How ‘The Fox and the Hound’ Led to the Rise of Disney’s Rival Studio

Although there is no denying Disney’s influence on animation, the studio had difficulties in the 1980s during what is referred to as its “Dark Era.”  Only a handful of the movies from this era became classics because the animation department failed.  One of these was ‘The Fox and the Hound’ (1981), but the production problems caused significant changes in the company.  

Since many of Disney’s seasoned animators, known as the “Nine Old Men,” were retiring at the time, the upcoming generation of artists felt that their creativity was being hindered by rigid management.  Don Bluth, Gary Goldman, and John Pomeroy departed Disney in 1979 to start Don Bluth Productions as a result of their dissatisfaction.  ‘The Secret of NIMH’, their first significant project, made them a formidable rival to Disney.

Image Courtesy: Disney Movies

Rapid growth was achieved by Bluth’s new studio, which even worked with Steven Spielberg on ‘An American Tail’ and ‘The Land Before Time’.  The latter, which was influenced by ‘Bambi’, demonstrated Bluth’s conviction that tragic events should be told in order to evoke strong emotions.  Bluth and Spielberg trusted their viewers, portraying grief and adversity in ways that struck a deep chord, while Disney sanitized its stories.

Bluth’s studios struggled financially and finally shut down despite their early success.  Nonetheless, his impact endured, as other former workers joined Fox Animation and produced movies like ‘Titan A.E.’ and ‘Anastasia’.  Others contributed to companies like Brown Bag Films, which helped to shape Ireland’s animation sector.  His work established a lasting influence, demonstrating that animated films could explore complicated subjects while still appealing to younger viewers, even as Bluth’s rise and fall highlight the difficulties of competing with Disney.

–Farheen Ali