Recently there have been a ton of Disney movies coming out. Just this year, 10 films have been released. Yet, I can only recall a couple of them if I try very hard.
As far as I’m concerned, this has been happening for some time. In just the past five years alone, there have been almost 50 Disney films released. That is incredible!
What is even more incredible is the fact that I could probably name only 10 to 15 of them without the help of Google. But if you ask me to name older, more classic Disney films, I could name much more. Even ones that are not at all shown to light by pop culture.
That got me thinking. Why exactly is it that I can’t remember most of the films released over the past five, or even 10 years, but can name a ton more from almost 80 years ago? It would only make sense for me to be able to name recent films much easier than one that came out far before I was born. However, that simply isn’t the case. And yes, while nostalgia may play some part in this, I had asked my friends to participate in this little informal experiment and they did just about as well as I did.
I think this phenomenon may come down to a couple different things.
First there is the animation. Nothing was computer generated. Everything had to be painstakingly hand-drawn frame by frame in order to make a completed film. It took time, effort, and dedication. The art style is unique and memorable. And while it may not be perfect, it does look mesmerizing. That care for the project bleeds through into the film itself and lends it an absolutely irreplaceable charm.
Second there are the characters -- specifically the female ones. In older films, each princess, fairy godmother, and witch was diverse. The characters had their own body types, which gave them a uniqueness. Most importantly, they all had unique facial features. Now, all of the female characters have the same face and body, more or less. This makes the characters seem more cookie-cutter than anything else.
Third, the music. In the classic films, the songs were (generally) not sad, deep, or brooding. They were happy and jaunty. Many songs did not convey central plot. Due to this, the cheerful songs became super popular and memorable. The popularity of “Let It Go” aside, I can’t think of another song that hit peak popularity from today.
Of course, there are people who will say that kids these days prefer the polished CGI animation over classic. They think it looks prettier and more realistic. And while the detail can be astounding in the 3-D animated films today, I counter with this:
The Princess and the Frog was done in the classic 2-D animation style. The characters look quite unique. The music is very catchy and has a great sing-along quality to it, reminiscent of Hercules. Tiana is officially a Disney Princess, which means the movie made enough money and gained enough popularity to put her in that position.
So, I think what it ends up coming down to is that the older films had enough diversity, jauntiness, and charm to make them long-lasting films in our minds. It is so refreshing to watch classic films and remember how enchanting they truly are. I hope more 2-D films are released in the future in order to keep the classic Disney spirit alive.
