News

Every studio has its hits, and Disney is no exception. Despite the studio’s massive influence, it’s still prone to producing pop culture duds. Yet, many of those “flops” are important stepping stones. They help the studio learn what works and — more importantly — how to create something better. One of the studio’s most unappreciated stepping stones hit theaters in May 2000. Dinosaur’s rubbery behemoths may not have aged gracefully, but their uncanny appearances highlighted the studio’s lofty ambitions.

Fans should think twice before judging the visuals of Dinosaur too harshly, as the world’s first feature-length CGI film, Toy Story, debuted just five years earlier. Though the former film’s visuals have undoubtedly aged, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The “outdated” effects of Dinosaur are a CGI time capsule, and they reflect what was once considered the most advanced technological achievements in digital animation.

Disney...

In 1994, The Lion King roared into theaters and became a foundational piece of modern pop culture. Still heralded as one of the best films ever released from the Walt Disney Animation Studio, The Lion King helped carry on one of cinema's most impactful winning streaks. Since then, it's become a mainstay of the Disney parks and has led to plenty of spin-off shows and films.

But while the eventual success of the film makes it a clear stand-out from the studio, Disney had far less confidence in the film during production. In fact, animators at the studio initially balked at the prospect of working on The Lion King, leaving it with far less experienced talent (or executive oversight) as another notable film produced at the same time. Here's why Disney initially thought The Lion King was going to be a box-office failure.

Related: Exclusive First Look: Disney Unveils Cinderella's...

The Disney Classic Short Films collection abounds with animation gems that have been wiling away the last few years. In the third installment of this collection, headlined by the more well-known The Prince and the Pauper, we get one the better animated features in the old Disney library. Accompanying the main cartoon we have five additional cartoons of starkly varied age, style and quality (more so than on the other sets).

The Prince and the Pauper (1990)

Directed by George Scribner, Written by Gerrit Graham and Sam Graham

Here we have one of the best Disney shorts to come of the pre-Pixar era. Created back in 1990, the animation here stands up to the test of time – in fact, seeing it for the first time in what must have been a decade, I was shocked at how beautiful it still looks. Based on the classic story by Mark Twain, it has all...