10 Best Disney Post-Renaissance Protagonists, Ranked

One of the most interesting eras for Walt Disney Studios was the Post-Renaissance Era between 1999 and 2008. Following the massive financial and critical success of their Renaissance Era, Disney attempted to make more experimental films that moved away from Broadway-style musicals and found an identity with new competition from the likes of Pixar and DreamWorks.

The results were mixed, to say the least, but a few of these movies have become cult classics in recent years.

One example of Disney’s experimental mindset can be seen in the main characters. While the Renaissance films followed outsiders who longed for a place to belong, the Post-Renaissance saw Disney experiment with motivations and character flaws. This resulted in some interesting extremes, ranging from a few annoying duds to some characters whose stories only get better with age.

10 Maggie

‘Home on the Range’ (2004)

After her owner’s herd was stolen by the bandit Alameda Slim (Randy Quaid), Maggie (Rosanne Barr) was sold to a smaller farm called Patch of Heaven. Due to her abrasive personality and her upbringing as a show cow, she has a hard time fitting in at first. When the bank threatens to auction off Patch of Heaven unless they get their money back, Maggie convinces fellow cows Mrs Caloway (Judi Dench) and Grace (Jennifer Tilly) to go with her to earn the money, eventually settling on capturing Slim.

Maggie is one of Disney’s most annoying characters and a contributing factor to Home on the Range’s infamous status in Disney’s animated catalog. Her writing feels more like a side character than a lead, especially with how brash and in-your-face she gets. The film does try to give her sympathetic moments, but it does little to even out her rude and obnoxious ones.

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9 Aladar

‘Dinosaur’ (2000)

Through a crazy series of events, an Iguanodon egg lands on an island of lemurs, who decide to raise it as their own. Years later, a now adult Aladar (D. B. Sweeney) and his family are forced off the island when a meteor destroys it. They soon join up with a migrating herd of dinosaurs on their way to the Nesting Grounds, where Aladar befriends two elderly dinosaurs at the back of the line.

Aladar isn’t a terrible protagonist by any means, but he’s also not very interesting. He has the basic checklist you’d expect from a Disney lead: he’s kind, righteous, a little goofy, and willing to fight for what he believes in. Sweeney’s voicework also does a good job of selling Aladar as a natural leader. The issue comes from the fact that there’s nothing to distinguish him from any other lead, so it’s easy to forget about him.

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8 Chicken Little

‘Chicken Little’ (2005)

The son of former baseball star Buck Cluck (Garry Marshall), Chicken Little (Zach Braff) causes a town panic when he sees a piece of the sky fall. When he’s not able to prove his sighting, everyone assumes he was just hit on the head by an acorn, and he becomes the town’s laughingstock. A year later, he restores his reputation by becoming good at baseball but discovers that the piece of the sky is connected to aliens.

While Chicken Little is deserving of its reputation as one of Disney’s worst films, Chicken Little the character is one of the movie’s few saving graces. Despite being treated terribly by his father and the community, Chicken Little doesn’t lose his optimistic spirit. He’s also supportive of his friends and fellow outcasts and is always ready to help someone in need.

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7 Lewis

‘Meet The Robinsons’ (2007)

As a baby, Lewis (Jordan Fry and Daniel Hansen) was put up for adoption by his mother, and nobody was able to track her down. As he aged, Lewis developed a strong intellect and a habit of making inventions that didn’t work as intended, which hurt his chances of finding a new family. This drives Lewis to create a machine that can tap into his memories so that he can try and track down his mother, thinking that she will take him in.

Lewis is far from a perfect child: he lets doubt cloud his mind to the point of giving up and when he gets focused on a project, he can become inconsiderate to the feelings of others. However, he has many positive traits as well, such as how quickly he accepts people for who they are and that he’s willing to fix the mistakes he makes. It’s this mix of imperfections that makes Meet the Robinsons such an important film and leads to a beautiful lesson for Lewis regarding the importance of moving forward instead of backward.

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6 Milo J. Thatch

‘Atlantis: The Lost Empire’ (2001)

Growing up on his grandfather’s tales of the lost continent of Atlantis, Milo James Thatch (Michael J. Fox) becomes a cartographer and linguist in the hopes of one day finding the continent and any ancient technologies it contains. Though his employers at the Smithsonian think he’s crazy, Milo finds a partner in Preston Whitmore (John Mahoney), a friend of his grandfather’s. Whitmore finds a book that contains a map to Atlantis and agrees to finance an expedition, with Milo serving as the resident expert.

Milo is an enjoyable underdog character who offers a lot in terms of likability and reliability. No matter how many times he’s told that he and his grandfather are wrong, Milo is ready to dive head-first into danger if it means finding the proof needed to restore their reputations. Fox’s voice-acting in Atlantis: The Lost Empire is wonderful as well, giving Milo a sense of optimism and eagerness with every word, especially when he’s deep in his element.

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5 Bolt

‘Bolt’ (2008)

With his human owner, Penny (Miley Cyrus), Bolt (John Travolta) is the star of a television series where he plays a dog with superpowers. However, Bolt was raised his whole life believing that the show is real, to give the most convincing performance. After a cliffhanger ending where Penny is kidnapped, Bolt breaks out of the studio and ends up lost in New York City.

Due to his upbringing, Bolt begins the film with a grandiose personality, often charging headfirst into danger and speaking exaggeratedly. Even after he realizes his powers are fake, it doesn’t change who he is at his core: a good person who is utterly devoted to protecting his owner. This gives his story strong themes of trust and the importance of identity.

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4 Kenai

‘Brother Bear’ (2003)

The youngest of three brothers, Kenai (Joaquin Phoenix), is eager to undergo his tribe’s coming-of-age ceremony but is disheartened when his totem animal is revealed to be a bear. Worse yet, his failure to secure a fish basket means a bear made off with it, and his attempt to get it back results in the death of his eldest brother, Sitka (D. B. Sweeney). When Kenai kills the bear for revenge, the great spirits transform him into a bear so that he can see the world through a different perspective.

Kenai’s journey is one of Disney’s darkest and results in powerful character growth. Though he is rash and often gives in to his anger without thinking, he is not a bad person at his core, merely lost and trying to find a way to be worthy of a legacy. His journey helps him learn how to process his grief and highlights the dangers of the cycle of revenge.

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3 Jim Hawkins

‘Treasure Planet’ (2002)

When Jim Hawkins (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) was a child, all he ever wanted was to go on great adventures across the galaxy. This changed when his father walked out on the family, leading Jim to adopt a delinquent lifestyle, which hurt his self-esteem and made him think he would never amount to anything. After a dying pirate gives him a map that leads to the fabled Treasure Island, Jim jumps at the chance to prove to the world and himself that he’s more than just a screw-up.

Jim’s situation is highly empathetic to many young teens trying to figure out their futures and is one reason why Treasure Planet has developed such a strong cult following. He is far from a one-note character, instead displaying many positive and negative traits, such as curiosity, bravery, and a rebellious streak meant to mask his more vulnerable side. His relationship with the film’s villain, John Silver (Brian Murray), is another highlight because of their strong father-son dynamic and for showing audiences the power of positive reinforcement.

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2 Kuzco

‘The Emperor’s New Groove’ (2000)

As the young ruler of a thriving empire, Kuzco’s (David Spade) ego is so big you can see it from space. He thinks he can do whatever he wants whenever he wants, such as demolishing a peasant village to build a vanity project. This leads his advisor, Yzma (Eartha Kitt), attempting to poison him, but due to a mislabeling by her assistant, Kronk (Patrick Warburton), he is instead transformed into a llama.

Kuzco’s larger-than-life personality is infectious, and though he acts like a self-important jerk, it’s justified through his spoiled upbringing and worldview. What saves him from being unlikable is his character arc and friendship with Pacha (John Goodman), the chief of the village he wants to destroy, which provides him with a much-needed dose of humility and empathy for his fellow man. He’s also very funny, throwing out witty one-liners and sarcastic remarks left, right, and center, making up most of the film’s best jokes.

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1 Lilo

‘Lilo & Stitch’ (2002)

On the island of Kaua’i lives Lilo Pelekai (Daveigh Chase), a recently orphaned young girl now under the guardianship of her older sister, Nani (Tia Carrere). She has many unique quirks, eccentricities, and a strong rebellious streak when frustrated. This makes it difficult for Lilo to make friends, but she eventually finds one in the form of an alien she mistakes for a dog and names Stitch (Chris Sanders).

Lilo is one of Disney’s most unique protagonists thanks to all the little details that go into her personality. While her quirks leave her with little in the way of social life, she never tries to change to fit in with others, instead embracing her interests full throttle. In many ways, she is the perfect representation of childhood innocence, and the seriousness of her and Nani’s situation has led to the enduring popularity of Lilo & Stitch.

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NEXT: Every Disney Post-Renaissance Movie, Ranked