Ranking EVERY Don Bluth Film : The Golden Age 

I feel like Rock a Doodle and Pebble and the Penguin had the most potential in terms of the dark age. I’d even argue Pebble and the Penguin just needed more time in the oven, the ingredients are there for a fun musical romantic comedy. Rock a Doodle needed to axe the kid and focus on Chanticleer’s journey and career in the city. Bluth feels the opposite, but I stand by it. A trippy rock musical would’ve been amazing from Bluth studios.

I did mention in the Nostalgia Critic review but it is to Lindsay Ellis's credit that she did eventually walk back that meme in her "All Dogs Go to Heaven" review. I have my issues with her, but it feels like an observation she came up with as a teenager and just kept repeating until she finally revisited the film and was like...oh shit. Honestly when I she finally reviewed it she tried to do the film justice I felt. Actually, more than her old meme, I think the most unfair criticism Dogs received actually came from the professional critics back in the day. The critical review average is still mixed to rotten to this day, and if you read many of those more negative reviews (then and even now) you'll see a repeated theme of unlikeable characters and the film being labeled as meanspirited. It has the stink of critics expecting it to be inoffensive and "safe" for kids, almost demanding that these animated films fit the mold that Bluth wanted to escape from. Not every review was like this, I know Roger Ebert liked the film and said it was a sad fate that it shared a release date with The Little Mermaid when good animated films are so rare to find. But a lot of the critics were harsh and even dismissive back then, and I always wondered how much that hurt the movie in an era where newspaper critics still held a lot of cultural power.

The Land Before Time was my favorite childhood film. I watched it so many times that the guys at the videostore didn't even charge me anymore.

My favorite Bluth movie is The Land Before Time. The messages of friendship and unity in hard times, James Horner’s score that feels like it was composed during the “Fantasia inspired” phase it’s so freaking atmospheric and emotional, and Bluth’s style of mixing in gritty darkness feeling so right to bring a dangerous dinosaur world to life. It’s beautiful, horrifying, tear jerking, and all around wonderful

I like All Dogs too though. The fact it made me cry during my cynical late teen/young adult years is a testament to its emotional power. The way it handles Charlie’s redemption is one of the most believable portrayals. It doesn’t feel like some magic turn, he’s a jerk for a majority of the film with only hints at him wanting to do right by her to the point where you find yourself questioning whether he cares for Ann Marie, and when he does make that sacrifice, it hits all the harder.

I've read Don Bluth's book "Somewhere Out There" and it is truly a great and touching story. I've learned how he came up with the Banjo the Woodpile Cat idea from living at a farm. He is also the man who came up with and inspired the Laughing Place, a song that was part of a cancelled Disney movie "Song of the South." I've learned that while at Disney, he saw Walt Disney himself and was shocked when he heard him swear. I guess it's true what they say, never meet your hero. I've even learned that he helped in the making of Robin Hood, the Rescuers, and Pete's Dragon. But I did not know that he also helped Filmation with the movie Journey Back to Oz. That movie was not all that good, so I don't blame the kid audience for not staying in there seats, but I really felt bad for Don Bluth. At least he got an applause for his animated clip in Xanadu, and I'm glad he got to do it again with Scissor Sisters. I like how he told that he had feelings for his actors and animals while filming the live action version of Rock a Doodle, and that he did not want any of them to get hurt. He even cared deeply for Elizabeth Hartman (the voice of Mrs. Brisby), and Judith Barsi (the voice of Anne-Marie), and was deeply heart-broken when they both died. Also, after hearing how he enjoyed the penguins from Mary Poppins and how he tried to bring back the joy of them with the Pebble and the Penguin, well I think I now have a little more respect for the movie, even though it did not turn out good. If Warner Bros and 20th Century did not take his movie from him and let him finish it his way, then maybe the movie could've worked out better. Don Bluth is such a gifted animator, I just wish he did not admit defeat with Netflix and be forced to make a live action movie of Dragon's Lair. I even wish he got a chance make make more of his movies, like Jawbreaker, East of the Sun and West of the Moon, and his own version of Beauty and the Beast. Plus, the arcade game the Sea Beast and Barnacle Bill. There will never be a greater animator like Don Bluth, and I for one hope that he will get a chance to do one last animated miracle before he passes on to the afterlife, a place where he could find a better life and a better chance of making his dreams come true.

Judith's killing is aborrent and tragic in equal measure

Fox and the hound, the secret of NIMH, American tale, land before Time, all dogs going to heaven and Anastasia are probably some of the greatest movies of all time especially for animation and paving the way for independent animation.

Don Bluth's films have always held a special place in my heart with The Land Before Time especially remaining one of my my fave animated film series. I recall my sister and I watching them all the time when we visited my grandmother in Florida and its a treasured memory I still look fondly on. Bluth's films have such a unique feel and are one of the few who could truly rival the giants like Disney.

You’ve officially hit the level where I’m in for an hour and a half on a topic I don’t give a flying fudge about. Congratulations.

I just really wish bluth could come out with one last film before he dies.

Finally you're doing another retrospective on Don Bluth. It's been forever!

Fox Animations closing after Titan AE is one of the worst things to happen to the animation industry. I wish Don Bluth was still making movies, but... he's pretty old at this point. :c

Now that Disney is going down the toilet it could be Bluth’s chance to make a comeback and hopefully learned from the mistakes of his past. Perhaps I’m naive but now could be his second chance

I feel myself wanting to tear up watching this. Don WAS my childhood.

I grew up with Don Bluth movies. Yes, I take Advil for my aches. Let’s see Dylan take on Ralph Bakshi

Honestly, Land Before Time is also my favorite. I'm very in touch with my emotions, and I gravitate to movies that have an emotional resonance. I love how deeply introspective it is, how it explores grief, and how hopeful it remains in such a bleak atmosphere. All told with dinosaurs. There's something special about that.

His drive to present more engaging stories is admirable, and I'll respect him for that. He's also a cautionary tale of what happens when a creative can't accept compromise, cuz after disney stepped up its game, bluth got put through the wringer via executive meddling regarding his post golden age films. I've been really fascinated by stories regarding creatives making it but losing it through hubris and folly.

Your a beast of a RU-vidr remember us when u hit 100mill keep it up mate you make my day

Nostalgia Critic verse tends to misrepresent, misunderstand and shit on the work of older men that just want to depict grand stories through art for some reason.

cant wait for pt 2. 10/10 video as always sir nightowl. i might start a don bluth marathon now actually. i think i only watched most of em once or not at all when i was a small child and wanna experince em

Bluth is one of the Don's of animation

Dude this was absolutely spectacular. It’s exactly how I’d rank the movies too! Eagerly awaiting the next two parts. Rip Ducky 🌸

An American Tail will always be my favorite Bluth flick because it's what sparked my interest in animation as a career, which eventually led me to working on Disney features...where they hated Bluth and didn't want you to admit you admired his work. Figures. He was off in his studio in Phoenix or wherever at the time, though, which...seemed really unstable...not not an option for me, far away from the rest of the industry. I heard some stories, though, from some of the artists who defected and eventually were able to crawl back to Disney. It was an honor to be able to work with them and hear their tales!

I totally agree that "Somewhere Out There" is such a heartwarming song, made better by the child actors singing it! Its so precious and I have always disliked the popular opinion online thats its bad. It sung by kiddos and that gives it so much heart!

THE BLUTH GRIND HAS RETURNED

An interesting thing happened to me the last time I watched All Dogs Go to Heaven. Amusingly enough, it was featured on the Criterion Channel last year so I decided to give it a watch, as I hadn't seen since I was a child. I paused it about halfway through to get a drink, feeling that it was highly enjoyable but definitely rough around the edges in some regards. Then I glanced over at the calendar, realizing that by some inexplicable coincidence, I was watching it exactly one year after I had to say goodbye to my 15+ year old dog who I had since I was a child. You can bet that there were no dry eyes as I resumed watching the second half. So yeah, whatever its flaws, I still feel All Dogs is great because of all his greatest movies, it has the biggest heart.

You do great work! I watched NIMH and LBT last night and even though I rented and watched the latter on VHS every weekend as a kid, I think NIMH just BARELY edges it out. I dont think animation would be the same today without either of them.

All Dogs is my favorite of this era, probably because Charlie is a bit of a cretin who learns to be a better boy over the course of the movie. It was the first time I saw that as a kid, and it stuck with me. Plus, it came right around the time I experienced the death of a pet dog, so maybe the basic notion was kinda... comforting? It still holds up today as a good character piece with some great cartoony animated dogs. Also, I never knew about Burt the studio dog, so that was cool to learn.

Excellent intro music, just like the video overall.

You really can't go wrong with any of the first 4. Looking back on them NIMH is my favorite but everything Bluth made in the 80s was gold. Anastasia was really good too and Bartok the Magnificent is criminally underrated. The Pebble and the Penguin is fun at least. Rock a Doodle was an interesting concept and I think gets extra hate because the kid's voice was so annoying but there's a charming weirdness to it. Thumbelina wasn't his best. Titan AE left very little impact on me even though I saw it in the theater. But the worst is A Troll in Central Park.

Also people really aren’t kidding when they say Bluth was Disney’s first competitor in the feature animation department. The most popular non-Disney animated film before the 80s was probably Yellow Submarine, and as much as I admire that film, it is not even close in terms of the animation itself. Great art style, but obvious cut corners.(The Eleanor Rigby sequence repeating a second or two of animation, things staying absolutely still until they need to move.)

Pretty sure the big lipped alligator moment is referring to the random flamboyant music number itself being out of nowhere and having no being on the plot. Not King Gater himself as a character.

If you want a pretty satisfyingly haunting experience, watch Land Before Time’s earthquake sequence with just the music. Having to watch these creatures become prey to nature itself while the eerie score highlights the chaos, without a narrator explaining it makes for some true horror. I’m not saying having one makes the final film weaker, I’m just saying it’s an interesting experience

Great video!

Titan AE was a childhood favorite of mine and the only Bluth movie I saw.

All Dogs Go To Heaven is cool and all, but Gordon Freeman doesn't die at the end like he does in the sequel

An American Tail and The Land Before Time Composed By The Late James Horner

45:29 Get in the Robot, Littlefoot!

Just watched Bambi to check if the Little Foot comparison by Doug was even warranted and yea it does cut to the happy song too fast for the death to sink in, but there is still a little bit of time spent on Bambi searching and meeting his father I guess. So the comparison is dumb eitherway.

Now if only we had a dinosaur movie where things were sanitized to the point of making Dinosaur Train look hardcore. Where the main character was the same kind of Dinosaur as Littlefoot, but looked like a play doh model despite being produced by one of the most successful animation companies ever. That would be… just awful.

I'm going to watch the rest of this whilst editing my next project. It makes me sad that this isn't getting more views, I'm about 30 minutes in and it's obvious it took a lot of work. But I hope you do more like it, Don's my favourite animator. But then, I'm biased towards animation, so maybe you should ignore me. 🤔

Lindsay Ellis dislikes this 😂

Hey dylan! When will we get a Madoka Magica video?

Hate to be that guy, but what happened to the slasher movie iceberg?