The Disney/Don Bluth Animation War - The Story of A Rise, Fall & Renaissance 

I believe that Don Bluth is one of the most underappreciative animation filmmakers ever. He deserves more praise and recognition.

This video was messed up man. Filled with childhood trauma, nostalgia, and Dom DeLuise. Thanks, for the excellent work as always Matt. Now I got to somehow rewatch Land Before Time, All Dogs go to Heaven, and Secret of NIMH. And for good measure Brave Little Toaster.

One of the greatest strengths of Don Bluth films is how they'll not only bluntly admit "yeah, messed up stuff happens in life," they also make _processing_ the grief and trauma that comes afterwards a central part of the narrative. They normalize the concept of _"No one is fine all of the time. We all go through periods of our life that turn us into a hot mess, that make us feel like the world has ended even though it keeps on turning. It's okay to admit that you're not okay."_

Don Bluth is so underrated. He deserved much more support during his career and maybe an editor. He seems to have the same issues as George Lucas, he needs someone to help reel his ideas in. I hope he succeeds this time around with his new studio.

I think so many audiences today really underestimate just how revolutionary and brilliant the majority of Bluth's films really are. Especially 'Secret of NIMH', 'Anastasia', and 'Titan A.E.'. (and yes, I agree; the OST totally slaps!) =)

Though they rarely reached the popularity of Disney's late 80s/90s greats, The Land Before Time had the highs, lows and heart that could have easily served as inspiration for something as grand as The Lion King. We all cried during TLK, but somehow The Land Before Time was more heartbreaking and personal. Great video!

This guy, Ralph Bakshi and Richard Williams were all animation masters that tried to compete with Disney during this time. They proved that you didn't need Mickey Mouse to be successful in the animation industry.

I kinda wish Don Bluth would’ve been given Black Cauldron and had it his way without anyone telling him to cut scenes out that were deemed too scary.

I loved Titan A.E. as a kid and still think it’s a good space opera movie with many moments that stuck in my memory. I didn’t see it in theaters, I actually read the novelization in elementary school for a book report and then watched the movie on DVD.

Don Bluth remains my favorite animator. Yes, his films are messed up but they have such a unique style.

Don Bluth just fucking GETS IT. I will forever enjoy his work and hope now he does what he loves. Truly the Hayao Miyazaki of the west.

I'm an older millennial, so Disney and Bluth were massive parts of my childhood. As much as I loved Disney, Bluth's films were the ones I gravitated towards more because of their dark themes. Yes, they sure as hell scared the crap outta me, but man they were/are amazing. Secret of Nimh, American Trail, and All Dogs Go To Heaven were watched so many times. I think Secret of Nimh was watched way more, though, because that damn movie had the threat level turned up to max during every single damn minute until the very end. Let's not forget the stellar soundtrack. Don't even get me started on how, to this day, the eerie, unsettling music that starts in slow from silence the morning that Brisby wakes up and senses something is wrong still gives me chills. Just watching her sniff the air warily as Shrew tells her to move her children asap of they'll die, to the moment the tractor is turned on in the distance and the music becomes terrifying as Shrew runs and shrieks for all the animals to run for their lives. It's pure terror that nearly crosses a line into the horror genre. Out of a lot of old animated movies I grew up with that my fiance didn't, that movie is one of the few he really, really likes. I never claim to have grown up in the "perfect time", because I didn't. However, I'm so unbelievably happy that I grew up when Don Bluth was at his best. I'm glad I grew up on animated movies that terrified me, because I didn't feel like I was watching something for kids. I felt like I was watching content I shouldn't be watching, since most kids media at the time was happy and joyful, with a few exceptions. Bluth made me feel older than I was. Even when the Disney Renaissance happened (which was awesome, especially seeing those hits in theaters on opening weekend), I never stopped watching Bluth films. I could gush for hours about that guy. 😋 I wish I could meet him and thank him for creating family movies that weren't of the typical fare we'd all grown accustomed to. ❤️ Also, Balto is a great movie. 😉

I think that the true end of Bluth studios was "All Dogs Go to Heaven", and the rest from there was the downhill slide. That film was so scary, so distrubing, that it resulted in a studio-ending move: losing parent's trust. Parents reallized that they couldn't bring kids to see a Bluth film without screening it first. So the films didn't gross enough money to keep them in the public consciousness long enough for the VHS release.

An American Tail and The Land Before Time were two of the first VHS tapes I ever owned. Both of them were great movies for a kid.

Secret of NIMH remains an all time classic.

I'm not sure I can take the "Bronze Age" timeline seriously calling the 60's "dark ages" there's a distinct line post-Walt death that has to be acknowledged. And I mean The Rescuers even was one of their highest grossing theatrical releases ever and was the only Ron era success. There's way more to unpack in terms of the CalArts graduates starting in making the new era

I really love animation. It’s probably one of my first big loves long before movies and comic books. And I love learning about the history of the medium. Don Bluth has had a long history filled with highs and lows but his style comes out in his best work. NIMH, American Tail and Land Before Time are almost on par (or many ways better than) with Disney’s input. Obviously, Disney as a corporation stinks, but with the animation division there’s a lot of interesting stories that happened especially during their Dark Age and the beginning of the Renaissance. Waking Sleeping Beauty in particular is a great documentary about this period. As for Bluth, he is a great animator/director and I’m glad over time he has received his status as one of the greatest in the medium, hope the Dragon’s Lair movie works out. Would love to see you cover the 2000s era of Disney and great video as always.

9:45 I think this was mostly impacted for those Saturday morning cartoons that had low-budget animation and was less of a worry for the movies from Disney and Don Bluth. I'm glad this strike saved television animation (even if everyone didn't get used to higher quality animation until The Simpsons and Tiny Toons came in). It was really important for those who got bored of the same Archie/Scooby-Doo style.

I was surprised that more of Bluth's films weren't big hits, as I vividly remember watching them on home video as much as the Disney films of the time.

19:02 I agree with everything in this video EXCEPT ONE THING.. 19:02 good sir... Balto was NOT forgettable... it was fantastic and severely underrated!

It's an outrage that Disney took Anastasia for its own and put it on Disney+. Everyone knows (and should know) that Anastasia is a Don Bluth princess and she should stay that way. If only there was a knight in shining armor to rise up and rescue Anastasia from a company who is now stealing other people's studios and companies, and claiming them for its own. Not to mention, killing the true magic of Disney by making nothing but 3D and live action remakes and no more 2D. You mark my words, if Disney keeps going a dark path like this, it will someday fall harder than Rome did. (Sigh) It's times like this I wonder what life might've been like if Don Bluth won the war. Maybe things in life might've been better. Plus, we might've had more 2D animated arcade games. P.S. Let's not forget, it was Don Bluth who made an Iphone App game that I for one wish I had the chance of playing, Tapper: World Tour.

The silver age ends with The Jungle Book in 1966. Disney was still involved with Animation and in Jungle Book particularly he was more like his Golden Era Walt

Some of Bluth's great early ones seem like tributes to some of the Golden Age Disney movies. An American Tail - Dumbo. Make a ridiculously adorable character with oversized ears and abuse him throughout the movie so the happy ending hits harder. The Land Before Time - Bambi. Kill off the mother and follow the lives of some young characters of different species with fantastic animation All Dogs go to Heaven - Pinocchio. Flawed character gets redeemed as a good boy to a shiny heavenly character with some messed up sequences along the way. Some obvious nods to Fantasia and Snow White in this one as well Can't really think of one for the Secret of NIMH though, that one is pretty unique

Don Bluth is an amazing animator! I can only imagine an animated world where he was the one who won the war against Disney.

Most excellent video sir! the 30 mins whizzed by, really enjoyed it!!!! Out of curiosity, what happened with the kickstarted Bluth did for animatics for a Dragon's Lair animated movie?

Bluth represented a wave in that era of cinema nominally aimed at kids, but which didn't hesitate to make kids feel emotions like sadness and fear, ala films like The Neverending Story, or Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal. The seeming loss of that approach to animation and media, more generally, leaves the art of the era worse off, though funny enough it wound up being animated TV that picked up some of the slack in shows ranging from the 90s Batman to the 2010s Avatar. ...also, as a small child I would always watch The Land Before Time, then immediately run to my mother to cry. Yet, I'd keep watching it!

Secret of Nimh was absolute magic for me growing up. And a movie I shared with my mother who loved it. So incredibly special.

Bluth: *amazing animator Disney: There can only be one! ⚔️

All things considered, Don Bluth saved Disney Animation.

Aw, the 80s and 90s animation. No doubt why I need therapy now lol

Wow I did not know Don Bluth did “Titan A.E.”. That movie was truly ahead of his time. I can’t believe that movie made less money than the production. That was a excellent animation and good story.

The Black Caulderon was the very first movie I saw in the cinema. I was 5 years old and it scared the bejeezus out of me. But that was kind of a theme in the 80s- tramatizing kids with scary movies (The Secret of NIMH, Return to Oz, The Neverending Story, The Dark Crystal, Clash of the Titans, Legend, Willow...even The Care Bears movie had its dark parts).

Now do “Brave Little Toaster and the fall (and rise) of John Lassiter”

Dob Bluth has an animation school at the moment and I'm one of his students, he is a fascinating man who speaks about animation so passionately well into his 80s, he is extremely humble for a legend as himself.

American Tail also started the trend of a celebrity doing a radio version of a film's big song & "Why Should I Worry" is a total jam

The land before time is one of my favorite movies of all time, makes me cry every time 🤧

You should cover Jim Henson's labyrinth and the dark crystal.

11:00 In 1993 I saw a line of people waiting to play Dragon’s Lair. Once you played it, it lost its charm but for new players it was still impressive a decade later

"It's MESSED up, man!" Best way to sum up Bluth's best work.

29:42 "I love u Charlie" *ME crying unconsolably*

It was so weird when I grew up and learned that the Secret of NIMH was just barely NOT a flop during its release, and that the Black Cauldron (which seemed to be taking more than a few lessons from NIMH) had fared even worse. The Secret of NIMH was like THE sleepover movie of choice for me and all my friends, even though it was scary as HELL! I was a little older by the time I saw the Black Cauldron, so it wasn't quite as scary despite the PG rating and the creepy villain design. But it was still SO COOL that I went out and made my mom buy me the video game for PC. And then that game got me hooked on Sierra games for the rest of my young life, until about the time I started getting into kissing situations with other people.

I came to his films older than most here when I worked in a small animation studio. Major kudos to the guy for striking out on his own and taking a huge chance. In the end, "Banjo the Woodpile Cat" will always be remembered fondly by this family. What a sweet story.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the 2000s era Disney and particularly the DTDVD movies. It’s especially interesting for me because that’s the era I grew up in, so I have a certain amount of nostalgia for some of those films. As for Bluth, his work has always been something I’ve wanted to see more of, but never got around to. I have vague memories of watching All Dogs, Anastasia, and American Tail when I was younger, but beyond that I only know Bluth through reputation. Hopefully I can fix that

Growing up, before we had Disney+ for a couple years, my mother had a series of DVDs of animated films that we would all watch every now and then, mostly the old Disney pictures everyone recognizes, but also a couple of obscure ones (specifically _The Great Mouse Detective,_ _The Aristocats,_ and _Atlantis: the Lost Empire,_ maybe even also _Robin Hood_ among them). I probably saw each one once or twice, though I can’t recall the plots of any of them in any detail. There were even two Bluth films in the mix: _An American Tail_ and _Anastasia._ Most of what I remember about them is how little they seemed to surface in general Disney advertising, and how different they all were from the more notable Disney productions. I’m not even sure why it occurred to my mother to purchase the DVDs for us, except if she herself grew up watching some of the films and, vaguely remembering them, wanted to revisit them with us. Something about the Bluth films in particular struck me as different from the Disney ones, though I could never quite place it. Figuring out the whole history behind them, and even about films made back then I never had the chance to see, gave me a whole new perspective on a lot of that.

❤ Don Bluth animations!!! Gave me my first ever VHS "Land Before Time" and so many more favourites.

I always found his character designs odd yet appealing. Good work.

Burny Mattinson was also a director of The Great Mouse Detective. He was left out. I am surprised he wasn't included as his career has spanned 70s years across all the eras starting in the 1950s. He also was famous as he was the one who pitched the great mouse detective to Michael Eisner at Eisner's home which lead to the green light later that day which saved the animation department.

I would love to see you cover more animation history, perhaps different studios or even television networks?

If you listen to the voice of actress Elizabeth Hartman as Mrs. Brisby in Secret of Nimh she nails the despair in the heroine's voice. The main reason for this imo is that Hartman was suffering from severe depression that was so bad that she refused to leave her house and had practically stopped acting. Her friends who tried to help her talked her into doing the voice. It was the last thing she ever did as a few years later she committed suicide while still in her early 40s.

I loved Titan A.E. seeing Earth's destruction in that movie was beautiful. It and Frieza's destruction of planet Vegeta were super impactful on me as a kid.

So I went and saw Titan AE with my girlfriend at an early in the day showing I think about a week after it came out. We were the only ones in the theater and I really really loved it. She thought it was just OK but I bought the movie when it came out on VHS and we watched the bunch and she learned to love it. It’s my 3rd favorite Bluth movie, behind the land before time as my second, and Secret of Nimh is my first. Secret of Nimh is one of my favorite movies of all time, regardless whether we are talking animation or anything else. First saw it as a kid and I’ve never forgotten about it and I probably watch that movie about every 2 to 3 years at least once. I just think it works so well and it has aged better than a lot of other movies of that time.

An American tail is still one of my favourite films to date and the land before time is a classic to me

Nice timing, I was listening to the Titan A.E soundtrack earlier today. I can remember my friend who took me to the cinema handing me the ticket and telling me to keep it as the movie would be so successful I'll want to hold onto it. While it is one of my favourite films I can see why it didn't quite work with it's wonky pacing and wonkier plot twist.

"There was a time when the house of mouse was falling apart." Oh, you mean like right now?

I attended a talk Don Bluth gave in London at an advanced screening of American Tail. Interesting to hear his answer to "how did you find the transition to animating in Ireland?" Don shared his views on the personal hygiene of some of his Irish crew! No doubt about his personal talent as an animator, but as a leader he was more driven than gifted. His projects after "Tail" were just turgid, with terrible character design, a problem that eventually affected Disney too. Secret of Nimh was artistically Bluth's best work, he never topped it.

what a nostalgia trip. LOVED the video man. Don Bluth is a legend!

I think to sum it up analogously, Disney's "Bronze Age" era was essentially the studio emulating Hanna-Barbera, cutting corners to make it seem more fitting for Saturday-morning cartoons. The movies weren't bad, but by applying Hanna-Barbera standards they made their animation more limited and shoddy.

I love Titan AE!! for years I was convinced it was a fever dream since my brother did not remember it at all. It took me ages to track down a copy.

10:00 tut tut… it’s well documented that Don Bluths involvement with the creation and development of Dragons Lair has long been way overstated.

Ron’s Gone Wrong is not a Disney movie

I’ve been waiting for someone to explore this topic. Absolutely loved this!!! I would interested to hear you compare the success of the Disney Renaissance vs the Disney Revival. Both brought the most acclaimed Disney movies of all time

One thing I never understood is why they would release animated movies on the same day. Even the Carebears did it. I get trying to beat the competition but feel like your just shooting your total box office potential in the foot.

As a kid, I didn't know many of Don's films, in fact, I only know one, The Land Before Time and I loved it though it made me cry every time. I think kid's can handle really dark things as long as the emotional payoff is sufficient enough. I'd love to see the original All Dogs and Land Before Time prior to the cuts the were made, but... as someone who was once a kid, sadly I do feel like kid me would've probably been happy with the changes, even if older me disagrees. Don's work is incredible. He's just so cool! Also, I love how the final shot before the credits is the cover from Don's new book!

About 10 years ago I got drawn into learning about Richard Williams’ history with Disney… I even bought his animators survival handbook and started studying hand drawn animation. but I had no idea about Don Bluth! He’s clearly a legend. I also watched all of his films, and I had a sense they were separate from Disney but I wasn’t totally sure. I was pretty young and haven’t revisited them recently… going to deep dive into all his films now for sure

The land before time and The secret of Nimh alone proves Bluth is a genious. He is special and I'm grateful i got to watch his movies as a kid.

I recommend going to Bluth's theater to watch his theatrical shows plus you can get his animated memorabilia and autobiography signed there.

Thumbelina and Anastasia were some of my favorite movies as a kid. His movies were definitely distinct from Disney in a great way. I love that they had an edge to them, something that's really lacking in modern animated movies especially from Disney. Thanks Don Bluth for not being afraid to follow your own path.

Always down to watch more videos looking at Disney and its history. Rescuers Down Under esp gets shafted a ton and I wish it got more recognition for its incredible visuals

Thanks so much for all of the work and understanding put in to this video! I loved being a part of it. Maybe I'll see you at D23 (Booths 223 & 225).

When flu season came and most kids were out sick in school, teachers did not want to cover more material, so the remaining in school kids were brought to the gym to watch movies on the rolling tv/vcr cart. I remember watching An American Tale and Land Before Time. We watched Dr Seuss Grinch before Christmas or those Claymation Christmas, but we never watched a single Disney film. I worked in a mom and pops video store when they used to have those, decades after Bluth's films. Land Before Time was the most rented kids movie. We used to rent one free per family per day. It was a free two day rental.

Loved Titan AE. Saw it in theaters. Also really liked Atlantis and saw that in theaters (thought it had more in common with Final Fantasy than that weird, drab movie Square put out that same year). Bluth’s 80s movies will always have a special place in my heart too. Except maybe All Dogs. Although I haven’t seen that one since I was a little kid, I don’t think

Since it wasn't mentioned in this video, I'd like to give a shout out to Bartok the Magnificent. It was a straight to home video film released after Anastasia which sees Bartok the bat go on a quest to rescue the missing tzar by solving three puzzles for the witch Baba Yaga. It's more of a stand-alone story than a sequel or prequel to Anastasia, as it takes place in a more fairy tale version of Russia. Nevertheless, it's a great movie, with plenty of puzzles and riddles and creative monsters as you would expect from a fairy tale. While it's not as dark as Anastasia, it still has a good little message about courage and what it means to be a hero, and easily stands above Bluth's other 90s films because it feels like he had more direct control.

I love Don Bluth and the story of the animation renaissance era, so nostalgic ❤️

Great vid. Fascinating story. And you told it very well! Can tell you're passionate about animation.

Don Bluth really was the shit. They made movies that were both innovative and brought a lot of emotion to our childhoods. Also, S/O for that The Midnight drop at 15:25. That immediately brings back the nostalgia.

I always found it really sad how many people mistake Bluth's films for Disney films. I have met many who think Anastasia was a Disney film.

Disney in the 2000s: We're not done yet look at all our great animate-- DreamWorks: SOMEBODY ONCE TOLD ME...

"this film is messed up....Oh and has Dom Deluise" Truer words were never spoken.

I want Matt Draper merch that says “messed up, man”

We may be enemies but I can acknowledge this a high quality video.

Amazing documentary! Instant fan here!

No mention of the infamous alligator scene in All Dogs Go To Heaven? You just made my day man!

"Disney in the 2000s didn't have a competitor" yah like that's ever going to happen

I have such vivid memories of Dragon's Lair back in the early 80s. It was the first arcade video game that I had encountered that cost 50 cents. "Outrageous!", I thought, but I was so enthralled by the graphics that I would take my roll of quarters to the local pizzeria in Billings, Montana, get a pitcher of beer and engulf myself in the world of Dirk the Daring.I got stuck on the mudmen sequence and real life would kick into high gear to interrupt my quest. Years later I did manage to get a PC version of the game and I figured out how to get past those dastardly men of mud. (Pull back on the joystick, FYI). and receive my final reward of a kiss from the fair Princess. Ahh, redemption at last. Thanks, Don, for the memories.

The title lured me in and I'm not disappointed ten out of ten

One of the greatest experience of my life was meeting Don blush, Gary Goldman, John Pomeroy, Wolfgang Reitherman and other animators at the premier of the rescuers and in subsequent years keeping up with these animators. We, the computer show, covered dirk the daring and daphne by interviewing Gary Goldman and Don Bluth with an interview and sojourn with them at various entertainment shows - E3 and CES. The film of dragons lair with Ryan Reynolds’s has the potential to be amazing and appears to be coming to Netflix as a series.

Great Essay... NIMH is one of my all Time fav's and of course "Dragon's Lair" and BTW the remark: "and Dom Deluise" (rip)... HAHAHAHA that made my Day... Cheers & Thank you

I love your video essays.

I love Don Bluth. My favorite of his films are ADGTH and Titan AE.

So good ! Thanks for a great video

Thanks for the coverage Matt. Much ❤ as always

As an animation major I always appreciated Bluth and everyone who wanted to make animation, specifically 2d animation that contrasted with the disney style. Although I only grew up with An American Tail and Titan AE

"The forgettable Balto" Hahahaha, I watched Balto a gazillion times in my childhood! And I still remember it fondly.

I want to live in a timeline where Don Bluth would've been running the Disney company.

Animation really does deserve more respect. Bluth was right. In fact, his sentiments on animation remind me of what Guillermo del Toro had said at the Oscars, about how animation is cinema, and how it's for everyone to enjoy. Animation is an art form, and I think a lot of people tend to forget that, when they're older. They enter adolescence and adulthood, and it's like Bluth had said, at that point, relegate animation to the nursery. It's childhood nostalgia, but not something that they're interested in, once they age. Thankfully, I'm not one of those people. When my sister was in grade school, and I was in high school, not once did I ever say, "I'm done with cartoons, because those are for babies." Even during my early years of college, I still enjoyed animation. And my family and I still enjoy animated movies. I don't think it's fair that some people assume that animation is only for children to enjoy and for teens and adults to endure. My sister and I have grown up with both Disney and Don Bluth films. I hope that people will enjoy them for years to come.

Aw I love both Disney and Bluth movies! Wish Disney wouldn’t of sabbatoged all the Bluth releases so we could have gotten more!

The land before times were awesome man. My dad bought me the first 7 on vhs & the sing along song tape. Good times.

All my favorite childrens movies (then AND now) are Bluth films ❤

Late to this video, but this was so incredibly excellent. And yes, I loved Titan AE

This is such a tragic story. Titan A.E. was a masterpiece, in my view. On a side note, I wonder if we'll ever get a chance to see a restored version of "The Black Cauldron", which was visually stunning, yet appeared to be edited by a team of annoyed chimps. The Chronicles of Prydain were amongst my favorite books when I was 12, and I cannot begin to tell you how disappointed I was with the movie. They didn't even BOTHER to hire Dom DeLuise - that's messed up, man!