4 Disney Animated Movies That Completely Broke the Formula (And One Changed Animation Forever)

When it comes to animated movies, there are few studios that do it like Disney. And part of Disney’s success comes from its winning formulas, as the company capitalizes on similar story structures and archetypes frequently throughout its catalog. This can work to its advantage; its classic princess movies excel despite their similarities, and its common tropes are widely recognized and reused. However, projects that break the mold tend to stand out more, resulting in bigger reputations — and sometimes, even new formulas for future films to grasp onto.

Every studio must reinvent its offerings at some point, ensuring they don’t get stale, and the Disney animated hits that do that are among its most iconic projects to date. From a modern release that upended expectations around princess stories to a film that changed animation forever, these prove why bucking the standard is so worthwhile.

4) Frozen

Disney’s princess movies tend to follow similar blueprints, but Frozen is proof that diverging from the plan can lead to massive success. So many princess movies send their heroines on journeys to achieve goals or overcome some evil — complete with animal companions — while having them fall in love in the process. Frozen shakes that up, placing the importance of sisterhood at its core rather than making romantic love its central focus. It even intentionally subverts the expectation that love is the be-all, end-all by having the prince who originally pursues Anna turn out to be the film’s villain.

Frozen‘s twist and its focus on Anna and Elsa above all else breaks the Disney mold in the best way. It’s no wonder later Disney movies followed suit. Frozen wasn’t the first princess project to forgo love as the endgame, but it was the most influential.

3) Mulan

Before Frozen changed the conversation surrounding Disney princess movies, Mulan had already broken that particular mold — just in a different way. Although the romance between the film’s heroine and Captain Li Shang is a major throughline, Mulan still sets itself apart from previous princess films. Many of the early ones see their main characters being rescued by their love interests, leaning into the damsel in distress archetype. Mulan flips that on its head, having its lead be the one to save the day. Captain Li Shang doesn’t quite take on the role of the damsel, but he fits the description better than Mulan herself.

Their relationship isn’t the only way Mulan plays with gender stereotypes, either, and it’s what makes the Disney film such a satisfying watch. Its heroine was far from the traditional leading lady when it came out in 1998. She was more relatable, however, making her instantly likable to many young girls.

2) Lilo & Stitch

Romance tends to be the goal in classic princess movies, but in general, older Disney films prioritize it. Even the movies that don’t center princesses or similar leading ladies — like The Lion King and Hercules — have strong romantic subplots. Lilo & Stitch forgoing one altogether and focusing on the friendship between a young girl and an alien separated it from other 1990s and early 2000 hits. This made it more appealing to many young kids, too, as did the fact that it didn’t shy away from serious subject matter.

That latter part is another reason Lilo & Stitch remains so popular. It’s not just the fact that it focused on family and friendship at a time when that wasn’t usually the priority. The film explored topics like grief, becoming a parent unexpectedly, and the socioeconomic struggles that accompany such adjustments. It makes the movie feel grounded, despite its alien story, and makes the characters more sympathetic.

1) Toy Story

The first film to emerge from Disney and Pixar, Toy Story changed animation forever, as it was the first film to fully embrace CGI animation. The fact that it was a massive success allowed the industry to move away from traditional 2D animation. It showcased what was possible and marked a major shift in style. For that alone, it’s a groundbreaking movie — and one that shook up formulas that existed for years before it.

Of course, Toy Story‘s animation approach wasn’t the only way it broke Disney’s formula in the 1990s. It embraced several experimental choices, from not taking on the musical setup that so many animated Disney movies had to moving away from romance-heavy fairy tale narratives. There was nothing like Toy Story when it debuted, but it’s no surprise that it’s since spawned numerous sequels…and plenty of other movies with big similarities.