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Its all killer, no filler.
This movie served as a template for so many other animated films from both Disney and its rivals.
A winsome protagonist looking for her happily ever after?
A terrifying villain hell-bent on gaining power?
But what makesSnow White and the Seven Dwarfsstill groundbreaking 83 years later is the artistry on display.
Theres no overall story, almost no dialogue, and few named characters.
Its hosted by an opera composer.
Its wall-to-wall classical music.
Each short inFantasiaallowed animators to flex their creative muscles.
ButFantasiafailed to hit big initially.
Dubbed Fantasound, it was stereo sound decades before the world was ready for it.
Eighty years later,Fantasiais distinctive and remarkable, showcasing truly jaw-dropping animation.
(Disney was also conscripted by the government to make wartime propaganda.
Beforehand, were treated to comic gadfly Robert Benchley traversing the studio lot.
The Three Caballeros(1944)
Even in package films, Disney animators pushed boundaries.
Among the results of that trip were two package films:Saludos Amigos(1942) andThe Three Caballeros.
The former is barely a feature, clocking in at 42 minutes.
The Three Caballeros, like all Disney package films, has its ups and downs.
Even with its lower budget,The Three Caballerosis delightfully outlandish.
Few Disney films are so singularly baffling and charming at once.
Sleeping Beautywas the last true masterwork released during Walt Disneys lifetime.
Disney bet the farm onSleeping Beauty,and it paid off.
This is one of the all-time great animated features, period.
One of Walt Disneys longtime cohorts, Ub Iwerks, had perfected xerographic technology for use in animation.
On Disney+, theres a brief warning of offensive content, but the content is still jarring.
But as the studio continued leaning into darkness, it wound up alienating some audiences and animators.
The Black Cauldron(1985)
The 1980s were a time of abrupt change at Disney.
And he expected to cut it to ribbons just as he would edit a live-action film.
(Animation editing doesnt work that way.)
The Black Cauldronis a creative misfire that gives a fascinating glimpse into Disneys struggles.
On one hand: undead soldiers attacking the good guys.
The Disney Renaissance is full of beloved favorites and box-office hits that remain among the studios best.
The Little Mermaid(1989)
The hits came gradually.
Like some of the studios earliest successes,The Little Mermaidis an adaptation of a timeless fairy tale.
Also like those early films,The Little Mermaidhas a fearsome villain, hilarious sidekicks, and memorable music.
ButThe Little Mermaidnever keeps a fin stuck in the past.
Ashman and Menkens songs are instantly unforgettable and necessary parts of the story.
Dinosaur(2000)
Disney caught up only at the turn of the new century.
In the summer of 2000, it released a computer-animated adventure.
LikeToy Story, its also song free.
And its … well, itsmostlycomputer animated.
ButDinosaurdoesnt have the same emotional impact or memorable characters as Pixars offering.
Dinosauris the story of an iguanodon and his adoptive family of lemurs traveling to safety in prehistoric times.
The films most distinctive technical choice is to superimpose computer-animated characters against live-action backgrounds.
But the animation inDinosaurdoesnt stand the test of time, and the story is wan and forgettable.
ButDinosaurgoes downhill after this opening.
The film is an effective warning: Animating a story via computer doesnt replace good dialogue and memorable characters.
But that fable is brief, so thisChicken Littleturns the story on its head.
Arriving a decade afterToy Story,Chicken Littlewas Disneys first fully computer-animated feature.
Strangely, this film feels inspired by an outside rival: DreamWorksShrek.
LikeShrek,Chicken Littleis replete with pop-culture references, cameos, and needle drops.
Also likeShrek,Chicken Littlehas some particularly grim-looking computer animation.
Lasseter helped Disney right the ship and embrace computer animation while bidding hand-drawn animation one last farewell.
The film could have brought about a revival of hand-drawn animation; instead, it was the last stand.
Zootopiais deft, funny, and the most richly animated film the studio has made in years.
But the story, inventive humor, and emotionally deep voice performances makeZootopiaa fine closer to this crash course.
Walt Disney Animation Studios has progressed beyond its days of only telling fairy tales with standard templates and characters.
LikeThe Little Mermaid,Moanais a musical with songs created by immensely talented Broadway composers.
But the hype forFrozen IIwas undeniable, guaranteeing its smash-hit status at the box office.
However, theyve struggled to stand out from the competition.
Once Disney putEncantoon Disney+ over the 2021 holiday season, though, the film went viral.
WhileEncantodoes have its charms, its a slightly dull echo of other titles.
The movie is cute enough, but the signs of potential trouble for future titles are present.
In concept, that film,Wish, was a slam dunk.
