Walt Disney Studios has produced lots of animated films over the past decades, and most of them have been quite successful. The studio remains a powerhouse in its own field and, oftentimes, other animated films can be mistakenly attributed to them. It is indeed a compliment to the company.
Whether these movies have a Disney-like style storyline or the art style is quite similar to their previous works, they still deserve to be properly credited. Here are some of the popular animated films that are often mistaken for Disney movies:
Shrek (2001)
DreamWorks Animation’s Shrek is one of the most well-known fairytale stories that tell a truly good lesson. It is considered one of the pioneers of modern animations and has established itself as a cult classic.
Indeed, Shrek puts DreamWorks Animation on the level of Disney Studios as a rival. Not only that, but the franchise also produced three feature sequels and even a musical. With lots of memes going around the web, it is difficult not to recognize Shrek and the other characters from the movie.
Ice Age (2002)
Blue Sky Studios’ Ice Age is the first movie produced by the company, along with its four other feature sequels. The movie is a huge feat for the studio as its CGI animation can indeed compare to this decade’s technology despite being released in the early 2000s.
The studio was acquired by Walt Disney Company in 2019 and was closed down forever in 2021. Disney has acquired some of its franchises and hopes to continue the Ice Age story in the future.
The Swan Princess (1994)
Nest Entertainment and Rich Animation Studios created The Swan Princess, a fairytale story of classic style. The movie was hand-drawn in 2D animation and was inspired by Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. Its musical style is reminiscent of Disney’s classical singing, as evident in their rendition of the song “Far Longer Than Forever.”
The movie was not a commercial feat at the box office, and fans attributed this to its simultaneous release with The Lion King. Fortunately, it was still nominated for Golden Globe Awards. Ultimately, the home video release of The Swan Princess was a huge success.
The Prince Of Egypt (1998)
Another successful film from DreamWorks Animation is The Prince of Egypt. It tells the biblical story of Moses (voiced by Val Kilmer) and Aaron (voiced by Jeff Goldblum). This is also one of the studios’ oldest animated masterpieces. Hans Zimmer provided the musical background for the movie, which is why viewers can notice the similarity of ambiance with Disney films.
During the time this was released, DreamWorks was just beginning. The film was considered the most successful non-Disney animation and it also gave the studio its first Academy Awards.
Anastacia (1997)
Fox Animation’s Anastacia is one of the most commonly misattributed animated films. Its animation style down to its musical score shares a lot of similarities with Disney classics. The film was also developed into a Broadway musical.
Although it only received average reviews from fans and critics, it remains a favorite classic animated film that truly stands the test of time.
