Pop Vault - Walt Disney Classics Rankings: The Bronze Age
The Bronze Age
The Disney Bronze Age was a tough time for the Disney company. Without the leadership of Walt, the company found itself in difficult times. Walt’s son-in-law, Ronald William Miller, did a good job of not straying from the values and traditions of the past but wasn’t enough of a visionary to push the company forward. In the early eighties, there was even talk of breaking the company into parts and selling it off. The animation division produced low box office movies, with only the re-releases of past classics being the heavy hitters. Quite frankly, the theme parks kept the company afloat more than anything. Because of these issues, some fans have come to call this time period the Disney Dark Age.
In 1984, Disney looked to the outside and took a gamble on Michael Eisner of Paramount Pictures to lead them. Eisner would bring along Frank Wells and assign Jeffrey Katzenberg to lead the animation division. The animation division was constantly fighting as the old animators of the past clashed with the new young blood, many of whom came from the California Institute of the Arts, of which Walt was a founder. The clash led to promising animator Don Bluth taking a team and leaving to create a rival studio that would go on to beat Disney at the box office multiple times. Eventually, the younger talent began to gain more power, and the second half of the era had some critically acclaimed films, as the team would create a formula that would be perfected in the succeeding Disney Renaissance Era.
This was one of the more interesting eras for me to watch. I grew up as not the biggest fan of these films, but they aged better when I watched them older.
The Aristocats (1970)
The first Walt Disney animated canon film without Walt Disney’s guidance, though he greenlit the film before his death. I was personally surprised when rewatching it, as I found it very enjoyable. There are aspects of the movie that age very badly in its portrayal of some characteristics, which many point out today. But the characters make an impact for more reasons than just that. The music is upbeat, focusing on a jazz theme. Even with Walt gone, you can feel the Disney style as the company slowly moves on from his passing. Today, the movie has a cult following. Also, regarding the final score ranking -nice.
Robin Hood (1973)
When I was a kid, Disney Channel seemed to be obsessed with airing it. As a result, I didn’t grow up with a lot of nostalgia for it. However, on this watch, I really liked this one. The music is much better than I remembered it, despite having a country/folk song style that I usually don’t vibe with. The flow of the movie was well done, and I was heavily invested in the characters. This is one of the more popular films of the era, and I can see why as I rewatched it for this list.
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977)
Pooh Bear is arguably one of the most famous Disney characters and IP in the company. His debut movie is actually a compilation that puts together three animated shorts in one. Because of this, the movie feels like you are binging a bunch of Winnie the Pooh cartoons. Despite this, I had fun watching it. Of course, you know the characters and themes. There’s actually some really good music and funny moments. For many, this is or was their introduction to the iconic bear, and it holds up.
Rescuers (1977)
Based on a book of the same title, the Rescuers movies have always been personal favorites of mine. This one is much more serious than its sequel, and I mean that in a good way. There are some really heavy themes here with Penny and kidnapping. This only makes you want to see her come out okay and cheer on Miss Bianca and Bernard, two mice sent to help her. Madame Medusa, who originally was going to be Cruella de Vil (yes, that one), is a great villain. Many don’t know this, but this movie was a big-time success for the company. The only thing that holds this movie back is the weak soundtrack, which would begin a streak of the movies not having the usual memorable music they were known for. But I recommend this one; it’s a feel-good movie.
The Fox and the Hound (1981)
Ironically, The Fox and the Hound is one of the more well-known films to come out of this era, but it’s also when Disney’s cracks really started to show. This movie has a huge cult following around it, and I will say that it has solid themes and a really darn good ending. The problem is... I personally found it boring most of the time. In fact, I would have given this a 5 in personal enjoyment if it wasn’t for the very strong finish. To make things worse for my experience, the soundtrack is not good. If you notice, I gave this movie a 7 in pop culture ranking, but a 6 for legacy. This is because the long-term legacy of the movie behind the scenes was not good for the company. Watch this back and look at the animation style... look familiar? That’s because it was made by a lot of the animators Bluth would take when he walked out of the company during its development. His newly created Don Bluth Productions would create long-term headaches for the company.
The Black Cauldron (1985)
Considered in Disney history as the rock bottom during the company’s rough period, but yet having a loyal cult following, The Black Cauldron has an interesting legacy. The movie is known for being a box office bomb and doing worse than the Care Bears Movie, yet it has fans who defend it. I hadn’t seen this one in a good while, so I was excited to see how I would feel. First of all, the film is beautiful, and you can tell the animators are really pushing themselves after an era of the “scratchy” style. The movie is pretty enjoyable in the first and last acts. I think the middle part lost me, and it felt like they didn’t know how to fill it. To be fair, this could be because the movie is trying to take a whole series of books and squeeze them into one. One really strong point for me was the villain, the Horned King (voiced by the legendary John Hurt). Overall, I don’t think this movie deserves to be known as Disney’s rock bottom, and I see why it has a loyal following.
The Great Mouse Detective (1986)
Confession, this is one of my personal favorite animated films of all time. Today, most people don’t think of this movie or know it when asked about Disney films. But it’s actually a really important film in the company’s history. When it came out, there was some talk of shutting down the animation division altogether. The movie didn’t set the box office on fire but was profitable and received good reviews. This led to Eisner deciding to go all in on the animation studio. Additionally, the movie was led by two young animators - John Musker and Ron Clements, who went on to be responsible for The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Hercules, Treasure Planet, The Princess and the Frog, and Moana. The film itself is Disney’s closest take on Sherlock Holmes. The villain is Professor Ratigan, who is voiced by the legendary Vincent Price. It has some great music that sneaks up on you and charming characters. I watch this movie at least once a year for good reason.
Oliver and Company (1988)
The last movie in the era doesn’t feel like it belongs here. Oliver and Company has all the hallmarks of a movie from the upcoming Renaissance Era. I guess you could say that it was an image of what was to come for the company. It plays itself almost like a Broadway show, and music is a big part, just like the upcoming films. The movie’s characters all stand out, and it has a feel-good story. I remember watching this after its 1996 re-release (wrongly believing it was new) and becoming obsessed with it. It had been over two decades since I had watched it, so I was pleasantly surprised by just how much I loved it. If you take my bias towards The Great Mouse Detective out, this is the standout of the era. An interesting side note to end the article on... this movie was the film that made McDonald’s Happy Meals really popular. Disney made a deal with the fast-food chain, which to this day is now used by many companies to help promote their products and films.
Robin Hood was the one I remember most, I must have had it on VHS or something because I recall seeing it a lot on TV as a child. It seemed kind of flat to me - by which I mean it's art style. Going off poor memory, I just remember characters either moving left or right, no dynamic movement to them. The story felt like moments of the Robin Hood story stitched together. And I found it strange that Baloo from the Jungle Book was recast 🙂
It's been great reading this series you've made.