Hi Fellas. Ratigan6688 (that's me) is back with another blog countdown. Another user suggested I make a blog on my favorite Disney climaxes, and I thought-you know what? I Would like to do that. The climaxes are always the point in the movie in the end where the characters have to literally fight for their happy ending. Now, I can't guarantee you will agree with all my choices, but I'll post them anyway. This time I am doing 9 because I couldn't think of a 10th. But let's begin.
#9: Dr. Facilier's Spiritual Death from The Princess and the Frog[]
Guess they weren't his friends on the other side after all.
As much as I like The Princesses and the Frog, climaxes that don't have a "final danger scene" other than the Winnie the Pooh films I don't find very strong. However, this one is redeeming and tests Tiana's true dream. She learns that she needs Naveen more than her restaurant, and she breaks the talisman. Dr. Facilier's worst fears come true- his voodoo spirits kill him by having that mona loa mask (or whatever it is called) eat him and drag him into their voodoo world, making it in my opinion, the scariest scene in the movie. It was voodoo chilling, but it just goes to show that you should NEVER make friends with voodoo demons.
#8:The Waterfall climax from The Rescuers Down Under[]
Don't drown and don't die
Although there's not much of an actual fight, I still found this to be a good climax. When I was a little kid, I loved playing with my jungle toys and I often gave them a waterfall climax; the heroes need to be saved from falling to their deaths down the waterfall, but the villain is the only one who falls and dies. That is pretty much what this climax is. I never usually thought waterfalls could kill anyone, but this is one of those things that prove me wrong.
#7: The Blizzard from Frozen[]
Reindeer to the rescue
Much like The Rescuers Down Under, there's not much of a "final battle" here, but this is a climax I still found worth watching, especially how the score made it tense by the minute. Anna realizes she needs to get Kristoff to kiss her before she freezes from a curse Elsa put on her, while Kristoff and Sven rush into a deadly blizzard made from Elsa's great fear to save Anna. Then of course, Elsa is tricked into thinking that she killed Anna, giving Hans his opportunity to exterminate Elsa and claim his own kingdom. Anna doesn't let that happen, despite knowing the cost, but she is brought back due to the fact that her act WAS true love, in a different sense. However, unless you have a family member caught in a big blizzard, you might want to avoid getting into one.
#6: The Cy-Bug Invasion from Wreck-It-Ralph[]
Stop Cy-Bugging me!
There were a lot of things that I thought made the movie seem a bit scary, especially for Vanellope's condition. And this climax almost made my fear for Vanellope come true. She was unable to escape due to her glitchiness, she was doomed to die from a Cy-Bug. But there was no way Ralph was gonna let that happen. He realized at this point that he didn't need a medal to be a good guy, he just had to have a special friend. He also fought the evil Turbo, who had just turned into a cy-bug to create a beacon to stop the cy-bugs! Ralph almost died, even though he knew he would never regenerate, but then Vanellope saves him, becasue of the joy Ralph brought into her life. More climaxes need this kind of emotion.
#5: Fighting SHere Khan from the Jungle Book[]
Baloo can BEAR to fight Shere Khan
Much like the climax of Wreck-It-Ralph, this climax is kind of an emotional one. Baloo has come to love Mowgli like a son and he risks his own life to save from from the deadliest killer in the jungle, Shere Khan. He is bitten and clawed at several times in this scene. I am actually surprised there weren't any wounds seen on the poor guy. But Mowgli also took part by using fire, aka Man's red flower to scare off that wicked beast and proves that he is not as helpless as most characters thought he was. I'd definetly say this is one of those "Brains beats the Brawn" climaxes.
#4: Thomas O'Malley Fighting Edgar from The Aristocats[]
Bummer for the butler
Okay, this is one of those more entertaining climaxes than emotional. I think this is an example of a simple climax done right. It's a movie where there is nothing out of fantasy other than talking animals. The Aristocats is also one of those movies where after an adventure, it turns out the main characters DON'T want to separate, so Thomas goes back to save Duchess and her kittens from being sent to a place far away. The score to this is entertaining to listen to as well. In addition, Thomas is helped by his alley cat gang, Frou-Frou, and Roquefort. Heck, Roquefort even sorta breaks the fourth wall for a bit, everything stops until he unlocks the lock, and the fighting resumes. You don't see that in a Disney movie everyday, do ya? I still really enjoy this climax, in-fact this is the climax I think 101 Dalmatians should have had. It's funny, entertaining, and no cat nip.
#3: The Rat Fight and Wagon Stopping from Lady and the Tramp[]
Attack a rat, then stop a wagon.
I usually thought of this as a two-part climax because it feels like both parts need to resolve something important in the movie. Tramp's fight scene with the rat is my favorite part of the movie. Although it was hard for me to take this rat as a serious threat, it was pretty cool. I knew from the start that the rat wouldn't survive against Tramp, making it somewhat of an easier attack for Tramp. In addition, I thought of the rat part of the climax the thing that brought Lady and Tramp back together after Lady dumped Tramp for her trip to the pound. And then of course, Tramp is thought have to be hurting the baby, so he is sent to the pound to be excecuted. Once Lady clears his name, it's Jock and Trusty to the rescue. Even though Trusty did little before, it seemed time for the side characters to have a significant role in a climax for once. Trusty apparently hasn't lost his sense of smell after all. He barks at the horses to stop them from taking Tramp to a fate he didn't deserve, breaking his leg in the process. I didn't find Trusty's sacrifice as strong as Baloo's since it was more of an accident, but I am still glad Trusty's okay. It's still a fine accomplishment for Trusty, even referencing it a couple times later on. I still really enjoy this climax.
#2: The Castle Chase from Robin Hood[]
Come on Robin Hood, you can make it!
Oh yeah, now we're talking! This is one of the greatest climaxes I have ever seen in animation history. Robin Hood and Little John have to rescue Friar Tuck and the other citizens of Nottingham from Prince John's dungeon as well as take back the gold that was rightfully their's, all without getting caught. There is just so much suspense in it! There so much whispering, quiet music, and narrow dodges! But once the cover is blown, the characters are running for their lives and the music is so intense! And just when all the characters have escaped, Tag-along rabbit is left behind, and Robin goes back to save her, risking his own life in the process! He gets trapped, and every guard is trying to kill him! He just can't get a rest! And the fire literally makes it higher and higher! George Bruns's orchestra in this climax is just wonderful! This is one of the reasons I love this movie! I want more climaxes just like this one!
And my number 1 favorite Disney climax is....
#1: The Big Ben Climax from The Great Mouse Detective[]
CGI gears, a deadly rat, and huge heights! Oh my!
I've mentioned before that the clock tower climax is my favorite in Disney history! Aside from Ratigan's red eyes, I just love this scene! Ratigan is outraged that Basil has ruined his hard worked evil scheme and is pushed to the point where his only goal is to kill him! Olivia fight back too by biting Ratigan, but is almost crushed by a gear in the process. I love how Henry Mancini's score intensifies as Ratigan chases Basil through the gears! Ratigan seems to be winning when the two are on the clock's hands, until the clock strikes 10:00 PM, making Ratigan fall to his death, the classic traditional Disney death. And to make it even better, this climax is usually considered the movie's highest achievement because of the clock tower was done with computer animation. Even though The Black Cauldron was the first Disney film to use CGI in general, that movie was a critical and box-office flop so it wasn't really remarkable. But since The Great Mouse Detective did much better at the box-office and with critics, it left an impact on Disney. I remember Walt's nephew saying on the Fantasia 2000 vhs that The Great Mouse Detective was the first animated film to combine computer-animated effects with the hand drawn characters. All that led to more spectacular CGI effects in Disney History, such as the ballroom dance scene in Beauty and the Beast, the wildebeest stampede in The Lion King, the Pixar films, and our recent Disney classic, Frozen! I just love this climax! It's why I put it at number one!
And that was my countdown of great Disney climaxes! I hope you enjoyed this list! See you next time!