- Initial release date: 24 August 1942
- Running time: 42 minutes
- Budget: Information not available
- Total Box Office: Information not available
Saludos Amigos is a Disney-animated family musical feature film set in Latin America. It features famous cartoon characters like Donald Duck, Goofy, and José Carioca, who fans love. The film was first released in Rio de Janeiro in 1942 and premiered in the United States the following year.
6. Bambi
- Initial release date: 13 August 1942
- Running time: 70 minutes
- Budget: $858,000
- Total Box Office: $267.4 million
Bambi was produced by Walt Disney and released by RKO Radio Pictures in 1942. The animated feature film is based on the book Bambi, a Life in the Woods by Felix Salten.
The film follows the story of a young fawn named Bambi, who becomes the prince of the forest. He learns the importance of love and friendship here. Bambi was released during World War II and did not make much money after its release.
5. Dumbo
- Initial release date: 23 October, 1941
- Running time: 64 minutes
- Budget: $950,000
- Total Box Office: $1.6 million
Dumbo is an animated Disney feature film released in 1941. The film follows Jumbo Jr., a young elephant. He is nicknamed Dumbo due to his large ears. Despite being ridiculed, Dumbo discovers his ears can make him fly. Dumbo is only 64 minutes long, one of Disney's shortest animated features.
4. The Reluctant Dragon
- Initial release date: 20 June 1941
- Running time: 74 minutes
- Budget: $600,000
- Total Box Office: $400,000
Unlike many animated films on the list, The Reluctant Dragon is not popular or critically acclaimed. The 1941 fictional film tells the story of a gentle dragon who uses poetry to befriend a young boy. The story was first written as a children's storybook by Kenneth Grahame in 1898.
3. Fantasia
- Initial release date: 13 November 1940
- Running time: 126 minutes
- Budget: $2.28 million
- Total Box Office: $76.4 – $83.3 million
Fantasia is one of Disney's classics and the first live-action animation feature. The 1940 movie combines eight classical music segments. Magnificent animation, great visuals, and a creative auditory experience also characterise the film. Fantasia has been remade and modified several times since 1940, resulting in the Fantasia 2000 sequel.
2. Pinocchio
- Initial release date: 7 February 1940
- Running time: 88 minutes
- Budget: $2,289,247
- Total Box Office: $84.2 million
Pinocchio was Disney's second animation feature film, released by RKO Radio Pictures in 1940. The story is based on Carlo Collodi's novel The Adventures of Pinocchio. Pinocchio is a wooden puppet with a sense of humour who wishes to become a real boy. His nose grows every time he lies, which is hilarious. In 1941, Pinocchio won two Academy Awards: Best Music, Original Score and Best Music, Original Song for When You Wish Upon a Star.
1. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
- Initial release date: 21 December, 1937
- Running time: 83 minutes
- Budget: $1.49 million
- Total Box Office: $418.2 million
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is the first Disney movie, released in 1937. Upon its release, it grossed over $8 million, making it the highest-grossing film ever. The film follows the story of Snow White, a cute animated character who falls out with her evil stepmother. She leaves the palace and finds solace among seven dwarfs who help her find her prince charming.
What is the oldest Disney movie in order?
Numerous old Disney movies exist, including Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), Pinocchio (1940), Fantasia (1940), and The Reluctant Dragon (1941).
What Disney film was made in 1940?
Disney films made in 1940 are Pinocchio and Fantasia. RKO Radio Pictures released the two films.
What were the first 3 Disney movies?
The first three Disney movies were Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, released in 1937, and Pinocchio and Fantasia, released in 1940.
These are some of the oldest Disney movies the network has produced. Walt Disney Studios has produced a vast canon of animated films for over eight decades. Most of Disney's animated films have been critically acclaimed and won numerous Oscars and Emmys.
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