Will Disney ever produce a "classic" movie anytime soon?

Walt Disney1955

Walt Disney1955

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Alright not to nitpick, but when you think of the golden age of Walt Disney you think of the 1940s and 1950s. First there was Snow White in 1937 and it was followed by Fantasia, Pinocchio, Dumbo and Bambi. Afterwards Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan and Sleeping Beauty rocked the 1950s. Lots of classic movies with lots of attractions based around it. Fantasia, Pinocchio and Alice surprisingly did not do very well at the box office but they have aged well.

Since then the explosion of Mermaid, Beast, Aladdin and culminating with the Lion King gave way to a new generation of memorable films. Since then though, they've lagged behind. Since 1994 when Lion King was made the best Disney movie(s) have been the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise which has done well and which I think Disney should take more advantage of. "Up" and Princess and the Frog did alright but may not be movies talked about in 50 years. I know there isn't Walt's touch anymore, but can Disney do some more movies again like in the 1940s or even the early 1990s? Roy Disney Jr. jump started Disney animation again to produce those great 1990s films but there has been precious few since.
 
rsoxguy

rsoxguy

Well-Known Member
Taste is completely subjective, so I think that you have asked a difficult question. One factor that might be considered is the fact that our society has many more alternatives in the field of entertainment. We are a recreation driven society, and things that were once considered as central in our collective thought are no longer the objects of focus that they used to be. I remember the days of three major networks, one UHF station, and PBS. Whenever a premier movie was shown on one of the three networks, it was a major "event". Now, not so much.
 
ImagineerDude

ImagineerDude

Well-Known Member
IMO, the Little Mermaid thru Lion King movie era thumped all other Disney movies except Snow White. I honestly dont know the answer, but supposedly Tangled was Disney's last Princess movie....Disney isn't going anywhere anytime soon, so I don't necessarily believe this...
 
luv

luv

Well-Known Member
Mermaid, BatB, Aladdin and Lion King are my favorites. The Ashman & Menken songs were the best. Combos that good are rare. Even aside from the sorrow and personal tragedies suffered by loved ones whenever someone dies, the death of Howard Ashman was a great loss. He was so very talented and I think we all lost out on the benefits of his gift when he died. :(

The Lion King had good songs, too, and was an extremely good movie aside from the songs.

If Disney focuses on the 5-10 year old crowd...not entertaining preschoolers or impressing preteens...and manages to find people who write great songs, they'll have more hits that become classics. And I think it will happen at some point. :)
 
CP_alum08

CP_alum08

Well-Known Member
I think it depends on how you look at it. I bring up the same argument with music occasionally, will there ever be a band as big or as popular as the Rolling Stones or the Beatles? No. Why not?

I think it's a generational thing. I think Soxguy hit it, people have SO MANY options today that no one thing can really ever emerge a shinning star like it used to be able to. I also think it just has to do with peoples' personal feeling. If Pinocchio is your all-time favorite movie nothing Disney ever does will be as good in your eyes, regardless of other peoples feelings or box office earning or anything else. Personally, I love those 90's movies but that's when I grew up and that was my first introduction to Disney. As i've grown up I can really appreciate the earlier stuff but it just doesn't hit those heart strings like Lion King or Aladdin do.

Also "best" in entirely subjective :)
 
stlbobby

stlbobby

Well-Known Member
Several of the recent Disney movies have been classics. The Toy Story series, Up, and WALL-E are all considered classics by most people and are taken seriously as films. PatF and Tangled have their fans and may over time attain classic status. Cars, Finding Nemo, and Monsters Inc. brought in tons of cash and received great reviews. I personally like Bolt and Bugs Life.

I think Disney's doing some classic work.
 
Animaniac93-98

Animaniac93-98

Well-Known Member
A "classic" is something that stands the test of time, and as abused by Disney as the word is (did you know Home on the Range is an official Disney "classic"?) they can never really change that. I don't know how some movies will play 20 years from now, but I think it's too early to assume what will or will not be loved in the future and unfair to force Disney to make a "classic". When you do you get something like Pocahontas.

If they make a truly good movie, it will stand the test of time. Whether they even can is a good question, though. They may not even have the right creative enviroment to do so.
 
Animaniac93-98

Animaniac93-98

Well-Known Member
luv said:
Mermaid, BatB, Aladdin and Lion King are my favorites. The Ashman & Menken songs were the best. Combos that good are rare. Even aside from the sorrow and personal tragedies suffered by loved ones whenever someone dies, the death of Howard Ashman was a great loss. He was so very talented and I think we all lost out on the benefits of his gift when he died. :(
Click to expand...

I don't mean to ruin your point, as Howard was a great talent, but you or others might be intersted to know how little of Howard's work really made it into the final Aladdin. Outside of 3 songs (which were not sung by his first choice), most of Howard's story work was thrown out and the final movie is much more of a Katzenberg project in the end.

Here's a great article by John Musker (the movie's co-director) on the subject:

http://howardashman.com/blog/john-musker-question-countdown-number-9
 
wolf359

wolf359

Well-Known Member
Perspective has a lot to do with what makes a "classic" film.

I think Disney has made several good animated films since The Lion King but it remains to be seen if they will be seen as classic films. Of course, they've made some dogs too, but every period of the studio had its share of clunkers.

As already mentioned, some of the classic Disney films were unpopular when originally released, but gained appreciation in the decades that followed. Many of those early films now have significant fame and reputation and benefit from being assigned a "classic" status in part because of popular opinion and in part from rose-colored childhood memories of a film that hasn't been personally revisited as an adult. That's not to say that many of those older films weren't great, but I think some of them fall under the blanket judgement that all of the "Walt Era" films are classic simply by virtue of being one of Walt's films.

If some of those classic films were released today and held to the same standards as what many believe a "classic" Disney film must be like I think many of them would be harshly criticized now. Even Walt Disney himself can't compete with his own reputation or our modern day expectations of what a "good" family animated film is. I think many casual fans would be shocked by some of the content of those classics, but for many that would require them to stay in the room with their child instead of using the DVD player as a babysitter, or actually removing that new Extra Super Deluxe Double Diamond Ultra Platinum Edition BluRay from its shrink wrap and really watching the damn thing instead of just "collecting them because they're classics."

So I do think it is a little unfair to hold these newer films up to be judged against the reputations of films that have 50+ years of being a part of popular culture. I think Disney is (and has always been) just like any other studio. They've made some great films, some good films, and some forgettable films. Which films are which depend on personal taste, but I'm comfortable leaving the awarding of titles like "classic" for history to decide.
 
Tip Top Club

Tip Top Club

Well-Known Member
ImagineerDude said:
supposedly Tangled was Disney's last Princess movie....Disney isn't going anywhere anytime soon, so I don't necessarily believe this...
Click to expand...

Except of course for Frozen....

Anyway, like has been said, Taste is subjective. I think that Princess and the Frog will gain more popularity with time. I think the Toy Story Trilogy will go down in History, and I think that Tangled will do well as well. Pirates isn't going anywhere anytime soon, nor is Marvel, Muppets, or Pixar. We have plenty going for us, and I can only hope that Walt Disney Animation Studios doesn't use this as an opportunity to get lazy. Let's make some winners guys!
 
Gomer

Gomer

Well-Known Member
When I first read this thread, I assumed Pixar would not be counted. But if you are including Pixar, I think you have many classics and box office smashes to choose from. Some have been included amongst the biggest box office hits of all time (Finding Nemo, Toy Story Movies) without the benefit of multiple releases and no home video market the classics used to get. Others like Wall-E and UP have been in consideration for best films of the year by many critics...in with the non-animated films none the less.

Amongst actual Disney films, I think the first Pirates movies will last in pop culture. Tangled has grown on me as well. Time will tell if that takes its place among the early 90's Disney Musicals.
 
W

wiigirl

Well-Known Member
The Empress Lilly said:
Tangled. :cool:
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Tangled...I really liked it and has all the elements to be a classic.
75.gif
 
Mickey_777

Mickey_777

Well-Known Member
The Toy Story movies, Finding Nemo, and the first Cars are classics along with Monsters Incorporated. You could make an argument for Tangled given it's continued popularity. I have high hopes for Wreck It Ralph given it's never done before concept and Frozen based on the Snow Queen fairytale. We all know how much Disney loves to re-tell classic fairytales. I heard they're pretty good at it too ;)
 
ParentsOf4

ParentsOf4

Well-Known Member
Big Phil said:
Alright not to nitpick, but when you think of the golden age of Walt Disney you think of the 1940s and 1950s. First there was Snow White in 1937 and it was followed by Fantasia, Pinocchio, Dumbo and Bambi. Afterwards Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan and Sleeping Beauty rocked the 1950s. Lots of classic movies with lots of attractions based around it. Fantasia, Pinocchio and Alice surprisingly did not do very well at the box office but they have aged well.
Click to expand...
Many of the films you list as "classic" were not even considered very good when first released. Fantasia, Pinocchio, Dumbo and Bambi all had their detractors. As you note, Pinocchio was a "financial debacle", as was Fantasia. It's only through the haze of time that they've been reclassified as "classic".

Who knows what movie today will be considered a "classic" 50 years from now. If we could somehow be transported to 2062, I think we might be surprised to see how time judged some movies.
 

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