The Disney Bronze Age refers to an era of the Disney Animated Canon that lasted from 1970 to 1977, beginning soon after the death of Walt Disney. The films of this era were notable for their distinctive art style, a byproduct of a cheaper xerography process invented by Ub Iwerks, but were also notable for having a generally mixed critical reception and financial performance compared to films Walt Disney himself produced and directed while he was still alive.
It is predicted that the era started after the death of Walt Disney in December of 1966, beginning with The Aristocats in 1970 and ending in 1989 with The Little Mermaid, which is also said to be the start of another era known as the Disney Renaissance, or "Disney's Second Golden Age". (On a similar note, The Great Mouse Detectiveis sometimes considered to be a part of the Disney Renaissance. ) Despite the era's reputation among critics and fans, most Bronze Age films were financially successful at the box office, with some films being nominated for film awards, winning a few of them. One film in particular, The Rescuers, set box office records upon release and eventually spawned a theatrical sequel in 1990.
With the deaths of Walt and Roy O. Disney, Walt Disney Productions was left in the hands of Donn Tatum, Card Walker and Ron W. Miller. At this time, Disney's Nine Old Men, aging animators of the company, began training new animators in prospect of retiring. In the 1980s, Don Bluth and eleven animators, who were friends of Don, left Disney to establish their own company, Don Bluth Productions, which proved to be a great rival towards Disney in the 1980s, with their own feature films such as The Secret of NIMH (a film that Don originally pitched to Disney, but was scrapped due to its overly mature and dark tone; this being one of the reasons why Bluth and his friends left the studio to begin with), An American Tail, The Land Before Time and All Dogs Go to Heaven.
The Aristocats led to the official start of the Disney Bronze Age. The film was also a critical and financial success.
Along with The Jungle Book, The Aristocats was one of the last animated films Walt Disney had approved, although he did not live to see either one completed. Taking four years to finish, The Aristocats was released to theaters on December 24, 1970. Despite favorable reviews and solid box office performance, the film did not match the successes of past Disney films such as One Hundred and One Dalmatians. Because of this, the film is seen as a modest success in the Disney Animated Canon, although the film is still considered to be very iconic.
Robin Hood was the first Disney animated film to begin production after Walt Disney's death.
Beginning production before Walt's death, Robin Hood began as an adaptation of Reynard the Fox. This idea was scrapped after Disney deemed Reynard a non-suitable hero. After Walt's death, the film was updated to be an adaptation of the Robin Hood stories. The film was released on November 8, 1973 to mixed reviews. While it was a commercial success and was popular with audiences, including a sizable fanbase, the film was criticized for its heavy use of recycled animation from films such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, The Jungle Book and The Aristocats. The recycled animation was justified due to the fact that the company was undergoing a financial slump after Phase One construction of Walt Disney World went over-budget. Despite its mixed critical reception, the film did receive a nomination for an Oscar award at the time.
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, released in 1977, is often considered to be a modern day package feature.
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh was a compilation film comprised of three segments (Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree, Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day and Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too!), all of which had been released to theaters in years prior to the film's release. This was due to Walt Disney's intentions of making a full-length Winnie the Pooh feature film, instead settling on short features. Though not a financial success, the film was praised by critics for being a faithful adaption to the books. It currently holds a rare 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, making it the highest critically-acclaimed movies of the era.
This film was the last joint-effort of animators such as Milt Kahl, Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas. It was also the studio's biggest hit, with both the box office and movie critics, since The Jungle Book and until The Great Mouse Detective. It is also the final film in the Disney Bronze Age
Taking four years to complete, The Rescuers was a great critical and commercial success, even breaking the record for largest financial amount made for an animated film on opening weekend, a record it held until 1986 by Don Bluth's An American Tail. The film was Disney's most successful film at the time, regaining people's faith towards the studio's future. The film was a critical success, making it one of the most popular films of the Bronze Age which allowed the film to spawn a sequel, The Rescuers Down Under in 1990. It was also Disney's biggest critical and commercial success until the release of The Great Mouse Detective in 1986.
