The Disney Renaissance

In 1989, Disney ushered in a new age of animated film-making. This golden age was aptly called the Disney Renaissance; a re-imagining of the brand that started with Walt Disney himself. Lasting ten years, the era produced ten award winning animated films that defined a dynasty.

All ten were nominated for multiple Academy Awards; six would win those nominations. Soundtracks contained catchy tunes, ambient music, and original songs by Grammy Award-winning artists. The famous duets in Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin (“Beauty and the Beast” and “A Whole New World”) helped propel the films into mainstream media. Elton John wrote the vocal performances and performed “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” for the Lion King and Phil Collins composed and sung music for Tarzan (“You’ll Be in My Heart” won an Academy Award for Best Original Song).

The box office records for these films speak for their success. As with tradition, these Disney films are adaptations of preexisting material, using the familiar to build from the ground up. Many of these works are in the public domain. Here is a short list of Disney Renaissance-era films and their source of inspiration:

The Little Mermaid theatrical poster.

1) The Little Mermaid (1989)

Ariel, the redhead mermaid, was based on an unnamed mermaid in Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid. Both mermaids want to become human after falling in love with a human prince. The similarities end here. Not surprisingly the Disney version comes with a happy ending. Andersen’s original does not.

The Rescuers Down Under theatrical poster.

2) The Rescuers Down Under (1990)

            Possibly the most obscure film during this era (the lowest grossing film out of the ten), Down Under is a sequel to The Rescuers (1977). These films are based on a series of novels by an English writer named Margery Sharp. Not much can be said about this film but Disney likely found anamorphic mice to be appealing to its audience.

Beauty and the Beast theatrical poster.

3) Beauty and the Beast (1991)

            “A tale as old as time,” accurately describe how long this fairy tale has been in the public domain. The first publication year dates to 1740 and since then many adaptations have appeared. The obligatory happy ending actually appears in most early incarnations but the film itself is based closer to the recent ones.

Aladdin theatrical poster.

4) Aladdin (1992)

            Branching away from Europe, Aladdin was the first Disney film to be based on a story from Asia. The original story can be found in the famous anthology One Thousand and One Nights (The Arabian Nights), a collection that dates back to the at least the 9^th century. Overall, the story remains unchanged from the original. In both versions, Aladdin is a street urchin who finds a genie in a magical lamp one fateful day. The genie fulfills his wishes and Aladdin gains a giant palace and a beautiful princess to boot.

The Lion King theatrical poster.

5) The Lion King (1994)

            Arguably the first Disney film to drawn from multiple sources of inspiration, The Lion King contains themes and parallels to: Hamlet, Biblical tales, Kimba the White Lion, and African culture. From Hamlet we get the classic tale of a son plotting revenge against an uncle. From the Biblical, the tale of Joseph and Moses, of the jealousy between half-brothers. The Japanese animated series, Kimba the White Lion inspired the setting, characters, and animation style. African culture dominates the spiritual theme and the African savanna in which the film takes place.

Pocahontas theatrical poster.

6) Pocahontas (1995)

Foregoing literature and fairy tales, American history became the new target for a Disney movie. Based on the historical encounter between the English settlers and the Powhatan tribe of North America, Pocahontas explores themes of nature, colonialism, and forbidden love.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame theatrical poster.

7) The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)

Based on Victor Hugo’s (of Les Misérables fame) The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1831), the Disney version takes most of the plot of the original but leaves out the bitterness and unhappy bits for a happier ending. There are also talking gargoyles that only Quasimodo (the Hunchback) can see.

Hercules theatrical poster.

8) Hercules (1997)

            Even Greek mythology can be susceptible to the Disney touch. Although based on the legendary demi-god and muscleman, Hercules removes the famed Twelve Labors (and the violence that precedes it) in favor of musical numbers, family-friendly themes, and good ol’ fashioned heroics.

Mulan theatrical poster.

9) Mulan(1998)

            Based on the Chinese legend of Mulan, this exceptionally made film features both catchy tunes and a Disney female lead who can hold her own ground. Both the legend and its modern adaptation contain themes of gender equality.

Tarzan theatrical poster.

10) Tarzan (1999)

            Tarzan of the Apes was one of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ most famous series of books. Since its publication, Tarzan has graced the silver screen far before Disney made its own version. The most famous adaptation was Tarzan the Ape Man (1932) which is notable for introducing Tarzan’s call (90s kids know this from segments of Sesame Street).