Worst Decade for Disney Animation?

[Sotiris]

In your opinion which decade was the worst for Disney animation? Unsuprisingly, it's the 2010s for me.

[Farerb]

In my opinion the 70's. There is no single film that interests me from that decade. Even the ones I enjoyed as a kid like The Aristocats and The Rescuers I find boring nowadays.

[DisneyBluLife]

I like the movies, but I have to say the 1940s. They are fun to watch (Especially Bambi and those that came before) but I think I wouldn't have liked the package movies after Bambi as much if I was alive back then and didn't know what was to come in the 1950s.

[Vlad]

I have to say, the '40s, '70s and the '80s. In the '40s, they did release great movies, like Pinocchio, Fantasia, Bambi and Dumbo. But then, they released those "package features", which I'm not a fan of.

The films they have released after The Jungle Book, all through the '70s and '80s, up until The Little Mermaid were okay, but in my opinion, pretty forgettable.

[thedisneyspirit]

Speaking strictly animation wise, I guess the Package Era. They're enjoyable films at parts, but the animation and designs do very little to move around the company. The 70s/80s films aren't liked by the audience at large but they did introduce new concepts to the canon like different designs, Xerox, CGI effects, and new people like Glen Keana or Muster/Clements whom changed the path of Disney for the better.

But on the other hand, Mary Blair's design really started out in this era, so dunno...To this point I think her best work is found in Alice and It's a Small World.

[JeanGreyForever]

The 40s because of the package films and because of the wealth of material for both shorts and films that never made it onto the big screen thanks to WWII.

[D82]

For me, the worst decade was the 2000s. There are films from those years that I really like, such as The Emperor's New Groove, Treasure Planet, or The Princess and the Frog; but several of my least favorite Disney classics were also released in that decade (Dinosaur, Atlantis, Brother Bear, Home on the Range, Chicken Little). In that decade I even started losing interest in the films from WDAS and I was more excited for the new releases from Pixar. I didn't go to see some of these films in the theater and, for a brief period of time, I even decided not to continue collecting the new Disney classics on DVD. Each new release seemed worse than the last one, and the future didn't seem too bright for the studio. Chicken Little was the first classic I only rented, but when Meet the Robinsons was released on DVD (I didn't have Blu-ray yet by then), I saw a pack with the two movies at a good price and I bought it, even though I hadn't seen the latter film yet. I was pleasantly surprised by Meet the Robinsons because it was much better than it seemed from the trailer. And then Lasseter came to Disney and I was excited for Disney movies again.

So, all in all, I think the 2000s was a very inconsistent decade quality-wise. And visually-wise too, some of the films have animation styles I'm not a fan of.

[DisneyJedi]

If you can call Chicken Little “classic.”

[JeanGreyForever]

Or Home on the Range for that matter. There are certain films which should be expunged from the Disney canon. They are far more offensive than Song of the South.

[Mooky]

Technically yes, the 1940s. All those package films I've seen once or twice and have no real interest in revisiting any time soon, save for Fun and Fancy Free. I appreciate Fantasia as an artistic achievement, but it's a rare occasion when I can make myself sit through it.

2010s (so far) - Winnie the Pooh , Wreck-It Ralph, Big Hero 6, with the last one being just one step ahead of Chicken Little on my dislike-o-meter. I love Zootopia and Frozen, and Tangled and Moana have grown on me (even though I still don't like Moana's music), but it's still not enough to make me care much about this decade.

1960s - the only film I like here is 101 Dalmatians. The Sword in the Stone is clunky and bores me (its only saving graces are Madam Mim and that squirrel scene), and The Jungle Book is too episodic and kind of dull (surprisingly or not, I prefer the live-action remake). There is one thing though that kind of redeems this decade -- and it's probably not a popular opinion -- but I REALLY like the xerox style of this decade. The films stand out from the rest of the canon and it makes them appear dynamic in ways the "regular" Disney style wouldn't.

The 1980s are a mixed bag also.

[REINIER]

2000 onwards...specifically》Chicken Little-Meet the Robbinsons-Bolt-Big Hero 6..Cars 2-Cars 3...and yes I am alone on this one, but that shameless copy from its far better predecessors..Toy Story 3!

[Farerb]

2000 onwards...specifically》Chicken Little-Meet the Robbinsons-Bolt-Big Hero 6..Cars 2-Cars 3...and yes I am alone on this one, but that shameless copy from its far better predecessors..Toy Story 3!

You're not alone. Toy Story 3 is overrated with a generic prison escape plot and two "emotional" scenes which rely on people's nostalgia than anying in and out of themselves. Honestly I just wished the toys had burned.

[REINIER]

Epic response...and my sentiments exactly

[Disney's Divinity]

I guess I have a minority opinion about both the package films and the 2000's. The package films aren't great--not all the same quality either--but I think they're mostly inoffensive fun with occasionally great moments. They don't drag down the first five Walt classics for me even if they don't contribute anything to the same degree as those films, which is why I still consider the '40s the greatest decade along with the '90s.

I don't like all of the films from the 2000's and the majority of them have flaws (some more than others), but... Well, I love TENG for Yzma and Kronk, who are some of Disney's funniest characters ever, even though Pacha is dull, the plot trite, and Kuzko a sometimes-funny-but-mostly-unfunny character; I love TP despite its flaws, too. And I consider Atlantis, Lilo & Stitch, and The Princess and the Frog all to be great films. HOTR is admittedly pretty bad (even though I love Judi Dench, Jennifer Tilly, and...I was once a fan of Roseanne....), but I've never despised it like some do and I actually bought the soundtrack after I first watched it for "Little Patch of Heaven," "Will the Sun Ever Shine Again," and "Wherever the Trail May Lead." *shrug* What's more, all of the hand-drawn films from that decade have great animation, even HOTR. As for the 3D films... Strangely I like Meet the Robinsons overall. Bolt is... Meh. Dinosaur is better than Bolt, but not by much; I don't mind the film though. I blame that on lingering nostalgia for Della Reese and Joan Plowright though + Alfre Woodard / Samuel Wright. The only two films I outright dislike are Brother Bear (although it has some good qualities) and Chicken Little (which should be erased from time and space). That's my explanation for why I don't think it's the worst decade.

[Disney Duster]

I guess I have a minority opinion about both the package films and the 2000's. The package films aren't great--not all the same quality either--but I think they're mostly inoffensive fun with occasionally great moments. They don't drag down the first five Walt classics for me even if they don't contribute anything to the same degree as those films, which is why I still consider the '40s the greatest decade along with the '90s.

Perfectly said. I completely agree. How are the package films able to take down the greatest Walt films (especially if you also include Snow White)? And it's the best right after the 90's.

The worst to me is the 2000's.

[Farerb]

I don't hate the 2000's. I liked TENG, Lilo and Stitch and TPatF. While Atlantis and TP are not favorites of mine, I appreciate the effort to do something new and the animation is spectacular.
I find Brother Bear and Home on the Range to be careless and a sign that the studio didn't care about 2D animation anymore. Their first CGI films were not that great. Chicken Little is awful and mean spirited, the rest are meh (I think it should have been a lesson to Disney that it's not about the type of animation but the kind of story that is being told that counts).

[Semaj]

I'd have to say the 1970's was the worst decade. It was a time of uncertainty for the company overall, where particularly for animation, the Nine Old Men were left to pilot a ship without a captain. Not only was the company disoriented from Walt's passing, many other old schoolers were retiring or dying during this period, and it was also during an industry-wide decline in animation, where despite some non-Disney entires in the market, the future of theatrical animation was largely in doubt.

The Aristocats, Robin Hood, The Many Adventures of WInnie the Pooh, and the Rescuers all did the simple task of keeping the lights on. Out of these films though, The Rescucers was the only one that exhibited any true sense of originality, which laid the groundwork for Disney animation surviving beyond its founders.

The number of shorts and featurettes during this period was also scarce. I feel that they missed an opportunity of using a shorts program as a possible training ground for new animators, since the studio had helped establish CalArts' animation department during this period. This was supposedly the original intent behind The Small One, and could've helped establish an easier transition for The Black Cauldron, at the time promised to be the offical debut for the newer animators.

The 2000s was also a chaotic time for Disney animation, between inconsistent theatrical features, and endless video sequels that cheapened the value of the originals. The only advantage it has over the 70s is that they were more willing to experiment during this time period. Lilo & Stitch is very different from most other Disney movies, yet is one of their last major triumphs in hand-drawn animation. The Princess and the Frog could also be considered an experiment during a time when CGI became the new protocol, and could've led to hand-drawn's survival had it not been set up for failure. And even with their CGI features, they've only gotten better since Chicken Little (which for the record, is a guilty pleasure for me).

[disneyboy20022]

The earlier films like Lady and The Tramp, Saludios Amigos etc I've never been a die hard fan of.

I did like the 70's, Aristocats, RObin Hood, wasn't too keen on the Rescuers, but I digress

That being said, I'd have to go with the 2000's. I mean, having Rosanne Barr as a talking co joking about her utters being real. Need I say more?

[Rose Dome]

I would say the 70's The Aristocats and Robin Hood don't put me in a bad mood but they are the nadirs in terms of animation and narrative momentum. The Rescuers is in my top ten but I feel it's alone as a good spot. The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh is charming but it only just counts as 70's.

The 00's also included many horrendous screenplays but Lilo & Stitch is an absolute gem in my opinion and cleaner animation and more interesting concepts are worth something in regards to the other 00's films.

[disneyboy20022]

I would say the 70's The Aristocats and Robin Hood don't put me in a bad mood but they are the nadirs in terms of animation and narrative momentum. The Rescuers is in my top ten but I feel it's alone as a good spot. The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh is charming but it only just counts as 70's.

The 00's also included many horrendous screenplays but Lilo & Stitch is an absolute gem in my opinion and cleaner animation and more interesting concepts are worth something in regards to the other 00's films.

So, Basically Lilo and Stitch is the diamond in the rough

. How many Disney films came out in the 70's? Just Aristocats and Robin Hood?