The House of Mouse Project / 18.04.2020

The one that recaptured the magic. After almost a decade of subpar, inexpensive package films, Walt Disney Productions was genuinely on its last legs. While the series of anthology movies had kept the studio's head slightly above water, Walt Disney knew the general public's interest in these disappointing films was severely waning. With the studio's bank debt pushing below $4 million, Walt also knew he had one final shot to rescue Disney from total collapse. In a meeting with his financiers at Bank of America, Walt acknowledged the bank's desire...

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The House of Mouse Project / 17.04.2020

The one that wrapped up a difficult era. By the late 1940s, Walt Disney Productions was barely holding on. After several years of producing inexpensive package films as a means to survive, the studio was eagerly preparing for the much-anticipated revival of its feature film production unit. But the dismal box office returns of both Fun and Fancy Free and Melody Time forced Walt Disney to rethink his next step. With a bank debt already reaching $4.2 million, the studio failed to ascertain further capital to recommence producing feature-length animated...

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The House of Mouse Project / 16.04.2020

The one that served up more of the same. By the mid-1940s, Walt Disney was growing desperate to return to feature-length animated films. While World War II was over and life was beginning to return to some state of normalcy, Walt Disney Productions was still floundering. In debt of almost $3 million, Walt was already planning a dazzling, magical fairy tale to rescue the company and recapture Disney's standing as the home of family-friendly entertainment. Alas, it would still have to wait a few more years. While the company held...

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The House of Mouse Project / 15.04.2020

The one that seemingly forgets its own title. By the mid-1940s, Walt Disney Productions were in dire straits. The end of World War II brought many of its animators and staff back to work, but they returned to a studio genuinely struggling to survive. After years of disappointing box office results for their package films and no further government funds coming Disney's way for army training films and propaganda pieces, the studio was on the brink of bankruptcy. Even their animated shorts were beginning to suffer. After winning 10 of...

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The House of Mouse Project / 14.04.2020

The one that attempted to replicate a masterpiece. When Walt Disney created Fantasia in 1940, the film was originally planned to be the beginning of an ongoing project for potentially decades to come. Walt envisioned releasing a new Fantasia film every few years, with updated musical segments mingled amongst a selection of the original sequences. In 1941, he even began initial story and animation development of several sequences based on the work of composers like Wagner, Debussy, and Stravinsky. After Fantasia essentially flopped at the box office, Walt's grand plans...

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The House of Mouse Project / 13.04.2020

The one that takes a strange detour into surrealism. The success of Saludos Amigos caught everyone by surprise. Even Walt Disney himself was staggered at just how popular the film proved to be in South America and the fact it managed to turn a small profit. The production was ultimately a favour to the American government and an inexpensive method to keep Disney's animators busy while they rode out the effects of World War II on the film industry. No one ever truly expected it to succeed. With the growing...

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The House of Mouse Project / 12.04.2020

The one that headed south of the border. The 1940s were a difficult time for Walt Disney Productions. Despite the financial success of Dumbo in 1941, the box office failures of Pinocchio, Fantasia, and Bambi took a heavy toll on the studio. With America now finally joining the war efforts in Europe and most of the international cinema market non-existent, the financiers at Bank of America refused to loan Walt Disney any further capital unless he agreed to only produce short films. Walt was already in the initial planning stages...

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The House of Mouse Project / 11.04.2020

The one that broke hearts around the world. It may not have been known at the time but Walt Disney's fifth animated feature film would stand as the end of an era. With World War II escalating and America joining war efforts after the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor, Bambi would be the final feature-length animated film produced by Disney for almost a decade. Of the five films Walt would oversee in Disney's early days, Bambi is one of his most unique productions. The team at Disney took the lessons...

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The House of Mouse Project / 10.04.2020

The one that made hearts soar. By the early 1940s, the situation at Walt Disney Productions was beginning to look somewhat dire. Despite huge critical acclaim and several Academy Awards for their first three animated feature films, the heavy losses occurred from the box office failures of Pinocchio and Fantasia were taking their toll on the company and Walt Disney himself. With World War II continuing to eliminate the possibility of Disney capturing the lucrative European box office dollars, Walt keenly understood the studio's only hope was to produce their...

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The House of Mouse Project / 09.04.2020

The one that brought classical music to life. After delivering two acclaimed animated masterpieces, most would assume Walt Disney might merely play it safe with his third animated feature film and simply deliver another family-friendly animation to charm audiences across the globe. But Walt was never one to take the expected path. Just eight months after the release of Pinocchio, he would unveil his most ambitious work thus far that challenged everything Disney had established within the animated film genre. Fantasia was an enormously risky undertaking that completely abandoned the...

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