Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, Fantasia, Dumbo, Bambi
The period beginning with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and ending with Bambi is often referred to as the “Golden Age” of Disney filmmaking. These films were all overseen by Walt himself, and established Walt Disney Studios as one of the leaders in animated filmmaking. However, the term “Golden Age” is actually quite misleading. With the exception of Snow White and Dumbo, in terms of financial success, the “Golden Age” wasn’t all that golden. In fact, Dumbo was originally supposed to be merely a short film, but Walt decided to make it a full-length feature to try and recover from the losses suffered from Fantasia.
Though Disney films are considered wholesome and upbeat, a characteristic of this era of films is their darkness.
Take a look at some scenes that embody the darker side of their respective films:
Though they are somewhat eerie and perhaps disturbing, scenes like these are typically sandwiched between two more upbeat and positive scenes, creating an extreme mood shift that engages all of the audience’s emotions. This style of animation also landed the “Golden Age” the nickname “The Tar and Sugar Era”, due to its dramatic jumps from dark to ‘sweet’. In just about every way these films pushed the limit of filmmaking. This era also includes the first and only time that breasts were openly shown in a Disney film, found in Fantasia.
These five films, though not the most successful of Disney films, started a few important trends in Disney filmmaking. Snow White was the first of the the fairytale based movies that Disney is known for, Pinocchiostarted the concept of taking well-known literature and turning it into a child-friendly film and Bambi explored the possibilities of making a movie through the eyes of an animal. Other Disney staples such as exaggerated villains, the use of music and prominent, comedic sidekicks were first introduced in the Golden Age as well.
Disney Eras 