Two of Disney's biggest franchises, the MCU and Star Wars, have put out movies that were critically panned in the past few years, which is a rarity. It's not often that a Disney movie leads to a split audience, with most critics and casual moviegoers typically being in line with their thoughts.
Films like Toy Story, Avengers: Endgame, and Encanto are universally adored, while the likes of Chicken Little and Home on the Range were met with a middling response from fans and reviewers alike. Of course, there are a handful of Disney movies that did upset critics while being appreciated by casual audiences.
Alice Through The Looking Glass (2016) - RT: 28%/IMDb: 6.1
These days, Disney seems to be trying to put out as many live-action remakes of their top animated movies as possible. In 2019 alone there were five. Up until 2010 though, it was a rarity and hadn't been done in about a decade before Alice in Wonderland.
This Tim Burton film grossed over $1 billion, so they obviously greenlit a sequel, Alice Through the Looking Glass. Unfortunately, it was seen as inferior and made about $700 million less than the first entry. Critics dissed the storyline and character development but audiences seemed okay with the film thanks to the impressive visuals.
Oliver & Company (1988) - RT: 50%/IMDb: 6.6
In 1989, Walt Disney Animation Studios famously entered the Renaissance Era. This lasted about a decade and saw the release of some of the most beloved and well-received animated films in history like Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, and Mulan.
A year prior to this breakthrough, the studio released Oliver & Company, which was actually a solid commercial hit. Reviews were quite mixed though, calling the film predictable. That being said, there were catchy songs and colorful characters that moviegoers loved, as expected.
Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker (2019) - RT: 52%/IMDb: 6.5
One of the hardest fanbases to please is that of Star Wars as they are known for being pretty harsh and sometimes overly passionate. After widespread acclaim for The Force Awakens, the 2017 follow-up The Last Jedi was loved by critics and hated by hardcore fans.
It seems like the filmmakers wanted to correct that with The Rise of Skywalker. Although fans didn't love this Star Wars film, they liked it more than its predecessor through critics made sure to point out its problems which included the fact that the story kind of threw away many things that were built in the prior installment.
Eternals (2021) - RT: 47%/IMDb: 6.3
The MCU was on an incredible hot streak with their films for more than a decade. Starting in 2008 and spanning more than 20 movies, the MCU never had something that was labeled as "rotten" on Rotten Tomatoes, coming the closest with Thor: The Dark World, which is at 68%.
That streak finally ended in 2021 with Eternals, which came as a surprise to many. With an Oscar-winning director at the helm and a diverse cast of talented actors, many felt this would be another home run. Alas, while viewers liked it, critics found things too crowded and many agreed this would've worked better as a Disney+ show with more time to care for each character.
Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001) - RT: 49%/IMDb: 6.9
Following the Renaissance Era, Walt Disney Animation Studios went into something of a funk. They weren't putting out terrible movies but a lot of them received mixed reviews and struggled at the box office, with a notable one being Atlantis: The Lost Empire.
Fans look back fondly on this movie for telling a fun adventure story with interesting characters, even if it bombed at the box office. Meanwhile, critics felt the plot wasn't coherent and character development lacked. A lot of people feel Atlantis should get the remake treatment, which would likely work in a live-action format.
The Lion King (2019) - RT: 52%/IMDb: 6.8
In terms of pure success, it's hard to think of an original story in Disney history that is bigger than The Lion King. The 1994 original was considered an all-time classic, spawned numerous sequels and shows, had a theme park attraction, and led to a long-running Broadway play, among other things.
The 2019 remake was also a massive hit, making over $1 billion. It was heavy on the CGI, which is part of what critics didn't like as the characters couldn't emote the way the traditionally animated ones did. Still, fans seemed to dig the plot and soundtrack they were familiar with.
Cars 2 (2011) - RT: 39%/IMDb: 6.2
Similar to the MCU, Pixar was on quite the roll to start its history of feature films. They went more than a decade without having a 'rotten' movie, which finally came in 2011 with Cars 2. It still remains the studio's only release to score below 69% on the website.
Cars 2 changed up the formula, focusing more on beloved side character Mater but critics felt he was too one-note to lead a story and was better as a sidekick. While this scored better on IMDb, it still does have the lowest rating of any Pixar film there.
Brother Bear (2003) - RT: 37%/IMDb: 6.8
The post-Renaissance Era for Walt Disney Animation Studios continued to be a mixed bag with Brother Bear. It was less ambitious than Atlantis or Treasure Island and came after the success of Lilo and Stitch. It was a commercial success but not a critical one.
The consensus was that Brother Bear was pretty generic and featured a disappointing animation style, which held it back despite telling a solid story. It did score a Best Animated Feature nomination at the Academy Awards but everyone knew it had no shot against Finding Nemo.
Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil (2019) - RT: 39%/IMDb: 6.9
A lot of fans don't like when a remake doesn't do anything new with the story. Part of why Cruella worked so well was that it went a different route than simply retelling 101 Dalmatians. That's what made Maleficent so intriguing, as it focused on the villain of the Sleeping Beauty story.
The 2014 film was a huge hit and spawned a 2019 sequel, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, again starring Angelina Jolie. Similar to the first film, the actors received praise but the muddled plot and visuals were met with criticism. Both entries are 'rotten' with solid IMDb ratings.
Robin Hood (1973) - RT: 55%/IMDb: 7.5
Disney has always been known for adapting well-known fairy tales and folk stories, which they did in 1973 with Robin Hood. Of course, they put a unique spin on the story by reimagining the characters as anthropomorphic animals.
It's kind of odd that reviews for this were relatively strong at first but got a bit worse over time, with many finding it derivative and unfunny. On the opposite end, casual viewers have seemed to like it more over time, with it becoming something of a cult classic for the studio.