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Authors: Leslie Le Mon
Gretel , an example of Disney ’s deftness at blending fairy tale archetypes with Disney creativity and storytelling methods. I had a non- Disney fairy tale book that I loved; Mom read it to me at bedtime, and the fairy tale archetypes sifted into my consciousness.
As was typical for most families in the 1960’s and 70’s, every week we gathered together in front of the television set to watch The Wonderful World of Disney . It was always exciting when Tinker Bell waved her wand and sprinkled pixie dust to kick off the program, one of those Disney touches that built anticipation, signaling that something very special was about to happen.
Although Walt Disney had passed on in 1966, he frequently appeared on The Wonderful World of Disney in segments that were filmed before his death, whether introducing a re-broadcast program, or appearing in the program itself.
H is warm personality came across just as well on television as it did in person. He always had a twinkle in his eye and a delighted smile when he introduced whatever film or show was airing. There was something fatherly, grandfatherly, avuncular about him, and at the same time something childlike. You could tell that to Walt , whatever cares he had or challenges he faced (and for a media mogul, they were many), the world truly was a wonderful place, full of boundless fun and possibility.
Like most other kids, my siblings and I went to see the Disney live action films of the 1970’s, the Witch Mountain movies, The Apple Dumpling Gang , etc., and re-releases of masterpieces like Mary Poppins , and we never missed re-releases of the classic animated features. Some Disney films were better than others during that era—after Walt ’s passing, quality and vision could be rather slapdash in the film division, without Walt at the helm—but they were always funny or thrilling, and had relevant human truths at their heart. For those of us that grew up with those movies, they were part of the soundtrack, mythos, and texture of our lives.
For most of the 1980’s I was consumed by college studies and personal life, and Disney wasn’t on my radar at all – which wasn’t bad timing, since that wasn’t exactly a golden age of Disney film or television. Disney fortunes were sustained during that time by its thriving theme park division.
Then, i n 1989, Disney animation returned triumphantly with the feature The Little Mermaid . With its fresh artistic eye and Broadway-style score and musical numbers, The Little Mermaid announced in no uncertain terms that “the mouse” was back to rule animation. Anyone interested in how Roy E. Disney , Michael Eisner , Jeffrey Katzenberg , and the Disney animation team gloriously revived the Disney animation dynamo should view Waking Sleeping Beauty (2010).
Beauty and the Beast , 1991’s follow up to The Little Mermaid , was unquestionably one of the year’s best films, animated or live-action. I saw this movie with my aunt—one of those wonderful, über-aunts, like an Auntie Mame—at a local theater in Greenfield, MA. Beauty and the Beast ’s artistry, inventive production numbers, humor, and moving story resulted in Oscar nominations for three of its songs, as well as for Best Music, Original Score, Best Sound, and Best Picture.
It won for Best Music, Original Score and for the title song Beauty and the Beast . Against strong competition (“Bugsy,” “JFK,” “The Prince of Tides,” and “Silence of the Lambs”) it didn’t win Best Picture. That honor went to “Silence of the Lambs” and its portrait of a chilling human beast. But although “Silence of the Lambs,” the first horror movie ever nominated for a Best Picture Oscar, took home the gold, Beauty and the Beast had the distinction of being the first animated feature ever nominated in that august category.
Beauty and the Beast ’s achievements cemented Disney ’s successful return to feature animation and heralded a new
As was typical for most families in the 1960’s and 70’s, every week we gathered together in front of the television set to watch The Wonderful World of Disney . It was always exciting when Tinker Bell waved her wand and sprinkled pixie dust to kick off the program, one of those Disney touches that built anticipation, signaling that something very special was about to happen.
Although Walt Disney had passed on in 1966, he frequently appeared on The Wonderful World of Disney in segments that were filmed before his death, whether introducing a re-broadcast program, or appearing in the program itself.
H is warm personality came across just as well on television as it did in person. He always had a twinkle in his eye and a delighted smile when he introduced whatever film or show was airing. There was something fatherly, grandfatherly, avuncular about him, and at the same time something childlike. You could tell that to Walt , whatever cares he had or challenges he faced (and for a media mogul, they were many), the world truly was a wonderful place, full of boundless fun and possibility.
Like most other kids, my siblings and I went to see the Disney live action films of the 1970’s, the Witch Mountain movies, The Apple Dumpling Gang , etc., and re-releases of masterpieces like Mary Poppins , and we never missed re-releases of the classic animated features. Some Disney films were better than others during that era—after Walt ’s passing, quality and vision could be rather slapdash in the film division, without Walt at the helm—but they were always funny or thrilling, and had relevant human truths at their heart. For those of us that grew up with those movies, they were part of the soundtrack, mythos, and texture of our lives.
For most of the 1980’s I was consumed by college studies and personal life, and Disney wasn’t on my radar at all – which wasn’t bad timing, since that wasn’t exactly a golden age of Disney film or television. Disney fortunes were sustained during that time by its thriving theme park division.
Then, i n 1989, Disney animation returned triumphantly with the feature The Little Mermaid . With its fresh artistic eye and Broadway-style score and musical numbers, The Little Mermaid announced in no uncertain terms that “the mouse” was back to rule animation. Anyone interested in how Roy E. Disney , Michael Eisner , Jeffrey Katzenberg , and the Disney animation team gloriously revived the Disney animation dynamo should view Waking Sleeping Beauty (2010).
Beauty and the Beast , 1991’s follow up to The Little Mermaid , was unquestionably one of the year’s best films, animated or live-action. I saw this movie with my aunt—one of those wonderful, über-aunts, like an Auntie Mame—at a local theater in Greenfield, MA. Beauty and the Beast ’s artistry, inventive production numbers, humor, and moving story resulted in Oscar nominations for three of its songs, as well as for Best Music, Original Score, Best Sound, and Best Picture.
It won for Best Music, Original Score and for the title song Beauty and the Beast . Against strong competition (“Bugsy,” “JFK,” “The Prince of Tides,” and “Silence of the Lambs”) it didn’t win Best Picture. That honor went to “Silence of the Lambs” and its portrait of a chilling human beast. But although “Silence of the Lambs,” the first horror movie ever nominated for a Best Picture Oscar, took home the gold, Beauty and the Beast had the distinction of being the first animated feature ever nominated in that august category.
Beauty and the Beast ’s achievements cemented Disney ’s successful return to feature animation and heralded a new
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