How was it being a Disney fan in the 70s/80s?

[rodis]

Being born in the mid-80s and growing-up into the 90s, I can't imagine life without Disney. Dozens of video releases, blockbuster films ruling the box-office, and practically Disney being everywhere in the last decade. I mean, can we imagine life without "The Little Mermaid", "The Lion King" or any other classic released during the 90s?
I just came to thinking, the 70s and 80s were not kind to Disney, so how was it to be a Disney fan back then? Going to the theater in hope to see the new "Cinderella" or "Pinocchio" just to find films of subpar animation, unremarkable music and forgettable characters. And a new Disney release was not a yearly event like it is today; the 70s, for example, saw only 3 new Disney releases and the 80s 5 (including Mermaid).

Moreso, video releases were not as commom as today (it really started in 1980 with the video debut of "Dumbo" but it evolved pretty slowly and there were only few Disney video releases in the 80s) to make up for it.
At least there were theatrical rereleases of the old classics. Is there anyone here who was old enough back then to remember?

[jebsdad]

Well, I'm definitely old enough to remember Disney back in the 1970s and 1980s, since I was 21 years old back in 1970.

The 1970s, I paid little attention to Disney, except that I did try to catch any theatrical re-releases of the classic animated films.

My main hobby interest through the 1970s and early 1980s was music, mainly rock music.

The Disney Channel coming to cable in 1983 had the greatest effect on my increased interest in Disney. The early years of 1983-1985 showed a wide variety of live-action and animated films and TV shows. I copied everything I felt that I wanted to keep and watch again later. There is much of the video shown during those years of 1983-1985 that STILL has never been released on Beta, VHS, laserdisc or DVD. I also bought most of the cartoon collections released on Beta and VHS in the early 1980s.

That Disney video library of released video and video from the early years of the Disney Channel allowed me to have a source of rare Disney that I was later able trade with other Disney fans to find other rare Disney video - especially the World War II era animated shorts (most have since been released on the Walt Disney Treasures set).

The trading enabled me to basically collect all the animated shorts and films since the beginning of Mickey Mouse - except for some of the later limited release shorts since the 1980s. I collected a great deal of the pre-Mickey silent era but did not keep it because it just didn't interest me.

So the start of the Disney Channel has led to my continued interest in Disney - especially the animated films - over 20 years later. In fact, I'm currently watching the animated classics in order of their release - which I do every few years.

[memnv]

In the 70's we had the Wonderful World of Disney on Sunday nights, they showed a Disney movie every sunday at 7 pm, some cartoons some not, we also had reruns of the old Mickey Mouse Club on after school everyday. Disney also re-released the older movies in theaters 1 or 2 every year. we used to go to the drive in while camping to see these

[MickeyMousePal]

I grew up with the Disney afternoon in the early 90's and watch tons of Disney Animated Classics like Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast. I have gotten in to Disney when I first saw DuckTales, Gummi Bears, Winnie the Pooh and Chip 'n' Dale Rescue Rangers in the late 80's. I remember it was the same channel as Super Mario Brothers show but Chip 'n' Dale and DuckTales started after it in syndication.

[Nala]

I can't remember much from the 1970s as in 1970, I was only 9. I remember every Christimas at school in the 1970s, we'd be shown a Disney movie. That was a lot of fun. I didn't bet a VCR until about 1988 and the first movie I got wasn't a Disney movie and it was about 1994. My first Disney movie I got was probably Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs but I'm not sure.

We also had The Wonderful World Of Disneey on Sunday nights at 6:00pm. Some of those movies aren't on DVD or VHS.

[Wonderlicious]

Can I just say that can we not turn this into another "let's bash The Rescuers/Robin Hood/Black Cauldron etc" thread. Yes, some of those films aren't exactly up there with Snow White or Pinocchio, but does anyone find them on the whole enjoyable apart from me? One of the aims that I see in this thread is to say how crap these films apparently are.

I'm sure that kids of the 70s/80s (I wasn't one, I'm not that old ) would have loved these so called "bad" movies; I've read some of them on here and the rest of the net read that they have sentimental value towards, say, The Fox and the Hound as it was the first film they saw in the cinema. Equally, many of your (and mine) generation warm to films like Beauty and the Beast as they remember their first releases.

Also, there were many other ways to experience Disney outside of the cinema despite video not exisisting; TV would have screened Disney material such as short cartoons, live action pieces and a few animated classics like Alice in Wonderland. Plus, things such as Read Along Book and Tapes would have reminded many of the movies.

Plus, imagining a world without The Lion King and compulsive video and DVD releases every five minutes would be better to an extent; not only would so many so-called "Disney fans" remember that Disney made films before 1989, but perhaps the splendour of compulsive theatrical re-releases and the novelty home-media release every Christmas would be the norm again.

[Timon/Pumbaa fan]

I was a fan in the 90's since that's when I was born. I remember when I had to wait in a big crowd before going in Disneyland, and I got so angry I bit my Mom!

Anyways I loved their movies, shows and everything else Disney!

[Luke]

Let us also not turn this into another "Disney Story" thread. That's for sharing your history, and if you grew up in the late '80s/early '90s, I don't really see a reply being particularly relevant to the original post. Thanks!

[AwallaceUNC]

I agree that some of these films are on the whole enjoyable, but there's no denying that Disney was in a long slump during these years. I've noticed that there just doesn't seem to be as large a Disney fan base among people who grew up in the late 60s/70s/early 80s, as compared to those who grew up during the '50s and the '90s.

-Aaron

[Lightyear]

I fall under that timeframe Awallaceunc, Born in 71, so late 70's and 80's were my Disney time as a child.. I remember some on TV on Sunday's, but don't recall movies that were life altering towards Disney... Which would most likely be the reason for me getting into the movies later in life.

[Disney Guru]

Well, I was born in April of 1987, so I don't really have any actual memories of the 70's-80's. But I was raised on the Classic Live Action movies, so I know about the era. I also still have a lot of the Old White Clamshell Edition Disney Movies from the 80's on VHS that i am never going to part with. Also Rodis you said that they didn't release a lot of movies in the 80's. Maby not animated but Disney rolled out a lot of classic Disney films on VHS/Beta/Laserdisc/CED Video Disc in the 80's/

[Mr. Toad]

Well I was born in 67.

I saw several re releases like Snow White and watched the Wonderful World of Disney on Sunday nights but really did not become hooked until I visited Disneyland in the late 70s. That pretty much did it, I was hooked.

Really did not get into the animated movies until the advent of DVD and I realized just how good many of them were.

[Nala]

I didn't really get hooked until I got a VCR in 1988. Then The Bay had these $5 vouchers where you got $5 off and my collection grew with VHS. Last June, we bought a combo DVD/VHS and since I've upgraded a lot of my VHS to DVDs. I saw Fantasia in a theatre of a re-release when I was about 8. I saw the unedited version.

[deathie mouse]

Appart from the continuous theatrical rereleases and the tv shows there were Carl Barks and others comic books/reprints

[ohmahaaha]

I was 9 in 1970; my memories of Disney for the 1970s and 1980s were great indeed! People who lived and old enough to remember during that time realize more than younger people that: a) No VCRs for most people, at least not until the late 70s or thereafter, so it was either Sunday nights or at the movie theater to get your Disney fix; b) while many people look down at their 70s animated efforts (I happen to enjoy all of them very much), all along into addition to those you had re-releases of all of the classics (including "Song of the South"), and I'm glad I got the chance to see nearly all of those classics on a big screen because nowadays re-release really only applies to DVD and soon-to-be HDVD I guess.

[Poppins#1]

Well, I'm definitely old enough to remember the 1970's and my recollection is that most kids of that decade thought Disney was lame. It was a time when kids where into the PG rated action of movies like Star Wars and as Disney was only doing G-rated movies at the time, most kids balked at them. However, the animated classics continued to be re-released throughout that time, usually one in the summer, one during the Christmas holidays, and sometimes one during the Easter season. The animated reissues continued to be popular with the younger children.

It was in 1979 that Disney finally realized the only way the studio would ever survive, was if they got with the times and started giving the kids what they wanted: PG violence. So Disney's first PG movie was The Black Hole. But the studio continued to sink until they finally realized that the "Disney" name was tainted. Kid's did not think it was cool to go to a "Disney" picture. So in 1984 a new name was born: Touchstone Pictures. The first release was "Splash" and it was the studio's bigest hit in years, and the reason it was able to be a success was that most of the movie going public was unaware that they were watching a "Disney" picture.

And then you all know the rest of the story... in 1989 Disney animation was reborn with the smash success of "The Little Mermaid" and Disney was finally cool again.

[JEANYLASER]

i saw in the 1970s the disney on parade i hove this program will be in dvd. also in 1980s i watched the wonderful world of disney with mickey and his pals.

[orestes.]

Ah the 80's. There wasn't many Disney animated classics through those years and we never had videos until the late 80's in my home but we would always rent them and see re-released movies in theatres so being a fan wasn't too bad. I was satisfied even if there wasn't a ton of releases. Now a days though it's different and honestly I'm more impatient now than I was then.

Back in the 80's I was hooked on Disney movies but another big part of Disney in the 80's especially the mid-80's on was television. Everyone I knew were HUGE fans of Gummi Bears and DuckTales.

Don't know the 80's though but I'm sure the kids were all into disco rather than Disney though. Not sure cause those are the olden days. (being sarcastic and crazy of course )

[memnv]

Disco was the late 70's not the 80's and we were not all into it

[purplebluelove99]

I was born in the 70s. I remember all the classics were played on t.v.. Plus my parents took me to see a lot of Disney movies in the theatres. I didn't start collecting Disney videos until 1996. But as a child I collected those storybook and tape sets. Which most of them had the Disney soundtracks on them. I've always loved Disney. I've been a huge fan of Winnie the Pooh since I was really young. I am almost 29 and still continue to collect Disney dvds, Winnie the Pooh merchanise as well as other Disney merchandise.