10-1
Now, for the new criteria. First, I had to eliminate all biases that I have fully. That means that as much as I love Baloo, I have to be honest and admit that at this point he isn't a Top 10 character to the Disney Brand. This time I focused more on what they mean to Disney right now. Star Wars and Marvel characters are still not included. However, the humans that were left out before are still left out. They are left out with the exceptions of genies and fairies that were ineligible last time. Therefore, you will eventually see Tink on this list. Last year, I also left the Beauty and the Beast characters off because they were eventually humans. This year they are included since they were not humans for the majority of the movies. Finally, I also decided to include the Wreck-It Ralph characters because they are video game characters and not humans. They are basically the same as Woody and Buzz from that aspect. Due to their inclusion, I decided to expand the list to 102 to give one more character the chance to make the list.
Each character is ranked based on the greatness of the character and what they mean to Disney today. That means what is their influence and popularity in the United States. However, staying power does matter so those that have had influence longer will get credit for that. How are they used in movies and television as well as at the parks? How well they are known and how much they associate with the Disney brand? Believe it or not there was a lot of movement from the last year. 15 characters fell out of the rankings entirely.
We will start with those that fell out of the rankings from last year.....
Kit Cloudkicker would make my personal list and my son's list anytime. In fact, he would be in each of our Top 20, but he has no influence on the brand today at all. No influence unless you count the TaleSpin DVDs (which we of course have. Huge in the 90s, not known today. He probably shouldn't have been on the list last year and certainly not with the additional characters being included.
Brer Bear was a near miss for this list. He is included on the Splash Mountain ride, but is not a main character on the ride. He is Brer Fox's sidekick and most people do not have any idea who he is even after the ride. His movie cannot be found anywhere and he does not have a meet and greet. So while Brer Fox managed to stay on the countdown, Brer Bear did not. He would have been #103 though if we went that far.
Miss Bianca (98)
Doesn't really make sense now, but Miss Bianca was on the list and not Bernard. They had the same impact on the universe, so it doesn't really make sense to have one without the other. Due to the lack of staying power of these movies, it doesn't really make sense to have either on this countdown. These characters have no presence in the park and they are unknown to most youngsters today. Aweseome yes, but not top 100 Disney Characters.
Perdita (97)
Perdita was the female lead in the 101 Dalmatians movie and all of the sequels. She is a well known and good character. The movie was also recently released from the vault which adds to her appeal. However, she was not as central to the movie as Pongo and mainly was just his love interest in the movie. She didn't do quite as much as Pongo. He is debatable to make this list. Perdita does not have much of an argument when you consider the characters added. This character has 0 presence in the parks and the movie is not one of the most popular that Disney made. She becomes less known each year. While most could name Pongo and some of the pups, not many can name Perdita and she has to drop off. That being said, she would still make it if the list were to 110. She was also included before the Wreck-It Ralph characters were added.
Perdita (97)
Gopher (96)
Gopher from Winnie the Pooh is one of my favorite Disney characters of all-time. I have always liked him. However, in taking my bias out, he doesn't really belong on this list. He was not in the most recent Winnie the Pooh movie and the only signs of him seem to be on the ride at Magic Kingdom. On that ride he doesn't seem to be a single character as much as one of many gophers either. It has been 10 years since Gopher has made an appearance and it appears that Disney has no plans to use the character. He is the least vital character from the franchise and is unused in Disney media today. There is no way he can remain on the list.
Sarabi (94)
This was a really tough cut from the list, but somebody had to go to make room for the new arrivals. Despite being Simba's mom, Sarabi did not play a major role in the movie. Mufasa imparted all of the life lessons until he died and Simba ran away. After he ran away Simba was raised by Timon and Pumba and not Sarabi. An awesome character and from perhaps the best movie Disney made, but just misses the countdown this time.
Henry Hugglemonster (93)
Henry Hugglemonster is a newer character and he has his own show, so it may be surprising to see him dropped from the countdown. However, his show is not one of the main shows on Disney Jr. The main shows are Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Sofia the First, Doc McStuffins, and Jake and the Neverland Pirates. All characters from those shows are more known and popular than Henry. In fact, Sheriff Callie is probably more popular and likely should have been selected instead of Henry last time. He is a great character, but not quite the caliber of character that belongs on this list.
Cri-Kee (92)
Mulan is one of the better Disney movies which is saying a lot. Cri-Kee was a very memorable character from that movie and one of my personal favorites. That being said, did he really belong on the list? He probably did not belong to be honest. The little cricket isn't even one of the most memorable bugs in Disney movies. You can't really rank him ahead of the Bug's Life characters that have a presence (albeit small) in a Disney them park. I did and that was a mistake that I made due to my affinity for this character. Taking bias out of it, Cri-Kee does not belong on the list.
Pongo (91)
Pongo was one of the toughest cuts from the list. He is #104 and was very close to making the list. While he has a stronger case than Perdita, he misses the list for the same reasons he does. The movie is not as popular as some others like Toy Story and he has no presence in the parks. Many youngsters do not know Pongo making him an easier cut.
Pongo (91)
Tod (88)
Tod being ranked and not Copper made little sense as they each played a major role in the Fox and the Hound. That being said, Tod did deserve to be ranked higher as he was slightly more featured in the movie. This movie that is not very popular today and few children know about. It is also a movie that has 0 presence in the parks. It is hard to justify either the fox or the hound belonging on this list when you really think about it.
Tantor (87)
Tantor was one of the major characters in Tarzan. However, he was not central to the story and he has no current presence in the parks. He was previously ranked ahead of Kerchak and Kala and that was wrong. My bias got the best of me by putting Tantor so high on the countdown. Although I still contend that he should have been on it though. With 15 characters dropping out though to make room for the new arrivals, he had to go.
Tantor (87)
Special Agent Oso (79)
Special Agent Oso did not follow the three special steps for staying on the countdown. Step one was having a current show, but Oso's last new episode recorded in 2012. Step two was to have a presence at the parks and Oso is no longer available for meet and greets. Step three was to have a prime TV spot and the episodes of Oso replaying are becoming more and more rare. Therefore, Oso has been removed from the countdown.
Chesire Cat (67)
This cat is one I don't think a lot of people know the name to. It is just the creepy cat from Alice to most. He has no presence in the parks other than some weird apparel and is unfamiliar to many. Additionally, a lot of Disney fans just think he is a weird character. I can't even remember what he does in the movie, but I know he is in it.
LaunchPad McQuack (57)
One minute I am proposing a meet and greet with LaunchPad and the next I am taking him off of my top characters countdown. What?!?! I know it may seem confusing, but I am being consistent in eliminating my bias here. As much as I love LaunchPad and as big a character as I think he is, I must admit that they don't use him anymore. The guy hasn't been used since the early 90s it seems. He was as hot as they came in the 90s as far as characters go, but after about 1996 just disappeared from Disney productions. Tough to rank that in the list. He certainly should not have been all the way up at 57. If the list was expanded to 125 than he'd possibly still make it.
Does Baymax make his debut on the list after the release of Big Hero 6?
Where do the Beauty and the Beast Characters Rank?
Is Tinkerbell in the Top 5?
You will have to tune into the countdown to find out. Also stay tuned for some posts from Jenna and some baby updates coming soon.....
-Noland
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