Animation Stagnation or: How America Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Mouse by Billy Tooma With all the animated flms that come out reason behind this is that Disney just keeps these days, it can actually be somewhat difcult putting out one hit after another and audiences to distinguish a Disney-made one from the expect perfection each time. Unfortunately, for others, seeing as how the competition tries on a the company that has made Mickey Mouse a consistent basis to copy the style that Walt Disney household name for over 90 years, that isn’t the himself unofcially trademarked as far back as case. Even though people are showing up to the the late 1920s. Te very thought that something cinemas, they aren’t doing it because they expect is being put out by Disney can lead to biased to see a screen gem. Tey’re doing it because appeal. In 1994, Warner Bros. had produced an it’s felt that they owe something, possibly their animated feature entitled Tumbelina. In one childhood, to Disney. But, does that mean of its frst test screenings, the overall audience people are being foolish for constantly shelling consensus was low, discouraging the executives out money to see a Disney animated flm every because they felt theirs was as fne a product as year or so? Te answer is ‘no,’ because Disney their competition. In an unprecedented move, was able to gain such an early monopoly on Warner Bros. stripped their logo from the flm’s the industry that it allowed them to prevent opening and replaced it with the Disney one. Te the growth and maturation of animation and next test screening results were up (Schweizer, the American people’s taste for it. Stagnation Schweizer 135). occurred; so, when the history behind Disney’s Tere is something about a Disney success is examined, it can be seen that the animated flm that causes people to set out to quality of its pictures failed to stop evolving much movie theaters en masse each and every time a earlier than most think, allowing the animation new one is released. Some would say that the within its own walls, and those of its rivals, to Fall 2016 17 stop growing, causing the average American the crude style, it’s their enjoyable stories that inability to view the medium as anything more made them popular. Tis showed Disney that than something made for children. projects like those needed a strong group efort So, what is this telling us? Could it really and work ethic in order for their continued be so simple for a non-Disney company, in order success to be ensured. In fact, it was that belief to do well, just make people believe theirs is right that brought about one of the frst techniques out of the same studio that produced Snow White Disney didn’t just innovate, in fact, him and and the Seven Dwarfs (1938)? According to the his people invented it. Stephen Cavalier, in his account written above, yes, but, there is much very in-depth Te World History of Animation, more to it than that. Even though the second says of the man’s eye for detail, “His talent, test screening went well, Tumbelina tanked at for instance, for reading a movie’s storyboard the box ofce. Tat special something that helps and instantlyknowing where the story slowed generate Disney flms’ revenue has its roots frmly or needed improvements was legendary” (79). planted in the past, represented today by a castle- Although today the use of storyboards is seen as centered logo. an essential part in the flmmaking process, when After the initial popularity of the early Disney set out to make his own animated birds in animation, such as Winsor McCay and projects, the very idea was completely foreign to John Randolph Hearst, began to die down, the the industry. medium was starting to be seen as nothing more Tis idea of taking the time to put together than a cute novelty, with the viewing public a well thought out cartoon was something unique, not taking it very seriously. Sure, they enjoyed at the beginning, to the Disney studio. No one the quirky shorts, but there was no substance had thought to do such a thing. Te competitors to grasp onto. Leonard Maltin, in his book Of in the business had a laid back attitude regarding Mice and Magic, reminds us that, “He [Walt their output, which meant that if the flms were Disney] did not invent the medium, but one done on time and within the budget then that could say that he defned it. Disney innovated was a success for them. Even when Disney’s frst and perfected ideas and techniques that dramatically changed the course of cartoon production. Some were utterly So, here we have a young Disney who is simple while others were awesomely willing to take risks that no one else in complex” (29). So, here we have a the industry was prepared to do. young Disney who is willing to take risks that no one else in the industry was prepared to do, either for fnancial reasons or, employee, Ub Iwerks, went solo for a short time more than usual, sheer sluggishness. His legacy period, that “magic,” didn’t go with him. Iwerks and everlasting efect on animation would result failed because he lacked Disney’s story sense and in numerous copycats who either missed the comic know-how. He only wanted the cartoons mark completely or got pretty close but couldn’t to be well-animated and done on schedule seem to get it just a little further. (Maltin 191). Tis one thing, while seemingly so But, Disney wanted more. Even in his simple, in truth, kept Disney’s contenders to the Laugh-O-Grams (1921-1923), the earliest in his mantle of animation guru far from the prize. work, there’s a higher quality unseen elsewhere. Perhaps the single greatest decision made And, while they may be of a simple, almost by Walt Disney in his pursuit to be the best in the 18 Community College Humanities Review business, was when he opted to convert a half- color was enough to make audiences go gaga over fnished short to sound. Steamboat Willie (1928), it. Somehow, it can’t go unsaid how in today’s featuring the debut of one Mickey Mouse, a modern times, James Cameron succeeded in a character owned 100% by Disney himself, in a billion-grossing efort by releasing Avatar (2009), departure from the status quo at the time when an obvious retelling of Dances with Wolves (1990) distributors held the rights, was released to and the John Smith/Pocahontas tale, but, done in critical acclaim. Being the frst to synchronize a visually-stunning, grandiose fashion. Te key sound to a cartoon put Disney at the fnish line was, and still is, all in the presentation. frst. With the short’s success, Disney went ahead and added sound to the frst, and unreleased, Mickey Mouse project, Plane Crazy (1929). Here, he gave American audiences a glimpse at their soon-to-be rodent prince of pop-culture trying to emulate the great Lone Eagle, Charles Lindbergh. Interesting how Disney made sure to produce a cartoon whose main character wanted to be just like Lucky Lindy, as did almost every young boy at the time. Te connection is too obvious to ignore. It was this work ethic and sense of what would or could be good for business that made him the best in the business and the one everyone else wanted to emulate. Tese things didn’t Walt Disney with Mickey Mouse happen by accident. Disney just didn’t sit around hoping for lightening to strike. He put all he Ironically, those in the industry who had had into the work and the results were in his scofed at Disney’s business moves early on were favor. So much so that upon the creation of the now trying to play catch up. But, the damage for advent of the Technicolor process, Disney was them had already been done. It was their inaction fnancially able to secure a three-year exclusive that helped, in part, to give the Disney studio its deal for the medium of animation. Not only was monopoly over the industry. Tere would be no his company producing cartoons with sound, healthy competition in animation. Sid Marcus, now they would be sporting more vibrant colors a rival animating stafer, once said, “We were than anything else out there. always trying to fgure out why he [Walt Disney] Indeed, Walt Disney had so much was so successful, and were usually wrong” (qtd. confdence in this new asset that he ordered the in Maltin 29). Tis was because Marcus, like so current edition of Silly Symphonies to be scrapped many others, was looking in the wrong place. and redone using the full-color three-strip process. Style is something that can be mimicked, but, Te result was Flowers and Trees (1932), winner it’s only a cheap imitation. Disney had been of the inaugural Academy Award for Animated a quick victim of that in the early years and it Short Subject. It’s important to note that the never really went away. Te problem with his flm itself isn’t anything greater than what had competitors and the reason why they could make come before it in terms of its style nor is the plot animated flms that looked like Disney’s, but that very gripping, but the fact that it’d been done in ultimately failed to succeed, was because their Fall 2016 19 work lacked the understanding of the reasons In the early days, Walt Disney issued behind the style.