A year in review: Disney movie style

With 2014 in full swing, it’s time to reflect on what happened in the previous year; for this movie buff it is looking back on Walt Disney Picture’s movies in 2013.

Disney

Oz: The Great and Powerful was the first Disney movie of 2013, which turned out to not be the best kick-off for them. It received mixed reviews from film critics and was less successful than they anticipated. It had a worldwide total just shy of $500 million, which was less than half of 2010 Alice in Wonderland. It had potential, but overall was pretty low on my movie list.

The Lone Ranger came next in July and also received mixed reviews from the critics with a worldwide total of about $260 million. It was a high budget box office flop that many were disappointed with. With its drawn out, unexciting plot, it’s another low on my movie list.

Planes followed in August and was supposed to be a direct-to-video film but impressed Disney enough to have it start in theaters. Based on the world on Cars, kids enjoyed it despite the negative reviews it received from critics. Worldwide total was about $219 million, continuing their trend of low grossing films. This one did better on my movie list though there was room for improvement.

Frozen came out just before Thanksgiving and blew everyone out of the water. Opening weekend the film earned $110.6 million and is now over half a million dollars and continues to grow. It received high reviews from critics and was compared to some of the classics: The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King. I was amazed by this film and saw it twice in theaters. I will definitely own this one when it comes out.

Saving Mr. Banks was Disney’s closing film for 2013. Based on the true story of how the classic film Mary Poppins came to be, this movie received positive reviews from the critics, especially for the acting of Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks. As of the end of the year, the film has grossed about $40 million in the United States alone. This is another that will probably join my collection when made available.

Disney Pixar

Monsters University was the only movie that Pixar came out with in 2013 but it was a good one. It was the fourth highest-grossing film in 2013 with a worldwide total of almost $750 million. It was a popular movie for both young and old, touching the hearts of those who were young when the first one came out. On my list, this was a pretty good one.

Marvel

Disney bought Marvel in 2009 so technically they fall under the Disney category, which is good considering that they did two great films in 2013.

Iron man 3 hit the ground running in May. Critics and the public raved about this film and it showed with its over $1 billion worldwide gross. This landed as the second highest grossing for Marvel, right behind The Avengers, and was also the second highest grossing film distributed by Disney. It was a fantastic film on my list.

Thor: The Dark World did even better than its first film within the first 19 days of release and became the third highest grossing for Marvel with over $620 million. This one also received great reviews from critics and was a great addition to the Marvel sequence. When it comes out, it will join the rest of my superhero collection.

All in all, Disney came out with some great films in 2013 though there was much room for improvement. Keep it up Disney.