History Creator / DonBluth

** BlackAndWhiteMorality: ''WesternAnimatiion/TheSecretOfNIMH'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Anastasia}}'', ''WesternAnimation/ATrollInCentralPark'',''WesternAnimation/BartokTheMagnificent'', ''WesternAnimation/RockADoodle'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTime''. The last one, toys with WhiteAndGreyMorality with the antagonist, Sharptooth, looking like a mere animal that is just acting on its predatory instincts, whereas Littlefoot and his friends, except Cera, are unambiguously good. In the book however he is given intelligence making him unambiguously evil.

1989 saw the release of Bluth's 4th feature, ''WesternAnimation/AllDogsGoToHeaven''. It was [[DuelingMovies released on the same day]] as [[DavidVersusGoliath Disney's mega-blockbuster musical smash]] ''Disney/TheLittleMermaid'', which [[CurbStompBattle blew Bluth's tiny little indie flick out of the water]]. With Disney [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor heading his word]] (and admittedly [[NeverLiveItDown still salty about the mass exodus he lead 1980]]) and reclaiming their title as top dog in feature animation, Bluth's films from that point on became lost in the overcrowded "all the animation that isn't by Disney" market, and were burdened by [[ExecutiveMeddling demands from what few investors he had left]] to be less dark and more marketable.

** BlackAndWhiteMorality: ''WesternAnimatiion/TheSecretOfNIMH'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Anastasia}}'', ''WesternAnimation/ATrollInCentralPark'', and ''WesternAnimation/RockADoodle''

** WhiteAndGreyMorality: ''WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTime'' and ''WesternAnimation/BartokTheMagnificent''

* WhiteAndGreyMorality: ''The Land Before Time'' (The antagonist, Sharptooth, is just acting on its predatory instincts, whereas Littlefoot and his friends are unambiguously good).

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Thumbelina}}'': A rather notorious attempt to ape ''all'' the films of the Disney Renaissance up to that point.

* FollowTheLeader: ''WesternAnimation/{{Thumbelina}}'' and ''WesternAnimation/{{Anastasia}}'' were pretty blatant attempts to copy the Disney formula.

** In ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretOfNIMH'', there is an implied attraction between Mrs. Brisby and Justin, but it doesn't go much further than that. Played more straight with Tony Toponi and Bridget in ''WesternAnimation/AnAmericanTail'', Goldie and Chanticleer in ''WesternAnimation/RockADoodle'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Thumbelina}}'' and Prince Cornelius, as well as Hubie and Marina in ''WesternAnimation/ThePebbleAndThePenguin''.

* ReusedCharacterDesign: While his films aren't ''too'' bad about this, if you really pay attention a lot of his characters have similar facial features, body types and mannerisms. For example, compare [[WesternAnimation/AnAmericanTail Fievel]] to [[WesternAnimation/RockADoodle Edmond]], WesternAnimation/BanjoTheWoodpileCat to [[WesternAnimation/TheSecretOfNIMH Martin Brisby]], [[WesternAnimation/{{Thumbelina}} Jacquimo]] to [[WesternAnimation/AnAmericanTail Henri]], [[WesternAnimation/TheSecretOfNIMH The Great Owl]] to [[WesternAnimation/RockADoodle The Grand Duke of Owls]], [[WesternAnimation/RockADoodle one of the Duke's owl henchmen in the chorus]] (the one with the green cape, NOT Hunch!) to [[WesternAnimation/ThePebbleAndThePenguin Rocko]], [[WesternAnimation/AnAmericanTail Warren T. Rat]] to [[WesternAnimation/AllDogsGoToHeaven Carface]] or [[WesternAnimation/TheSecretOfNIMH Ms. Shrew]], [[WesternAnimation/AllDogsGoToHeaven Carface]] to [[WesternAnimation/ATrollInCentralPark Gnorga]] and [[WesternAnimation/TheSecretOfNIMH Jenner]] to [[WesternAnimation/ThePebbleAndThePenguin Drake]].

Bluth's film's boasted some of the most [[SugarWiki/AwesomeArt lavish character and effects animation]] at the time and are notably {{darker|AndEdgier}} in theme and content than even most animated features for families made to this day, usually having a high mortality rate or grim subject matter. His were also some of the ''[[DerangedAnimation weirdest]]'' [[DerangedAnimation animated features]], many following a [[RandomEventsPlot disjointed fever-dream kind of internal logic]]. Even his more poorly-received features have their fans for their bizarre plots and ''really'' pretty animation.

* CarnivoreConfusion

* CuteLittleFangs

* DisneyAcidSequence
* DisneyDeath
* DisneySchoolOfActingAndMime
* DisneyVillainDeath

* HappilyEverAfter

* ParentalAbandonment: [[WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTime Littlefoot's mother]] was fatally wounded by Sharptooth, [[WesternAnimation/AllDogsGoToHeaven Anne-Marie]] is an orphan, and Anastasia's whole family was murdered, except for her Grandma who she got separated from, getting amnesia in the process, and ended up in an orphanage for 10 years of her life.

The new studio took its first job with the "Don't Walk Away" sequence in the CultClassic ''Film/{{Xanadu}}''. Two years later was their first feature and Bluth's feature directorial debut, ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretOfNIMH''. A massive, effects-heavy undertaking which forced Bluth and his two partners to [[NoBudget mortgage their houses at just to get more funding]], it was a big hit with critics and fantasy fans alike, but [[AcclaimedFlop only barely broke even]] (not helped by the fact that it was [[DuelingMovies going up against]] ''[[Film/ETTheExtraTerrestrial the]]'' [[Film/ETTheExtraTerrestrial biggest film of the decade]] thus far). They produced the animation for two laserdisc-driven videogames, the cult hits ''VideoGame/DragonsLair'' and ''VideoGame/SpaceAce'', in order to recoup their losses.

Deeply unhappy with [[UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeOfAnimation the state of animation at the time]] and feeling that Disney was too concerned with saving money to produce a great film, Bluth wanted to remind both movie executives and the public at large [[DoingItForTheArt what painstakingly attentive hand-drawn animation could do]]. He recruited colleagues Gary Goldman and John Pomoroy to start work on a pet project in his garage and for six years, the three of them met after work to teach themselves the kind of top-tier quality classical animation they felt they weren't getting at Disney, frequently consulting Creator/DisneysNineOldMen for tips and techniques (Bluth even briefly dated Ward Kimble's daughter). Their research and development resulted in the half-hour TV special ''WesternAnimation/BanjoTheWoodpileCat''. Reasonably successful, it was proof to the three men that they were capable of striking out on their own.

His website can be seen [[http://www.donbluthanimation.com here]], which includes animation tutorials and a forum in which you ''might'' even be able to talk to the man himself. You can also find his YouTube page [[https://www.youtube.com/user/DonBluthProductions here]], and his Twitter page [[https://twitter.com/DonBluth here]].

[[caption-width-right:350:Pictured: Bluth with an [[WesternAnimation/TheSecretOfNIMH admirer.]]]]

Bluth's film's boasted some of the most [[AwesomeArt lavish character and effects animation]] at the time and are notably [[DarkerAndEdgier darker]] in theme and content than even most animated features for families made to this day, usually having a high mortality rate or grim subject matter. His were also some of the ''[[DerangedAnimation weirdest]]'' [[DerangedAnimation animated features]], many following a [[RandomEventsPlot disjointed fever-dream kind of internal logic]]. Even his more poorly-received features have their fans for their bizarre plots and ''really'' pretty animation.

Deeply unhappy with [[UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeOfAnimation the state of animation at the time]] and feeling that Disney was too concerned with saving money to produce a great film, Bluth wanted to remind both movie executives and the public at large [[DoingItForTheArt what painstakingly attentive hand-drawn animation could do]]. He recruited colleagues Gary Goldman and John Pomoroy to start work on a pet project in his garage and for six years, the three of them met after work to teach themselves the kind of top-tier quality classical animation they felt they weren't getting at Disney
, frequently consulting Creator/DisneysNineOldMen for tips and techniques (Bluth even briefly dated Ward Kimble's daughter). Their research and development resulted in the half-hour TV special ''WesternAnimation/BanjoTheWoodpileCat''. Reasonably successful, it was proof to the three men that they were capable of striking out on their own.

''NIMH'' managed to catch the eye of ''[[Film/ETTheExtraTerrestrial ET]]'' director and notable animation fan Creator/StevenSpielberg who was looking to turn the script for a proposed TV special into an animated feature. Under Spielberg's supervision, the studio created ''WesternAnimation/AnAmericanTail'', the first animated feature to out-gross a Disney film and was briefly the '''highest grossing animated feature at the time'''. They followed it up two years later with the prehistoric epic ''WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTime'', which became an even ''bigger'' hit. Both films were also hugely successful with critics and audiences and are still beloved to this day. By this point, Bluth's tiny garage business had expanded to a fully-operational studio in Ireland. Feeling successful enough to once again work on his own (and [[CreativeDifferences getting annoyed that Spielberg was always getting the last word in creativity on their projects]]), he cut ties with Spielberg and resumed fully-independent production on his next film.

Back at Disney, the old guard sat up and took notice that Bluth's was beating them at their own game. The financial success of ''American Tail'' raised concern (though the absolute nadir was their own lavish fantasy epic ''Disney/TheBlackCauldron'' under-performing against ''WesternAnimation/TheCareBearsMovie'' of all things), convincing the studio's new ultra-competitive head Jeffery Katzenberg to whip the animation unit of Disney back into shape to take down the competition. Spielberg, meanwhile, continued to produce animation: he was a major driving force between the groundbreaking live-action/animation hybrid feature ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit'' and introduced the kind of fluid, appealing animation Bluth had introduced him to in their partnership to TV audiences with [[Series/AmazingStories ''Family Dog'']] and, later, ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures''.

You can read his full biography (up to the early '90s) [[http://www.cataroo.com/DBconts.html here]]. Reviews of his movies in chronological order can be read [[http://babbletrish.blogspot.com/2010/09/don-bluth-month-full-index-of-reviews.html here.]]

* ''VideoGame/SpaceAce'', another Interactive Movie, being ''Dragon's Lair'' [[RecycledInSpace IN SPACE]]!

* An animated segment in the ScissorSisters video for "Mary," loosely based on the story of Rapunzel.

* CreatorThumbprint: In addition to his distinct illustrative art style, nearly all of his movies include scene with a character moving (usually falling) across a background with a tight vanishing point on either end (the mice falling down the vent in ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretOfNimh'', Charlie ascending to heaven in ''WesternAnimation/AllDogsGoToHeaven'', Bartok falling into the underworld in ''{{WesternAnimation/Anastasia}}'').

* NiceMice: Probably the only exception in any of his movies would be Ms. Field Mouse from ''Thumbelina'', and even then she's just a bit of a JerkAss. Plenty of [[YouDirtyRat villainous rats]] in his work though

* {{Rotoscoping}}: Bluth likes to do this a lot, but he usually sticks with using it to animate difficult vehicles and such. The effect is very appropriate, as the giant rotoscoped machines in ''NIMH'' and ''American Tail'' look ''terrifying''. In more recent movies, this effect was largely replaced by ConspicuousCGI and the impact is... less good. Human background characters in ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretOfNIMH'' and ''WesternAnimation/AnAmericanTail'' were also rotoscoped, though non-rotoscoped humans appear in later movies.

** BlackAndGreyMorality: ''WesternAnimation/AllDogsGoToHeaven''
** BlackAndWhiteMorality: ''TheSecretOfNimh'', ''Anastasia'', ''ATrollInCentralPark'', and ''RockADoodle''

** WhiteAndGreyMorality: ''WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTime'' and ''BartokTheMagnificent''

In short, Don Bluth near single-handedly kickstarted the [[TheRenaissanceAgeOfAnimation renaissance of animation in the west]]. Sadly, it was not a victory he could share in.

* GoneHorriblyRight: Great news, Don! Everyone likes your movies so much that Disney's decided to start putting more effort into theirs and now [[TheRenaissanceAgeOfAnimation animation is popular again]]! Bad news, now you have to compete with Disney's multi-million dollar hype-machine blockbusters ''and'' a handful of other features with better funding and advertisement than yours.

* TheRenaissanceAgeOfAnimation: As mentioned above, Bluth and his colleagues almost single-handedly kick-started it.

** WhiteAndGreyMorality: ''TheLandBeforeTime'' and ''BartokTheMagnificent''

* CreatorThumbprint: In addition to his distinct illustrative art style, nearly all of his movies include scene with a character moving (usually falling) across a background with a tight vanishing point on either end (the mice falling down the vent in ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretOfNimh'', Charlie ascending to heaven in ''AllDogsGoToHeaven'', Bartok falling into the underworld in ''{{WesternAnimation/Anastasia}}'').

** BlackAndGreyMorality: ''AllDogsGoToHeaven''

Deeply unhappy with [[TheDarkAgeOfAnimation the state of animation at the time]] and feeling that Disney was too concerned with saving money to produce a great film, Bluth wanted to remind both movie executives and the public at large [[DoingItForTheArt what painstakingly attentive hand-drawn animation could do]]. He recruited colleagues Gary Goldman and John Pomoroy to start work on a pet project in his garage and for six years, the three of them met after work to teach themselves the kind of top-tier quality classical animation they felt they weren't getting at Disney

In much the same way that Creator/{{Pixar}} and Creator/DreamWorksAnimation are TheMillenniumAgeOfAnimation's biggest names and toughest rivals, there was one animator in TheDarkAgeOfAnimation who took it upon himself when no one else would to challenge Creator/{{Disney}} as the reigning king in traditionally animated features. Remembered fondly by children of the 80s and 90s, his independent features laid the ground work for what would eventually be animation's [[TheRenaissanceAgeOfAnimation return to its former glory]] in the waning years of the 20th century, an effort felt to this very day in [=DreamWorks=], Pixar and, yes, even Disney.

''NIMH'' managed to catch the eye of ''[[Film/ETTheExtraTerrestrial ET]]'' director and notable animation fan Creator/StevenSpielberg who was looking to turn the script for a proposed TV special into an animated feature. Under Spielberg's supervision, the studio created ''WesternAnimation/AnAmericanTail'', the first animated feature to out-gross a Disney film and was briefly the '''highest grossing animated feature at the time'''. They followed it up two years later with the prehistoric epic ''WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTime'', which became an even ''bigger'' hit. Both films were also hugely successful with critics and audiences and are still beloved to this day. By this point, Bluth's tiny garage business had expanded to a fully-operational studio in Ireland. Feeling successful enough to once again work on his own (and [[CreativeDifferences getting annoyed that Spielberg was always getting the last word in creatively on their projects]]), he cut ties with Spielberg and resumed fully-independent production on his next film.

Bluth's career as an animator began at his future rival's studio, working as an assistant ''Disney/SleepingBeauty'' and ''Disney/TheSwordInTheStone''. He took a break for a few years to go to Argentina on a Mormon recruitment mission, briefly working for Creator/{{Filmation}} as a layout artist before eventually getting re-hired by Disney. Unfortunately by that point, the studio was going through [[DorkAge major financial and creative turmoil]] in the wake of [[Creator/WaltDisney their founder]]'s death, and he was put to work on some of their more economical films like ''Disney/RobinHood'' and ''Disney/TheManyAdventuresOfWinnieThePooh'' (most notably, the scene where Rabbit is lost in the woods). Bluth nevertheless proved himself a skilled artist, working his way up to a directing animator on ''Disney/TheRescuers'', ''Film/PetesDragon1977'' and ''Disney/TheFoxAndTheHound''.

* AuteurLicense: Went independent in an effort to gain one. Ironically, he got ''less'' control over his films with each success. He eventually had to sell the rights to all of his films after ''WesternAnimation/RockADoodle'' bombed and the rest of his career languished in ExecutiveMeddling hell.

The new studio took its first job with the "Don't Walk Away" sequence in the CultClassic ''Film/{{Xanadu}}''. Two years later was their first feature and Bluth's feature directorial debut, ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretOfNIMH''. A massive, effects-heavy undertaking which forced Bluth and his two partners to [[NoBudget mortgage their houses at just to get more funding]], it was a big hit with critics and fantasy fans alike, but [[AcclaimedFlop failed to turn a profit]] (not helped by the fact that it was [[DuelingMovies going up against]] ''[[Film/ETTheExtraTerrestrial the]]'' [[Film/ETTheExtraTerrestrial biggest film of the decade]] thus far). They produced the animation for two laserdisc-driven videogames, the cult hits ''VideoGame/DragonsLair'' and ''VideoGame/SpaceAce'', in order to recoup their losses.

* BlackAndGrayMorality: ''All Dogs Go To Heaven'' (Charlie is an AntiHero who gradually grows to care for Anne-Marie, while Carface is unambiguously evil).
* BlackAndWhiteMorality: ''The Secret Of NIMH'' (Mrs. Brisby and her family are unambiguously good, while Jenner is unambiguously evil), ''An American Tail'' (Fievel, all the other mice and Tiger are unambiguously good, while Warren T. Rat and his cats are unambiguously evil) and ''Anastasia'' (Anastasia is unambiguously good, while Rasputin is unambiguously evil).

** WhiteAndGreyMorality: ''BartokTheMagnificent'' and even ''TheLandBeforeTime''.