Since I was very young, the Disney Company has been one of my greatest passions and biggest obsessions. That is far from secret. It is safe to say that Disney animated films have played a huge part in nearly everybody’s childhood, but for me these movies were more than just another form of fleeting entertainment. I was never the type to simply “like” something; I had to make it my entire world. I wasn’t satisfied with passively enjoying a Disney movie, I had to be able to recite all of the lyrics to the songs on the soundtrack, had to be able to name every character and who voiced them. But while I can claim to know a huge amount about many Disney movies, I have never set aside the time to take a hard look at the progression of the animation or to contemplate exactly what it is about these films that makes them so much more dear to us to than other animated features. I love me some American Tail, but in his wildest dreams Don Bluth could not compare his work to The Little Mermaid.
As I packed my things to move to Anaheim for the Disney College Program, I found myself looking at my old, well-loved Disney VHS tapes and lamenting the fact that I didn’t have copies of all of those movies on DVD to take with me. It suddenly hit me that I needed to start building my collection of Disney DVDs, but the thought of buying 50 movies at once was overwhelming. Wouldn’t it be fun, I thought, to purchase these films in the order in which they were released? This way I could re-familiarize myself with the films without missing any of them and, for the first time, watch the art of animation develop and advance right before my eyes.
Treasures Untold will document my progress as I buy and re-watch (or in some cases view for the first time) every single Disney animated feature film from Snow White to Tangled. I am excited to discover what I may have missed when I watched these movies as a child and see how technology and storytelling devices have evolved since the 1930’s. My entries will be part research paper, part anecdote, and part thoughtful reaction. By the end I will have a big fat box of the best animated films ever made. After reliving the magic one movie at a time, I will have my collection with me for the rest of my life to remind me of how revolutionary, heartwarming, and influential these animated features are.
