Disney Renaissance

Quick Facts: Who was Disney Renaissance?

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Disney Renaissance

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A golden age of Disney animation featuring musical successes from 1989 to 1999.

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2Day Chrono-Wiki & Primary Historical Archives

Origins & Early Life

The Disney Renaissance was a period from 1989 to 1999 during which Walt Disney Feature Animation returned to producing commercially and/or critically successful animated films. The ten feature films associated with this period are The Little Mermaid (1989), The Rescuers Down Under (1990), Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992), The Lion King (1994), Pocahontas (1995), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), Hercules (1997), Mulan (1998), and Tarzan (1999). The Great Mouse Detective (1986), Oliver & Company (1988) and Fantasia 2000 (1999) are also often included, the first two being precursors of the period and the last being the final animated feature film to follow the same artistic pattern as classic Disney films. The films were mostly musical adaptations of well-known stories, similar to ones produced by Walt Disney from the 1930s to 1960s. They saw great success at the domestic and foreign box office, earning much greater profits.

Career & Major Achievements

After the deaths of Walt and Roy O. Disney (in 1966 and 1971, respectively), Walt Disney Productions was left in the hands of Donn Tatum, Card Walker, and Walt's son-in-law, Ron Miller. Under their supervision, creative leadership over feature animated films largely fell to Wolfgang Reitherman. While certain films, such as The Rescuers (1977), were commercially and critically successful, most of the films released in the two decades after the death of the Disney brothers did not perform as well as the studio's previous work. Reitherman was determined to produce only family-friendly material certain to turn a profit, so he softened Disney villains so that they were more comical or pitiful than scary. During production of The Fox and the Hound (1981), long-time animator Don Bluth left Disney's animation department to start his own rival studio, Don Bluth Productions, taking 11 of Disney's 65 animators with him.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Production on The Fox and the Hound was delayed by six months. Don Bluth Productions produced The Secret of NIMH (1982), whose story was rejected by Disney as too dark, and the company became Disney's main competitor in the animation industry during the 1980s and early 1990s. Disney made organizational changes in the mid-1980s after narrowly escaping a takeover attempt by businessman and financier Saul Steinberg. Following the success of the animated short film Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983), which brought classic Disney characters back to theatrical animation, Michael Eisner, formerly of Paramount Pictures, became CEO in 1984, and he was joined by his Paramount associate Jeffrey Katzenberg as studio chairman, while Frank Wells, formerly of Warner Bros. Pictures, became president. In 1985, Peter Schneider was hired as president of Disney's feature animation department, which was soon to be rebranded as Walt Disney Feature Animation.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1966: 1966 Milestone — Disney (in 1966 and 1971, respectively), Walt Disney Productions was left in the hands of Donn Tatum, Card Walker, and Walt's son-in-law, Ron Miller.
2. 1977: 1977 Milestone — While certain films, such as The Rescuers (1977), were commercially and critically successful, most of the films released in the two decades after the death of the Disney brothers did not perform as well as the studio's previous work.
3. 1981: 1981 Milestone — During production of The Fox and the Hound (1981), long-time animator Don Bluth left Disney's animation department to start his own rival studio, Don Bluth Productions, taking 11 of Disney's 65 animators with him.
4. 1982: 1982 Milestone — Don Bluth Productions produced The Secret of NIMH (1982), whose story was rejected by Disney as too dark, and the company became Disney's main competitor in the animation industry during the 1980s and early 1990s.
5. 1983: 1983 Milestone — Following the success of the animated short film Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983), which brought classic Disney characters back to theatrical animation, Michael Eisner, formerly of Paramount Pictures, became CEO in 1984, and he was joined by his Paramount associate Jeffrey Katzenberg as studio chairman, while Frank Wells, formerly of Warner Bros.
6. 1985: 1985 Milestone — In 1985, Peter Schneider was hired as president of Disney's feature animation department, which was soon to be rebranded as Walt Disney Feature Animation.
7. 1986: 1986 Milestone — The Great Mouse Detective (1986), Oliver & Company (1988) and Fantasia 2000 (1999) are also often included, the first two being precursors of the period and the last being the final animated feature film to follow the same artistic pattern as classic Disney films.
8. 1989: 1989 Milestone — The Disney Renaissance was a period from 1989 to 1999 during which Walt Disney Feature Animation returned to producing commercially and/or critically successful animated films.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Disney Renaissance

True or False: “The Disney Renaissance was solely prompted by the failure of The Black Cauldron (1985).”

Answer (FALSE ❌): While The Black Cauldron's failure was a setback, the Renaissance was also influenced by competition from Don Bluth and international animation like Studio Ghibli.

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Frequently Asked Questions about Disney Renaissance