Post by naterdawg on Oct 30, 2017 1:41:46 GMT
In the very late 70s and early 80s, Disney's animation department was hurting. Their animated films weren't setting the box office on fire like before, and there had been a walk-out of several animators who felt Disney was moving away from Walt's vision. One of these artists was Don Bluth, who went on to do The Secret of NIMH, in the old-fashioned animated way of classic Disney.
In the meantime, Disney started exploring other avenues for their live-action films. In the "old days," when Walt was still living, they did several live-action movies, stuff like Pollyanna and The Absent-Minded Professor and The Shaggy Dog. After Walt passed away, the live action branch of Disney basically died, as well. Until 1979.
That's the year "The Black Hole" was produced and released by Disney. A multi-million dollar undertaking, they hoped it would beat Star Wars. It didn't, but people reacted positively. There was a blip on the graph that showed Disney was making a good move...though they didn't know exactly what they should do next. so, they tried their hand at several different kinds of films, including horror. "Something Wicked this way Comes" in 82 and "The Watcher in the Woods" (1981) are two examples. The films again had big budgets, but Disney didn't seem to know how to do horror right. Both films had children in the leads, and both suffered because of the poor performances of these kids. The heroine in The Watcher in the Woods is especially horrible, and the two little boys in "Something Wicked" just are unbelievable. Both films flopped.
Disney produced several other films in this period, including "Tex," starring Matt Dillon. It was a moderate success but got good review.
Then, SPLASH happened. Released in 1984, it was a box office smash and a critical darling, making stars out of Darryl Hannah and Tom Hanks. Suddenly, Disney found its sea legs. The studio followed up with "Down and Out in Beverly Hills," starring Bette Midler, Richard Dreyfuss and Nick Nolte. All three actors hadn't had hits in years, but this movie changed all that. Midler, especially, became the studio's darling, headlining several popular movies like "Ruthless People," "Outrageous Fortune" and "Beaches," not to mention, "Hocus Pocus" and "Big Business." Dreyfuss, too, enjoyed a Disney comeback with "Tin Men" and "Mr. Holland's Opus," winning an Oscar nomination. For these more adult films, starting with Splash, Disney released them under their "Touchstone" banner. Eventually, Touchstone also went into TV, doing such shows as "The Golden Girls," a mega smash on NBC.
So, Disney has not only done family films and childrens films, it's done adult dramas and horror films, too.
In the meantime, Disney started exploring other avenues for their live-action films. In the "old days," when Walt was still living, they did several live-action movies, stuff like Pollyanna and The Absent-Minded Professor and The Shaggy Dog. After Walt passed away, the live action branch of Disney basically died, as well. Until 1979.
That's the year "The Black Hole" was produced and released by Disney. A multi-million dollar undertaking, they hoped it would beat Star Wars. It didn't, but people reacted positively. There was a blip on the graph that showed Disney was making a good move...though they didn't know exactly what they should do next. so, they tried their hand at several different kinds of films, including horror. "Something Wicked this way Comes" in 82 and "The Watcher in the Woods" (1981) are two examples. The films again had big budgets, but Disney didn't seem to know how to do horror right. Both films had children in the leads, and both suffered because of the poor performances of these kids. The heroine in The Watcher in the Woods is especially horrible, and the two little boys in "Something Wicked" just are unbelievable. Both films flopped.
Disney produced several other films in this period, including "Tex," starring Matt Dillon. It was a moderate success but got good review.
Then, SPLASH happened. Released in 1984, it was a box office smash and a critical darling, making stars out of Darryl Hannah and Tom Hanks. Suddenly, Disney found its sea legs. The studio followed up with "Down and Out in Beverly Hills," starring Bette Midler, Richard Dreyfuss and Nick Nolte. All three actors hadn't had hits in years, but this movie changed all that. Midler, especially, became the studio's darling, headlining several popular movies like "Ruthless People," "Outrageous Fortune" and "Beaches," not to mention, "Hocus Pocus" and "Big Business." Dreyfuss, too, enjoyed a Disney comeback with "Tin Men" and "Mr. Holland's Opus," winning an Oscar nomination. For these more adult films, starting with Splash, Disney released them under their "Touchstone" banner. Eventually, Touchstone also went into TV, doing such shows as "The Golden Girls," a mega smash on NBC.
So, Disney has not only done family films and childrens films, it's done adult dramas and horror films, too.