I can’t believe this is already the fourth year I’m writing this post! Here’s a look at the Disney animated classics which celebrated a major anniversary in the year 2020. Check out my 2017, 2018, and 2019 posts here.
12) Tangled: 10th Anniversary
I love the animation in Tangled! It was inspired by Fragonard’s painting The Swing, and is a unique style of computer animation that is meant to look hand-drawn. A stage adaptation of the film, called Tangled: The Musical, premiered on board the Disney Magic in November of 2015. One of my favourite places to find Tangled in the parks is the Tangled Tree Tavern in Shanghai Disneyland. Guests feel like they are stepping right into the Snuggly Duckling from the film!
11) Chicken Little: 15th Anniversary
Chicken Little was Walt Disney Animation Studios’ first fully computed animated film, and the first to be released in 3-D. The movement of the characters was based on the original Goofy cartoons from the 1940s and 1950s, especially Goofy’s How To shorts. Despite being a film that has been mostly forgotten, it was popular at the time of release, and its box office success was used by Disney as leverage in their negotiations for merging with Pixar to prove they were also capable of producing successful CGI films.
10) The Emperor’s New Groove: 20th Anniversary
Definitely one of my Top 5 Disney animated films! The Emperor’s New Groove is hilarious, and I wish it had representation somewhere in the Disney parks. This film underwent some major changes during production, including a title change. Originally it was titled Kingdom of the Sun and was a The Prince and the Pauper retelling musical with songs by Sting and David Hartley. The final version of the film cut out the majority of the songs and told an original story instead. Sting’s wife, Trudie Styler, created a documentary about the difficulty of making the film and called it The Sweatbox.
9) Dinosaur: 20th Anniversary
The backgrounds of Dinosaur are actually live action footage and were filmed in California, Arizona, and Venezuela. Dinosaur was the one and only filmed produced by The Secret Lab, a CGI department of Walt Disney Animation Studios. It was a very popular film at the time, being the 5th highest grossing film of 2000 (and the only animated film to make the Top 10.) The ride Dinosaur in Disney’s Animal Kingdom includes scenes from the film in the preshow.
8) Pocahontas: 25th Anniversary
Pocahontas received two Academy Awards at the 1996 Oscars: Best Score and Best Song for “Colors of the Wind.” The song “If I Never Knew You” was cut from the original version after screen test audiences found it too boring. The song was added to the end credits and released as a single. In the 2005 DVD release, “If I Never Knew You” was added back into the film, though viewers had the option of watching the original theatrical version, or this new version. I personally think it’s a beautiful song and would have loved to see it stay in the original version of the film.
7) The Rescuers Down Under: 30th Anniversary
Sequel to 1977’s The Rescuers, The Rescuers Down Under was also based on characters from Margery Sharp’s children novels, though this time with an original plotline. Despite receiving positive reviews, The Rescuers Down Under struggled at the box office because it was released on the same day as Home Alone (which was number one for twelve consecutive weeks.) This was Eva Gabor’s last feature film role.
6) The Black Cauldron: 35th Anniversary
The Black Cauldron was Disney’s first animated film to receive a PG rating, the first to use CGI, and the first to not feature any lyrical songs. It definitely has a darker tone than most of Disney’s animated films and there is currently no representation of it in the Disney parks. The story’s roots come from Welsh mythology which in turn inspired the books the film was based after, The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander.
5) The Aristocats: 50th Anniversary
The Sherman Brothers originally composed multiple songs for the film, but only two made it into the final version: “The Aristocats” and “Scales and Arpeggios.” Disney was able to convince famous French singer Maurice Chevalier to come out of retirement to sing the titular song. The Aristocats was released in 1971, one year after its North American release, in France, and was the most popular film at the French box office that year.
4) The Lady and the Tramp: 65th Anniversary
The town in The Lady and the Tramp was inspired by Walt Disney’s hometown of Marceline, Missouri. The entrance land of Main Street, USA in Disneyland was also inspired by Marceline, and Disneyland opened one month after The Lady and the Tramp was released in the summer of 1955. Walt’s own life also influenced the scene of Jim Dear giving Darling Lady in a hat box because Walt gave his wife Lilly a chow puppy in a hat box.
3) Cinderella: 70th Anniversary
Cinderella holds the honour of featuring Walt’s favourite animated scene, which is when Cinderella’s rags are transformed into a beautiful ball gown. This was animated by one of Walt’s Nine Old Men, Marc Davis, and Cinderella was actually the first film to feature all of the Nine Old Men in directing animator roles. Cinderella Castle is the centre icon of Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World and of Tokyo Disneyland. Cinderella is one of nine Disney animated classics to be preserved in the National Film Registry (along with the next two on this list.)
2) Fantasia: 80th Anniversary
Originally The Sorcerer’s Apprentice was going to be a standalone Mickey Mouse short; it grew into a full length feature film showcasing multiple musical segments. Leopold Stokowski offered to conduct the orchestra for no pay because he loved Walt’s vision so much and wanted to see it succeed. Walt wanted to keep adding and changing up segments to Fantasia to bring it new life to new audiences, but the idea never worked out until his nephew, Roy E. Disney, took on Fantasia 2000 as his own passion project.
1) Pinocchio: 80th Anniversary
Disney’s second full length animated feature film was Pinocchio. At the 1941 Academy Awards, Pinocchio was the first animated feature to take home competitive Oscars. It won Best Score and Best Song for “When You Wish Upon a Star.” Lead animator Ward Kimball originally drew Jiminy Cricket to resemble an actual cricket, but Walt wasn’t happy with the result. Instead, Ward drew a tiny gentleman with a large head.
Happy Anniversary to these Disney animated films! Which one is your favourite? Did you see any of them in theatres when they were first released?
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