Walt Disney Animation Studios has historically set the course of the entire industry at each new era, from the artistic experimentalism of the 1940s to the Broadway-style renaissance that revitalized the company in the 1990s. However, the 2020s have proven to be a far more volatile period for the House of Mouse, characterized by a difficult struggle to balance theatrical prestige with the demanding content needs of the streaming age. This period has seen the studio vacillate between original concepts that challenged visual norms and a safe retreat into established franchises, resulting in a fascinatingly inconsistent output that has confused critics and audiences alike.
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As we look back at the animated theatrical canon released by Disney between 2020 and late 2025, the quality variance is undeniably wider than in previous generations. We have seen instant classics that dominated music charts for months sit alongside high-profile misfires that vanished from the public consciousness in weeks. With the release of the highly anticipated Zootopia 2 finally capping off the first half of the decade, it is the perfect time to evaluate how these films stack up against one another.
6) Wish
Intended to be the crowning jewel of the studio’s 100th anniversary celebration, Wish unfortunately landed as a hollow corporate product rather than a magical tribute. The film follows Asha (voiced by Ariana DeBose), who discovers that the charismatic King Magnifico (voiced by Chris Pine) is hoarding the wishes of his citizens to maintain power. While the premise had potential, the execution felt like a checklist of Easter eggs and references rather than a cohesive story, leaving audiences with a villain who lacked the menacing depth of the classic antagonists he was meant to emulate. The visual style, a hybrid of watercolor textures and 3D animation, often looked unfinished rather than artistic, and the songs failed to capture the earworm status of the studio’s best musicals. Ultimately, Wish crumbled under the weight of its own legacy, prioritizing brand management over genuine storytelling magic.
5) Moana 2
Released nearly a decade after the original, Moana 2 suffers significantly from its origins as a re-purposed Disney+ television series. The sequel sees Moana (voiced by Auli’i Cravalho) and the demigod Maui (voiced by Dwayne Johnson) reuniting for a voyage to break a curse separating the islands of Oceania, but the episodic nature of the plot is impossible to ignore. The pacing is jagged, with characters like the new villain Matangi introduced and sidelined haphazardly, and the narrative lacks the focused, mythic grandeur of the first film. While the animation of the ocean remains breathtaking, and it is undeniably fun to see these beloved characters again, the absence of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s songwriting is felt in every musical number. It is a serviceable adventure that entertains, but it feels distinctly smaller and less essential than its predecessor.
4) Raya and the Last Dragon
Arriving simultaneously in theaters and on Disney+ Premier Access, Raya and the Last Dragon is an action-heavy fantasy that features some of the best combat choreography in the studio’s history. The film follows the warrior Raya (voiced by Kelly Marie Tran) as she scours the broken land of Kumandra to find the legendary dragon Sisu (voiced by Awkwafina) and unite a fractured world. Visually, it is a stunner, offering a rich tapestry of Southeast Asian-inspired cultures and a grittier tone than the standard princess fare. However, the film is often criticized for its muddled thematic resolution, which advocates for blind trust in a way that feels naive given the political complexity of the conflict. Despite this narrative stumble, the sheer scale of the world-building puts it ahead of other Disney animated movies of the 2020s.
3) Strange World
Strange World stands as one of the biggest box office bombs in Disney history, a result of poor marketing and a story that never quite clicked with general audiences. The film centers on the Clades, a family of legendary explorers led by Searcher Clade (voiced by Jake Gyllenhaal) and his son Ethan (voiced by Jaboukie Young-White), who journey into a bizarre subterranean ecosystem to save their society’s power source. While the animation team deserves immense credit for creating a vibrant, pulp-magazine-inspired alien landscape, the narrative itself was bogged down by a heavy-handed environmental message and a tired generational conflict. The “twist” regarding the nature of their world was clever, but it wasn’t enough to save a film that felt surprisingly lecturesque and lacked the emotional resonance required to anchor its high-concept sci-fi setting.
2) Zootopia 2
After a string of critical disappointments with its sequels, Disney finally broke the curse with Zootopia 2. The film brings back the dynamic duo of Judy Hopps (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin) and Nick Wilde (voiced by Jason Bateman), thrusting them into a new mystery involving a reptile, Gary De’Snake (voiced by Ke Huy Quan), that threatens the city’s fragile inter-species harmony. Critics have hailed it as a rare sequel that matches, and in some aspects surpasses, the original, praising its willingness to tackle complex themes of xenophobia and class with sharp wit and nuance. The animation is more detailed than ever, bringing new districts of the city to life with inventive visual gags, while the script balances the buddy-cop comedy with genuine emotional stakes.
1) Encanto
Without question, Encanto is the defining Disney animated film of the 2020s so far. The story of Mirabel (voiced by Stephanie Beatriz), the only ordinary member of the magical Madrigal family, became a bona fide cultural phenomenon, driven by a soundtrack that dominated the global music charts. Unlike the high-stakes adventures of its peers, the film kept its conflict intimate, exploring the crushing weight of generational trauma and family expectations without the need for a traditional villain. The vibrant animation, the complex character dynamics, and the chart-topping hit “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” combined to create a movie that felt both specific to its Colombian setting and universally relatable. Encanto is an emotional masterpiece that set a new standard for what a Disney musical could achieve in the modern era.
Which of these animated films do you think will stand the test of time best? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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