Disney Animation: Trivia Fun, Part 3

Disney Animation: Trivia Fun, Part 3

Walt Disney Studios proudly presents its 50th animated feature, Tangled, which opened Thanksgiving weekend to rave critical reviews and a strong $48.8 million opening weekend, just shy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One’s second weekend haul of $49.1 million.

If you are like me and you grew up with the best of Disney dominating your movie shelf (The Lion King, Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Bambi, etc), you may still have a hard time naming 25 of these animated films, much less all 50. Below is the full list of Disney’s Animated Classics, from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to Tangled, with trivia about each film.

Part 3 of 5 (Robin Hood through Beauty and the Beast)

Screenshot from Disney's Robin Hood (1973)

21. Robin Hood (1973)

  • The studio considered making a movie about Reynard, an anthropomorphic trickster red fox from medieval European folklore, but settled instead on the more well-known Robin Hood
  • To save money when animating the film’s dance sequences, the artists borrowed heavily from prior Disney productions including Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), The Aristocats (1970), and The Jungle Book (1967)
  • Prince John’s crown and robe are identical to the ones worn by the lion king in the animated segments of Disney’s Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971)
  • A storyboard sequence of an alternate ending to the film in which King Richard saves a badly injured Robin Hood from Prince John is a special feature on the “Most Wanted” DVD release

Screenshot from Disney's The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977)

22. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977)

  • Like Disney’s WWII-era “packaged films”, this film is comprised of three previously-released shorts with additional filler animation: “Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree” (1966), “Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day” (1968), and “Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too” (1974)
  • A fourth and final featurette, “Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore” (1983), has been included on DVD releases of the original film
  • This was the last of Disney’s feature films that Walt Disney had personal involvement with, as the first of the shorts (“Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree”) was released before his death
  • “The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh” attraction replaced Disney World’s “Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride” in 1999 and Disneyland’s “Country Bear Playhouse” in 2003

Screenshot from Disney's The Rescuers (1977)

23. The Rescuers (1977)

  • Bob Newhart (of Newhart fame) and Eva Gabor (“Duchess” in The Aristocats (1970)) voiced the heroic mice Benard and Miss. Bianca
  • The film and its sequel, The Rescuers Down Under (1990) were based on the children’s book series The Rescuers by English author Margery Sharp
  • The film’s animators used the new xerographic process which allowed for a softer outline and medium-gray tone, in contrast to the sketchy black outlines of earlier films like One Hundred and One Dalmatians
  • The film held the record of highest grossing opening weekend for an animated film until An American Tail, also starring a cast of mice, broke the record in 1986

Screenshot from Disney's The Fox and the Hound (1981)

24. The Fox and the Hound (1981)

  • Loosely based on The Fox and the Hound, a 1967 novel by Daniel P. Mannix, about the relationship between Tod, a red fox raised by humans, and Copper, a half-bloodhound dog
  • While the early story development began with what was left of Disney’s “Nine Old Men”, by the end of production, animation transitioned totally over to Disney’s new crop of young animators who would eventually spark the Disney Renaissance of the 80s and 90s
  • The film was adapted into a comic as well as a direct-to-video midquel, The Fox and the Hound 2 (2006), which takes place during Tod and Copper’s youth

Screenshot from Disney's The Black Cauldron (1985)

25. The Black Cauldron (1985)

  • The first of Disney’s animated films to receive a PG rather than G rating from the MPAA
  • The film is based on The Chronicles of Prydain, a five volume children’s fantasy series written by Lloyd Alexander
  • While working on this film, the animators invented the APT Process (Animation Photo Transfer), a new way to transfer drawings to cels, which was also used on later Disney films, including Oliver & Company (1988) and The Little Mermaid (1989)
  • The film cost more than $25 million (Disney’s most expensive animated feature to date) but only grossed $21 million at the box office

Screenshot from Disney's The Great Mouse Detective (1986)

26. The Great Mouse Detective (1986)

  • The first time the directing team of John Musker and Ron Clements worked together. They would later direct several more Disney animated features, including The Little Mermaid (1989), Aladdin (1992), and The Princess and the Frog (2009)
  • The film is based on Basil of Baker Street, a children’s book series by Eve Titus about a detective mouse who lives in the cellar of the world-famous Sherlock Holmes
  • The film’s villain, Professor Ratigan, is based on Professor James Moriarty, Sherlock Holmes’ archnemesis
  • Often cited as the first Disney animated film to use CGI, it was actually the second, after The Black Cauldron (1985), but it would be nine years before Toy Story became the first fully CGI animated film

Screenshot from Disney's Oliver & Company (1988)

27. Oliver & Company (1988)

  • Based on Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist about an orphaned boy who joins a street gang of pickpockets
  • Joey Lawrence, teen heartthrob from NBC’s Blossom voiced Oliver the cat while famed musician Billy Joel voiced Dodger, the leader of the dogs
  • The first of Disney’s animated films to feature real, brand-name products, allegedly for the realism of its New York City-setting, rather than for product placement
  • During the “Why Should I Worry” musical sequence, several dogs from other Disney productions make cameo appearances, including Peg, Jock, and Trusty from Lady and the Tramp and papa dog Pongo from One Hundred and One Dalmatians

Screenshot from Disney's The Little Mermaid (1989)

28. The Little Mermaid (1989)

  • The first film released in the era of the Disney Renaissance, a decade of critical and commercial animated hits that restored the Walt Disney Animation Studios to its former prominence
  • Broadway composer Alan Menken composed the Academy Award-winning score (and Best Song “Under the Sea”), as well as the scores for future Disney hits Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992), Pocahontas (1995), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), Hercules (1997), Home on the Range (2004), Enchanted (2007), and Tangled (2010)
  • The film was the last Disney feature to use traditional hand-painted cels for animation
  • A huge commercial success, The Little Mermaid spawned an animated TV series, a direct-to-video prequel and sequel, a 2008 Broadway musical, and coming soon: “Ariel’s Undersea Adventure”, a new dark ride at Disney World and Disneyland

Screenshot from Disney's The Rescuers Down Under (1990)

29. The Rescuers Down Under (1990)

  • Disney’s first animated feature film sequel and the only sequel in the Disney Animated Classics cannon other than Fantasia 2000 (1999)
  • The first of Disney’s traditionally animated films to use the new CAPS process (Computer Animation Production System) for digital ink, paint, and compositing
  • The second Disney animated feature (after The Black Cauldron (1985)) to not include any musical numbers
  • The Mickey Mouse short “The Prince and the Pauper” premiered along with the film, following the trend set by “Mickey’s Christmas Carol” and the 1983 re-release of The Rescuers

Screenshot from Disney's Beauty and the Beast (1991)

30. Beauty and the Beast (1991)

  • The first animated film to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture – and the only animated film nominated until the Best Picture category opened up to include ten nominees instead of the traditional five
  • A pop version of the “Beauty and the Beast” theme song sung by Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson became an international Top Ten chart hit
  • Beauty and the Beast became the first animated feature film to gross more than $100 million domestically (with a total gross of more than $403 million world-wide)
  • In 1994 a stage adaptation premiered on Broadway and ran for 13 years, ending its run in 2007 after 5,464 performances
  • In 2002 a remastered IMAX version of the film was released in theaters with a brand new musical sequence, “Human Again” that had been cut from the original theatrical version

See also:
Part 1 of 5 (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs through Melody Time)
Part 2 of 5 (The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad through The Aristocats)
Part 3 of 5 (Robin Hood through Beauty and the Beast)
Part 4 of 5 (Aladdin through The Emperor’s New Groove)
Part 5 of 5 (Atlantis: The Lost Empire through Tangled)

February 24, 2011 - Latest News, Movies - Read More

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