Classic Disney movies look worse on streaming than they did in theaters for a very specific reason, according to a new study

They sure don’t make them like they used to, and as has become clearly apparent on Disney Plus, they certainly don’t look like they used to, either. Thanks to Animation Obsessive, a side-by-side comparison has been released showing the Disney movies originally shown on 35mm and later released on home video, along with the digital versions available for streaming. The difference is night and day, highlighting how much classic Disney magic these transfers have lost and the color levels we've ended up with.

The video includes clips from Hercules, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and other Disney Renaissance classics. The comparison is undeniable, as images of flowing lava and red hooded figures pop off the screen even when they're part of a Twitter video. As for the updated versions, the colors look muted, and the characters' skin tones look much paler than they were originally intended. In the absolute must-read Substack from Animation Obsessive, there’s a brilliant but bittersweet breakdown of how this has come to be.

The Disney renaissance movies used to look different. They were planned to be printed on 35 mm film -- that's how they were first released.Modern editions skip that last step in the process. It was a highly developed, overlooked craft, as we explore:─➤https://t.co/FoVH6xdJjp pic.twitter.com/nSZfpRpwxDSeptember 15, 2026

The issues mostly stem from these classic movies moving from film celluloid to digital. During their original production, the colors were as bright as they were because the animators knew what format their project was ending up on. Shifting them to another format dilutes the colors and, truthfully, saps some of the visual magic that made these movies so beloved in the first place. The movies exempt from these setbacks are the ones Pixar rocked up on the scene with, creating works developed on a computer screen, making the transfer nowhere near as impactful. Even so, that hasn't stopped fans from mourning the classics.

“I have tears in my eyes. I saw ALL these in theaters as a child, and yes, THIS is what these films looked like!” Wrote @fanime_1. “This is what I remember! I thought maybe it was just rose-tinted glasses, but no, these transfers need to be improved!” @DownInkwell added, “I wish there was an option to watch the 35mm version, either on streaming or home media.”

@ju1fy chimed in with their thoughts on the side-by-side comparison, saying, "That Hunchback fire comparison is brutal—the 35mm glow feels hot enough to singe the frame, while the stream looks weirdly refrigerated."

One daring venture Disney has recently embarked on that might show signs of the classic movies the Mouse House was known for is the upcoming animation, Gatto. Directed by Enrico Casarosa, the film uses 2D hand-painted textures blended with modern CGI to tell the story of a black cat named Nero, who lives in the superstitious city of Venice, Italy. There’s no doubt that, given the modern-day applications, the movie won’t lose the color it'll burst onto the big screen with; it's just a shame that the movies that helped Gatto get here are struggling to look as good.

For now, wish upon a star and check out our ranking of the 30 best Disney movies here.

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