DVDizzy Forum

Which Disney Movie(s) would you consider to be the most historically significant? Here are mine:

1. Snow White- First full length animated film
2. Cinderella- Made money after the war
3. Jungle Book- Last film overseen by Walt
4. The Rescuers- Last film worked on by all the original animators
5. Fox and the Hound- First film worked on by new animators
6. Black Cauldron- Put company at risk of closing
7. Great Mouse Detective- First film including use of computers
8. Little Mermaid- First big success since company was put at risk

Only of animated films

1. Snow White and the Seven Dwarves- Obviously the first animated feature. This one was the determinant if any other full length animated films would be made.

2. Beauty and the Beast- The only animated film ever to be nominated for Best Picture. The film put Disney back on it's feet after over two decades of declining.

3. The Black Cauldron- The film is not only important to Disney animation, but to all of animation. This was the first film to have computer animation, and would later lead the way for scenes such as the Ballroom Dance (Beauty and the Beast) and eventually Toy Story.

If you are only talking about animation, then your list is pretty good. If you are considering all Disney films, animated and live-action, then you missed a couple.

Historically speaking there are a couple that are really good films:

The Great Locomotive Chase - based on a Civil War incident that really happened. Jeffrey Hunter and Fess Parker star.

Johnny Tremain - a fictionalized account of an event in history we know as The Boston Tea Party. Hal Stalmaster and a very grown up Luana Patten co-star in this one.

There are some very recent ones that are based on true incidents, but these two are standouts in my opinion.

Great list. But you mist one movie:

Fantasia - First stereophonic film in history.

castleinthesky wrote:3. The Black Cauldron- The film is not only important to Disney animation, but to all of animation. This was the first film to have computer animation, and would later lead the way for scenes such as the Ballroom Dance (Beauty and the Beast) and eventually Toy Story.

Really? Which part was computer-animated? I thought that scene with the gears in The Great Mouse Detective was the first CGI scene in an animated film, but I guess I'm wrong.

In addition to all that has been mentioned:

Rescuers Down Under- first theatrically-released animated sequel.

Pocahontas- caused controversy over historical accuracy.

Toy Story- first fully CG-animated feature.

Hunchback of Notre Dame- first Disney film that relied heavily on theology to get its story across.

Tarzan- first animated film to use the "Deep Canvas" technique.

Mulan- first Disney film to be created solely at Disney's Florida studios.

Home On The Range- (as of now) Disney's last theatrically-released, traditionally-animated feature film.

Lion King- probably the most well-known, recognizable and publicized Disney film of all-time.

Fantasia 2000- Disney's first animated film in the new millenium.

Robin Hood- Disney's first all-animal cast.

Atlantis: The Lost Empire- Disney's first animated film to receive a PG rating.

numba1lostboy wrote: Atlantis: The Lost Empire- Disney's first animated film to receive a PG rating.

The Black Cauldron beat them by about 16 years.

brownie wrote:Really? Which part was computer-animated? I thought that scene with the gears in The Great Mouse Detective was the first CGI scene in an animated film, but I guess I'm wrong.

From Wikipedia...

The first Disney animated feature to employ computer-generated imagery. The dimensions and volume of the animated objects were fed into a computer and then their shapes were manipulated through computer programming before they were transferred as physical outlines the animators could work on. (Animated features with cels containing computer animation are probably rather rare as animation studios stopped using cels years ago.)

Escapay

Probably:-

Snow White - first full length animated feature.

Cinderella - saved the studio from bankruptcy.

Beauty and the Beast - only animated movie to be nominated for best picture.

The Lion King - highest grossing animated film of all time.

Are we talking Disney history, animation history, film history, American history, world history, or some other history? Answers could vary for each.

-Aaron

Escapay wrote:

numba1lostboy wrote: Atlantis: The Lost Empire- Disney's first animated film to receive a PG rating.

The Black Cauldron beat them by about 16 years.

See, and I knew that...
I feel like a doof. Let me rephrase: "Atlantis: The Lost Empire- Disney's first animated film in Numba1's lifetime to receive a PG rating."

AwallaceUNC wrote:Are we talking Disney history, animation history, film history, American history, world history, or some other history? Answers could vary for each.

-Aaron

I'm taking that it's a mixture of Disney, animation and film history. So, I'll stick to that topic, and include some shorts:

Steamboat Willie: The first sound cartoon made Mickey a star.

Flowers and Trees: The first three-strip Technicolor film.

The Three Little Pigs: Iconic short for the depression era.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: The first full length American animated feature.

Fantasia: The first film to use stereophonic sound.

Song of the South: Disney's first true live action film (even though there are cartoon bits).

Seal Island: The first true-life adventure documentary.

Cinderella: A generally iconic film that helped save Disney financially.

Treasure Island: Disney's first full live action film (no cartoon bits in this one).

Melody: First 3D cartoon.

Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom: First cinemascope cartoon.

Lady and the Tramp: First full-length cinemascope animated feature.

101 Dalmatians: The first feature length film to use the Xerox process on a large scale.

Mary Poppins: Considered by many to be Walt's crowning acheivement.

The Jungle Book: The last animated feature that Walt truly worked on.

Tron: The first feature film to use CGI on a large scale.

Who Framed Roger Rabbit: The film that added fuel to the animation renaissance (the film below really started it).

The Little Mermaid: The one that started it all...again.

Beauty and the Beast: A (just, in my eyes) darling of critics and the first (and sadly only) animated feature to gain a Best Picture nomination at the Oscars.

The Nightmare Before Christmas: The first widely-released stop motion feature film that is now a cult classic.

The Lion King: This was the most successful animated film of all time for many years and is generally iconic.

Toy Story: The first full length computer animated feature film.

Finding Nemo: The most successful animated film released bt Disney (it is Pixar and not Disney Feature Animation).

Chicken Little: The first Disney produced proper computer animated film.

Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man's Chest: Disney's most successful film showed how popular this Disneyland-origniating franchise is.

I have mentioned much of this yealier in another post, but if we are talking about technology and art in disney animation, we will have these (in my opinion):

Snow White (the one who made the future standard)

Pinocchio (probably the most technically perfect animation ever done in a feature)

Maybe also Fantasia should be included, a movie wich was the first in many ways.

Bambi (one of the most realistic animations done about animals and nature)

Sleeping Beauty (a very stylized movie and the first to be done in Super Technirama 70, and one of the most detailed ever created)

One Hundred and One Dalmatians (first to use Xerography)

The rescuers (first to use other toners in xerography than black)

The Black Cauldron (first Disney to use CGI, but The Professional: Golgo 13 and The Lensman used CGI before The Black Cauldron. It was also the first to use the APT process, and the first in years to use the multiplane camera)

The Rescuers Down Under (first to use CAPS)

The following movies, like Lion King and Tarzan used new technology too, like deep canvas in Tarzan, but these were just minor adds,

Chicken Little (the first completely computer animated from Disney)

It will be exiting to see what news the movies which are in production adn post-production will give. The Frog Princess will be 2D, but will according to rumoers not use CAPS.

TRON was the first movie to use computer graphic imagery.

I say Snow White, Beauty and the Beast and, if Pixar films are to be included, Toy Story for reasons already stated. Two of them were pioneers in what went on to be very successful and prolific mediums, and the other was the first animated feature to be nominated for the most prestigious Academy Award of all, and those strike me as big achievements. Other Disney films made technical breakthroughs, which have their importance in Disney's own world and in the field of animation, but in the wider field of film history, seem pretty minor by comparison.

It may just be my prejudice talking, but I personally wouldn't give the Lion King too much historical significance for holding the record of being the highest grossing animated film for a while. Milestones like that can't be set in stone, and can/will eventually be trumped, as I believe Finding Nemo and, a little later, Shrek 2 did (though inflation obviously plays a big role).

Most historically significant in terms of Disney animation - that would have to be Steamboat Willie, Snow White and possibly Fantasia.

Most historically significant in terms of Disney animation - that would have to be Steamboat Willie, Snow White and possibly Fantasia.

Most historically significant in terms of Disney animation - that would have to be Steamboat Willie, Snow White and possibly Fantasia.

That's confusing!!!
This way you can also say: "The Little Mermaid" because it's the first time we have an octopus-woman as a villain, or "Aladdin" because it's the first film the heroine kisses the villain! I mean, come on...every film comes first at something!
But, seriously now, speaking in historical terms "Snowwhite" is the one that started it all and "Mermaid" is the one that started it all again.Noone can deny it. And that's all I have to say!

I think that 20,000 leagues under the sea has to be in there somewhere, it was such a big movie and the special effects for the time were impressive.

Aladdin from Agrabah wrote:But, seriously now, speaking in historical terms "Snowwhite" is the one that started it all and "Mermaid" is the one that started it all again.Noone can deny it. And that's all I have to say!

Oh, I beg to differ. After "Snow White", Disney's next full-length features were not nearly as successful. "Cinderella" started it all again by reviving the studio after the war and making the next films possible (many historians predict the studios would have shut down had "Cinderella" not been successful). Then the after a while the films weren't as successful any more, but "The Little Mermaid" restarted it again again.