I recently discussed the films of Warner Bros. Feature Animation as well as discussing the 2D films of Dreamworks Animation in the past. However, arguably more important than those when it comes to the legacy of animation are the films of the legendary animator Don Bluth. While his films are certainly not of even quality, I still think it worth looking at the various films he directed and examining the amazing and not so amazing world of Don Bluth.
First, it’s worth discussing who Don Bluth is and his work prior to directing films. Don Bluth first began working in the animation industry as an assistant animator on the 1959 Disney classic “Sleeping Beauty”. He would continue to work on many other Disney animated films such as The Jungle Book, Robin Hood, The Rescuers etc. as well as working on some TV animated series such as Fantastic Voyage, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Groovie Goolies etc. The last Disney film he worked on was The Fox and the Hound and, in 1979, he led a group of animators out of Disney to set up Don Bluth Productions, later renamed Sullivan Bluth Studios, due to his dissatisfaction with Disney’s attitude to animation at the time.
The first film to be produced and released by this new studio was titled “The Secret of NIMH” in 1982. A surprisingly dark film that sported a higher level of detail in the animation and artwork than in Disney movies at the time, the plot follows Mrs. Brisby, a widowed mouse whose youngest son is suffering from pneumonia. Upon learning that her home is under threat from the local farmer, Mrs. Brisby sets out to work with a nearby colony of rats to save her home while encountering a mystery surrounding the National Institute of Mental Health, the titular NIMH. The film was critically acclaimed but suffered at the box office due to a lacklustre marketing campaign as well as stiff competition in the form of E.T. This prompted the brand new Don Bluth Productions to declare bankruptcy and reform themselves as Bluth Group.
Their next film was released in 1986 and saw the involvement of Steven Spielberg as an executive producer. An American Tail follows a Russian-Jewish family of mice called the Mousekewitzes who flee Shostka due to anti-Jewish violence and persecution and decide to go to America. However, the main character, Fievel, ends up separated from his family during a storm at sea. He washes up in New York City and is determined to find his family again. The film’s critical response was more mixed than The Secret of NIMH but was an enormous box office success, grossing over $100 million and becoming the highest grossing non-Disney animated film up to that point.
Afterwards, The Land Before Time was released in 1988 with both Steven Spielberg and George Lucas executive producing. The film follows an Apatosaurus called Littlefoot who is orphaned when his mother is slain by a Tyrannosaurus. After meeting several other young dinosaurs, they must travel to find the Great Valley, a land abundant with food in contrast to the famine ridden land they inhabit. The film was received about as well as An American Tail but was also a box office success, grossing about $80 million.
In 1989, All Dogs Go To Heaven was released and was the first film since The Secret of NIMH not to be produced by Steven Spielberg. The story follows a German Shepard named Charlie B. Barkin who is murdered by Carface Carruthers, his business partner who wishes to keep all of the earnings for himself. Charlie is sent to Heaven but sneaks out by stealing a golden pocket watch which can grant him life. He reunites with his friend Itchy Itchiford and plots his revenge against Carface. However, he meets an orphan girl named Anne-Marie and begins to experience love and kindness for the first time in his life. All Dogs Go To Heaven received a decisively mixed critical reception and only managed to gross about $27 million at the box office due to competition from The Little Mermaid. Despite this, the film was surprisingly successful on home video, managing to sell around 3 million VHS tapes in just a month!
Rock-A-Doodle, released in 1991, is viewed by some as the beginning of the downfall of Sullivan Bluth Studios. The film incorporates some live-action footage near the beginning and end of the movie and follows a boy called Edmond who is transformed into a kitten by the Grand Duke of Owls who is taking over the farm. Edmond and some of his farm friends then journey to the city to get Chanticleer, a rooster who used to live on the farm and left to become a rock star, to come back and raise the sun with his crow to banish the owls from the farm. The film received negative reviews from critics and the film grossed a mere $11.6 million at the box office. While the film did prove popular on home video, Sullivan Bluth Studios ran into financial problems and collaborated with Media Assets, a company based in Hong Kong, to fund their next films.
Be sure to check out the conclusion of this article in The Amazing And Not So Amazing World of Don Bluth Part 2.
Hopefully you have found this article interesting and informative and, if you wish to seek any of the works I mentioned, don’t hesitate to use amazon.co.uk or amazon.com for all of your needs!