Disney Renaissance
The Disney Renaissance a term for the time in the 1990s in which Disney released many of its most beloved animated films of all time. After the death of Walt Disney in 1966, there was a steady decline in the quality of Disney animated films.Template:Opinion For the next couple of decades, films like The Aristocats (1970), Robin Hood (1973), The Fox and the Hound (1981), The Black Cauldron (1985), and Oliver & Company (1988) were met with mixed to negative reaction. In the 1980s, films from Don Bluth (himself a former Disney employee) were outperforming Disney films. An American Tail (1986) had outperformed Disney's The Great Mouse Detective (1986). The Land Before Time (1988) and Disney's Oliver & Company (1988) were released the same day, November 18, and The Land Before Time performed better. Eventually, Roy E. Disney convinced then-CEO Michael Eisner to let him oversee the theatrical animation division of the company.
Films
- 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)
- Tarzan (1999)
Significance
The Disney Renaissance had a major impact on millions of childhoods back then, and today. It also is enjoyed by millions of adults, who thought animation was only for kids. It also had several messages in the movies that started the push that turned Disney from the most conservative studio in Hollywood into the leftist company that Roy E. Disney described as “A rapacious soulless conglomerate always looking for the quick buck.”
Post-Renaissance
Following the release of Tarzan in 1999, Disney would have several movies of conflicting reviews. Movies like Lilo & Stitch (2002), The Princess and the Frog (2009) would be well-received while films like Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001), Treasure Planet (2002), and Home on the Range (2004) would have a more negative reception. In recent years, however, films like Frozen (2013) seem to be signaling a sort of "Neo-Renaissance" for Disney.