Era's of Disney: The Golden Age
For those of you who don't know, I LOVE DISNEY!! Even now, sometimes I like nothing more than to just wind down whilst watching a Disney film. Disney has been a part of nearly all our lives since we were kids, and has a pretty big place in our childhood. This is the first of a series of blog posts looking at the era's of Disney films and animation. It'll highlight the best films of the era, their impact and legacy, and some other brief trivia and facts about the era in general....So lets begin!!!!
As the title suggests, this particular post will focus on the "Golden Age", a period from 1937-1959 in which Disney produced some of their most memorable animated films, and which also contains some my personal favourite Disney films.
The one that started it all...
Whilst Disney were producing strings of successful short films, Walt Disney knew that in order for the company to be successful in the long run, they had to do more, and so he decided to do what no one had done before him...To make an animated feature length film. There was a lot of scepticism about this plan, with it being laughed at by the film industry and was dubbed "Disney's Folly". For those of you who don't know, the film which they decided to produce was Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Production of the film did not run smoothly, with Walt soon realising that the film was going to go over its budget, even after Walt had already mortgaged his house in order to help finance the films production. It was tense times at Disney as without the help of investors, the company would have gone bankrupt. So with the fate of the firm placed on a single meeting with the Investors from the bank, Walt decided to show them what had been completed of the film so far. No one spoke throughout the whole viewing. Once over, those at the meeting walked out, and one Investor turned to Walt and said "This is gonna make you a pile of money". The investors loved what they saw and decided to lend Disney the extra $500,000 that was needed in order to complete production.
So the moment had arrived, after $1.5m and 3 years of production, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs premiered on 21st December, 1937, with the audience giving the film a standing ovation. The film was a huge success, both financially and critically. As the subheading suggests, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is commonly referred to as "the one that started it all". It was the first film of its kind, and just imagine if this film had actually flopped. We might not have seen an animated film for some time after, and the animated films that you know and love might not have been, meaning this film, whether you like it or not, is arguably Disney's greatest achievement. It has been re-released 7 times, and is the 10th highest grossing film of all time when adjusted for inflation. It is a film that truly stands the test of time, still watchable now as much as it was all those years ago. As Disney likes to say, the film is "timeless"!!!
The Golden Age: The Big 5
Some debate the length of the Golden Age, with some suggesting that it should only consist of the first 5 animated Disney films. These first 5 films are seen by many as the peak of Disney animation. The first 5 films were Snow White (1937), Pinocchio (1940), Fantasia (1940), Dumbo (1941), and Bambi (1942). All 5 films are considered masterpieces of animation. However, at the time of release, both Pinocchio and Fantasia were box office failures. Both films had high production costs due to the landmark strides they made in animation, and sound recording techniques (particularly in Fantasia), and didn't perform well at the box office, which was very financially damaging to Disney. Their poor box office performances however, were partly due to World War Two, as this meant that the films had lost out entirely on the European markets. At the time of initial release, both films received good/mixed reviews, not astounding. Overall, the initial release of these films were damaging for the company. Dumbo (which is one of my favourite Disney films!!) did however revive faith in Disney animation at the time. Dumbo really captured the hearts of those who watched it. It's a heart touching story, with great characters that you really root for...a great Disney film which I grew up watching and still love now. Bambi, released a year later, was less acclaimed and audiences didn't respond as well to it, as it lacked the fantasy and magical elements of Disney's previous films. However these films also suffered due to World War Two.
Like most Disney films from this era, Pinocchio, Fantasia, and Bambi are now regarded as some of the best animated films ever made. With many re-releases, the films eventually made millions at the box office. In modern times, the films have received high critical acclaim for their impacts on the genre, the animation, and values of the films. Pinocchio in particular, has been praised for themes such as bravery, truth, and unselfishness. It also has the very rare accomplishment of holding a 100% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Pinocchio, along with Snow White and Fantasia, have also been added to the US National Film Registry after being declared "culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant" (which is a very big deal). These first 5 films are truly magnificent and are the epitome of what an animated Disney film is all about!!
Post War/Golden Age part II
As mentioned above, World War Two was a very disruptive factor when it came to the success of Disney films. After Bambi, Disney focused all its resources on the war, from making inexpensive animated films, and using beloved characters like Micky Mouse and Donald Duck for propaganda. Due to Disney's involvement in the war, the company had to put their film production on hold. Many of the films made after 1950 would have been made after Bambi had it not been for the war, meaning the Golden Age was the victim of an 8 year gap. Due to the war, Disney was in Debt and very close to bankruptcy
The resumption of the Golden Age came with arguably Disney's most well known film, the 1950 release of Cinderella. The film was a huge success which turned the company's fortunes around. Its loveable characters and wonderful songs bought Disney its most success since Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It received 3 Academy Award nominations and is considered one of the best films ever made by the American Film Institute. Cinderella was followed by the 1951 release of Alice in Wonderland. Truthfully I have never seen this film before as its one that does not seem appealing to me (personal opinion). On initial release, it was panned by critics but as is with many films from this era, Alice in Wonderland is now regarded as one of Disney's best animated classics.
Peter Pan
The next animated film Disney released is my all time favourite Disney film, Peter Pan!! Released in 1953, Peter Pan was well received on its initial release, and is today considered one of Disney's best animated classics. For me, this film (along with Dumbo and Sleeping Beauty) is one I always used to watch when I was young. Its beautiful story, animation, and characters have always stood out to me. I can still remember watching this film when I was a kid on the small TV in the middle room of the old house, the warmth and joy I felt when hearing the iconic music, and more embarrassingly going to bed petrified that Captain Hook was going to "get me". There are so many iconic scenes in this film, from the opening of the kids and Nana the dog misbehaving, to the fight scene at the end between Peter Pan and Captain Hook, and lots more including scenes with Native Americans, the crocodile, and on board the pirates ship. Aside from my personal admiration for this film, the film was the last Disney film distributed under RKO Pictures, with Disney founding its own distribution company, Buena Vista Distribution, later that year. It also marked the last time all nine of Disney's Nine Old Men would all work on a film together as directing animators.
Disney's "Nine Old Men": The Walt Disney Company's group of core animators that worked on the firms most famous cartoons and films, with them all working on Disney's "Big 5". They refined the 12 basic principles of animation as part of their work, and were all honoured as Disney legends in 1989, an award that honours extraordinary and integral contribution to the Walt Disney Company.
In 1955 came the release of Lady and the Tramp, with it being a huge box office success. It was the most financially successful Disney film at the time since Snow White. It was initially not well received by critics, but is now regarded as a true classic and one of Disney's best films (this seems to be the case for every Disney film from this era). The film also gave us one of the most iconic scenes in all of American cinema, when Lady and Tramp are both sharing a plate spaghetti and start eating opposite ends of the same spaghetti string, with this scene climaxing with an accidental kiss.
The last film from the Golden Age is Sleeping Beauty (my favourite princess film). Its production lasted a long 6 years. Walt Disney wanted this film to be the pinnacle of animation at the time. It was the first film to use 70mm film cels for production, a type of widescreen production. Due to the widescreen, the background needed to be more detailed, making this film very artistically challenging. The backgrounds that are seen in this film were at the time the most detailed they had ever been. The film was released in 1959, and I'm sure you've guessed the critical response by now...opened to mixed reviews yet now it's a classic. But I love this film. It's story is quite dark and the characters in this film are well developed. Both the kings and the prince have a name which was actually different from the princess films before. The 3 fairies really drive the film forward and Maleficent is one scary villain. Honestly, I love this film!! Walt wanted Sleeping Beauty to be the biggest film they'd made to date, and financially it was with production costs totalling $6m (a LOT of money at the time). However it did not perform well enough at the box office. On initial release, the film made $5.3m, a loss which was a huge blow to Disney. This financial blow meant that Sleeping Beauty was the last film to use hand inked cels for production (but more on that in the next blog post).
So there you have it, a summary (well a long one, apologies) of the Golden Age. This period of Disney films and animation is probably my favourite, with so many of my beloved childhood films coming from this era. This era graced cinema with so many timeless classics, and really shaped what the Walt Disney Company means for a lot of people today. Although Disney ventured out into lots of different areas in this period i.e. live action films, TV, and the construction of Disney Land, it has always been the animated feature films that really drove the company, and it is these films for which you and I are so fond of Disney now.
On a side note, I really love how Disney films used to begin with the blue castle and that wonderful music that went with it :) Here it is below for you watch #NostalgicFeeling
I hope you've learnt a lot, and also enjoyed reading this post. What do you think of this blog post? Was it enjoyable? Is there any facts I missed out? And what is your favourite film from the Golden Age? Please share your thoughts I'd really like to know. The next period I will cover in this series is the next 20-30 years of films by Disney, which I'll try and publish asap!! Thank you for reading and keep on loving Disney :)
As the title suggests, this particular post will focus on the "Golden Age", a period from 1937-1959 in which Disney produced some of their most memorable animated films, and which also contains some my personal favourite Disney films.
The one that started it all...
Whilst Disney were producing strings of successful short films, Walt Disney knew that in order for the company to be successful in the long run, they had to do more, and so he decided to do what no one had done before him...To make an animated feature length film. There was a lot of scepticism about this plan, with it being laughed at by the film industry and was dubbed "Disney's Folly". For those of you who don't know, the film which they decided to produce was Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Production of the film did not run smoothly, with Walt soon realising that the film was going to go over its budget, even after Walt had already mortgaged his house in order to help finance the films production. It was tense times at Disney as without the help of investors, the company would have gone bankrupt. So with the fate of the firm placed on a single meeting with the Investors from the bank, Walt decided to show them what had been completed of the film so far. No one spoke throughout the whole viewing. Once over, those at the meeting walked out, and one Investor turned to Walt and said "This is gonna make you a pile of money". The investors loved what they saw and decided to lend Disney the extra $500,000 that was needed in order to complete production.
So the moment had arrived, after $1.5m and 3 years of production, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs premiered on 21st December, 1937, with the audience giving the film a standing ovation. The film was a huge success, both financially and critically. As the subheading suggests, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is commonly referred to as "the one that started it all". It was the first film of its kind, and just imagine if this film had actually flopped. We might not have seen an animated film for some time after, and the animated films that you know and love might not have been, meaning this film, whether you like it or not, is arguably Disney's greatest achievement. It has been re-released 7 times, and is the 10th highest grossing film of all time when adjusted for inflation. It is a film that truly stands the test of time, still watchable now as much as it was all those years ago. As Disney likes to say, the film is "timeless"!!!
The Golden Age: The Big 5
Some debate the length of the Golden Age, with some suggesting that it should only consist of the first 5 animated Disney films. These first 5 films are seen by many as the peak of Disney animation. The first 5 films were Snow White (1937), Pinocchio (1940), Fantasia (1940), Dumbo (1941), and Bambi (1942). All 5 films are considered masterpieces of animation. However, at the time of release, both Pinocchio and Fantasia were box office failures. Both films had high production costs due to the landmark strides they made in animation, and sound recording techniques (particularly in Fantasia), and didn't perform well at the box office, which was very financially damaging to Disney. Their poor box office performances however, were partly due to World War Two, as this meant that the films had lost out entirely on the European markets. At the time of initial release, both films received good/mixed reviews, not astounding. Overall, the initial release of these films were damaging for the company. Dumbo (which is one of my favourite Disney films!!) did however revive faith in Disney animation at the time. Dumbo really captured the hearts of those who watched it. It's a heart touching story, with great characters that you really root for...a great Disney film which I grew up watching and still love now. Bambi, released a year later, was less acclaimed and audiences didn't respond as well to it, as it lacked the fantasy and magical elements of Disney's previous films. However these films also suffered due to World War Two.
Like most Disney films from this era, Pinocchio, Fantasia, and Bambi are now regarded as some of the best animated films ever made. With many re-releases, the films eventually made millions at the box office. In modern times, the films have received high critical acclaim for their impacts on the genre, the animation, and values of the films. Pinocchio in particular, has been praised for themes such as bravery, truth, and unselfishness. It also has the very rare accomplishment of holding a 100% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Pinocchio, along with Snow White and Fantasia, have also been added to the US National Film Registry after being declared "culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant" (which is a very big deal). These first 5 films are truly magnificent and are the epitome of what an animated Disney film is all about!!
Post War/Golden Age part II
As mentioned above, World War Two was a very disruptive factor when it came to the success of Disney films. After Bambi, Disney focused all its resources on the war, from making inexpensive animated films, and using beloved characters like Micky Mouse and Donald Duck for propaganda. Due to Disney's involvement in the war, the company had to put their film production on hold. Many of the films made after 1950 would have been made after Bambi had it not been for the war, meaning the Golden Age was the victim of an 8 year gap. Due to the war, Disney was in Debt and very close to bankruptcy
The resumption of the Golden Age came with arguably Disney's most well known film, the 1950 release of Cinderella. The film was a huge success which turned the company's fortunes around. Its loveable characters and wonderful songs bought Disney its most success since Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It received 3 Academy Award nominations and is considered one of the best films ever made by the American Film Institute. Cinderella was followed by the 1951 release of Alice in Wonderland. Truthfully I have never seen this film before as its one that does not seem appealing to me (personal opinion). On initial release, it was panned by critics but as is with many films from this era, Alice in Wonderland is now regarded as one of Disney's best animated classics.
Peter Pan
The next animated film Disney released is my all time favourite Disney film, Peter Pan!! Released in 1953, Peter Pan was well received on its initial release, and is today considered one of Disney's best animated classics. For me, this film (along with Dumbo and Sleeping Beauty) is one I always used to watch when I was young. Its beautiful story, animation, and characters have always stood out to me. I can still remember watching this film when I was a kid on the small TV in the middle room of the old house, the warmth and joy I felt when hearing the iconic music, and more embarrassingly going to bed petrified that Captain Hook was going to "get me". There are so many iconic scenes in this film, from the opening of the kids and Nana the dog misbehaving, to the fight scene at the end between Peter Pan and Captain Hook, and lots more including scenes with Native Americans, the crocodile, and on board the pirates ship. Aside from my personal admiration for this film, the film was the last Disney film distributed under RKO Pictures, with Disney founding its own distribution company, Buena Vista Distribution, later that year. It also marked the last time all nine of Disney's Nine Old Men would all work on a film together as directing animators.
Disney's "Nine Old Men": The Walt Disney Company's group of core animators that worked on the firms most famous cartoons and films, with them all working on Disney's "Big 5". They refined the 12 basic principles of animation as part of their work, and were all honoured as Disney legends in 1989, an award that honours extraordinary and integral contribution to the Walt Disney Company.
In 1955 came the release of Lady and the Tramp, with it being a huge box office success. It was the most financially successful Disney film at the time since Snow White. It was initially not well received by critics, but is now regarded as a true classic and one of Disney's best films (this seems to be the case for every Disney film from this era). The film also gave us one of the most iconic scenes in all of American cinema, when Lady and Tramp are both sharing a plate spaghetti and start eating opposite ends of the same spaghetti string, with this scene climaxing with an accidental kiss.
The last film from the Golden Age is Sleeping Beauty (my favourite princess film). Its production lasted a long 6 years. Walt Disney wanted this film to be the pinnacle of animation at the time. It was the first film to use 70mm film cels for production, a type of widescreen production. Due to the widescreen, the background needed to be more detailed, making this film very artistically challenging. The backgrounds that are seen in this film were at the time the most detailed they had ever been. The film was released in 1959, and I'm sure you've guessed the critical response by now...opened to mixed reviews yet now it's a classic. But I love this film. It's story is quite dark and the characters in this film are well developed. Both the kings and the prince have a name which was actually different from the princess films before. The 3 fairies really drive the film forward and Maleficent is one scary villain. Honestly, I love this film!! Walt wanted Sleeping Beauty to be the biggest film they'd made to date, and financially it was with production costs totalling $6m (a LOT of money at the time). However it did not perform well enough at the box office. On initial release, the film made $5.3m, a loss which was a huge blow to Disney. This financial blow meant that Sleeping Beauty was the last film to use hand inked cels for production (but more on that in the next blog post).
So there you have it, a summary (well a long one, apologies) of the Golden Age. This period of Disney films and animation is probably my favourite, with so many of my beloved childhood films coming from this era. This era graced cinema with so many timeless classics, and really shaped what the Walt Disney Company means for a lot of people today. Although Disney ventured out into lots of different areas in this period i.e. live action films, TV, and the construction of Disney Land, it has always been the animated feature films that really drove the company, and it is these films for which you and I are so fond of Disney now.
On a side note, I really love how Disney films used to begin with the blue castle and that wonderful music that went with it :) Here it is below for you watch #NostalgicFeeling
I hope you've learnt a lot, and also enjoyed reading this post. What do you think of this blog post? Was it enjoyable? Is there any facts I missed out? And what is your favourite film from the Golden Age? Please share your thoughts I'd really like to know. The next period I will cover in this series is the next 20-30 years of films by Disney, which I'll try and publish asap!! Thank you for reading and keep on loving Disney :)
Comments
Post a Comment