The 2000’s Best Children’s Folk Music Movies

The 2000’s were a great decade for children’s folk music movies. Here are our top picks!

O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)

The 2000 Coen Brothers film O Brother, Where Art Thou? is set in Mississippi during the Great Depression. The film follows the story of three escaped convicts who go on a quest to find a treasure. Along the way, the men encounter colorful characters and captivating music.

The soundtrack for O Brother, Where Art Thou? was a huge success, winning several Grammy Awards. The music featured in the film reinvigorated interest in folk and bluegrass music. The popularity of the soundtrack also helped to launch the career of bluegrass singer-songwriter Ralph Stanley.

The Fox and the Hound (1981)

The Fox and the Hound is a 1981 American animated drama film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by Buena Vista Distribution. The 24th Disney animated feature film, the film was directed by Ted Berman, Richard Rich, and Art Stevens from a screenplay by Steven Tyler, Joe Provo, and Smokey Friedman. Adapted from Daniel P. Mannix’s 1967 novel of the same name, it follows the unlikely friendship between a red fox named Tod and a hound dog named Copper as they grow up together and are forced to take opposite sides of the law when their masters—a cruel hunter named Amos Slade for Copper and a kind farmer named Widow Tweed for Tod—become enemies.

Voice actors included Mickey Rooney as Tod, Kurt Russell as Copper, Jackie Cooper as Amos Slade, Pearl Bailey as Big Mama, Sandy Duncan as Vixey, Paul Winchell as Digger, Jack Albertson as Chief andpat Buttram as Granny. Additional voices were provided by actor Dick Bakalyan in his last major role before his death, exposition narrator Sandy Kenyon (replacing Robert Easton), character actress Jeanette Nolan ad Captain Judy Craig.

The Fox and the Hound was released to theaters on July 10, 1981 to mixed reviews but was applauded for its musical score composed by Jymn Magon and Simon Jeffes. The film was nominated for three Academy Awards: Best Original Song for “Best of Friends”, Best Score Adaptation or Treatment (given to Magon),and Best Sound Editing but lost all three to Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). The film grossed $39 million at the U.S box office during its initial release in 1981 which made it the seventh highest-grossing movie that year while its total lifetime gross stands at $84 million in North America making it one of Disney’s 50th highest-grossing films adjust for inflation. In 1994, it was re-released on VHS coinciding with the theatrical release of The Lion King. A direct-to-video sequel titled The Fox and the Hound II was released on December 12, 2006; neither received critical acclaim like its predecessor though both have been deemed commercially successful

The Aristocats (1970)

Based on the novels by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, The Aristocats is a 1970 American animated musical comedy film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released to theaters on December 24, 1970. The 20th animated feature in the Disney Animated Canon, the film is about a family of aristocratic cats, and how an alley cat helps them after a butler has kidnapped them to gain his mistress’ fortune which was meant to go to them.

The Aristocats was directed by Wolfgang Reitherman, written by Larry Clemmons, Ralph Wright, and Ken Anderson from a story outline by Tom McGowan and Tom Rowe. Marie (voiced by Peg Entwistle in her final role; Liz English in some re-releases) is based on the main character from the Barbot de Villeneuve tale, while Edgar Balthazar (voiced by Roddy Maude-Roxby) is based on the villainous farmer who tries to starve the cats in that story. Other inspirations include descriptions of settings in T. S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats and music from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake ballet score.

Duane Carnagey served as senior effects animator. This was Disney Studios’ first film since Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs not to be supervised by Walt Disney himself due to his deteriorating health; he died three months before its initial theatrical release.

Bambi (1942)

Bambi, Disney’s classic tale of a young deer growing up in the forest, is one of the best-loved children’s movies of all time. Featuring the music of German composer Richard Strauss, the film was released in 1942 and won three Academy Awards. Bambi has been praised for its beautiful animation and its charming story, and it remains a popular choice for families looking for a heartwarming film to watch together.

Dumbo (1941)

One of the most popular and beloved children’s movies of all time, Dumbo (1941) is a timeless classic. Featuring the iconic character of Dumbo the flying elephant, this heartwarming tale follows his journey from circus performer to star attraction. With beautiful animation and an unforgettable soundtrack, Dumbo is a must-watch for any fan of children’s movies.

Fantasia (1940)

Fantasia is a 1940 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and released by Walt Disney Productions. The third Disney animated feature film, it premiered in New York City on October 29, 1940. The film consists of eight animated segments set to pieces of classical music conducted by Leopold Stokowski; the piece he conducted most frequently was “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice”, inspired by Goethe’s 1797 poem “Der Zauberlehrling”.

Developer Walt Disney Imagineering announced in September 2017 that a new Fantasia attraction would be coming to Epcot at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, and that the Sorcerers’ Workshop would be returning to Tokyo Disneyland Park as part of its expansion.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is a 1937 American animated musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Productions and originally released by RKO Radio Pictures. Based on the German fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm, it is the first full-length cel animated feature film and the earliest Disney animated feature film. The story was adapted by storyboard artists Dorothy Ann Black, Richard Purdum, Perce Pearce, and Merle Turner from the Brothers Grimm fairy tale. It features the voices of Adriana Caselotti, Harry Stockwell, Lucille La Verne, Pinto Colvig, Billy Gilbert, and Margalo Gillmore.
TheQueen orders her Huntsman to take Snow White into the forest and kill her. She claims that Snow White’s beauty surpasses her own. The Huntsman takes Snow White into the forest, but he cannot bring himself to kill her. He tells her to run away and never come back. Snow White comes across a cottage in the woods belonging to seven dwarfs: Grumpy, Bashful, Doc, Dopey, Happy, Sleepy, and Sneezy. She goes inside and cleans their house while they are away at work in a mine. The dwarfs return home at nightfall and discover that someone has been in their cottage as everything is clean. The following day they discover that snow white is living with them after she wakes up from sleep walking into one of their beds. At first they are afraid of her but Soon enough they let her stay with them permanently as long as she keeps house for them while they mine for jewels during the day