Disney Released At Least One Great Movie Every Year Of The 2010s

The 2010s were an interesting time for Disney. As a company, it was doing incredibly well thanks to the success of the MCU, Star Wars, and its many other ventures. However, when it came to movies produced by either Disney or Pixar, the brand wasn’t quite as consistent.

This is due in part to Pixar releasing more sequels and fewer original films. Disney did make a few big hitters during the decade, but not a lot. The company certainly didn’t have many live-action hits. Between the two studios, though, they were still able to release at least one good movie each year. These were the best.

The only movies eligible for this list are those directly produced by Disney or Pixar. Even though Disney owns Marvel and Star Wars, those films don’t count.

10

2010 – Toy Story 3

There aren’t many animated movie series that manage to have three great films. Yet, Pixar pulled it off with Toy Story. The third entry lives up to the greatness of the first two and is one of Pixar’s best films ever. This one features Andy going to college, while his precious talking toys are accidentally donated to a Daycare.

The movie contains plenty of great humor, as you expect from a Toy Story movie. However, it is also the most emotional entry in the series, as it delivers a powerful message about letting go. The only other Disney movie released in 2010 that got close to the greatness of Toy Story 3 is Tangled, which is an emotional movie in its own right.

9

2011 – The Muppets

No absolute classic Disney movies were released in 2011, but the world was treated to a solid Muppets film. As is typically the case with Muppets, it’s a musical comedy featuring both Muppets and humans.

The human cast includes the likes of Jason Segel and Amy Adams. Their characters help Kermit reunite the Muppets and save the Muppet Theater from a greedy businessman. So, it’s a classic type of story you expect to see in the Muppets. Yet, while the basic plot may not be too original, the film is very well done. It contains some excellent songs and funny gags.

8

2012 – Wreck-It-Ralph

In 2012, Disney released a unique type of video game movie. It’s set within a series of arcade machines, and you follow Ralph, who is a villain in one of those games. He’s tired of being the bad guy and wants to win a medal like the heroes do. So, he jumps into other games to try to do just that.

In the process, you get to witness some very creative scenes and beautiful animation. The movie also has an abundance of humor and heart, especially in scenes featuring Ralph and his new friend Vanellope. The film does a good job of delivering a powerful message about self-acceptance.

7

2013 – Frozen

While Disney had several big movies in the 2010s, Frozen was definitely the most significant. This film was hugely successful, and it’s easy to see why, as it’s excellent. The movie follows one of Disney’s best sibling pairings, Anna and Elsa. The latter has extraordinary ice powers that she accidentally unleashes, freezing most of the land in the process. Upon the reveal of her ice powers, she runs away as she knows people will consider her a monster. Her sister Anna attempts to find her.

In some ways, Frozen is classic Disney. It has classic Disney music and animation. However, its story plays with and subverts some of the conventions that the studio is known for, which helps the film stand out. There is no other 2013 Disney movie that can compare.

6

2014 – Big Hero 6

Technically, Big Hero 6 is a Marvel movie, as it’s loosely based on the Big Hero 6 team from Marvel comics. That said, it’s a superhero movie that isn’t part of the MCU, and Disney’s animated team made it, so it’s more of a Disney movie than a Marvel one. The film is about a boy who is very well-versed in robotics and makes a new robot friend. Together, they build a superhero team to take on a villain who has stolen the protagonist’s tech.

The movie provides some great action and brilliant animation. Yet, the amount of heart in the film is what really makes it special. The likes of Muppets Most Wanted and Maleficient also released in 2014, but they weren’t quite as fantastic as Big Hero 6.

5

2015 – Inside Out

Inside Out is set within a young girl’s mind, as the main characters are five of her emotions. During the movie, the girl is going through a difficult time as her family has relocated to a new city, and she is getting older. Joy, who is the personification of the emotion she’s named after, desperately attempts to keep the girl happy.

Because the movie revolves around emotions, it is very moving. It includes both heartwarming and heartbreaking moments, which are delivered excellently due to the movie’s brilliant writing and strong voice cast. Other 2015 Disney movies, like the live-action Cinderella and The Good Dinosaur, can’t match the quality of this film.

4

2016 – Moana

2016 saw the release of one of Disney’s more beloved films of the 2010s, Moana. It’s a musical about a young girl named Moana who wants to reunite a goddess with an important relic in an effort to stop the blight that her village has fallen victim to. This means an adventure across the seas and forming an alliance with a smooth-talking demigod.

The story moves away from the classic animated Disney formula, which gives it a fresh feel. It also looks beautiful, as both the art style and animations are stunning. The characters and songs aren’t bad, either. So, the movie has a lot going for it. Its brilliance made it the best Disney movie of 2016, but that honor could’ve also been given to Zootopia, which was another amazing movie.

3

2017 – Coco

In 2017, Disney released several remakes and sequels, but it was an original movie that shone the brightest. That movie is Coco. The film is about a young boy named Miguel who gets transported to the Land of the Dead. While there, he goes on an adventure to return to the world of the living.

It’s nice to see the Land of the Dead feature in a Disney movie. This resulted in some eye-catching visuals. However, the true beauty of the film doesn’t come from what you can see. This is a beautiful movie because of several profound and moving scenes, particularly toward the end.

2

2018 – Incredibles 2

There was a long time between Incredibles movies, but the second one finally arrived in 2018, 14 years after the first. The film doesn’t quite reach the heights of the original, but it’s still a good flick. In this one, the heroic Parr Family’s attempts to stop the villain known as the Underminer don’t go great, which hurts the reputations of superheroes. Helen (aka Elastigirl) works with a company to improve that reputation, while her husband Bob (aka Mr. Incredible) becomes a stay-at-home Dad.

This serves as an interesting story that is fairly well-told. The action and animation are impressive, too, making this a solid movie overall. It was the best Disney had to offer in 2018 since the company didn’t release many iconic films that year.

1

2019 – Toy Story 4

When Toy Story 4 was initially announced, there was some trepidation from fans of the series. This is because the third one was such a perfect send-off for everyone’s favorite talking toys, and people didn’t want the fourth movie to ruin the series’ legacy.

Well, it doesn’t ruin anything. It’s another really good movie in a series that seems incapable of producing a bad one. It isn’t the best Toy Story movie, but it’s very funny, is well-animated, and has the drama you expect from the series. It’s certainly better than anything else Disney released in 2019.