In the years just before the death of Walt Disney, the company suffered a crushing defeat. Sleeping Beauty was a disappointment for the studio upon its release in 1959. The financial losses were so serious that Walt actually considered shutting down his animation division. He would spend the next few years focusing on live action features and his theme park projects. And then Walt Disney died in 1966.
The death of Mr. Disney took the floor out from under the company. By the 1970s, the company began to financially suffer. Shareholders began to scramble the company up into pieces, believing the worth of this major corporation to be more valuable as parts than as a whole. After the death of Roy O. Disney, even leadership of the company changed several times. It was clear that behind the scenes Disney was a shadow of its former self, but, although the animation had suffered and the original Disney studio was gone, some of their output—not all—still deserves to be heralded as “classic.”
A technology known as xerography was first used on the 1961 classic, One Hundred and One Dalmatians. This new process allowed Disney animators to transfer their artwork directly onto the acetate rather than the old time consuming job of tracing and inking, frame by frame, onto a cell. It was cheaper and saved time, but xerography didn’t produce the same fluid quality, the same aesthetic impact, that the previous cartoons had. Disney animation would never be the same and beginning in 1970, eight films, all created with xerography, would define the Disney’s Dark Age.
The Aristocats
The first film to come out of this fabled downturn was The Aristocats in 1970. Sure, the animation doesn’t compare to Snow White, Dumbo or even Pinnochio, but its still one of the most entertaining films that the company has ever put out. It’s story has been seen as a rip-off of Dalmatians and Lady and the Tramp by some, but the main characters, Duchess and her kittens as well as O’Mally, the alley cat, are memorable. The film has heart and the settings are spectacular. This is probably the best of all movies from this period, in terms of quality and storytelling.
Robin Hood
After the Aristocats, came Disney’s take on Robin Hood in 1973. This movie began as an adaptation of Reynard the Fox, a popular children’s story. After Walt's death, the film morphed into an adaptation of the Robin Hood stories. Because the movie used a lot of recycled animation from other Disney features (because of financial difficulties at the time), this film is not well regarded by many serious animation buffs. Despite its mixed critical reception and its reputation today, the film did receive an Academy Award nomination. For a certain generation, this version of the legendary Robin Hood myth may be definitive. Perhaps more than any other “Dark Age” movie, this one has the largest cult following. I have an admitted nostalgia for this one, as I am always entertained every time I see it.
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh was Disney’s first compilation feature film. Repackaged for theaters in 1977, this boasts three segments (Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree, Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day and Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too!), all of which were released to theaters separately in the 1960s. Walt Disney had actually planned on making an entirely new Pooh movie but financial difficulties and time never allowed it. This was not a financial success but the film would garner praise from critics for being a faithful adaptation to the Pooh books. Looking at it today, however, can be challenging because it is more juvenile and pedestrian than any other Disney picture. The best Disney films can entertain people of all ages. While this can be quite entertaining for little children, older kids and adults probably won’t enjoy it.
The Rescuers
The Rescuers, also released in 1977, was a critical and commercial smash. Heralded as Disney’s biggest hit in years, it even broke the record for most money made for an animated film on opening weekend, a record it held until 1986 when Don Bluth's An American Tai was released. The film was seen as Disney's comeback movie at the time. It’s quite possible that without the success of this feature Disney’s future may have been very different. The film is now seen as one of the most popular films of the period, permitting a sequel in 1990, The Rescuers Down Under. The biggest problem with it is the animation. More than any film in the Disney animation library, this fails to live up to the Disney standard. The movement is muddy and the character animation is stiff. The color in this film also seems to be flat and diluted. That said, the film tells an entertaining story and has memorable characters. Medusa, in particular, makes for a genuinely creepy villainess.
The Fox and the Hound
This film started production after the release of The Rescuers but wasn't released until 1981. Don Bluth left and took many of Disney’s top animators with him. When it was released however, the film was a financial success. Critically, it faired less impressively. Fans of the original story, as well as critics, were disappointed with the story changes. However, the film has developed a strong fanbase. This is probably my favorite film in the Dark Age. The story is engaging and, while there are a few problems, the animation is an improvement over the past few releases. This is an excellent coming-of-age story that is as moving and heartfelt as any feature from the Renaissance era. It’s one of the best examples of all-ages animation that has ever been produced.
The Black Cauldron
Next up is the film that is consistently pointed to as the company’s worst film. What detractors of The Black Cauldron fail to understand is, whether they attempted to or not, Disney released an experiment in more mature animation. This came out in 1985 and was the first Disney animated feature to get a PG rating. This feature has a darkness and set of scary visuals that would only be surpassed later by gothic adventure features like Beauty and the Beast or The Hunchback of Notre Dame. It’s an interesting movie that is, at the very least, worth a watch. While an abysmal failure, both critically and commercially, the story is decent and the animation is better than it had been in decades up to this point. Am I actually defending Disney’s worst film? Yes! However, I find more to enjoy in this one that I ever did in Winnie the Pooh.
The Great Mouse Detective
Despite being too young to realize it when I first saw this, The Great Mouse Detective is just Sherlock Holmes with mice. Arriving in 1986, this could be an argument that Disney had run out of ideas. The idea seems a little silly at first glance but if examined critically this is actually a brilliant film. Stylish design and dark visuals, combined with memorable death traps and Vincent Price as the menacing Ratigan, make this an entertaining picture. It was a much-needed critical and financial success after the disappointment of Cauldron, even saving the animation studio from insolvency. It remains a truly underrated gem.
Oliver and Company
The final animated feature of the Dark Age is an adaptation of the Oliver Twist story. It is the most quintessentially 80’s Disney film. The animation, musical cues and character design is reminiscent of an almost Saturday morning cartoon approach. Oliver and Company came to theaters in 1988 and faired moderately well critically. It was the highest grossing “Dark Age film.” Disney fans, however, don’t know what to make of this film. Reviews are mixed, but I think it’s the weakest of the series. Even The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh wasn’t this saccharine. The film’s attempt at some sort of social relevance by dancing delicately around poverty is a miserable failure, no matter how cute that orange kitten is. The inclusion of many famous voices was also surprising as Disney had rarely been so shameless in their promotion of celebrity before. That said, the story is decent, if a little reminiscent of Lady and the Tramp. The animation is standard for the late 1980s. Like Pooh, this might be one for the very little kiddies to enjoy.
Overall, the Dark Age of Disney was hit or miss, but, in this reviewer’s opinion, every film here has something to recommend it. Even the weaker efforts like Pooh and Oliver can still hold up in their own way for children, while adults may get some nostalgia out of great films like The Aristocats, Robin Hood and The Fox and the Hound. If you’re a fan of cartoons or animated movies, each of these deserves another look. Although Disney did suffer financially and creatively in the 70’s and 80’s, these films still matter and should not be dismissed in the wake of the arguably better works of the Disney Renaissance.
Citation
'https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Disney_Dark_Age.' Disney. (2019).
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