Post by Deleted on Feb 6, 2017 19:12:50 GMT
In the 1970s Walt Disney had the block on Animated films. There was "Disney" then there was everyone else. They began to get lazy with their production.
Don Bluth was working on "Fox and the Hound" and he pointed out that they were cutting too many corners. He claimed Walt Disney (the man) would never cut corners to save a buck. He said they wouldn't even color the eyes of characters in some scenes and they didn't add details to make the backgrounds better quality.
Disney knew they were the ONLY Animated Studio making Box Office Blockbusters. So they assumed as long as they slapped "Walt Disney" on the title, it was going to bank.
Don Bluth asked if he could make "Secret of NIMH" as a project he wanted to head. Disney said it was 'too dark' and they declined his suggestion. Between the studio cutting corners in quality to save a buck and rejecting his passion project, Don Bluth QUIT. Bluth took some animators with him from Disney and decided to independently fund and create "Secret of NIMH"
in 1982 "Secret of NIMH" came out. It was a cult classic. It was SO GOOD it got the attention of Steven Spielberg.
Bluth went on to make
"American Tail" kicking Disney's BUTTS at the Box Office. Not to mention, Disney decided to rub salt into the wound of Bluth by creating "The Black Cauldron" which failed miserably and was their first "PG" film. It was dark and proved they 'could' have green lit "Secret of NIMH" but they were being difficult.
So Bluth makes "The Land Before Time" (The original, not the musical made for VHS sequels). It again DOMINATED the box office.
Disney was struggling with their films at the Box Office and Bluth was doing the unthinkable, he was BEATING DISNEY in critical, and financial success. Something NO STUDIO could do before, they couldn't 'crack' the code and didn't even try.
So while working on "Oliver and Co." Disney decided to change directions. They went to the drawing board, they decided they had to STEP UP their game. They decided to take a new approach, and they began creating Animated Musicals. Not simply SONGS in their animated films, but actual musicals with story telling songs and reprise numbers.
So Bluth made "All Dogs Go to Heaven" which flopped at the Box Office because it was released next to "The Little Mermaid" Though it is one of the MOST SUCCESSFUL VHS/DVD home video sellers in Animated history. It found it's audiences on tv screens.
Disney went on to have their renaissance with "The Little Mermaid", "Aladdin", "Beauty and the Beast" "The Lion King" "Pocahontas" "Hunchback of Notre Dame" "Hercules" "Mulan" and "Tarzan" (1989-1999). The most successful critically and financially Disney's animated department has ever been.
Bluth also encouraged other studios to created animated films. This spawned "Dreamworks" animation to create "The Prince of Egypt" FOX to make "Anastasia" (Bluth's only success in the 1990s) and eventually SHREK came along in the 2000s to spawn the satire CGI animated films of Dreamworks.
So if you like:
Blue Sky Films (Rio, The Peanuts Movie)
Dreamworks (Shrek, How to Train Your Dragon)
Illumination (Despicable Me, Secret Life of Pets)
P.I.X.A.R. (Toy Story, Finding Nemo) (Bought by Disney)
and so on and so forth, you can thank Don Bluth for giving others the GUTS to stand up to the EMPIRE which is Disney and try new things.
If not for him, animated films may have become bland and unoriginal. Who knows how set back they would have been?
Don Bluth was working on "Fox and the Hound" and he pointed out that they were cutting too many corners. He claimed Walt Disney (the man) would never cut corners to save a buck. He said they wouldn't even color the eyes of characters in some scenes and they didn't add details to make the backgrounds better quality.
Disney knew they were the ONLY Animated Studio making Box Office Blockbusters. So they assumed as long as they slapped "Walt Disney" on the title, it was going to bank.
Don Bluth asked if he could make "Secret of NIMH" as a project he wanted to head. Disney said it was 'too dark' and they declined his suggestion. Between the studio cutting corners in quality to save a buck and rejecting his passion project, Don Bluth QUIT. Bluth took some animators with him from Disney and decided to independently fund and create "Secret of NIMH"
in 1982 "Secret of NIMH" came out. It was a cult classic. It was SO GOOD it got the attention of Steven Spielberg.
Bluth went on to make
"American Tail" kicking Disney's BUTTS at the Box Office. Not to mention, Disney decided to rub salt into the wound of Bluth by creating "The Black Cauldron" which failed miserably and was their first "PG" film. It was dark and proved they 'could' have green lit "Secret of NIMH" but they were being difficult.
So Bluth makes "The Land Before Time" (The original, not the musical made for VHS sequels). It again DOMINATED the box office.
Disney was struggling with their films at the Box Office and Bluth was doing the unthinkable, he was BEATING DISNEY in critical, and financial success. Something NO STUDIO could do before, they couldn't 'crack' the code and didn't even try.
So while working on "Oliver and Co." Disney decided to change directions. They went to the drawing board, they decided they had to STEP UP their game. They decided to take a new approach, and they began creating Animated Musicals. Not simply SONGS in their animated films, but actual musicals with story telling songs and reprise numbers.
So Bluth made "All Dogs Go to Heaven" which flopped at the Box Office because it was released next to "The Little Mermaid" Though it is one of the MOST SUCCESSFUL VHS/DVD home video sellers in Animated history. It found it's audiences on tv screens.
Disney went on to have their renaissance with "The Little Mermaid", "Aladdin", "Beauty and the Beast" "The Lion King" "Pocahontas" "Hunchback of Notre Dame" "Hercules" "Mulan" and "Tarzan" (1989-1999). The most successful critically and financially Disney's animated department has ever been.
Bluth also encouraged other studios to created animated films. This spawned "Dreamworks" animation to create "The Prince of Egypt" FOX to make "Anastasia" (Bluth's only success in the 1990s) and eventually SHREK came along in the 2000s to spawn the satire CGI animated films of Dreamworks.
So if you like:
Blue Sky Films (Rio, The Peanuts Movie)
Dreamworks (Shrek, How to Train Your Dragon)
Illumination (Despicable Me, Secret Life of Pets)
P.I.X.A.R. (Toy Story, Finding Nemo) (Bought by Disney)
and so on and so forth, you can thank Don Bluth for giving others the GUTS to stand up to the EMPIRE which is Disney and try new things.
If not for him, animated films may have become bland and unoriginal. Who knows how set back they would have been?
