Film Criticism and Fiction Writing by Derek Jacobs
Previous Parts
Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V, Part VI
In Part VII of The Seven Ages of Disney Animation, we finally reach the end of our (original*) journey: the age we currently exist in, The Computer Age Renaissance. Disney was finally able to utilize computer animation to create powerful stories and gorgeous sequences, but there are still some hand-drawn gems in this age, as well.
The first official trailer for Quentin Tarantino’s eighth theatrical feature, The Hateful 8, was released yesterday. The film appears to be a mish-mash of Django Unchained and Reservoir Dogs, fusing the Old West bounty hunting of Django with the ensemble cast and bottle-episode feel of Dogs (possibly with some non-linear storytelling thrown in for good measure). We get to see a number of Tarantino regulars in the trailer, plus a few newbies, bumping elbows in a log cabin in the middle of the winter. Check it out:
Previous Parts
Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V
In Part VI of The Seven Ages of Disney Animation, we fall from the heights of the Five-Year Renaissance and into another age of inconsistency. While most Disney historians continue the Renaissance period for a few more years, I believe that the drop in quality from those films to the first few of these is sufficient to usher in a new age: The Second Age of Inconsistency.
Previous Parts
Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV
In The Seven Ages of Disney Animation – Part V, we are rescued from the mundane and boring previous age and vaulted to the wonderful heights that are quintessential Disney. Those in my generation were lucky to be smack in the middle of Disney’s target demographic at this point in time, as we have not seen such consistently wonderful quality from the studio since. This is Disney’s return to form, this is Disney’s beauty realized, this is The Five-Year Renaissance.
Previous Parts
Nothing lasts forever, and in Part IV of The Seven Ages of Disney Animation we look at the inevitable fall from grace following Disney’s Golden Age. After the death of Walt Disney, the studio struggled to re-create the magic of the previous ages, and failed to produce a film rivaling the quality of any of their previous masterpieces. Due to the shaky quality and wandering narratives, I call this age, “The Age of Inconsistency”.
Previous Parts
Next up in The Seven Ages of Disney Animation is a proper return-to-form for the animation studio. Where the previous age saw mashed-together package films rule in an effort to curb costs, the introduction of this age is marked by a true masterpiece reminiscent of The Age of Innovation. I speak, of course, of Cinderella, and the birthing of The Golden Age.
Todd Field’s In the Bedroom is a masterful exploration of how individuals cope with tragedy, both in their own mind and in the context of an established romantic relationship. The film is set in a quiet Maine community and glamorizes nothing, instead being comfortable with creating a realistic but vivid world, harsh edges and all. … Read more
Previous Parts Part I: The Age of Innovation For Part II of The Ages of Disney Animation, we enter a very peculiar time. As World War II raged, Walt Disney found that producing full-length films with meager staff and capital was nearly impossible. Instead, he chose to produce six “package films” to keep the studio … Read more
Feature-length Disney animated films are a hallmark of cinematic culture, and it is strange to think that they date back to before the beginning of the second world war. As we approach 80 years of animated features from Disney, I find myself looking back at that history and noting the various high-points and missteps in … Read more
