For decades, the name Walt Disney has been intrinsically connected with the idea of quality family entertainment, and top animation. Since the Walt Disney Company was formed in 1923, the love of characters such as Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck has spread throughout the world. Disney movies are a comforting distraction from everyday life, as at the end the good always wins, and family values are of the utmost importance.
Mirror, mirror, on the wall...
The first full-length Disney movie Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs which came out in 1937 was one of the most popular films of the time, as the age-old story of a pretty young princess tormented by her wicked stepmother captured the hearts and minds of viewers around the world. Shortly after the success of this film came the hugely popular Pinocchio (1940), and Fantasia (1940), a film based around classical music, that is still hugely popular today following a rerelease in 1990 and DVD special edition in 2000. Among other Disney films that saw success in the early '40s are Dumbo (1941), the magical story of a flying circus elephant.
Films such as Cinderella (1950), Peter Pan (1953), and Lady and the Tramp (1955) set the '50s off to a flying start, and the success continued throughout the '60s and '70s with films such as The Jungle Book (1967) and Robin Hood (1973).
Fairy tales and Blockbusters
Walt Disney's successes over the previous decades allowed him to start to produce films with even higher budgets, featuring more star voices, and this led to a series of groundbreaking animations during the '80s and '90s such as The Little Mermaid (1989), Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992) and the spectacular The Lion King (1994) which is the most successful traditionally animated film in history.
The successes of the '90s were capped off withHercules (1997) and the China-based Mulan (1999).
Latest developments
Disney has adopted a somewhat more unconventional form of production since 2000, with a move away from films based on traditional fairytales, with fun and action taking centre stage in films such as The Emperor's New Groove (200), and Lilo&Stitch (2002) proving popular.
Disney has also used computer animation to show they are moving with the times in such films as Chicken Little (2005), based on the well-known fable.
Disney's latest computer animated film “Bolt” is due to be released in late 2008.
jwi, 20.12.07 |
