Disney Renaissance

Disney made many great movies.

These movies had lots of songs. Many were based on old stories. They were like plays on a stage.

People loved to watch them. The films made a lot of money. They were very popular.

Some films used new tools. They used computers to help. This made the art look new.

The films were made in a new place. This helped the studio grow again. It was a very special time for movies.

The Disney Renaissance was a special time for movies. It lasted from 1989 to 1999. During these years, Disney made many successful animated films.

Many of these films were musicals. They used songs to tell well-known stories.

One big film was The Little Mermaid in 1989. It helped bring musical theater styles to movies. Another famous film was Beauty and the Beast in 1991. It was the first animated film to get a Best Picture nomination.

Other hits included Aladdin and The Lion King. The Lion King became the highest-grossing hand-drawn film ever.

Disney used new tools during this era. They used a system called CAPS to help with animation. This made the art look very smooth.

The studio also worked in new places. For ten years, they worked in buildings in Glendale. This was far from their main lot in Burbank. Because the movies did so well, they moved back. In 1994, they opened a big new home in Burbank.

This new building was designed by Robert A. M. Stern.

The Disney Renaissance was a special era for animated movies. It lasted from 1989 to 1999. During this time, Walt Disney Feature Animation made many successful films. These movies were big hits at the box office. They were loved by people all over the world. Many of these films were also musical adaptations. They used songs to tell well-known stories. This helped bring the feeling of musical theater to the big screen.

Making these films involved new ways of working. Disney used a special system called CAPS. This stood for Computer Animation Production System. It helped make the traditional animation look very smooth. The studio also used computer-generated imagery for important scenes. For example, they used it in the climax of The Great Mouse Detective. This helped pave the way for the new era. Most of these movies were made in Glendale. They were made in old hangars and warehouses.

Before this era, Disney faced some hard times. After Walt and Roy Disney died, the studio struggled. Some movies did not make much money. In 1985, the animation team moved to Glendale. They moved to make room for live-action films. A movie called The Black Cauldron failed at the box office. This put the future of the animation department in danger. However, leaders like Michael Eisner and Roy E. Disney helped change things.

Many famous movies came out during these ten years. The Little Mermaid arrived in 1989. It won two Academy Awards for its music. Beauty and the Beast came out in 1991. It was the first animated film nominated for Best Picture. Aladdin and The Lion King were also huge hits. The Lion King became the highest-grossing traditionally animated film ever. Other films included Pocahontas, Hercules, Mulan, and Tarzan.

This period changed how people saw animated films. It showed that cartoons could be great musicals. It also showed they could be very successful in theaters. The success helped Disney move back to Burbank. In 1994, they opened a huge new building. It was designed by Robert A. M. Stern. This building was 240,000 square feet large. The Renaissance proved that animation was a powerful way to tell stories.

The Disney Renaissance was a transformative era for Walt Disney Feature Animation. This period lasted from 1989 to 1999. During these ten years, the studio produced a series of commercially and critically successful animated films. These movies were often musical adaptations of well-known stories. They successfully brought the traditions of musical theater to the big screen. This era helped the studio regain its status as a leader in the animation industry.

The process of creating these films involved significant technological and creative shifts. One major development was the Computer Animation Production System, known as CAPS. The film The Rescuers Down Under (1990) was the first to be produced entirely using this new system. Most other traditionally animated films during the Renaissance used CAPS to create smooth visuals. The studio also began integrating computer-generated imagery, or CGI, into their work. For example, The Great Mouse Detective (1986) used a two-minute climax featuring CGI. This early use of computer animation helped prepare the studio for the decade of success that followed.

Several distinct films defined this period through their unique styles and achievements. The era began with the massive success of The Little Mermaid (1989). This film used a Broadway-style musical approach with songs by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken. Next came Beauty and the Beast (1991), which made history as the first animated film nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. Other major titles included Aladdin (1992) and The Lion King (1994). The Lion King remains the highest-grossing traditionally animated film in history. Other notable films in this sequence were Pocahontas (1995), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), Hercules (1997), Mulan (1998), and Tarzan (1999).

Before the Renaissance, the animation department faced many challenges. After the deaths of Walt and Roy O. Disney, the studio's creative leadership changed. Most films released in the two decades after 1971 did not perform as well as earlier works. In 1981, animator Don Bluth left to start a rival studio. This move caused a six-month delay for the production of The Fox and the Hound. Furthermore, the box office failure of The Black Cauldron in 1985 put the department in jeopardy. To survive, the company underwent major organizational changes. New leaders like CEO Michael Eisner and Roy E. Disney helped steer the studio toward a new direction.

The era was fueled by intense competition and global influences. Disney faced strong competition from Don Bluth's productions, such as An American Tail. The studio also felt the influence of Japanese animation, specifically the works of Hayao Miyazaki from Studio Ghibli. Miyazaki's film Castle of Cagliostro (1979) even influenced the climax of The Great Mouse Detective. Leading animator Glen Keane has credited Miyazaki's work as a huge influence on Disney's films. This mix of competition and international inspiration helped push the studio to innovate. By 1988, Disney had moved back into first place for box-office receipts.

The financial and critical success of these films was immense. Beauty and the Beast was the first animated film to earn $100 million at the US box office. This success also led to profitable merchandising campaigns. The films also earned many prestigious awards. For instance, The Little Mermaid won two Academy Awards for its music. Aladdin and The Lion King also won Academy Awards for Best Original Song and Best Original Score. These numbers show how much the studio's fortunes improved during the decade.

The success of the Renaissance allowed Disney to change its physical home. For ten years, the animation department worked in temporary locations in Glendale. They used various hangars, warehouses, and trailers in the Grand Central Business Centre. Because the films were so profitable, the studio could afford a permanent home again. On December 16, 1994, the Roy E. Disney Animation Building opened in Burbank. This new building was designed by Robert A. M. Stern. It covered 240,000 square feet and sat across from the main Disney lot.