Were you under the age of ten at any point in the 1980’s? If so, I’ll bet you have at least one combination good/screwed up memory of an animated children’s movie from your childhood. Even better, I’ll bet you I know exactly who made that animated children’s movie that left you so permanently altered and psychologically scarred.
His name is Don Bluth.
An American Tail, The Land Before Time, All Dogs Go To Heaven, The Secret of NIMH. These are the biggest ones, but they’re not the only ones. These are the greatest animated films of the ‘80’s.
All these movies have a few themes in common that also help them to stand out from the rest of the pack. Their animation style is different than what Disney was offering back in the day. They all involve kids as either the protagonists or the plot points. They all have similar themes of loss, overcoming adversity and soldiering on no matter what.
Also, they’re all dark, despairing, and creepy as fuck.
Sure, Disney made Oliver and Company and The Little Mermaid during that same time period, but there’s no way you can convince me that either of them are as heart-poundingly CREEPY as The Secret of NIMH, nor are they as horribly depressing-yet-laughter-inducing as All Dogs Go To Heaven.. Plus, Disney shit out The Black Cauldron in the 80’s, and I’ll never forgive them for that travesty.
Basically, without Don Bluth, my generation would not have grown up knowing that you can overcome the death of a loved one or a family member and still succeed (with violence.) All is not lost. An illness can be overcome. There is hope out there. Never say never.
But he also taught us that first we’re going to have to go up against something that is SCARY AS FUCK.
That prepares a kid for the real world a lot better than anything Disney put out during that time period, or arguably ever.
Plus, Don Bluth does not mess around. Check out his IMDB page. He wrote, produced, and directed several of his films. He even did his own animation. Pete’sDragon? That was him too.
Yes, I only wrote this article to remind the world how awesome this guy is, and to opine a bit about the current state of ‘cartoons.’ While I dearly love Pixar, and I’ll freely admit that Toy Story 3 had me tearing up, there will never be another set of films like Mr. Bluth put out in the ‘80’s. No other movies will ever prepare a kid for the realities of the world while still keeping the happy ending.
Do us all a favor. If you have children, be sure to show them a Don Bluth animation. It will make them better people. Sure, Disney has the princesses, but Sleeping Beauty isn’t going to teach your child the importance of having to stab a rat in the chest in order to get medicine for your son.
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