Disney has been a powerhouse in blitheness since Snow White stumbled into the home of vii diamond miners. The visitor seems flawless, simply taking a look at Disney's several eras of animation, it has had about equally many lows as highs. Disney'due south animation seems to have a blueprint of hitting home runs and then striking out. So much then, ane could bet on Disney's adjacent era tanking, only could the latest era be the 1 to break the spell, like Belle? Before that's unraveled, it's of import to understand the history of Disney's several eras.

The Golden Age

Pinocchio-The Golden Age

The Golden Age of Disney is where it all began in 1937. During that time, 5 blithe feature films set the bar for the craft as well as music in film. Pinocchio would go on to become the first animated characteristic to win a competitive Academy Award. Really, it won two: Original Score and Original Song for "When Yous Wish Upon a Star. The aforementioned, along with Snow White , Fantasia , Dense and Bambi ultimately laid the foundation for Disney with stories of princesses, adventures, talking animals, and of form, musical moments. Equally great every bit all of that seemed at the time, with the U.S. most to enter World War II, Disney was about to have a major plow.

The Wartime Era

The Three Caballeros-The Wartime Era

Rightfully dubbed The Wartime Era, Disney didn't do much from 1943-49 other than push war propaganda with anti-Nazi messaging, war bond-ownership encouragement, and overall support of the troops. The budgets and staff were as low as the morale effectually the office. Walt Disney couldn't afford to spend time, coin and endeavor on much, so the company opted for several anthologies, near of which are long forgotten except for The 3 Caballeros and The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad . WWII undoubtedly left noticeable cracks in Disney's foundation, just the next era would fill them with big business.

The Silver Age

Peter Pan-The Silver Age

With the end of WWII in 1945, the U.S. saw the Babe Smash soon later. It seemed like the nighttime clouds had passed and life was going to be okay for the foreseeable future. Families were thriving with dispensable income to spend at places similar drive-ins, and with that Disney entered its restoration era AKA The Silver Age in 1950 by going back to the fairy tale basics with Cinderella . Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan soon followed, only like an infomercial — await, in that location'due south more!

Five years into this era, Disneyland opened, and the company took its biggest jump into becoming more an animation platform. Information technology was condign a full-on brand. When the theme park opened, not even a dozen blithe films had been released. It was a huge swing, but information technology went out of the park.

The Silver Age raged on for effectually 20 years with classics like Sleeping Dazzler and 101 Dalmatians setting the tone of the era with beautiful, painterly animation. Unfortunately, Disney was well-nigh to take another hit. Not just did the U.Southward. enter the Vietnam War in 1964, simply two years after that the company lost its namesake when Walt Disney passed away.

The Bronze Age

Robin Hood- The Bronze Age

Disney before long establish itself struggling without the creative guidance it'd had for almost xxx years. The lack of insight from Walt Disney showed in The Bronze Historic period. During that time Disney adopted xerography. This new arroyo to animation saved time, but having to utilize heavy lines left movies looking funkier than their predecessors. Many draw the look of movies like The Aristocats , Robin Hood , and The Rescuers every bit "scratchy". In many ways though, the realism in the colorization matched the tone of the U.Southward. during the Vietnam War. Why be vibrant and magical when the world feels muted? Notwithstanding, information technology was not intentional equally Disney was just dealing with the loss of the man backside it all. The scramble to proceed the Disney magic alive after Walt Disney'south passing delivered movies that with time would exist celebrated, just by the terminate of the '80s came a pregnant change and instantaneous commercialism.

The Renaissance Era

The Little Mermaid-Renaissance Era

In 1989, The Piffling Mermaid propelled Disney into what is arguably its best, The Renaissance Era. Disney went back to the basics, only with a twist. They once over again were fairy tale focused, simply musically leaned toward chiliad performances that could exist likened to Broadway. It'due south that format that would become on to brand the Renaissance insanely lucrative.

This era was similar The Silver Historic period on steroids because the movies were elevated in every way shape and form, and the commercialism and branding were there. Putting time and effort into the characters, movies and music of this era paid off in many means. Disney wasn't a stranger to awards shows, but suddenly their movies were competing confronting not-animated movies. 1991'south Beauty and the Beast became the starting time animated movie to win Best Picture at the Golden Globes, as well equally the first animated moving picture to be nominated for All-time Picture at the Academy Awards. Accolades like that then helped the company land some of the biggest names in Hollywood for their films, something that wasn't too common before Aladdin when Robin Williams (Mrs. Doubtfire) stole the show as Genie. After that, Mel Gibson (The Patriot) was in Pocahontas ,' 90s teen heartthrob Johnathan Taylor Thomas (Home Improvement) was in The Lion Rex . Speaking of, The Panthera leo Rex also scored Sir Elton John for the soundtrack, and later Phil Collins was hired to work on the Tarzan soundtrack.

On the capitalism front end, Disney was raking in money from flick merchandise like never before. When things like Star Wars and Sabbatum morning cartoons started to prove that Hollywood could brand even more by selling toys of said properties, Disney was going through their Bronze Era and missed out. They weren't going to make that mistake over again during this era.

The first Disney retail store opened in 1987. Perhaps predicting a turnaround, or at least hoping for one. With that, fans could buy in stores, at the theme park, or even get merchandise at places like McDonald's. There wasn't a child live in the '90s who didn't live for a Disney-themed Happy Repast toy. That'south considering Disney stepped up the label during the Renaissance. Cinderella and Aurora were peachy, but Disney started to give their new line of princesses and characters more gumption and personality. Something fans attached to like never earlier, and when a fan can place with something on a personal level, it makes them want to buy.

The Post-Renaissance Era

Pacha and Kuzco

All of that led to new ventures on the animation forepart with the introduction of DisneyToon Studios, and a collaboration that would cement this era's merits to fame. Pixar set a precedent and while information technology was a match made in sky, the estimator animation style of Disney's new bestie brought to the tabular array led to a rather chaotic time at the turn of the century.

The Post-Renaissance Era that got underway in 2000 should take been chosen the Age of Frenzied Backlog considering Disney dropped almost 60 animated movies. That'due south more than whatever era before or later on, and very few of them made waves with fans sans Lilo & Stitch and Pixar'due south contributions. While Disney films like The Emperor's New Groove and Atlantis: The Lost Empire did fine, Pixar dominated the Post-Renaissance with Monsters, Inc. , Finding Nemo , and Up . That's because Pixar had a vision, while information technology felt like Disney was just tossing out anything and hoping something worked. The company also started to churn out sequels no one was requesting for former Renaissance hits like Mulan and The Hunchback of Notre Dame .

It seemed similar Disney was trying to keep up with Pixar, as well equally the Blockbuster franchises that were emerging. Star Wars had come back with prequels, and they weren't alone. The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter also had a stake in the game, and those little superhero movies like Spider-Man , Ten-Men and Atomic number 26 Homo were clearing a new path for moviegoers.

Disney tried to recapture the wonder of the Renaissance with 2009's The Princess and the Frog though, and it did well, but with Pixar owning the Mail service-Renaissance Era, Disney seemed to cave in to the pressure of what was selling. A twelvemonth after Princess Tiana (Anika Noni Rose) gloriously became Disney'south first Black princess (for about 2 seconds earlier she was a frog) and the final traditionally animated Disney film, came Tangled and the current affiliate in Disney'south long history; The Revival Era.

The Revival Era

Encanto-Movie
Image Via Disney

In an era that some would say could be labeled the Second Renaissance, the lines started to blur betwixt Disney and Pixar in terms of manner, and while the visitor took some Post-Renaissance risks with more audacious movies like Big Hero 6 and Wreck-It Ralph , Disney likewise fell back on the tried and truthful format of fairytale-like stories with elements of Broadway tossed in the mix, à la Frozen and Encanto, both of which produced inescapable songs, but since one can't talk nearly Bruno…1 will only have to motion onto where The Revival Era currently stands.

Right now The Revival Era has proven fruitful only given Disney'due south history, it seems due for another depression betoken. Disney could have easily been impacted in 2020, only thank you to streaming and the and then-new Disney+ app, the company was able to withstand all of that and deliver movies like the aforementioned Encanto, Soul , Luca and Onward . Streaming played a role in not entering a downwards screw toward another Bronze Age, merely and so did the company's investments.

Star Wars and superheroes were once Disney'southward biggest competition at the box office. Now, Disney need not worry because those backdrop are at present endemic past the business firm of Mickey Mouse. Disney has monopolized a great bargain of the entertainment industry, but life's tossed the company unexpected twists and turns in the past. So volition Disney dip again similar they have three times earlier? If 1 were betting on patterns, then yes, simply in recent years Disney has masterfully played the game and opened its wallet wide enough to ensure that information technology'southward going to take a lot to tear downward this amusement giant. With more to fall back on today than ever before, perhaps the adjacent era of Disney will be the commencement to heighten what came before it instead of just having to pick upwards the pieces of even so some other croaky foundation.

These movies are available to stream on Disney+ (click here to sentry).