Line #13 VindicatedByHistory/AnimatedFilms


1	[[foldercontrol]]
2	----
3	!!Animation Studios
4	[[folder:Disney]]
5	* Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon:
6	** ''WesternAnimation/{{Pinocchio}}'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Fantasia}}'' and ''WesternAnimation/{{Bambi}}'' are now regarded as three of the [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfAnimation greatest animated films]] of all time, but were all huge flops at the box office (and ''Bambi'' in particular was coldly received by critics) on their original releases. UsefulNotes/WorldWarII cost Disney the European market (that had helped make ''WesternAnimation/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs'' so successful), although other factors contributed to the films' failures. The combined flops nearly destroyed [[Creator/{{Disney}} Walt Disney Studios]]. Even after they recovered from the debacle, Disney never again experimented with such risky films, opting for safer, more commercial and profitable ventures instead. Fortunately however, Walt ''did'' live to see the films gain the reputations they truly deserved.
7	*** ''WesternAnimation/{{Pinocchio}}'' (1940) was considered too episodic by some critics, and audiences proved to NOT be in the mood for such fanciful fare during WWII. It was successful domestically in the United States though, since they had yet to enter the war at that time.
8	*** ''WesternAnimation/{{Fantasia}}'' (1940), in a nutshell, was too far ahead of its time. Most theaters refused to install the special "Fantasound" speakers needed to create the surround sound which Walt had planned the film to use, and many critics derided the film as pretentious. Yes, the AnimationAgeGhetto existed [[OlderThanTheyThink before the trope did]]. The failure of ''Fantasia'' crushed Walt, who abolished plans to make any sequels (and this was the only film he wanted to make a sequel to). The popularity of ''Fantasia'' really started to grow in the 1960s, as young audiences in tune with psychedelic imagery found the initial all-abstract Toccata and Fugue scene as well as the false-color pastels of Music/LudwigVanBeethoven's Symphony No. 6 in F major (''Pastoral'') compelling.
9	*** ''WesternAnimation/{{Bambi}}'' (1942), like ''Fantasia'', was a victim of being too far ahead of its time, so much that even the European box office was easily shunned. Critics derided it as [[AnimationAgeGhetto pretentious]] and overly introspective compared to everything that had come before. There's also the {{Bambification}} phenomenon, which worked in the film's favor.
10	** The following decade had its ups and downs. ''WesternAnimation/{{Cinderella}}'', ''WesternAnimation/PeterPan'' and ''WesternAnimation/LadyAndTheTramp'' were big hits. But:
11	*** ''WesternAnimation/AliceInWonderland'' (1951) was a financial failure. But like ''Fantasia'', it would be rediscovered in TheSixties and become popular among the counterculture and a new generation of fans, that didn't care that they weren't the Disney Princess fare. Creator/WaltDisney himself even said he [[CreatorBacklash didn't really like it]], although that didn't stop him from allowing the [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mad_Tea_Party popular tea cup ride]] in [[Ride/DisneyThemeParks Disneyland]] and coming up with a lot of ''very'' good ideas (even the ones, that didn't make it), and the attraction in Disneyland continues to prove itself as ''quite'' popular.
12	*** ''WesternAnimation/SleepingBeauty'' (1959) in particular devastated Walt Disney and almost convinced him to abandon animated feature production altogether. He viewed the film as his second shot at getting into more sophisticated, "adult" animation after ''Fantasia'', by using the tried-and-true "princess" style, that made ''Snow White'' and ''Cinderella'' such big hits. But even though it was the second most popular movie of the year, it had been so expensive to make that Disney couldn't make a profit out of it. The Xerox process pioneered by ''WesternAnimation/OneHundredAndOneDalmatians'' and used in subsequent films lowered production costs substantially, which played a pivotal role in Disney's decision to continue animated film production. Still, Disney would not adapt another fairy tale in Walt's lifetime, until 1989 with ''The Little Mermaid''.
13	** A number of Disney disappointments after Walt's death recuperated on a small scale, either when re-released to theaters or when debuting on home video.
14	*** The first completely independent of Walt, ''WesternAnimation/RobinHood1973'', was wrecked by the company's financial problems of the 1970s, resulting in severe corner-cutting in its production. It made money, but was panned by contemporary critics, and was considered Disney's worst film to date internally. However, VHS made it one of Disney's most beloved classics in the 1980s and 1990s. (And then there's its popularity in the UsefulNotes/FurryFandom...) The people who did ''WesternAnimation/{{Zootopia}}'' would later say the inspiration for their movie was ''WesternAnimation/RobinHood1973''.
15	*** ''WesternAnimation/TheBlackCauldron'' suffered from a TroubledProduction and was seen as a trainwreck in TheEighties. Even today, some still see it as a trainwreck (not entirely unjustified), but others have grown to appreciate it for taking risks, having a darker tone, and [[OlderThanTheyThink actually being the one to start newer trends]] people associated with their "Renaissance" such as the RebelliousPrincess, more complex three-dimensional leads, and the use of CGI in their animated films. (Some documentaries actually say it was ''WesternAnimation/TheGreatMouseDetective'' that first used CGI. It wasn't - ''The Black Cauldron'' actually used it first, just much less extensively than ''Great Mouse Detective''.)
16	*** While ''WesternAnimation/TheRescuersDownUnder'' was critically acclaimed, it underperformed at the box office, prompting Disney to cease promotion for the movie less than two weeks after release, effectively guaranteeing that it would fail to gain an audience. Being a ContestedSequel and being [[SophomoreSlump sandwiched between two of the Renaissance's biggest juggernauts]] didn't do it any favors either. As time went by, and Disney began churning out a number of sequels that were even more divisive, if not widely seen as subpar, the movie gradually gained a [[CultClassic cult following]] who appreciate the movie for pioneering technological advancements which would be perfected in later Renaissance films, having a distinct identity, setting, and tone from the original, and continuing the arcs of the returning characters in a natural way. While the film still isn't held to the same regard as the rest of the Renaissance films, and opinions are still split on which film is better, the general consensus among modern viewers is that it is a worthy follow-up, and a good movie in its own right.
17	*** While not panned--they're both graded Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes--''WesternAnimation/{{The Hunchback of Notre Dame\|Disney}}'' and ''WesternAnimation/{{Hercules}}'' were widely criticized for {{bowdleriz\|e}}ing a classic work of literature and classical mythology, respectively. Attitudes towards both films have changed since then. ''Hunchback'' gets a lot of praise for being one of the most daring Disney films, with its DarkerAndEdgier tone and one of the most compelling (and complex) villains in the entire canon with Frollo, and one of Music/AlanMenken's greatest soundtracks, while ''Hercules'' is often viewed as one of the funniest films in the canon, as well as providing the most [[AffablyEvil genuinely likeable]] villain since [[WesternAnimation/TheGreatMouseDetective Ratigan]] in Hades. Ultimately, both films are now seen as a pair of much-needed steps back in the right direction after the under-performance of ''Pocahontas''.
18	*** ''WesternAnimation/{{Mulan}}'' wasn't ''un''popular or outright panned when it first released in 1998, and had generally positive reception, but it was never considered one of the "best" like ''WesternAnimation/{{The Lion King\|1994}}'' or ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'' and was by and large considered SoOkayItsAverage by critics--good, but not great. Its [[AmericansHateTingle underperformance in China]] and liberal ArtisticLicense with Chinese culture were also considered marks against it by Chinese reviewers. The controversies surrounding [[Film/Mulan2020 its live-action remake]] and the criticisms of its changes to the story, however, have made some critics reappraise the original more favorably for its strong CharacterDevelopment of the heroine and themes about overcoming societal expectations. It helps that it -- unlike the remake -- had some Asian creatives on staff, most prominently Chinese-American head writer Rita Hsiao.
19	** Many Disney films from the TurnOfTheMillennium are this:
20	*** ''WesternAnimation/TheEmperorsNewGroove'' is even more vindicated. Despite being an initial flop, it is one of the three hand-drawn animated Disney films from the 2000s (along with ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitch'' and ''WesternAnimation/ThePrincessAndTheFrog''), that still gained some sort of profit. While initially dismissed by audiences for being a zany comedy film lacking any of Disney's expected grandeur or gravitas, especially after the TroubledProduction received a documentary that discussed the aborted dramatic first draft, the film's unique tone has also served as a source of appeal and its characters and jokes have become beloved over time.
21	*** Two of Disney's action flicks ''WesternAnimation/AtlantisTheLostEmpire'' and ''WesternAnimation/TreasurePlanet'' were also initial flops both critically (at least with ''Atlantis'' as is has a mere 49% on Rotten Tomatoes, whereas ''Treasure Planet'' has a better 69% and was also nominated for Best Animated Film at the Oscars) and financially (especially with ''Treasure Planet'' as it is one of Disney's biggest box office bombs). This is because their tones were vastly different than that of their films during the decade prior (that and they also had to compete with other bigger films). However, around a decade after each of these movies have been released, they became cult classics to the point that they are considered as fan favorites to some (in fact, some characters like Kida from ''Atlantis'' is a favorite amongst artists and cosplayers). Mainly because they appear as if Disney was breaking the mold from their usual fantasy and musical films.
22	* ''WesternAnimation/AGoofyMovie'' was considered a B-movie in the eyes of Disney, except for Jeffrey Katzenberg, who championed it. The studio gave the film a smaller budget, compared to the studio's other animated works. Most of the animation was outsourced, which is why it isn't considered part of the Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon. When Katzenberg left Disney in 1994, the studio released it with a half-hearted marketing campaign. The film was a modest hit commercially and critics were mixed on it. While it made enough money on video to ensure [[WesternAnimation/AnExtremelyGoofyMovie a direct-to-DVD sequel]], the movie faded into semi-obscurity for a number of years. However, the film had attained a cult following among those who grew up watching the film on VHS and appreciated its warmth, humor, characters, and its soundtrack. The film's cult status grew and by the time ''A Goofy Movie'' hit its 20th anniversary in 2015, Disney was willing to acknowledge the film's existence for the first time in many years.
23	* ''[[WesternAnimation/BuzzLightyearOfStarCommand Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins]]'', the first spin-off of ''Franchise/ToyStory'''s Buzz was mainly seen as DirectToVideo fluff when it debuted, with Entertainment Weekly even giving the film a D+. While others who saw the film and watched the following series as kids liked it, the animated film still never garned much mainstream appeal compared to the ''Toy Story'' films and Disney themselves eventually [[CanonDiscontinuity disowned it]] when Pixar decided to make "the real story" of Buzz with 2022's ''WesternAnimation/{{Lightyear}}''. Yet due to the [[BrokenBase mixed reaction]] and the underperformance of the new film which goes for a DarkerAndEdgier ''Film/{{Interstellar}}''-esque tone, removing the RaygunGothic and wacky [[SpaceOpera sci-fi adventure]] aspects from Buzz (which is what a lot of fans liked about him in the first place) among several other controversial changes, the ''Star Command'' film has gotten far more praise. Its surprisingly [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall tongue-in-cheek humor]], [[{{Worldbuilding}} embracement]] of interesting alien characters and worlds and especially its voice cast with Creator/WayneKnight as Zurg and a returning Creator/TimAllen as Buzz, has all placed ''Star Command'' in a better light to fans than ''Lightyear'' which lacks those said elements with its grounded human-focused story and to a portion of the fanbase's annoyance recast Tim Allen with Creator/ChrisEvans.
24	[[/folder]]
25
26	[[folder:Studio Ghibli]]
27	* Creator/StudioGhibli:
28	** ''Anime/TheCastleOfCagliostro'', Creator/HayaoMiyazaki's first film, flopped when it first ran in Japanese cinemas in 1979, due to being much LighterAndSofter than typical ''Franchise/LupinIII'' fare. Fans stayed away from it, and no one else had any reason to check it out. It was only years later, once the film found an audience outside Japan and Miyazaki had made a name for himself with the company, that people rediscovered ''Cagliostro'' and gave it its current status as one of the true Classics of animated film.
29	** ''Anime/MyNeighborTotoro'', one of Hayao Miyazaki's greatest works, failed to turn a profit on its first release in 1988. Two years later, King Totoro dolls became a hot-selling item and the film gained a re-evaluation, raising Miyazaki's esteem on an international scale. Its failure in the initial run probably had something to do with the fact that it was bundled with ''Anime/GraveOfTheFireflies'', one of the most depressing anime in history.
30	** Disney's dub of ''Anime/CastleInTheSky'' commissioned Joe Hisaishi to rerecord his score with a symphony orchestra exclusively for their release. Miyazaki himself approved of the end result. So did certain critics. Many, many American purists, however, were furious, instantly condemning the new score as "a crime against all humanity." The Ghibli Blog infamously even called both the dub and the rescore the equivalent of ''Anime/NausicaaOfTheValleyOfTheWind'''s first American dub, "Warriors of the Wind." Perhaps because of this, Disney reissued the dub without the rescore. Although today there are some fans who still bitterly resent the rescore, ironically, its removal from the dub has caused other reviewers to give it a second evaluation; many recent reviews of the film and the redub now declare the new work as one of the dub's biggest assets, as well as a genuine improvement over the original. Even the rescore has a following of fans, many of who were saddened when it was jettisoned. In fact, the rescore received a soundtrack release in Japan. Up until 2017, the only way to view the film with the rescore was to import the BD from Japan, the UK, or Australia. Gkids has since reissued the film on Blu-ray, providing viewers with the opportunity to see the dub with either score.
31	[[/folder]]
32
33	[[folder:Pannonia Film Studio]]
34	* Creator/PannoniaFilmStudio:
35	** 1979's ''Animation/FoamBath'' was the studio's worst-performing animated movie. Though some critics praised its realistic, adult-aimed themes and DerangedAnimation, with its art style changing every other second, audiences were absolutely disgusted by it and ticket sales were one twentieth of the studio's expectation. It lingered on in film literature as an obscure but noteworthy experimental movie and art historians even gave it its own genre ("anima verité"), until the 2000s saw a moderate rise of interest among Hungarian art students and open-minded youth who either related to the film's characters or simply found its weirdness amusing. It's also considered an UnintentionalPeriodPiece. The movie was restored and re-screened a couple of times and is used as a teaching tool in animation classes, it influenced an enthusiastic group of fans to create the 2018 adult animated series ''Candide'' in a similar style (which became similarly controversial and overlooked), and its highest claims to fame were getting a French Blu-ray box set in 2021 and an American set in 2024, accompanied by new analysis laying out the film's significance. If nothing else, people interested in animation tend to appreciate or at least acknowledge it as a bold experiment, though opinions on its actual quality as a film are still very harshly divided. Most agree that the soundtrack and original songs are good at least. Composer János Másik remembers the film flopping but becoming a local CultClassic within a few decades, and its cult fanbase is now international.
36	** 1983's ''Animation/HeroicTimes'' received acclaim on international festivals but was mostly neglected in its home, slowly sinking into obscurity and living on as TV reruns until the 2010s saw a DVD release with a variety of bonus features, followed by a restored American Blu-ray set in 2023. Its experimental style, being wholly animated with oil paintings and having one CharacterNarrator, broody and depressing tone and classical score were considered unappealing upon release, now these are considered its most gripping aspects.
37	** ''Animation/SonOfTheWhiteHorse'', a 1981 mythological film by ''Creator/MarcellJankovics'', under-performed in its home, its viewership reaching less than half of the expected numbers, and the country capital cut its theatrical run short. It also divided critics and regular viewers with its thin plot, thick symbolism and unusual art style. In 1984, the Los Angeles Animation Olympiad gave it a boost and over the next few decades it became a highly obscure and elusive CultClassic regularly praised in books dealing with international animation history. This lead to a high-def restoration and an American theatrical release in 2019, the first time one of Jankovics's films made it to US screens in an official capacity, with further international releases in 2020. While it's still moderately liked in its native country, the film became by far the most famous Hungarian animated film globally, and the director went from disliking it to labeling it his career's high point.
38	[[/folder]]
39
40	[[folder:Dreamworks Animation]]
41	* Creator/DreamWorksAnimation:
42	** ''WesternAnimation/TheRoadToElDorado'' was a box office bomb, failing to recoup its $95 million budget, critics including Creator/RogerEbert dismissed it compared to its more mature predecessor ''WesternAnimation/ThePrinceOfEgypt'', and the Rotten Tomatoes census calls the story predictable and characters flat. Since then, however, the response to the ''El Dorado'' has been wildly different with numerous people adoring its beautiful 2D animation, its cast, particularly the main duo Miguel and Tulio, and especially its music and songs courtesy of Music/EltonJohn, Tim Rice, Music/HansZimmer and John Powell. Jason Schwartz lauds ''El Dorado'' as a hidden gem and is baffled at why it wasn't successful and Petrana Radulovic of ''Polygon'' praises the hilarious chemistry of Miguel and Tulio. The film is also beloved on the internet with Miguel and Tulio being the source of many [[MemeticMutation GIFs]] and the female lead Chel being popular with FanArt and {{cosplay}}ers due to her MsFanservice design.
43	** ''WesternAnimation/FlushedAway'' got middling reviews when it was released, its box office was well below the average for [=DreamWorks=] films at the time, and the reception was so poor it resulted in a $109 million write-down for [=DreamWorks=] Animation and the termination of their partnership with Creator/AardmanAnimations. Nowadays, it's considered a very underrated animated comedy adventure gem with great voice acting from Creator/HughJackman, Creator/KateWinslet and Creator/IanMcKellen and humour that's on par with ''WesternAnimation/WallaceAndGromit'' at times.
44	** ''WesternAnimation/MonstersVsAliens'', while a success in the long run, was still looked down upon by critics due to ''WesternAnimation/WallE'' releasing around the same time. Over time, ''Monsters vs. Aliens'' has been regarded by people as an underrated [=DreamWorks=] gem thanks to the humour from both the monster and human characters, particularly General W.R. Monger and President Hathaway (voiced by Creator/KieferSutherland and Creator/StephenColbert, respectively).
45	** ''WesternAnimation/{{Megamind}}'', while a moderate box office success, got mixed reviews, with a lot critics considering it "the bastard child of ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles1'' and ''WesternAnimation/DespicableMe1''" and its lack of critical success meant any sequel was quickly cancelled. But in the years since its debut, people have applauded ''Megamind'' for its humour, being ahead of its time for exploring [[DoggedNiceGuy "nice guy"]] [[EntitledToHaveYou culture]] and its unique and interesting take on the Franchise/{{Superman}} - ComicBook/LexLuthor formula that's actually quite clever at times.
46	** ''WesternAnimation/ShrekForeverAfter'' upon release received generally an [[SoOkayItsAverage average to mediocre]] reception with it generally being agreed that it was better than ''WesternAnimation/ShrekTheThird'', [[DamnedByFaintPraise which wasn't really saying much.]] But as time passed, the film has begun to be viewed more fondly, with many of its elements, including its [[DarkerAndEdgier darker tone,]] [[LoveToHate fun villain,]] and heart taking greater note. Also, unlike its [[FanonDiscontinuity predecessor,]] the film has been considered a worthy sequel to the first two movies (with some going as far as saying it's the true third movie) and a proper GrandFinale for the series.
47	** ''WesternAnimation/BeeMovie'' is a very unusual example of this. Being constantly advertised caused HypeAversion and its almost nonsensical plot was not terribly appealing to anyone, resulting in the movie doing badly in theatres. In TheNewTens, however, it was rediscovered and became a [[MemeticMutation meme icon]] where its hilariously stupid premise and awkward humor earned it numerous fans. Today, while it's generally agreed the movie is still mediocre, instead of being forgettable, it falls firmly into SoBadItsGood and is one of the biggest examples of WatchItForTheMeme.
48	[[/folder]]
49
50	!!Creators
51	[[folder:Fleischer Brothers]]
52	* Creator/MaxAndDaveFleischer: Their cartoons were immensely popular during the 1930s, even rivaling Disney. But Disney got more serious attention from critics, because the animation was more fluid, realistic and better in storytelling. During UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, the Fleischers went bankrupt, effectively making them fall into obscurity for a few decades. During the 1960s and 1970s, their cartoons were rediscovered by UndergroundComics artists, who adored the creative freedom, jazzy soundtracks and ''bouncy cartoony'' animation of ''WesternAnimation/BettyBoop'' and ''WesternAnimation/{{Popeye}}''. By the 1980s, ''Betty Boop'' even became re-marketed in advertising, finding a whole new audience. Nowadays, the Fleischer animation is no longer seen as ''inferior'' to Disney, but appreciated as original, authentic and creative in its own right. Their technological achievements with mixing live-action and animation are even acknowledged by the Disney Studios, and some popular works have paid homage to Fleischer, like ''WesternAnimation/OverTheGardenWall'' in some scenes and the games ''VideoGame/BendyAndTheInkMachine'' and especially ''{{VideoGame/Cuphead}}'' doing so more prominently.
53	** ''WesternAnimation/MrBugGoesToTown'' (1941) had the misfortune of opening two days before the attack on Pearl Harbor, which severely hurt the film's box office returns, combined with Paramount having little faith in it, and was mostly stuck at the bottom half of double feature bills. These misfortunes eventually lead to Paramount's takeover of Fleischer Studios and the ousting of Creator/MaxAndDaveFleischer. Today, it is a CultClassic among animation fans and is considered one of the Fleischers' best works for its animation and story.
54	** Fleischer's ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheatricalCartoons'' in particular are [[AnimationBump so far ahead of the curve]] that some people think they were made in TheFifties and TheSixties. They were reportedly much more expensive to produce than most of the animated shorts of their era, and contributed to the studio's financial problems. However that big budget and all the innovations involved in their production still make them stand out from most products of their era. Their influence on the character, and all of superhero fiction, was ultimately confirmed when they were cited as a major influence on the major critical and commercial success that was WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries and the subsequent Franchise/DCAnimatedUniverse.
55	[[/folder]]
56
57	[[folder:Tex Avery]]
58	* Creator/TexAvery: He remained unknown and unrecognized through most of his life. Yes, his work was immensely popular and his style was imitated and plagiarized endlessly. But as his cartoons didn't have any real stars, apart from WesternAnimation/{{Droopy}}, he never was that recognizable to the general audience, in part due to Avery's own tastes in story-telling; he reportedly actually liked stories with one-shot characters, and got bored with having to reuse the same cast. Avery was also a very shy man, who did not enjoy being in the spotlight. So his work was never universally awarded, recognized or lauded [[PosthumousPopularityPotential until after his death]].
59	** Also Tex's contemporary, Creator/BobClampett: Bob was originally much more esoteric compared to the other big name Looney Tunes directors, but thanks in part to the efforts of historians and animators like Creator/JohnKricfalusi, and lists like ''The 50 Greatest Cartoons'', as well as the DVD collections and the internet making his work much easier to access and Creator/CartoonNetwork dedicating a whole anthology series to his work (''The Bob Clampett Show''), his cartoons have gained a substantially large fan following in recent times, many of whom put him on the same pedestal as the other esteemed directors of the franchise, like Creator/ChuckJones and Tex.
60	[[/folder]]
61
62	[[folder:Tim Burton]]
63	* Creator/TimBurton:
64	** His stop-motion short film ''Vincent'', created during his employment at Disney. It barely saw the light of day thanks to then-chief Ron Miller's lack of faith in the results.
65	** ''WesternAnimation/TheNightmareBeforeChristmas''. If you hear people talk about it now, you'd be ''surprised'' it only had a "modest" success in 1993.
66	** ''Film/JamesAndTheGiantPeach''. The money that Burton and his colleague Henry Selick DID make on ''Nightmare'' was lost when ''James'' under-performed (even though critics loved it), and their animation studio, Skellington Productions, went bankrupt.
67	[[/folder]]
68
69	[[folder:Don Bluth]]
70	* Creator/DonBluth:
71	** ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretOfNIMH''. While it was a hit with the critics, financial results were less than impressive against Disney Studio fare of the time, and (because it was 1982) against ''Film/ETTheExtraTerrestrial''. Eventually, ''NIMH'' garnered a cult following and is considered to be Don Bluth's most beloved work amongst his fans.
72	** ''WesternAnimation/AllDogsGoToHeaven'' (1989) earned about 27 million in the United States market, and professional reviews were mostly negative. The fact that it [[DuelingWorks was released on the same day as]] ''WesternAnimation/{{The Little Mermaid\|1989}}'' didn't help either. But it became a smash hit when released on video, considered "one of the top-selling VHS releases of all time". It has gone on to be highly regarded by animation fans.
73	[[/folder]]
74
75	!!Productions
76	[[folder:Animated Films and Franchises]]
77	* ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'': The franchise has always remained popular, but during their heydays the critical attention for these cartoons was pretty low, compared to the status they enjoy nowadays. Only ''five'' out of over 1000+ Looney Tunes shorts have won an Academy Award, which may seem high, but compared to the ''seven'' that ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry'' won or the ''dozens'' that Creator/WaltDisney received it's really astonishing that such a historically important, influential and artistically innovative animated series won so few Oscars. The five award winners are "WesternAnimation/TweetiePie", "WesternAnimation/ForScentimentalReasons", "Speedy Gonzales", "WesternAnimation/BirdsAnonymous" and "Knighty Knight Bugs", which are all, except for "WesternAnimation/BirdsAnonymous", not generally considered their best or most enduring works. Only ''one'' of those even features their main star, WesternAnimation/BugsBunny! In fact, several Looney Tunes shorts that are now considered to be historically important classics, that still entertain audiences to this day, have never won any kind of award of critical attention until several years later: "WesternAnimation/TheDoverBoys", "WesternAnimation/ACornyConcerto", "WesternAnimation/PorkyInWackyland", "WesternAnimation/RabbitFire", "WesternAnimation/RabbitOfSeville", "WesternAnimation/DuckAmuck", "WesternAnimation/DuckDodgersInTheTwentyFourthAndAHalfCentury", "WesternAnimation/OneFroggyEvening" and "WesternAnimation/WhatsOperaDoc". The Academy did make up for it by handing Creator/ChuckJones an honorary Oscar for his entire work in 1996, honoring the work of his colleagues at the same time.
78	** ''WesternAnimation/WhatsOperaDoc'' by Creator/ChuckJones took several weeks longer to make than the standard Looney Tune, and Jones gave it a grand Hollywood premiere nearing the scale of a feature-length movie. His aim was the ultimate WesternAnimation/BugsBunny cartoon. His work was not rewarded at the time by animation critics or by the Academy. After 35 years, it became one of the first pieces of animation inducted into the National Film Registry, one of the highest rewards in American cinema. ''Before WesternAnimation/SteamboatWillie!'' It even was named the best of the 50 Greatest Cartoons, beating out another classic in "Duck Amuck".
79	** Two particular characters from Warner's Golden Age, Marvin the Martian and the Tasmanian Devil, each appeared in only five shorts. They have become major Looney Tunes supporting stars since the Golden Age ended, aging much better than a number of characters who appeared in 10 or more Golden Age shorts.
80	* ''WesternAnimation/YellowSubmarine'', released near the peak of Beatlemania, was nevertheless compared unfavorably to other cartoons of the period, especially Disney products. It took a few decades for the film to eventually gain its tremendous fanbase and to be acknowledged as a wonderfully creative and enjoyable musical.
81	* ''WesternAnimation/TwiceUponATime'' had the misfortune of being produced at a time when its studio, The Ladd Company, was nearing bankruptcy. If that name sounds familiar, it may be because of another Ladd production, ''Film/TheRightStuff'', which was planned to come out the same year (1983). Since ''Twice Upon a Time'' was animated, Ladd decided to put it in limited release with ''The Right Stuff'' in worldwide release, and both films ''bombed'' at theaters, causing Ladd to shut down. This movie actually has a strange case of Vindicated by History: It gained a cult following in subsequent years for its humor and dialogue, and is notable for both using the relatively-rare form of cutout animation called "Lumage," and for being the first animated film produced by Creator/GeorgeLucas, so it's a hit with ''audiences'', eventually warranting a DVD release in 2015 despite being barely released/screened ''anywhere'' in the intervening years compared to other animated features!
82	* The animated ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformersTheMovie'' from 1986. Universally panned by critics in its day, an absolute bomb at the box offices, the target audience cried at the deaths of beloved characters and rejected the newly introduced nobodies... 20 years later it was a constant hot seller on video and DVD, and continues to be to this very day, with "anniversary" and "reconstructed" and "ultimate" editions being released every few years. Fans widely believe it to be the quintessential piece of 1980s "Franchise/TransformersGeneration1" fiction. And when the Creator/MichaelBay films were released, the 1986 movie was viewed much more favorably as the only good ''Transformers'' film (apart from ''Film/Transformers2007'' and then later ''Film/{{Bumblebee}}''). The [[Website/TFWikiDotNet Transformers Wiki]] [[http://tfwiki.net/wiki/The_Transformers:_The_Movie offers a simple explanation]]:
83	-->''On a practical note, it was widely available on videotape, and remained so long after the ''The Transformers'' cartoon had gone off the air. Only a handful of series episodes were available on video, making ''The Transformers: The Movie'' the logical choice for someone looking to pick up a ''Transformers'' cartoon; this made it far more well-known among fans than any particular cartoon episode.''
84	* ''WesternAnimation/TheBraveLittleToaster'' (1987) received a limited theatrical release and had no real box office results. It only became a hit when released on VHS in 1991. It went to become popular with 1990s animations fans and currently has a reputation as an animated gem.
85	* ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerryTheMovie'' got slammed when it debuted in 1992, due to focusing the story on the cat and mouse duo helping a runaway girl instead of the usual brutal SlapStick hijinks and committing the "cardinal sin" of having Tom and Jerry talk[[note]]They did occasionally have voiced lines in the cartoon, but merely for the sole purpose of gags rather than it being a core aspect[[/note]]. Flash forward to the [[Film/TomAndJerry2021 2021 Tom and Jerry live action movie]] which features very little of the slapstick of the original cartoons and ''much'' greater focus on human characters running a hotel with Tom and Jerry being demoted to outright side characters, the opinion of the 1992 film has become nicer. While still not considered on par with the original shorts, the 1992 movie has been celebrated for its humour, warmth and decent music as well as keeping Tom and Jerry as main protagonists for the story, unlike the 2021 film, whose human based-conflict is considered far duller than the one in the animated film.
86	* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanMaskOfThePhantasm'' performed poorly at the box office (a $5.6 million gross versus a $6 million budget), because it was intended to be a straight-to-video release, but Warner Brothers decided to release it theatrically at the last possible moment, giving them practically no time to promote it. Luckily it slowly gained a stronger audience through VHS release. It is now known around the internet as "The greatest Batman film prior to ''Film/TheDarkKnight''."
87	* ''WesternAnimation/TheIronGiant'' bombed badly at the box office ($31.3 million worldwide gross against a $48 million production budget) despite earning overwhelmingly positive reviews from critics, a feat that wasn't helped by Warner Bros.' botched marketing for the film. Upon hitting VHS, it became the best-selling animated film of its year (even outperforming ''WesternAnimation/{{Tarzan}}''), and was the film that convinced Creator/JohnLasseter to produce Creator/BradBird's pet project ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles1'' (which naturally turned into another Pixar megablockbuster). It routinely receives marathon airings on Cartoon Network, and has been regarded as one of the best animated films of all time, with many dubbing it the best one not made by Disney/Pixar.
88	* ''WesternAnimation/TheAngryBirdsMovie'' gathered middling reviews during its original release, around the time when its home series had long since peaked in popularity and the period where Main/VideoGameMoviesSuck was still strong in the consciousnesses. After a Main/SurprisinglyImprovedSequel and more well received video game adaptations in the 2020s, the film was revisited and became praised for how much of a strong comedy it was, now being considered one of the better video game movies prior to 2020 alongside its sequel.
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90	* The ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'' CG films ''[[Anime/ResidentEvilDegeneration Degeneration]]'', ''[[Anime/ResidentEvilDamnation Damnation]]'' and ''[[Anime/ResidentEvilVendetta Vendetta]]'' got no shortage of criticism. The ''Anime/FinalFantasyTheSpiritsWithin''-level UnintentionalUncannyValley animation, the greater focus on action than horror and female characters like Claire Redfield and to a greater extent Rebecca Chambers getting underutilized as well as Leon Kennedy getting overused with more screentime and plot focus than other characters - was all bemoaned. Additionally the more successful but InNameOnly [[Creator/PaulWSAnderson Anderson]] ''Film/ResidentEvilFilmSeries'' coming out at the same time, didn’t help the animated films’ reception either. However with the release and critical failure of ''Film/ResidentEvilWelcomeToRaccoonCity'' which was ''meant'' to be TruerToTheText, fans have been much more charitable to the CG films (especially ''Degeneration'' and ''Damnation''), citing them as the best film adaptations of the games and easily better than the live-action efforts. Paul Mercier and Allison Court reprising their voices for Leon and Claire in ''Degeneration'' was particularly celebrated. Creator/{{Capcom}} themselves treat the animated films as {{canon}} to the timeline of the games.
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Context VindicatedByHistory / AnimatedFilms