Disney's 4 Home Runs of 2016

We just opened up our 6th month of the current year and Disney is on pace to make it their best ever. Box office numbers are through the roof for this company and another blockbuster is around the corner with Finding Dory. That movie isn't even out yet, more movies are in the works, and you can already guarantee an incredibly successful year for Disney media. Even if those movies tank, this will still be a banner year. They won't tank by the way...Here is a look at what made Disney so successful this year and why the movies/shows were such smash hits.

It all started at the box office in March with Zootopia. To date, the movie had made over a billion at the box office. That it comes off a budget of 150 million shows it was a massive hit. The success at the box office only scratches the surface though. To me, this was the best animated Disney movie since at least Wreck-It-Ralph and quite possibly the Lion King. It was absolutely phenomenal. I loved every single minute of this movie and it was not as predictable as many by this great company. It was so good that it received a 98% on rotten tomatoes. This movie was absolutely brilliant and really got Disney started off towards a great year. I can't wait for these characters to really start making their presence known at the parks. Nick and Judy can be seen in the Move It, Shake it dance party @ Magic Kingdom now!

The next month, in April, came the live-action version of The Jungle Book. This was brilliant just in the fact that it connected a new generation of fans with the original classic. Add-in that it was one of the greatest movies I have ever seen and that it was a massive hit and it just is icing on the cake. I loved every second about this and every bit of what it represented. It is just another way for my family to enjoy this classic. Another way for my kids to enjoy one of the greatest Disney characters in Baloo. Anything that makes people love this story and that character are fantastic in my opinion. Then you actually break down the movie and it gets better...

The Jungle Book has 2 outstanding villain characters that add to the movie a great deal. Shere Khan has always been my personal favorite Disney villain and he was great in the animated classic. However, this movie, takes his character to a whole different galaxy in terms of violence and cruelty. The movie adds layers to that character that make everyone see how brilliant the character truly is. Then you add in the switch with King Louie into making him more dark and scary and the movie was absolutely phenomenal with those two villains. It did a great job with Kaa as well, but I would have liked a bit more from him. Maybe in the upcoming sequel we will get more from Louie or Kaa as the villain.

Regardless of my opinions though, the box office determines if the movie is a hit. This movie has made 877.6 million so far (as of 6/4) on a 175 million budget. Another smash hit that will likely pass the billion dollar range at some point. It received a 95% on Rotten Tomatoes and was not quite as loved as Zootopia. The Jungle Book was beloved by all though and was slightly better than  in my opinion.

Finally, last month, came the most anticipated movie in quite some time, Captain America: Civil War. This movie has been an incredible smash hit already smashing through the billion dollar mark at the box office. Critics and fans alike have been raving about the movie. It is hard to top this movie for me personally. I have it as the 4th best movie in the Marvel Universe and I am pretty obsessed with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In case you were wondering my top 5 are Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy, Iron Man 1, Civil War, and Avengers 1. The other 4 I own and we will own Civil War at some point. The layers of complexity of the story and the details of that story make this a must see. If you are a fan of the MCU and haven't seen it, go see it today. Captain America is the coolest hero and he teamed up with more awesome heroes to take on Iron Man's crew, how could you not want to go? This movie made Ant-Man look even cooler, fixed Spider-Man in movies, and introduced the thrilling Black Panther among many other things. Can I just say also that Team Cap had much cooler heroes than team Iron Man. My family is always #TeamCap

All these movies don't even mention the greatest success that Disney Media has had this year. That greatest success has been the new Disney Jr. series The Lion Guard. That show has been a smash hit and is beloved everywhere by all young kids. My 3 year old son's class absolutely adores this show. That adoration comes most obviously by our stinker who says it is his favorite show. He has also mentioned a possible Lion Guard birthday party and Lion Guard costume. Our money is being dropped into Lion Guard merchandise more than anything besides car, house, daycare, electricity, water, and church it seems. He has lion guard shoes, backpack, lunch box, deluxe kion figure, small character playset and more already. Not to mention the lion guard adventure we went on at Animal Kingdom. He loves all the characters, but Kion is definitely his favorite. My favorite is Bunga and I have been Bunga playing at home with Kion many a times already. This show is something our older son truly loves and I am happy that he does. It connects Lion King to the younger generation in a brilliant way. It expands on an already fantastic story. It is enjoyable to watch. I don't have to worry about my son getting weird messages. It is just a fantastic show.

 Doing the Lion Guard Adventure @ Animal Kingdom (Found Fuli)

And Kion (his favorite)

Expect much more success from Disney in the media realm in 2016 and moving forward. Tune in here next week for a zoo review of the Saint Augustine Alligator Farm. Have a blessed week everybody!

- Noland

The Top 101 Disney Characters of All-Time (40-31)

This countdown is just loaded with greatest at this point. A quick recap before you remember some of the greatest characters in Disney history.

101-91

90-81

80-71
70-61

60-51
50-41

40. Marlin

If this was my favorite characters list, Marlin would be higher than this and higher than Nemo. However, the kiddos don't call clownfish Marlin. That is why Marlin is number 40 and not higher than Nemo. However, I contend that this may be the most underrated character in the Disney Universe. He is the star of the story. It is really Marlin's journey to save his son, he is Finding Nemo and Nemo can't control whether his dad suceeds or not. This guy is underrated and awesome.

39. Mufasa

Simba's dad and the original King in The Lion King. This is the guy who is running the show in the beginning until his brother kills him. Everybody has seen this movie and everyone loves this movie. When ranking the characters it all breaks down to how you see it. I have him ahead of Nala, but behind the other main characters. His impact on the movie and Disney universe is unquestioned though. He deserves a top 40 spot.

38. Shere Khan

Shere Khan is the 2nd highest villain on this countdown and the 3rd best in all of Disney as far as I am concerned. He was the villain in Walt Disney's last movie and possibly the scariest villain of them all. He was awesome in both Jungle Book movies. In the Jungle Cubs show and in Talespin. This is a guy I almost put in the top 10. He is a great villain.

37. Scuttle

The 3rd coolest animal in The Little Mermaid. Scuttle is one of Ariel's best friends who helps educate her on the human world. He also helps look out for Ariel once she becomes a human. His role in the new ride at Magic Kingdom is perfect for his character. This is a Top 40 character for sure.

36. Pluto

This is probably the most controversial now as Pluto is one of the main characters and Mickey's personal dog. He would be in most people's top 10, but can't be in mine because he doesn't talk. He is however my highest rated character that does not talk. No denying what Pluto means for Disney, but he can't be a top 10 character without speaking.

33-35. Huey, Dewey, and Louie

First things first, Huey is the oldest and wears the red shirt. Dewey is the brainy one and wore a tangerine shirt early on which was replaced by the blue shirt in Ducktales. Finally, Louie which is the nicest of the trio is the one wearing the green shirt. I always liked Huey best although I have to admit that I don't remember the difference all the time. I like everyone else, struggled to tell the nephews apart and couldn't always remember which was which. The red one I liked more mostly because I liked red more than blue and green.

32. Roo

Roo is perhaps the most lovable character from Winnie the Pooh. He is my 3rd favorite character from the series. He is Tigger's best friend and like Tigger's little brother in how he acts. This little guy is very underrated in this series. For my favorite characters he is in my top 10, but in this countdown I have him at #32. This is the perfect spot for Roo.

31. Mike Wazowski

Monsters Inc. was a great movie, but not the level of Toy Story or Finding Nemo. The two main characters though have to be on this list. The first of these characters is Mike Wazowski. He is the one eyed monster that loves to make kids laugh and is a loyal partner. He also is that star of the Laugh Factory at the Magic Kingdom. Sully seems to be more popular and I like him more which is why Mike is here on the countdown and Sully will appear later. Mike just misses the top 30 at #31.

-Noland