When most people think of Disney, they might think of the early days of the studio, where they produced classic animated films such as Sleeping Beautyor live-action features like Old Caller. They may think of the studio’s big movies from the 1990s, such as: The lionking or Beauty and the Beast. There are also plenty of recent features that deserve attention, such as: moana or encanto. However, most people probably don’t think of the studio’s releases from the 1970s and 80s. The 1970s to 1988 period is often referred to as Disney’s “Dark Era,” characterized by films that were darker in tone, design, and subject matter. “Dark” also refers to the fact that it was seen as a time of decline for the company, with many experimental films failing to reach previous highs. The era was born out of the studio’s desire to make more mature films and broaden its viewership while pursuing other ideas. Here’s an exploration of this stage of the studio.
Inspirations for the dark age
The death of Walt Disney in 1966 left the company in disarray, with many taking the lead and leaving. By the late 1970s, the studio was run by Walt’s son-in-law, Ron Miller, who wanted the company to expand into adult films to attract audiences beyond children. According to Den of Geek, Miller wanted to pass”the formula Disney photo‘ with something new. The early 70s still had some typical Disney movies, such as: The Aristocats in 1970 and Robin Hood in 1973. The mid and late 1970s was when things really changed. Seeing successful movies in the 70s like the godfather and Star Warsthe average kid-friendly Disney movie was seemingly obsolete for moviegoers who wanted something grown-up and exciting. Star Wars in particular, forced the company to pursue a darker, live-action sci-fi movie; although Disney already had plans to make such a film in the early 1970s, Star Wars made the plans more urgent. With these pieces in place, the studio began its shift to grittier movies.
Notable films and themes from that period
Trying to expand for a wider audience in the Dark Era led to a variety of films in different genres. Their planned sci-fi movie would be The black hole in 1979, which focused on a spaceship crew meeting another crew looking to explore a black hole. It was surprisingly dark and intense, with scenes taking the crew through fiery hell. Another sci-fi feature was from 1982 Tron, about an engineer being uploaded to his own computer game. It had effects and visuals that had never been seen before, and astonished the viewers. 40 years later, the film remains beloved, with a sequel on the way. The company also delved into dark fantasy with an adaptation of Ray Bradbury’s Something bad is coming this way in 1983, about an ominous carnival.
On the animated side, some notable releases were: Robin Hood and the rescuers. Both focused on animals and had quite a box office success, but neither would become the defining film of this Disney era. The studio also did a number of animations and live-action mash-ups, such as Bed knobs and broomsticks and Piet’s Dragon. Another animated film worth mentioning was The black kettle. It was another dark fantasy based on Lloyd Alexander’s book. It told the story of Taran, a young man who must find a magic cauldron before the evil Horned King can destroy the world with it. A disastrous flop, it was the first Disney animated film ever rated PG instead of G, according to Slate, featuring a scene of undead soldiers that had to be rewritten because of how scary it was originally. Finally, the animation of the time – brought about by new technology – led to black sketch outlines and muted colors, further enhancing the dark realism.
These films reflect the larger themes of the era, with the company leaning away from fairy tales towards more realistic ideas. The goal was to get away from the predictable Disney movies, and the movies of this period did. While many had the happy endings expected, the journey to get there was more complex and dangerous, involving adult evil. They told stories of heroism, courage and perseverance, more deeply than in the company’s early films. They also reached more depth in their depictions of evil through greed and power. The Dark Era films matched the gritty, non-Disney offerings of the time as closely as possible, while still remaining children’s films, and were arguably some of Disney’s most inventive films.
Getting out of the dark age
By the late 1980s, after many of the movies of the era had flopped, the company began to return to its roots, with simpler plots inspired by fairy tales. In 1989 they released The little Mermaid, a princess-led musical that recalled their earliest films and seemed like a return to their original magic. Disney started using bigger music tracks and put an emphasis on marketing and merchandise, which the Dark Era didn’t have much of. After The little MermaidDisney released such a strong string of hits in the 1990s that many consider it the studio’s best decade. Most people still think of this decade’s movies when they think of the company as a whole.
Many Dark Era movies have been forgotten; some were fairly successful on release, but faded over time. From animated offers like The Fox and the Dog or The Great Mouse Detectiveto live action like dragon slayer or Tron, there is a wide variation in the period that has something for everyone. These movies are not thought of when coming up with a typical Disney movie, which is where their strengths lie. They are unique and imaginative and stand out from well-known Disney stories in exciting ways. The Dark Era may never have been Disney’s defining era, but it produced inventive films that broke out of the fairytale mold and are still great today.