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The Rise and Fall of Disney Animation in the Modern EraBy Merlin Jones
Flash back to the late 1970's: As Walt's Nine Old Men and their peers retired from Disney's storied Feature Animation department, many worried their art form would come to an end. After all, the company had long debated continued support for the always overhead-heavy animation department. But the box-office success of even less-ambitious Disney animated features, such as The Aristocats and Robin Hood, convinced the old timers that the craft was worthy of a major commitment -- finding young apprentices to take up the pencil.
Several of the keepers-of-the-fla me (directing animator Eric Larson in particular) were dedicated to passing down the legacy to a new generation through a training program at the studio and California Institute of the Arts (which was supported by a Disney family trust).
From these programs, a young, eager staff of animation professionals emerged, cartoonist apprentices who wanted more than anything to continue the Disney traditions of art and entertainment (despite the fact that this was hardly chic at the time). Many were scoffed at for choosing this career -- common wisdom deemed that they were entering a dying business. They were.
The studio's output had indeed suffered since Walt's death. Films like Fox and the Hound were "soft" and paled in comparison to the early classics,
more: savedisney.com/news/features/fe09... (197)
September 8, 2004 | Viewed 20,002 time(s)
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