The Life of the Animated Short

Last year seemed like just another year in family-friendly animated tentpole movies. A year with a near-alarming amount of sequels, even from the big houses... You had a single Pixar movie and a single Walt Disney Animation Studios film last year, and both were sequels, entries in popular, massively successful franchises. Other stalwarts, like DreamWorks, …

This Decade in Disney Animation: My Retrospective, Part 2

A recap... Instead of looking at the last ten years' worth of Walt Disney Animation Studios output, I decided to start off at where I thought their "revival" period began, and why it began in the first place. This entire decade is very much part of and a byproduct of the studio's resurgence as a …

This Decade in Disney Animation: My Retrospective, Part 1

This decade was a period of all-around success for Walt Disney Animation Studios. Much has been written about how the studio had entered a new revival, a Renaissance perhaps. I wouldn't say that the entirety of the 2010s encapsulates the revival of Walt Disney Animation Studios, for it was going on before this decade came …

Understanding Why ‘The Rescuers Down Under’ Flopped

Have you ever seen or heard of Disney's animated feature The Rescuers Down Under? Well-known amongst many a Disney or animation fanatic, The Rescuers Down Under was made and released during Disney's much-heralded Renaissance period. The era that produced critical darling megahits like The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King. Often times, whenever the Renaissance is …

The End of Two Pixar Eras?

It has been roughly five months since Toy Story 4 was released in theaters. The 21st Pixar film and the latest sequel to their first ever film, which came out 24 years ago, proved to be a critical and commercial smash, though between the success lie some divisiveness over the film's narrative choices and whatnot. This …

Disney Animation Flops: Then and Now

There are Disney hits, and there are Disney films that are flops... If you're completely new to box office, film history, and even The Walt Disney Company's own history... This may come as a big shock to you. A good number of the most iconic Disney animated features were flops upon their respective initial releases... …

THE BLACK CAULDRON’s Brief Re-issue

The history of The Walt Disney Company is filled to the brim with stories. There are plenty of well-known stories regarding their animated features, their live-action endeavors, the theme parks, the cartoon shorts, and several other works of media that they put out. Today, I'm going to talk about The Black Cauldron... Again... The Black Cauldron …

The Typography of the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase 3 & 4

Phase Three marks an era of change for the Marvel Cinematic Universe... For one, by the time Phase Three's first film - 2016's Captain America: Civil War - was in full production, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige was able to break the production company off from Marvel Entertainment. Marvel Entertainment CEO Ike Perlmutter infamously cut corners, …

The Typography of the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase 1 & 2

I wasn't sure whether I would make a series examining the logos of the ever-expanding, massively successful Marvel Cinematic Universe. Having already done Pixar, and now covering the library of Disney animated features, I wasn't sure if tackling Marvel logos would be worth it. For one, these films are newer and more contemporary, lots has …

The Typography of Disney Animation Logos #10: Transitional Features

Now we work our way through the mid-1980s, and closer towards Disney's rebirth... Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Pinocchio Fantasia Dumbo and Bambi Saludos Amigos, The Three Caballeros, and Make Mine Music Fun & Fancy Free, Melody Time, and The Adventures of the Ichabod and Mr. Toad Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, and Peter …