When most people think of Disney, they might think of the studio’s early days, producing classic animated movies like Sleeping Beauty, or live-action features like Old Yeller. They might think of the studio’s major films of the 1990s, like The Lion King or Beauty and the Beast. There are also plenty of recent features worthy of attention, like Moana or Encanto. However, most people probably don’t think of the studio’s releases from the 1970s and 1980s. The period from 1970 to 1988 is often referred to as Disney’s “Dark Era,” characterized by movies that were darker in tone, design, and subject. “Dark” also refers to the fact that it was seen as a time of decline for the company, with many experimental movies that didn’t reach previous highs. The era was born from the studio’s desire to make more mature movies and broaden viewership while pursuing different ideas. Here’s an exploration of this phase of the studio.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
Inspirations for the Dark Era
Buena Vista Distribution
The death of Walt Disney in 1966 left things in disarray at the company, with many taking on the head role and leaving. By the late 1970s, the studio was run by Walt’s son-in-law, Ron Miller, who wanted the company to expand with mature movies to attract audiences beyond children. According to Den of Geek, Miller wanted to move past “the formula Disney picture” with something new. The early ‘70’s still had some typical Disney movies, like The Aristocats in 1970 and Robin Hood in 1973. The mid- and late-1970s were when things truly shifted. With the 1970s seeing successful movies like The Godfather and Star Wars, the average, kid-friendly Disney movie was seemingly obsolete to moviegoers, who wanted something mature and exciting. Star Wars in particular pushed the company into pursuing a darker, live-action science-fiction movie; though Disney already had the plans to make such a movie in the early ‘70s, Star Wars made the plans more urgent. With these pieces in place, the studio began its shift into grittier movies.
Notable Movies and Themes of the Period
Trying to expand for wider audiences in the Dark Era led to a variety of films in different genres. Their planned sci-fi movie would become The Black Hole in 1979, which focused on a spaceship crew who meets another crew who wants to explore a black hole. It was surprisingly dark and intense, with scenes that took the crew through fiery Hell. Another sci-fi feature was 1982’s Tron, about an engineer who gets uploaded into his own computer game. It had effects and visuals that had never been seen before, and stunned viewers. 40 years later, the movie remains well-loved, with a sequel on the way. The company also delved into dark fantasy with an adaptation of Ray Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes in 1983, about an ominous carnival.
On the animated side, some notable releases were Robin Hood and The Rescuers. Both were animal-centric, and met with decent box office success, but neither would become the defining movie of this Disney era. The studio also did some animation and live-action mash-ups, like Bedknobs and Broomsticks and Pete’s Dragon. Another animated movie worth mentioning was The Black Cauldron. It was another dark fantasy, based on the book by Lloyd Alexander. It told the story of Taran, a young man who must find a magical cauldron before the evil Horned King can destroy the world with it. A disastrous flop, it was the first Disney animated movie to be rated PG instead of G, according to Slate, with a scene of undead soldiers that had to be rewritten because of how scary it originally was. Finally, the animation of the time – caused by new technology – led to black sketch outlines and muted colors, further enforcing the dark realism.
These movies reflect the larger themes of the era, which saw the company leaning away from fairy tales towards more realistic ideas. The goal was to get away from the predictable Disney movies, and this period’s movies did that. Though many featured the expected happy endings, the journey to get there was more complex and perilous, with mature evils. They told stories of heroism, bravery, and perseverance, more deeply than the company’s early films. They also reached greater depth in their depictions of evil through greed and power. The Dark Era’s movies matched the gritty, non-Disney offerings of the time as well as they could while still remaining kids’ movies, and were arguably some of Disney’s most inventive films.
Shifting Away from the Dark Era
By the late 1980s, after many of the era’s movies flopped, the company began shifting back 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 movies and seemed like a return to their original magic. Disney began using bigger musical numbers and emphasized marketing and merchandise, which the Dark Era didn’t have much of. After The Little Mermaid, Disney released such a strong series of hits in the ‘90s that many consider it to be the studio’s best decade. The majority of people still think of this decade’s movies when considering the company as a whole.
Many Dark Era movies have gone forgotten; some were moderately successful upon release, but faded over time. From animated offerings like The Fox and the Hound or The Great Mouse Detective, to live-action ones like Dragonslayer or Tron, there is great variety in the period that has something for everyone. These movies aren’t what’s thought of when imagining a typical Disney movie, and that’s where their strengths lie. They’re unique and imaginative, and stand out from familiar Disney stories in exciting ways. The Dark Era may never be Disney’s defining age, but it produced inventive movies that broke from the fairy tale mold, and are still great today.
