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James Algar

James Algar

Director, producer and writer · Died February 26, 1998, aged 85 · Modesto, California, USA

James Algar (June 11, 1912 – February 26, 1998) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He worked at Walt Disney Productions for 43 years and received the Disney Legends award in 1998. He was born in Modesto, California and died in Carmel, California.

Biography from TMDB.

Born
June 11, 1912
Died
February 26, 1998 (aged 85)
From
Modesto, California, USA
Works as
Director, producer and writer
Titles
19 on MovieCove · 60 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 38 days to Oct 27Down 37% in 30 days

What are James Algar's films like?

Across their 18 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Ideas and Bonds.

Genres

Adventure5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 61st percentile
: browse their Adventure movies
Animation5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 82nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Animation movies
Documentary5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 79th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies
Family2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 81st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Family movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Ideas
31%
Bonds
28%
Survival
23%
Society
11%
Self
6%
Power
1%
Survival8 titles, browse their movies with this themeNature9 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds5 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship3 titles, browse their movies with this themeArt2 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 18 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 16 · Serious 1 · Dark 1

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 10 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 4

Gentle: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their gentle movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 15 · Charged 2 · Intense 1

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 13 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 2

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 8 · Some laughs 9 · Funny 1

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 16 · Even-paced 1 · Relentless 1

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 14 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 17 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Warm
10
Contemplative
10
Joyful
9
Tense
5
Melancholic
4
Other
12

How their films linger

Feel-good11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy6
  • Bittersweet6
  • Ambiguous3
  • Cyclical3

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch James Algar's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 13 of their 19 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, on Disney+ (13).

Subscription and free streaming for James Algar's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

60 credits, 19 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • Fantasia 2000(1999)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Trail of Danger (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    Producer

  • The Bluegrass Special (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Producer · Story

  • The Secret of the Pond (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    Producer

  • The Best of Walt Disney's True-Life Adventures(1975)

    Director · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • The Boy Who Talked to Badgers(1975)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • The Footloose Goose (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    Producer

  • Two Against the Arctic (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    Producer · Teleplay

  • Return of the Big Cat (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    Producer

  • Carlo the Sierra Coyote (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    Director · Producer

  • The City Fox (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Director · Producer · Writer

  • Mountain Born (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Director

  • The Boy from Dead Man's Bayou (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Producer

  • Project Florida (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Director · Writer

  • Rascal(1969)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Solomon, the Sea Turtle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    Producer

  • One Day On Beetle Rock (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Director · Producer

  • The Gnome-Mobile(1967)

    Co-Producer

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Walt Disney Masterpieces (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Director

  • Run, Light Buck, Run (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    Co-Producer · Writer

  • One Day at Teton Marsh (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    Producer · Teleplay

  • The Incredible Journey(1963)

    Co-Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • The Legend of Lobo(1962)

    Director · Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • A Fire Called Jeremiah (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Director

  • The Wonderful World of Disney (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Ten Who Dared(1960)

    Associate Producer

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • Rapids Ahead/Bear Country (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    Teleplay

  • Jungle Cat(1960)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Islands of the Sea (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    Director

  • Nature's Strangest Creatures (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Director

  • Grand Canyon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    Director

  • White Wilderness(1958)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • The Best Doggoned Dog in the World (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Teleplay

  • The Crisler Story/Prowlers of the Everglades (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Director · Writer

  • Tricks of Our Trade (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Director

  • All About Magic (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Director of Previsualization

  • Secrets of Life(1956)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • The African Lion(1955)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • The Wonderful World of Disney (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

  • The Vanishing Prairie(1954)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • The Living Desert(1953)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Prowlers of the Everglades (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    Director

  • The Alaskan Eskimo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    Director

  • Bear Country (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    Director · Writer

  • The Olympic Elk (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Director · Writer

  • Nature's Half Acre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Director · Script

  • Beaver Valley (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    Director

  • The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad(1949)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • The Wind in the Willows (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    Director

  • Seal Island (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    Director

  • Health for the Americas: Cleanliness Brings Health (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    Director

  • Something You Didn't Eat (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    Director

  • Victory Through Air Power (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)

    Director

  • Bambi(1942)

    Co-Director

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Four Methods of Flush Riveting (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    Director

  • The Little Whirlwind(1941)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Fantasia(1940)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    Director

  • Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs(1937)

    Animation

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Broken Toys (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    Animation

Career shape

A full career of 59 titles from 1935 to 2000.

Biggest box office

Bambi (1942)

$267M worldwide

Highest rated

Fantasia (1940)

Midcredits 94th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing39 of 59: 28 only directing, 11 with another role · typical Midcredits score80thWriting15 of 59: 2 only writing, 13 with another roleProducing18 of 59: 10 only producing, 8 with another role · typical Midcredits score51stOther crew4 of 59: 3 only other crew, 1 with another role

59 titles, 16 with more than one role — directing and producing overlap on 3 of them.

By decade

1930s2 · crew1940s10 · crew1950s18 · crew1960s15 · crew1970s13 · crew2000s1 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do James Algar's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 78th percentile, the median of all 19; across their 18 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 72nd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

72ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 18

Approval · how many liked their films

77thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 18

Reach · how many have seen their films

48thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 18

Midcredits score across 19 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up11
  • 50th to 74th5
  • 25th to 49th3

Shape of the crowd

14 of their 19 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Crowd Pleaser14
  • Mixed3

Most divisive · director, writer

White Wilderness (1958)

86th percentile spread · 39% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director

Fantasia (1940)

Midcredits 94th · 80% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 74/100 and the pacing 48/100 in their films, across 18 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is James Algar's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 4 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Violence & Gore4 titlesmedian 32 · mildMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity4 titlesmedian 13 · minimalMedian of all films: 32
Profanity4 titlesmedian 2 · minimalMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs4 titlesmedian 19 · mildMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense4 titlesmedian 54 · moderateMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does James Algar work with?

People who share at least 2 of James Algar's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Walt Disney shares the most, 13.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles