There's a few whispers among Disney fans that a second renaissance is on its way. What was seen in the 1980's with the rise in popularity for their animated films, after a troubled period for the studio, can be seen happening again today. Many Disney fans have dubbed this period the Disney Revival.
What does this mean and how did it happen before? After Walt Disney's death in the late 1960's, the studio suffered a loss of leadership and subsequently the quality of movies began to fall. There was tension with the employees and many of them left the company, including Don Bluth, a well-respected animator and director who moved on to create his own film production studio with other ex-Disney animators.
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This was rubbing salt into the wounds of Disney's continued line of lacklustre productions which paled in comparison to their classics such as Snow White and Bambi. Moreover, their movies could not compete with Don Bluth's productions. There needed to be a change in management and leadership which came in the form of Michael Eisner, becoming Disney's CEO in 1984.
The formula for Disney movies was about to change with the release of The Little Mermaid in 1988. Howard Ashman and Alan Menken worked on the music for the movie which incorporated a Broadway style, while the style of the animation changed. This marked the start of the Disney Renaissance.
The Little Mermaid was a critical and commercial success and Disney had found a winning formula for popular animated films, going on to produce memorable films such as Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King.
This renaissance era came to an end with the release of Tarzan in 1999. Disney would now face new competition from young studios such as Pixar and Dreamworks, which produced CG animated films such as Toy Story and Shrek. These films were like nothing anyone had seen before and it was clear that as we entered a new century, animation style was changing.
The public's taste was beginning to change and Disney studios began to recognise this. With the exception of the Princess and the Frog, which was a traditional hand drawn animation, Disney released a series of CG animated films including Chicken Little, Bolt and the more recent Tangled.
This wasn't the main reason for the Disney Revival however. What set Disney out from other studios was its ability to tell a classic fairy-tale combined with a Broadway musical style score. This was something that had been forgotten in the late 90's and earlier 2000's, but has now been realised once again.
The critically acclaimed releases of The Princess and the Frog and Tangled have begun rumours amongst many Disney fanatics that a second renaissance is here as we see the return of princesses, princes, villains and catchy tunes. It's early to conclude yet, but if Disney continue to release critically acclaimed films which revert back to their signature formula, we could well indeed see a second renaissance.
The Disney Revival
Richard Skidmore
FloridaTix - Online Marketing Manager
Since 1996 FloridaTix has been the UK's leading supplier for Disney tickets, Universal tickets and many more Orlando attractions. We are an authorised broker of all attractions, theme parks, shows and sightseeing tours offered on this site so we can guarantee you the best possible holiday experience at the best possible price.
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