Jim On Film
Page 3 of 5
Here is a glimpse into the successes and failures of Walt Disney Feature Animation.
(c) Disney
The Lion King, 1994--The Lion King was an anomaly. It is rare when any film makes such a large amount of money, and with animation, it is no different. This one just happened to arrive at the right place, at the right time. In fact, The Lion King was originally intended to be released for the Christmas season of 1993; however, because of the difficulty with the animation of the animal characters, it was delayed. By the time it reached theaters, audiences had not had a new Disney animated feature since 1992. With this summer release success, almost all of the following animated features would be released in the summer. This would come to provide some difficulty for the animated films because the summer months are over-packed with blockbuster-ready films. Audiences have so much from which to choose, the repeat business is less, and teens and adults who might otherwise see the films without kids, are bombarded by many other films. Films released in November, as the previous five films were and all of Pixar’s films would be, find repeat business in the dead of January and February, months notorious for bad films.
(c) Disney
Pocahontas, 1995--The original trailer for the film, the soaring Colors of the Wind, probably alienated a number of people--men, sportsmen’s families, and the anti-PC coalition. Even then, it was a great movie, and people flocked to it. Let someone sit in a late-in-the-run showing, as I did at one point, and listen to an entire theater full of children singing along to Colors of the Wind and then say the film was a failure.
(c) Disney
The Hunchback of Notre Dame, 1996--In the early part of the decade, there was much talk among audiences and animators (as quoted in numerous articles) about how mature Disney animation had become. Perhaps this excellent film was made to appeal to that or maybe it was just being what it needed to be, but this was over-the-head (as I heard one parent say) for many children. Some parents also had concerns over the violence and sexuality in the film and avoided bringing their children to it. That said, The Hunchback of Notre Dame was a daring move on the part of Disney, and it earned respectable numbers.