As a kid born in the late 80's and raised in the 90's and early 2000's, I believe I can attest to growing up in one of the greatest eras to be a child at the movies. The first film I ever remember seeing in theaters was Aladdin, which was hugely successful and still sits as one of my favorite animated flicks, while another of my earliest movie going experiences introduced me to The Lion King, my favorite animated film and arguably the greatest animated motion picture in history.
These were just the tip of my magical-childhood iceberg. 1989, the year I was born, was also the kickoff year of what is now known as the Disney Animation Renaissance, and I had the privilege of spending the first ten years of my life surrounded by the films and merchandise of one of Disney's greatest creative ages. The Little Mermaid's Ariel was my first crush (I liked her "seashells," as my mother enjoys reminding me), Belle taught me that taking women hostage is not only acceptable, but is destined to develop into romance, the Genie brought myself and everyone around me to laughter, Mufasa's death made me cry like, well, a five year old, Hercules was literally my hero, and Eddie Murphy's Mushu was his best performance until Donkey (Shrek).
And, all of this was merely the traditionally animated side of the industry, which began to change dramatically after the phenomenal success that was Toy Story. Released in 1995, the first full-length computer generated animated film ever revolutionized the industry, as most of us know. Nearly twenty years later, animation is dominated by CG, it has a larger number of studios involved than ever before, and even has its own category in the Academy Awards. Names like Pixar, DreamWorks, Disney, and Blue Sky are synonymous with animation, while Starz, Sony, Fox, ILM(Industrial Light and Magic), Lucasfilm, Imagi Studios, Illumination(Universal Pictures), and several others all have or are animation studios involved in the industry today.
Back in '89 there were only two major animated theatrical releases, according to IMDb. These were Don Bluth's All Dogs Go To Heaven and Disney's The Little Mermaid. Now, fast forward to 2012, and we have nine theatrical releases, not including 3d re-releases. In the late 80's animation was a dying art form, and now it is a full-fledged industry of money-sucking, audience engrossing juggernauts in 3d.
This incredible change was by no means an accident, and took place while my generation was growing up. My age group has been called the "Harry Potter generation," and rightfully so, but we would be just as accurately described as the Disney Renaissance or Toy Story generation. We fueled the growth in the industry, and conversely animation and the geniuses behind it left us with a legacy that stays with us into our adult years and will transfer to our children.
So far this year I have seen the re-release of Beauty and the Beast, The Lorax, Brave, Ice Age 4, considered seeing Madagascar 3, and look forward to seeing Wreck-it Ralph, Rise of the Guardians, and the glorious return of Finding Nemo later this year. That there are so many options today speaks to the legacy of animation. Though that legacy stretches back to Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and even beyond, it was ushered from the brink of oblivion in the late 80's, and it is from this legacy that today's industry operates and succeeds.
Families and children growing up today have a wide range of options and talented companies vying for their attention and money, far more than I did when I was young. Yet, they would not have been possible if the industry had not reshaped itself, and I'm proud to say I was there to witness and appreciate animation in a way only my generation can.
