Here’s our follow up to Most Anticipated Binge Watching for Disney+: The Library. In this edition, we will be diving into the library content on Disney+ to check out the first half of the Disney Animation Renaissance.
This film ushered in the Disney Renaissance, a return to critically and commercially successful animated features (most historians consider this era as lasting from 1989–1999) following a prolonged period of cartoon malaise following Walt’s death in 1966. The modern classic was the first team-up of legendary lyricist Howard Ashman and composer Alan Menken. Ashman, who also co-produced the film, pushed the studio to craft animated films in the style of Broadway musicals, an insanely successful formula that powered the Renaissance and continues to be popular at Walt Disney Animation Studios.
Ashman/Menken earned two Oscars for their soundtrack, which, along with the film itself, continues to be immensely popular three decades later — anyone who has been to a Disney park has seen countless people of all ages Disneybounding or costumed as Ariel. The Little Mermaid was a watershed moment which changed the course of Disney studio history, animation history and earned Disney animators a spot back on the Burbank lot instead of some shabby trailers in Glendale.
The Rescuers Down Under (1990)
The Walt Disney Company’s first animated feature since The Little Mermaid, The Rescuers Down Under holds a significant number of interesting firsts and a last. RDU was Eva Gabor’s last film role, Disney’s first sequel animated feature and the first feature film in history to be completely created digitally, without the use of a camera. Some animation for RDU was completed by staff artists at Disney-MGM Studios (now Disney’s Hollywood Studios).
However, the picture was a financial disappointment. Following an underwhelming first weekend at the box office, Jeffrey Katzenberg pulled all television advertising for the film. The Walt Disney Studios chief likely knew that another film opening that week, Home Alone was likely to massively outperform anything else released in the same time frame. Home Alone would be the highest-grossing film of the year.
Beauty and the Beast (1991)
Arguably the apex of the Disney Renaissance, the idea of an animated adaptation of Beauty and the Beast goes back all the way to the earliest days of Walt Disney Studios. However, Walt was unable to get the film off the ground in the 1930s and again in the 50s. When the idea was resurrected yet again in the late-80s, the picture was originally conceived as a non-musical, but, fresh off the success of The Little Mermaid, studio chairman, Jeffrey Katzenberg, ordered Beauty to be reimagined as a Broadway-style musical complete with Ashman-Menken score.
Howard Ashman, the originator, and architect of the Disney Broadway-style animated musical, had just finished Mermaid and was laboring furiously on Aladdin, a picture he desperately wanted to make, but, despite his health failing fast, Ashman agreed to come aboard Beauty. Ashman passed away before the film’s release. At the end of the credits, Disney included: “To our friend, Howard, who gave a mermaid her voice, and a beast his soul. We will be forever grateful. Howard Ashman: 1950–1991.”
Beauty and the Beast was a remarkable financial and critical success, amassing a $400 million gross profit and earning the distinction as the first animated film to win the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy. The picture was also the first animated film to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, where it brought home the Oscars for Best Original Score and Best Original Song.
Aladdin (1992)
Howard Ashman drafted the original treatment for Aladdin, which was pulled from production due to lack of interest around the studio. However, Ashman’s pet project was saved by Linda Woolverton, the story writer behind Beauty and the Beast, who developed an updated treatment draft. Woolverton’s treatment was selected by the production/direction team of Ron Clements and John Musker, fresh off of the success of The Little Mermaid, to go forward.
Jeffrey Katzenberg was still not a fan of the film as late as April 1991, when he ordered the story to be entirely re-written yet still be ready for release on Nov. 25, 1992. The production continued to be troubled, and the most tragic trouble came with the death of Ashman. Despite the tragedy and troubles, the production team pulled off a miracle and delivered an Oscar and Grammy-winning film which had the highest box office gross of any animated film to date.
Aladdin was the last film to be accompanied by an Ashman-Menken soundtrack and was the first to feature work by lyricist Tim Rice, who helped Alan Menken finish the soundtrack following Ashman’s death.
Austin Vaughn is a Columnist for the Boardwalk Times
