Disney Animation

DISNEY ANIMATI

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F R O M CA R T O O N S T

O AN I M

A T E D PR O D U C T I O

J NS

EARLY DISNEY

DISNEY BROTHERS CARTOON STUDIO• Established in 1923• Built on animated shorts beginning with 1921’s Cleaning

Up!• Little Red Riding Hood (1922): http://youtu.be/fRe6ItAQigg• Alice Comedies established Disney as a studio• Oswald the Lucky Rabbit in 1927 (lost the character when

Iwerk left Disney)• Trolly Troubles (1922): http://youtu.be/c9LmDpMO2k0• Mickey Mouse, Plane Crazy replaced Oswald in 1928

(released 1929)• http://youtu.be/oUS8x4xZ3m4

DISNEY MOVES INTO FEATURES

SNOW WHITE AND CLASSIC DISNEY FEATURES• Unprecedented success when released (1937-38)• Made in “multiplane Technicolor”—both the multiplane

camera and the full-color Technicolor process were still new in animated films.

• Best Feature: Fantasia (an experimental film produced to an accompanying orchestral arrangement conducted by Leopold Stokowski)

• http://youtu.be/-gZbMOq_Ge8

• http://youtu.be/cqyVZK5yN1E

CLASSIC DISNEY AFTER WWII

DISNEY FEATURES AFTER WWII• Production of features temporarily suspended due to WWII,

between Bambi and Cinderella • European Market cut off from the war• Huge amount of studio productions for the military—

propaganda films (from 1942-45, 95% of animation was for the military

• Example: http://youtu.be/oqMVpcbhpqw• Song of the South and So Dear to my Heart = live

action/animation• http://youtu.be/11AVwBBtruM• Cinderella was the first fully animated feature after the war

in 1950• http://youtu.be/_TKBHJeEljU

SLEEPING BEAUTY

DISNEY MOVES INTO THE 1960S• Sleeping Beauty: stylistic shift that led to renewed interest

in features through 1960shttp://youtu.be/CfsyUyi_FJM

• High expense of features, however, led to economic losses—and did not recoup costs until decades after original release

• 1962: Disney shut down the short subject department, focusing attention on television and feature films

• Expansion into television coincided with decline in both revenue and quality of output

DISNEY AFTER TELEVISION

DISNEY IN THE 1970S AND 80S• 1970s: decline in popularity that spread to 1980s• 1979: Don Bluth left Disney and created his own studio,

producing works that arguably surpassed Disney quality and challenged its economic dominance

• http://youtu.be/FwNfsLwQBhM• Rock Bottom in 1985 with The Black Cauldron (the first

Disney animated feature with a PG rating)—• http://youtu.be/xUGfIvi6uvc• failed to break even and so poorly received • would not be released for home viewing for more than a decade.

MICHAEL EISNER AND DISNEY RESURGENCE

MICHAEL EISNER1984-2004:• CAPS and Who Framed Roger Rabbit:1. bombastic animated musicals, using music as well as high-quality

animation to attract audiences.2. Coincided with introduction of computer-aided animation

techniques• Oliver and Company (1988)• The Little Mermaid (1989)• Beauty and the Beast (1991)• Aladdin (1992)• The Lion King (1994)• Pocahontas (1995)

COMPETITION FROM OTHER STUDIOS• Layoffs from 2000 to 600 animators• Dismal performances in relation to Pixar, DreamWorks• Converted WDFA into a CGI studio• Paris studio shut down in 2003• Orlando studio shut down in 200 and turned into a Theme

Park attraction• Home on the Range (2004) last traditionally-animated

feature until The Princess and the Frog (with Pixar’s John Lassiter)

DISNEY TODAY• Pixar’s Edwin Catmull and John Lassiter• DisneyToon Studios—Consumer products, direct-to-video,

etc.• Waking Sleeping Beauty• Tangled• http://youtu.be/hsJFEqOL1UI• Brave• http://youtu.be/TEHWDA_6e3M