Reused Animations – Case: Disney
We are all aware of great Disney classics and each of us has the favourite one, but can you believe they made them with reused animations? Just remember “Robin Hood (1973)”, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)”, “The Jungle Book (1967)” and so on… Simply – classics. No matter what year you were born, you must have seen some of these cartoons, at least once. The commitment of Disney illustrators was on another level.
Therefore, something that is a fun fact today, it wasn’t so funny 50 years ago. To get a clearer picture let’s take an example. According to Bright Side, the time needed to illustrate “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)” was give or take 3 years. 570 illustrators took 3 years to draw this evergreen.
They drew a total of almost 750,000 pictures. This number is staggering and shows how much hard work went into this movie. Walt Disney himself was so overwhelmed by the result that he was moved to tears when he saw it for the first time!
The success of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)” opened up a whole new world for Disney and his team. It was the first full-length animated musical feature film, and it went on to become a classic in its own right. The success of this movie began what has become known as the Golden Age of Animation. Through this era, the studio released classics such as “Pinocchio” (1940), “Fantasia” (1940), and “Dumbo” (1941).
These beloved classics have been enjoyed by generations of children, many of whom feel a strong connection to these films. They are often referred to as Disney’s “classics” because they represent the pinnacle of animated film-making during the Golden Age of Animation.
The level of detail and character development that was achieved during this period is unmatched, even by today’s standards. It is no wonder that these films continue to bring joy to viewers all around the world.
A big part of Disney’s success came from its commitment to excellence and innovation in reused animation.
What Has Been Seen Cannot Be Unseen…
Thanks to the new trends, as well as social networks, Disney with its masterpieces is again in the public spotlight. The Internet has once again shown its unrivalled speed in spreading information, so we are reminded of certain sequences from Disney movies. What has been seen cannot be unseen is the motto that perhaps best describes this curiosity. Have you ever noticed some similarity in certain sequences of Disney movies?
If you may have noticed, and thought it was a coincidence, we’ll tell you it’s not, and well done on the observation. Instead of creating new animations with the new characters, at the time, Disney was only reworking existing animations. A list of all reused animations can be found here, and the list of cartoons is not small at all. The question arises, why did one giant like Disney use this method?
The Story Behind Reused Animations
At first, when it came to these reused animations, everyone thought that it was about certain savings. Why else would someone use the same animations with different characters again? But that is not really the case. It takes far more time to reuse old animations than to make completely new ones. And if we remember the story from the beginning about how long it took to illustrate one cartoon, the story of the savings is no longer realistic.
If something is proven to work well, it should not be changed. That is the only truth in this case. The management of the company at that time did not want to take risks with the new animations, because the old ones worked perfectly. Simple as that!
Need New/Old Cartoons?
Of course, we have them. In any format and from any year. Some classic masterpieces, which after this interesting story deserve to be seen once again. Maybe this time with some new kids. Do not hesitate to contact us and be equipped with something that has been tested and proven as a good solution.