The 40 most popular 1930s animation movies, ranked. Click any film for ratings, reviews, trailers, and where to watch.


Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
1937 · 1h 23m
country: United States
A beautiful girl, Snow White, takes refuge in the forest in the house of seven dwarfs to hide from her stepmother, the wicked Queen. The Queen is jealous because she wants to be known as "the fairest in the land," and Snow White's beauty surpasses her own.


Donald's Nephews
1938 · 8m
country: United States
Donald's sister Dumbella sends her three sons Huey, Dewey, and Louie to visit their uncle Donald. They prove to be quite a handful for Donald, even with help from his book on child rearing.


Goofy and Wilbur
1939 · 8m
country: United States
Goofy goes fishing with his best friend, Wilbur, a grasshopper.


Three Little Pigs
1933 · 8m
country: United States
The two pigs building houses of hay and sticks scoff at their brother, building the brick house. But when the wolf comes around and blows their houses down (after trickery like dressing as a foundling sheep fails), they run to their brother's house. And throughout, they sing the classic song, "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?".


Barnyard Olympics
1932 · 8m
country: United States
Mickey and his friends are staging a sort of olympics in a makeshift stadium on his farm. The main event is a sort of quadrathlon, with running, pole vaulting, rowing, and cycling. Mickey gets a late start due to some foul play by Pete, and that's not the only foul play.


Mickey's Steam Roller
1934 · 7m
country: United States
While streetworker Mickey romances Minnie, Mickey's nephews Morty and Ferdie take control of his steamroller and it's full speed ahead on a very destructive ride.


The Wise Little Hen
1934 · 8m
country: United States
Join Donald Duck in his debut in the classic animated short The Wise Little Hen. The Little Hen is planting corn and would like to have help from Peter Pig and Donald Duck, but they refuse stating they each have a "tummy ache." When it comes time to harvest the corn, Peter Pig and Donald still refuse to help the Hen, so she and her chicks do the harvest by themselves. Finally, the hen cooks the corn and offers some to Donald and Peter Pig, but when they look more carefully they discover a surprise.


Donald's Cousin Gus
1939 · 8m
country: United States
Donald Duck's gluttonous cousin, Gus Goose, comes for a visit and practically eats him out of house and home. When the direct approach to getting rid of his voracious houseguest fails, Donald resorts to desperate measures to dislodge him.


Ferdinand the Bull
1938 · 8m
country: United States
This Oscar-winning short tells of a bull who preferred to sit under trees and smell flowers to clashing horns with his fellow animals. As luck would have it, an untimely bee reveals Ferdinand's ferocious side via pained howls and wild stomping. This lands him in the bull-fighting arena amidst characters based on Walt's animators with a matador reportedly modeled after Walt himself.


Gulliver's Travels
1939 · 1h 16m
country: United States
Gulliver washes ashore on Lilliput and attempts to prevent war between that tiny kingdom and its equally-miniscule rival, Blefiscu, as well as smooth the way for the romance between the Princess and Prince of the opposing lands. In this he is alternately aided and hampered by the Lilliputian town crier and general fussbudget, Gabby. A life-threatening situation develops when the bumbling trio of Blefiscu spies, Sneak, Snoop, and Snitch, manage to steal Gulliver's pistol.


The Old Mill
1937 · 9m
country: United States
Night in an old mill is dramatically depicted in this Oscar-winning short in which the frightened occupants, including birds, timid mice, owls, and other creatures try to stay safe and dry as a storm approaches. As the thunderstorm worsens, the mill wheel begins to turn and the whole mill threatens to blow apart until at last the storm subsides.


The Grasshopper and the Ants
1934 · 8m
country: United States
As in the classic fable, the grasshopper plays his fiddle and lives for the moment, while the industrious ants squirrel away massive amounts of food for the winter. With his song, he's able to convince at least one small ant until the queen arrives and scares him back to work. The queen warns the grasshopper of the trouble he'll be in, come winter. Winter comes, and the grasshopper, near starvation, stumbles across the ants, who are having a full-on feast in their snug little tree. They take him in and warm him up. The queen tells him only those who work can eat so he must play for them. Written by Jon Reeves


The Big Bad Wolf
1934 · 9m
country: United States
The Big Bad Wolf torments Little Red Riding Hood and the Three Little Pigs.


Thru the Mirror
1936 · 9m
country: United States
Mickey has been reading Alice in Wonderland, and falls asleep. He finds himself on the other side of the mirror, where the furniture is alive.


Parabola
1937 · 10m
country: United States
Parabola is a celebration of film’s ability to create new ways of seeing the forms around us. Creating juxtapositions between light/shadow, stasis/motion, and form/music, this black-and-white short invites us to see the parabolic curve, or “nature’s poetry,” as both invigorating and beguiling.


Babes in the Woods
1932 · 8m
country: United States
Two Dutch children stumble on a clearing in the woods where gnomes are going about their business. The gnomes are friendly to the children. A witch comes and takes them away on her broom to her gingerbread house, where she turns nasty on them, turning the boy into a spider, her yowling cat to stone, and tries to turn the girl into a rat when a gnome's arrow stops her. While the gnomes are fighting the witch, Hansel and Gretl free the other children who have been imprisoned and transformed by the witch.


Hawaiian Holiday
1937 · 8m
country: United States
Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto experience all that Hawaii has to offer. Donald tries hula dancing, Pluto explores the beach and Goofy takes up surfing!


The Goddess of Spring
1934 · 9m
country: United States
The goddess is greeted by dancing flowers and fairies. The devil comes and takes her away to be his queen. She's despondent, as winter settles in above ground. But the devil isn't happy either, and offers anything to make her happy. They reach an agreement: she'll spend six months above ground and six below. Thus we have seasons.
Garden Gaieties
Garden Gaieties
1935 · 8m
country: United States
Krazy Kat gets help from Mother Nature to take care of some plants.


The Ugly Duckling
1939 · 9m
country: United States
An outcast duckling's search for a family to accept him leads to constant rejection before learning his true identity as a swan.


Magician Mickey
1937 · 8m
country: United States
Donald continually heckles Mickey's magic act, but Mickey bests him at every turn. Donald shoots off a magic pistol that causes all the stage props to fall down on them at the finish of the act.


Three Little Wolves
1936 · 9m
country: United States
Two little pigs cry wolf on their brother and then an actual wolf comes.


Officer Duck
1939 · 8m
country: United States
Officer Donald Duck (Officer #13) is assigned to apprehend a criminal named Tiny Tom. Donald assumes by the name that he'll be a pushover but when he reaches Tom's hideout, he discovers "Tiny" Tom is actually a hulking Pete who immediately disposes of Donald. Donald decides to use strategy and is able to reenter Pete's house disguised as a baby who Pete surprisingly warms to. When Pete discovers Donald, he chases him down the street but is finally apprehended by Donald's marching police colleagues who make the arrest.


Elmer Elephant
1936 · 8m
country: United States
Little Elmer Elephant has a crush on Tillie Tiger and his affection is reciprocated. Trouble is, the pint-sized pachyderm is beset by bullies who ridicule his trunk and make his life miserable. Then a conflagration breaks out at Tillie's tree house.


Brave Little Tailor
1938 · 9m
country: United States
When a giant threatens the land, the cityfolk mistake Mickey's boast of killing seven flies with one blow to be giants. He is then forced to fight the giant for real.


The Tortoise and the Hare
1935 · 9m
country: United States
The Tortoise and the Hare is an animated short film released on January 5, 1935 by United Artists, produced by Walt Disney and directed by Wilfred Jackson. Based on an Aesop's fable of the same name, The Tortoise and the Hare won the 1934 Academy Award for Best Short Subject: Cartoons. This cartoon is also believed to be one of the influences for Bugs Bunny.


Mickey's Trailer
1938 · 7m
country: United States
Goofy's in the driver's seat, Mickey's in the kitchen, and Donald's in bed in Mickey's high-tech house trailer. When Goofy comes back to eat breakfast, leaving the car on autopilot, it takes them onto a dangerous closed mountain road. When Goofy realizes this, he accidentally unhooks the trailer, sending it on a perilous route. They come very close to disaster several times, while the oblivious Goofy drives on and hooks back up to them.


The Band Concert
1935 · 9m
country: United States
Mickey is trying to lead a concert of The William Tell Overture, but he's continually disrupted by ice cream vendor Donald, who uses a seemingly endless supply of flutes to play Turkey in the Straw instead. After Donald gives up, a bee comes along and causes his own havoc. The band then reaches the Storm sequence, and the weather also starts to pick up; a tornado comes along, but they keep playing.


The Idea
1932 · 25m
country: France
"Bartosch showed that animation could be poetic... It was Bartosch who first dared to give animation the dimension of a great art, trusting it to voice his pain, to lay bare his heart, to tell of his hope for a better future - which he never saw." - Alexander Alexeieff and Claire Parker, 1969


Society Dog Show
1939 · 8m
country: United States
Rather out of place at a swanky dog show, Pluto flirts with Fifi, a dainty Pekingese. The judge orders Mickey and Pluto to leave, but when a fire breaks out Pluto rescues Fifi and is proclaimed a hero.


Beach Picnic
1939 · 8m
country: United States
Donald Duck is at the beach and tries to ride a rubber horse. He notices Pluto sleeping at the shore and decides to have some fun with him by sending the rubber horse over to Pluto which completely mesmerizes him. Meanwhile, a tribe of ants abduct Donald's picnic lunch. Donald lays out fly paper to stop the ants. Pluto follows one of the ants and, of course, he and later Donald become enmeshed in the fly paper


Mickey's Rival
1936 · 8m
country: United States
Minnie's old friend, Mortimer Mouse, drops in on Mickey and Minnie's picnic. His practical jokes and coming on to Minnie soon have Mickey stewing, and their car isn't happy either. When Mortimer gets a nearby bull enraged and takes off, the car comes to the rescue after Mickey gets tangled up in a red blanket.


Frivolous
1930 · 3m
country: Brazil
A young woman faces several obstacles to sleep.


Boat Builders
1938 · 9m
country: United States
Mickey buys a boat kit, and enlists Goofy and Donald to help assemble it. The plans say, "so simple a child could do it", so of course, they have their share of troubles. But before long, they're ready to launch the Queen Minnie, with appropriate fanfare, at which time, all the collapsible parts collapse.


On Ice
1935 · 8m
country: United States
Mickey shows off his ice-skating skills to Minnie; Goofy does some unconventional ice fishing; Donald straps skates to Pluto and laughs at his attempts to skate. Donald gets strapped to a kite and is about to be swept over a waterfall when Mickey pulls off an heroic rescue.


Shanghaied
1934 · 7m
country: United States
Pirate Pete has kidnapped Mickey and Minnie and has them tied up. As Pete prepares to have his way with Minnie, Mickey escapes and gets a swordfish off the wall; a swordfight with Pete ensues. Mickey gets out of the cabin and on deck; he hoists Minnie up onto the mast. Pete summons his crew, and Mickey fights them off with a cannon, shooting pots and pans, a stove, and ultimately a harpoon before winning Minnie and the ship back for good.


Fire! Fire!
1932 · 7m
country: United States
Flip and his pals, working at a fire station, are called out to stop a fire.


Wynken, Blynken & Nod
1938 · 8m
country: United States
Three sleepy babies in a clog-boat sailing through the night sky attempt to fish with candy canes for very smart fish.


Modern Inventions
1937 · 9m
country: United States
Donald Duck goes to a museum of modern inventions. After getting in without paying, he meets a robot butler who takes Donald's hat every time he sees him. Donald is very annoyed by this and magically fixes himself a new hat every time this happens and strolls on. Ignoring the sign not to touch it, Donald starts playing with a wrapping machine and ends up being wrapped himself. He also encounters and tries out a robot nursemaid and a fully automatic barber chair. They both don't do him much good.


The Pied Piper
1933 · 8m
country: United States
The people of Hamelin, overrun with rats, offer a bag of gold to anyone who can get rid of the rats. A piper offers to do the job, and successfully lures the rats into a mirage of cheese, which disappears. The citizens, disappointed that all he did was play a tune, offer only pocket change. The piper, angered, plays a new tune that has all the children of the city follow him, even the new twins the stork is preparing to deliver.
The 1930s were the studio system at full power, with sound now fully integrated and the Production Code arriving mid-decade to sharply narrow what films could depict. It's the decade of the Universal monster cycle, screwball comedy, and the first Technicolor spectacles.
Animation spans hand-drawn features, stop-motion, and CG spectacle — and, far from being a children's format, it holds some of cinema's most formally daring work. Studio Ghibli, Pixar, and a wave of international auteurs have made it one of the medium's most consistently inventive corners.