The different eras in feature animation

[jade]

Golden Age: Snow White to Bambi
--War/Post-War Era--
Silver Age: Cinderella to Sleeping Beauty
Sketchy Age: Dalmatians to Pooh
Not-so-Sketchy Age: Rescuers to Oliver
Core Renaissance: Mermaid to Lion King
Extended Renaissance: Pocahontas to Fantasia 2k
Post-Renaissance: Groove to Chicken Little
Lasseter Era: Robinsons-present

Very nice break down, i'd agree with alot of it. But why is Pooh listed as the last sketchy film? It's not sketchy as all is it? Atleast not in the way 101 Dalamatians is. I see the Rescuers as the last sketchy film, it definitely still has that look.

[cms382]

Split is more thematic than visual, though Rescuers was the first one with non-black Xerox lines which helped to reduce the sketchy look. Plus Rescuers was a return to a more plot-focused type of story rather than the relatively carefree ones from the previous era.

[rsandcm1]

Golden Age: Snow White to Bambi
Package Films Era: Saludos Amigos to The Adventures Of Ichabod And Mr. Toad
Silver Age: Cinderella to The Jungle Book
Post-Walt Era: The Aristocats to The Great Mouse Detective
Renaissance Era: Oliver & Company to Mulan
Post-Renaissance Era: Tarzan to Chicken Little
Current Era (to be named when it ends): Meet The Robinsons to present

[universALLove]

The Golden Age ('37-'42): Snow White - Bambi

The Era Of Package Films (The 40s): Saludos Amigos - The Adventures Of Ichabod And Mr. Toad

The Silver Age (The 50s): Cinderella - Sleeping Beauty

The Walt Disney Xerox Era (The 60s): 101 Dalmatians - The Jungle Book

The Post-Walt Disney / Extended Xerox Era (The 70s): The Aristocats - The Rescuers

A New Generation Of Animators / The Dark Age (The 80s): The Fox And The Hound - Oliver & Company

The Musical Renaissance (The 90s): The Little Mermaid - Tarzan

The New Millennium Post-Renaissance Era ('00-'04): Fantasia 2000 - Home On The Range

The Transition To CGI Era ('05-'08): Chicken Little - Bolt

The Modern Era ('09-Present) The Princess And The Frog - Wreck-It Ralph

[Disney's Divinity]

Lasseter Era: Robinsons-present

That's probably the best way to describe it, unfortunately.

[thedisneyspirit]

Golden Era- Snow-Bambi
Copper Era- Amigos-Ichabod
Diamond Era- Cinderella- Sleeping Beauty
Silver Era- 101 Dalmatians- Jungle Book
Bronze Era- Aristocats-everything else
Iron Era- Cauldron- Detective- Oliver
Ruby Era- The 90s
Plastic Era- 2000s
Crap Era- Tangled-Now

[Mickeyfan1990]

How I defiine the eras (includes Touchstone and Pixar films):

The Golden Age: Snow White-Jungle Book
Dark Age: Aristocats-The Rescuers
Rennaisance Era: The Fox and The Hound-Treasure Planet
The 2nd Dark Age: Finding Nemo-Cars (that just how I look at it. Don't stone me! )
New Age: Meet The Robinsons-Present

[Angeldude98]

Anyone else want to give an opinon on this?

[TheSequelOfDisney]

I've always divided the animated films into these categories:

The Golden Age - Snow White through Bambi
The Package Features - Saludos Amigos through The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
The Silver Age - Cinderella through The Jungle Book
The Dark Age - The Aristocats through Oliver & Company
The Disney Renaissance - The Little Mermaid through Fantasia 2000
The New Age - Dinosaur through Home on the Range

And then, with the introduction of CGI films, I haven't really come up with a proper category (especially since there are two hand-drawn animated films in there, and Dinosaur wasn't originally in the canon until Tangled needed to be the 50th DAC); right now, this is all I got for the newest age:

The Introduction of CGI - Chicken Little through Moana

[SWillie!]

Angeldude, I'm 100% on board with your list with one exception - I'd move the Aristocats to be the first movie of the "Dark Age" period.

[Angeldude98]

Angeldude, I'm 100% on board with your list with one exception - I'd move the Aristocats to be the first movie of the "Dark Age" period.

Well, the reason I left the Aristocats where it is, is because it was the last film approved and the last film with any type of involvement by Walt Disney himself before his death. So it's fitting that the next era starts with the next film after that. However, everyone has their own interpretation and it's fun to see everyone's opinion.

[FigmentJedi]

Golden Age:

Snow White
Pinocchio
Fantasia
Dumbo
Bambi

Package Features Frenzy
Saludos Amigos
Three Caballeros
Make Mine Music
Fun and Fancy Free
Melody Time
Ichabod and Mr Toad

Silver Age
Cinderella
Alice in Wonderland
Peter Pan
Lady and the Tramp
Sleeping Beauty
101 Dalmatians
Sword in the Stone
Jungle Book

Dark Age
Aristocats
Robin Hood
Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Rescuers
Fox and the Hound
The Black Cauldron

The Renaissance
Great Mouse Detective
Oliver and Company
Little Mermaid
Rescuers Down Under
Beauty and the Beast
Aladdin
Lion King
Pocahontas
Hunchback of Notre Dame
Hercules
Mulan
Tarzan
Fantasia 2000

Post Millennium Experiments
Dinosaur
The Emperor's New Groove
Atlantis the Lost Empire
Lilo and Stitch
Treasure Planet
Brother Bear

Animation Armageddon
Home on the Range
Chicken Little

Post-Eisner Phoenix Era
Meet the Robinsons
Bolt
Princess and the Frog
Tangled
Winnie the Pooh
Wreck-It Ralph
Frozen

[271286]

For me there is only few eras really...

The Golden Age - The classic Walt Disney movies that shaped the company and the foundation of all animated movies to come
1. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
2. Pinocchio
3. Fantasia
4. Dumbo
5. Bambi
12. Cinderella
13. Alice in Wonderland
14. Peter Pan
15. Lady and the Tramp
16. Sleeping Beauty
17. 101 Dalmatians
18. The Sword in the Stone
19. The Jungle Book



The War Years - Movies parallel to The Golden Age, but completely insignificant and forgettable
6. Saludos Amigos
7. The Three Caballeros
8. Make Mine Music
9. Fun and Fancy Free
10. Melody Time
11. The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad



The Dark Age - The shattered pieces of the studio after Walt Disney's death
20. The Aristocats
21. Robin Hood
22. The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh
23. The Rescuers
24. The Fox and the Hound
25. The Black Cauldron
26. The Great Mouse Detective
27. Oliver and Company



The Renaissance - The new generation of movies that changed the face of animation forever
28. The Little Mermaid
29. The Rescuers Down Under
30. Beauty and the Beast
31. Aladdin
32. The Lion King
33. Pocahontas
34. The Hunchback of Notre Dame
35. Hercules
36. Mulan
37. Tarzan



The Modern Era - The movies after 2000 of mixed quality
38. Fantasia 2000
39. Dinosaur
40. The Emperor's New Groove
41. Atlantis: The Lost Empire
42. Lilo and Stitch
43. Treasure Planet
44. Brother Bear
45. Home on the Range
46. Chicken Little
47. Meet The Robinsons
48. Bolt
49. The Princess and The Frog
50. Tangled
51. Winnie The Pooh
52. Wreck It Ralph

[Dr Frankenollie]

The War Years - Movies parallel to The Golden Age, but completely insignificant and forgettable

You know, although everyone likes to call the 1970-1988 period the Dark Age, I think it's awfully dismissive of an experimental period, one which had at least one superlative triumph (The Rescuers) and arguably another from the same year (although Pooh is debatable because it consists mainly of short films that Walt oversaw). Moreover, while the studio didn't reach the dizzying critical and financial heights of the past until 1989, the Dark Age still saw the passing over from the last of the Nine Old Men to the new generation, primarily in 1981 but also in 1977 (when Don Bluth worked on The Rescuers).


To me, the eras are:


Walt the Artist
1. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
2. Pinocchio
3. Fantasia
4. Dumbo
5. Bambi

The War Years (weaker than the previous era's efforts yes, but NOT insignificant and forgettable: a few of the package features are superior to some of the Renaissance movies)
6. Saludos Amigos
7. The Three Caballeros
8. Make Mine Music
9. Fun and Fancy Free
10. Melody Time
11. The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr Toad

Walt the Showman
12. Cinderella
13. Alice in Wonderland
14. Peter Pan
15. Lady and the Tramp
16. Sleeping Beauty
17. One Hundred and One Dalmatians
18. The Sword in the Stone
19. The Jungle Book

The Struggle
20. The Aristocats
21. Robin Hood
22. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

The Next Generation
23. The Rescuers
24. The Fox and the Hound
25. The Black Cauldron
26. The Great Mouse Detective
27. Oliver and Company

The Ashman Era
28. The Little Mermaid
29. The Rescuers Down Under
30. Beauty and the Beast
31. Aladdin

The Happy Meal Era
32. The Lion King
33. Pocahontas
34. The Hunchback of Notre Dame
35. Hercules
36. Mulan
37. Tarzan

The Age of Uncertainty
38. Fantasia 2000
39. Dinosaur
40. The Emperor's New Groove
41. Atlantis: The Lost Empire
42. Lilo and Stitch
43. Treasure Planet
44. Brother Bear
45. Home on the Range

The Season of Darkness
46. Chicken Little
47. Meet the Robinsons
48. Bolt
49. The Princess and the Frog
50. Tangled
51. Winnie the Pooh
52. Wreck-It Ralph

[thelittleursula]

1937-Snow White's Success
1. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
2. Pinocchio

Fantasia's Disapointment- Walt's sadness
3. Fantasia

Pink Elephants on Parade- Dumbo Saves the Company
4. Dumbo
5. Bambi

World War II Makes a impact
6. Saludos Amigos
7. The Three Caballeros
8. Make Mine Music
9. Fun and Fancy Free
10. Melody Time
11. The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr Toad

Disney Wars- Walt Strikes Back
12. Cinderella
13. Alice in Wonderland
14. Peter Pan
15. Lady and the Tramp
16. Sleeping Beauty

Disney's final curtain bow
17. One Hundred and One Dalmatians
18. The Sword in the Stone
19. The Jungle Book

The Depression
20. The Aristocats
21. Robin Hood
22. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
23. The Rescuers
24. The Fox and the Hound

1985- The Curse of the Black Cauldron
25. The Black Cauldron

Disney VS Don Bluth
26. The Great Mouse Detective
27. Oliver and Company
28. The Little Mermaid

Disney's early 90's Success
29. The Rescuers Down Under
30. Beauty and the Beast
31. Aladdin

1994- The Lion becomes King
32. The Lion King

Ugh ! None of these movies are as good as TLK ! UGH LIKE TOTALLY ( 90's speak )
33. Pocahontas
34. The Hunchback of Notre Dame
35. Hercules
36. Mulan

The Dawn of the Underrated Classics (Minus Atlantis and Dinosaur they stink )
37 . Tarzan
38. Fantasia 2000
39. Dinosaur
40. The Emperor's New Groove
41. Atlantis: The Lost Empire
42. Lilo and Stitch
43. Treasure Planet
44. Brother Bear

Disney VS Dreamworks- Disney's loosing battle with the Green Ogre and CGI Pop Culture Animation
45. Home on the Range
46. Chicken Little
47. Meet the Robinsons
48. Bolt
49. The Princess and the Frog

The Disney seems to think that 2D animation is "sooo 1937 " ! Era (90's speak again )
50. Tangled
51. Winnie the Pooh
52. Wreck-It Ralph

[Big Disney Fan]

Disney Wars- Walt Strikes Back
12. Cinderella
13. Alice in Wonderland
14. Peter Pan
15. Lady and the Tramp
16. Sleeping Beauty

How about a title that somehow includes "Cold War", since these films came out during that period? Maybe "Cold War Disney"?

[Elladorine]

The Happy Meal Era

[Dr Frankenollie]

The Happy Meal Era

It's something working on a number of levels: firstly, the period ties in with the genesis of McDonald's and Disney's decade-long partnership, during which toys based upon Disney's characters would come in Happy Meals; I'm also making the point that, after Howard Ashman's death, the drive behind animated features was no longer an attempt to recapture the artistry and vision behind Walt's classics (whether or not Ashman was successful is debatable to me, but the films he oversaw are objectively some of the best within the DAC canon), but was replaced by the kind of capitalistic greed that drives McDonald's. The films were manufactured and mechanically designed, based upon a winning formula, one which provided plenty of opportunities for merchandising. Moreover, like with a Happy Meal, you knew with the 1994-1999 features exactly what kind of contents you were going to get. Nothing was fresh or innovative or inventive, they all adhered to something that had worked before, a method which is essentially the death of artistic integrity and a rejection of Walt's principles.

And of course, like Happy Meals are junk food for kids, from TLK onwards Disney animation produced junk cinema.

[Elladorine]

Dr Frankenollie: I figured that's what you were going for, but the term struck me as hilarious for some reason. Maybe because they were no longer producing Happy Meal toys for every single Disney film by the year in which you labeled the era (I do realize that wasn't your point, but The Lion King's toys were offered at Burger King). It's all personal opinion of course, but I don't really associate the mid-1990's era with something disposable, and in essence, what you call "junk food" (which is basically what you are getting at). It's possible my nostalgia is blinding me but I do feel there was plenty of experimentation in that era, especially in comparison to the 70's and most of the 80's.

Personally, I would make any "Happy Meal" association with Disney films a literal one between 1987 and 1990.

[Flanger-Hanger]

Depending upon ones views of American history, Victor Hugo or Greek mythology, I don't think "happy meal" or "junk food" would be an inappropriate label.

I also remember the McDonald's toys for Hercules. Collecting all the titans/monsters was a great marketing idea.