History OnceOriginalNowCommon / AnimatedFilms

* ''WesternAnimation/{{The Little Mermaid|1989}}'' might seem like a paint-by-numbers Disney flick these days. But when it came out in 1989 it was hugely groundbreaking. It was the first Disney film to merge the fairy tale plot with Broadway elements. Numerous other stock cliches of the Disney Renaissance--feisty PluckyGirl, the IWantSong, AwardBaitSong, comedic animal sidekicks (great potential for tie-in merchandise), a campy villain--were all codafied in this movie. Pretty much all animated projects made in the 90s owe their existence to this film.

* Genie in ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}} (1992)''. A-List actors did not star in speaking roles before this. Nowadays it's more uncommon for a mainstream film to ''not'' have celebrities as voice actors. This film also set the trend of AnachronismStew and ParentalBonus, which was notably different to what Disney was doing at the time, and has since influenced countless subsequent movies including ''Franchise/{{Shrek}}''.

%% *Traditional Creator/{{Disney}} movies, particularly the fairy tale-based ones. A few can appear rather corny today. Especially the ones where the characters were similar to their original fairy tale inspirations, before the writers decided to adapt some more characterization to the princesses. The studio later experimented with new techniques that look rather sketchy today. (Namely the stuff in the 1960s; xerography was a pretty new technique for Disney then. Before, they mostly rotoscoped.)

%% * ''WesternAnimation/{{Fantasia}}'': Would you believe that, after decades of music videos, the concept of this was novel? While it has been able to age well due to the SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome, the concept sounds entirely cliché with the availability of music videos on the internet. "The Rite of Spring" deserves special mention -- would you believe that it showing the history of Earth being formed not by God, but by what is considered scientific was actually ''pushing the limits'' of what was allowed?

* Creator/RalphBakshi: His 1970s animated feature films, like ''WesternAnimation/FritzTheCat'', ''WesternAnimation/HeavyTraffic'' and ''WesternAnimation/{{Coonskin}}'', were groundbreaking for introducing adult topics in a medium that had been almost exclusively child friendly up to then. Nowadays, in an era where adult animation with references to drugs, sex, politics and bloody violence have more or less become part of the mainstream, Bakshi's work doesn't look that special anymore. Apart from the explicit nudity and pornography, there's nothing that you won't see in ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' or ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' these days. To a modern audience, something like "Fritz the Cat" now comes across as a RandomEventsPlot, with a few boobies here and there to make schoolboys snicker. It's also very dated, even for something from TheSeventies. Bakshi himself has stated that if he did ''Fritz the Cat'' today the censors wouldn't harass him as much as they did. His version of ''WesternAnimation/TheLordOfTheRings'' also seems inferior nowadays compared to Peter Jackson's fully worked-out film trilogy, which at least tells the story of all three books.
* Most consider this trope to have reached up to eleven with the [[TrailersAlwaysLie misleading ad campaign]] for Disney's ''WesternAnimation/{{Tangled}}'', which tried to portray a more traditional fairy tale as a hip spoof of fairy tales -- meaning, in essence, that the TropeMaker for such traditional movies is now scared to admit they're still making them.
* While ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory1'''s graphics were state-of-the-art back in 1995, they pale in comparison to what's being done today. The humans look [[UnintentionalUncannyValley almost as plastic as the toys]] (which is why they told a story where the main characters ''were'' toys), there's an airless quality to the outside scenes, and the animation is not as fluid and nuanced as what we see today. Not that the movie has now become unwatchable, far from it, but compare it to ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory2'' just four years later and the improvement is remarkable. And then compare that to ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory3'' 11 years after and ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory4'' nine years after that, and you appreciate how much CGI has evolved in the quarter-century since the first film's debut. Also, consider the fact that before ''Toy Story'', the number of fully computer-generated feature films was exactly zero, and it would be three more years before there was another such film. [[TechnologyMarchesOn With CGI so ubiquitous today]], it's hard to imagine how mind-blowing an experience it was to see Woody and Buzz for the first time. Compare it to ''WesternAnimation/TinToy'' and the difference is apparent. When you watch the behind-the-scenes features about ''Toy Story'', it's clear that John Lasseter and the late Joe Ranft were aware of this issue. They made sure they put as much effort into the story and the characters as they did into the technology. Which is why people will probably still be watching ''Toy Story'' in fifty years, long after its technology has become outdated.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformersTheMovie'': Back in 1986, [[TheHeroDies the death of Optimus Prime]] was a big deal - and as the target audience grew up with him as a surrogate father figure, [[ViewersInMourning many kids were utterly traumatized]]; walking out of theatres crying, refusing food, locking themselves in their rooms, and sending letters demanding that Optimus Prime be brought back ASAP. Nowadays, considering [[http://tfwiki.net/wiki/The_many_deaths_of_Optimus_Prime how many times Optimus Prime have been killed and brought back at the drop of a hat]], the impact is significantly lessened.
* When ''{{WesternAnimation/Bambi}}'' first premiered in 1942, audiences were blown away by the realistic appearance of the animal characters, as they were more used to the cartoony animal characters as seen in the ''WesternAnimation/SillySymphonies'' shorts, along with films like ''WesternAnimation/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs'' and ''{{WesternAnimation/Dumbo}}''. The idea of looking at real-life animals as a reference to design and animate them realistically was groundbreaking at the time. Nowadays, thanks to films like ''WesternAnimation/WatershipDown'', ''WesternAnimation/{{The Lion King|1994}}'', ''{{WesternAnimation/Balto}}'', ''WesternAnimation/SpiritStallionOfTheCimarron'', and ''WesternAnimation/BrotherBear'', realistic animal characters are not only common, but practically the rule in animal-focused films (at least hand-drawn ones), and thus ''Bambi'' does not stand out as much to modern audiences.

* Franchise/{{Disney princess}}es. WesternAnimation/{{Snow White|AndTheSevenDwarfs}}, [[WesternAnimation/SleepingBeauty Princess Aurora]], and WesternAnimation/{{Cinderella}}. People often complain that these characters are boring and don't do much, especially as compared to their later counterparts. However, at the time of their release, these characters could be considered very active when compared to most depictions of women in media (especially women in animation or children's entertainment in general). They appear even more active and nuanced when compared to the characters from the original fairy tales, who did and said far less. For example, both Snow White's and Aurora's relationships with their princes were an improvement over the original fairy tales, in that they met and interacted before they were saved. Aurora in particular was the first princess to actually properly get to know her prince.

* On a similar CG note, it can be hard for latecomers to gleam how truly ''groundbreaking'' the ballroom sequence in ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'' was. Instead of enhancing an effect or environment like the above examples, the computer-aided environment brought not just greater fidelity to the ballroom, but was able to help the animators simulate a swooping camera so that the two-dimensional Belle and Beast looked like they had 360 degrees of movement for their dance. Until the release of ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory1'', it was generally seen as the most visually watershed sequence in a full-length animated movie.
* Genie in ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}} (1992)''. A-List actors did not star in speaking roles before this. They all did afterwards. The film that really set the trend of AnachronismStew and ParentalBonus was ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}'', which was different to what Disney was doing at the time, and yet has influenced countless subsequent movies including ''Franchise/{{Shrek}}''. However, by ''WesternAnimation/QuestForCamelot'', it had worn thin and really, only Genie could get away with it.
** Additional, the topic of A-List actors doing voice roles in movies has come under fire in the years since, with many feeling that actual profession voice actors are getting cheated out of their iconic roles because of a persons name having star power attached to it. Creator/ChrisPratt ended receiving ''significant'' backlash when it was announced he would be replacing Creator/CharlesMartinet as the voice of Mario in ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperMarioBrosMovie'', with many feeling he was largely phoning in his performance as Mario in said movie. Now a days, there's many who genuinely wish animated movies would just use professional voice actors again. Notably, Creator/RobinWilliams actively wanted his presence in Aladdin downplayed specifically ''because'' he didn't want A-List actors taking jobs from voice actors, and was very angry when that was ignored and his presence played up as the main feature.
* The trend of including a very well-known PopStarComposer in charge of the music and/or lyrics of an big-budget animated musical (''WesternAnimation/YellowSubmarine'' and the like aside) took off with the success (and Oscar win) of ''WesternAnimation/{{The Lion King|1994}}'' employing Music/EltonJohn and Creator/TimRice. Following that would be similar contributions, such as [[Music/ThePolice Sting]] writing for ''WesternAnimation/TheEmperorsNewGroove'', Music/PhilCollins writing for ''WesternAnimation/{{Tarzan}}'' and ''WesternAnimation/BrotherBear'', Music/RandyNewman contributing music for the ''Franchise/ToyStory'' franchise and other Creator/{{Pixar}} works, Music/BarryManilow working on ''WesternAnimation/ThePebbleAndThePenguin'', etc.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{The Little Mermaid|1989}}'' might seem like a paint-by-numbers Disney flick these days. But when it came out in 1989 it was hugely groundbreaking. It was the first Disney film to merge the fairy tale plot with Broadway elements. Numerous other stock cliches of the Disney Renaissance -- feisty PluckyGirl, IWantSong, AwardBaitSong, comedy animal sidekicks (great potential for tie-in merchandise), campy villain -- were all innovated by this. Pretty much most animated projects made in the 90s owe their existence to this film. It's notable to see that ''The Little Mermaid'' and its successor ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'' are far more Broadway-esque than later Renaissance films. No surprise there, they were scored by Broadway musical duo Music/AlanMenken and Creator/HowardAshman.
* ''{{WesternAnimation/Pocahontas}}'' is a strange one. When it came out, it was badly received by American audiences ([[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff but did very well in Europe]]). The main reason? It was an animated film that took Artistic License with American history (though filmmakers insisted they were adapting the ''legend'' of Pocahontas rather than trying to be accurate). After ''Pocahontas'' we got films like ''WesternAnimation/{{Anastasia}}'', ''WesternAnimation/TitanicTheLegendGoesOn'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Mulan}}'' and ''WesternAnimation/{{The Hunchback of Notre Dame|Disney}}'' -- which took place in named times and depicted historical events. The general public would be desensitised to that kind of thing these days. ''Anastasia'''s producers took note of the reaction to ''Pocahontas'' and marketed the film as merely a historical fairy tale not to be taken as fact. It worked and [[MexicansLoveSpeedyGonzales they loved it in Russia]].
* Creator/{{Disney}} and Creator/DreamWorksAnimation have an... odd history.
** When the first ''WesternAnimation/Shrek1'' movie came out, it was considered a witty and refreshing break from the then-formulaic Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon fare, despite the fact that, at that point, Disney was going through a different and experimental period with ''WesternAnimation/{{Dinosaur}}'', ''WesternAnimation/Fantasia2000'', ''WesternAnimation/TheEmperorsNewGroove'', ''WesternAnimation/AtlantisTheLostEmpire'', ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitch'', ''WesternAnimation/TreasurePlanet'', ''WesternAnimation/BrotherBear'', and ''WesternAnimation/HomeOnTheRange''. The freshness still hadn't eroded by the time of ''WesternAnimation/Shrek2'', which was considered an EvenBetterSequel by many. However, by the time of ''WesternAnimation/ShrekTheThird'', [=DreamWorks=] Animation -- and their competitors -- had run the formula into the ground harder than Disney's "[[{{Disneyfication}} Disneyfied]] musical adaptations of mythology/classic literature with spunky heroines and goofy sidekicks" did in the '90s. To add insult to injury, most of the Disney films criticized for following ''their'' formula (''WesternAnimation/{{The Hunchback of Notre Dame|Disney}}'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Hercules}}'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Mulan}}'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Tarzan}}'') have been VindicatedByHistory by '90s kids, and the experimental films often became {{Cult Classic}}s.
** Back in 2001, ''Shrek'', an iconoclastic take on {{Fairy Tale}}s and use of pop-culture references, felt like a welcome reprieve from the usual clean fare. These days, ''Shrek'''s pop-culture jokes have aged rather poorly and the film is blamed for killing off traditional animated films and spawning a litany of pale imitation {{All CGI Cartoon}}s that relied on AnachronismStew, AllStarCast, WorldOfSnark and DemographicallyInappropriateHumour, including a few from Shrek's own studio Creator/DreamWorksAnimation.
* Creator/DreamWorksAnimation has their own breed that is almost like an inversion -- with a few exceptions like ''Shrek'', plenty of Dreamworks's early CGI movies were seen as low-budget Pixar movies to downright knock-offs of Pixar movies. However, they have since [[GrowingTheBeard grown the beard]], and in the new tens, are considered to be one of the better animation studios, producing movies that rival Pixar's.
* This is easily ''the'' trope that ruined [[Creator/DonBluth Don Bluth]]'s career outside of Disney. His selling point when he first started making independent features was to do the kind of movies Disney was too stingy to consider making at the time. Unfortunately for him, Disney [[WesternAnimation/{{The Little Mermaid|1989}} finally]] [[WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast listened]] and left Bluth with heavy competition and little voice of his own.
* ''Anime/GhostInTheShell''.
** The English dub of the original, [[SugarWiki/SuperlativeDubbing is still well-done]], but it likely comes off as {{Narm}}y to most first-time modern-day viewers, but in TheNineties it was considered a major step forward for anime dubbing, featuring a reasonably faithful translation of the source material, correct pronunciations of Japanese names, and semi-believable voice acting. Incidentally, this is also true for the original German dub of the movie, so much in fact it later got a new dub along with ''[[Anime/GhostInTheShellStandAloneComplex Stand Alone Complex]]'', taking the German cast for ''Series/StargateSG1'' under contract.
** Story-wise, the plot and themes of ''Ghost in the Shell'', revolving around humanity's relationship with technology and the potential future of both, have been riffed on and built upon by countless works both Japanese and Western, from ''Film/TheMatrix'' to ''Film/ExMachina''. As such, when it got [[Film/GhostInTheShell2017 a big-budget, live-action Hollywood adaptation in 2017]], one of the more common criticisms (among [[QuestionableCasting many others]]) was that its once-revolutionary subject matter had grown passe over the course of twenty-two years.

* The Minions from ''WesternAnimation/DespicableMe1'' were lauded as the movie's funniest characters and became [[Franchise/DespicableMe the series']] BreakoutCharacter group. This, of course, wound up leading to other companies [[FollowTheLeader wanting a piece of the pie]] and coming up with their own Minion-like characters themselves. (i.e. [=McDonald's=] Happy Meal creatures, the elves in Dreamworks' ''WesternAnimation/RiseOfTheGuardians'', and the lemmings in ''WesternAnimation/NormOfTheNorth'', etc.) The verbally-impaired-friends/helpers-of-the-protagonist trope has seen so much use that anyone who went back to watch the movie that broke it into the mainstream will likely fail to see the appeal of the quirky Minions.
* Traditional Creator/{{Disney}} movies, particularly the fairy tale-based ones. A few can appear rather corny today. Especially the ones where the characters were similar to their original fairy tale inspirations, before the writers decided to adapt some more characterization to the princesses. The studio later experimented with new techniques that look rather sketchy today. (Namely the stuff in the 1960s; xerography was a pretty new technique for Disney then. Before, they mostly rotoscoped.)
* Franchise/{{Disney princess}}es. WesternAnimation/{{Snow White|AndTheSevenDwarfs}}, [[WesternAnimation/SleepingBeauty Princess Aurora]], and WesternAnimation/{{Cinderella}}. People like to complain that these characters are boring and don't do much, especially as compared to their later counterparts. What many forget however is that these characters could be considered very active when compared to most depictions of women in media at the time, and had at least as much personality. They appear even more active and nuanced when compared to the characters from the original fairy tales who did and said far less. For example, both Snow White's and Aurora's relationships with their princes were an improvement over the original fairy tales - in that they met before they were saved. Aurora in particular was the first princess to actually properly get to know her prince - even though their time together was brief.
* ''WesternAnimation/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs'': Back in 1937 this was the first studio animated feature that was so perfect that it surpassed all the previous attempts to make an animated feature. While the film is still popular to this day, few people realize this cartoon pretty much placed the standard on which all animated cartoons afterwards are still judged to this day. It was such a landmark film that it proved that animation was a viable medium alongside live-action. This also means that every animated movie that followed it takes cues from it. As a result, the 80+ years of films homaging, parodying, and generally being influenced by ''Snow White'' make the original film look like a ClicheStorm. And it's not just a great cartoon, a lot of techniques pioneered in this movie were even groundbreaking and impressive when compared to most live-action movies at the time.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Fantasia}}'': Would you believe that, after decades of music videos, the concept of this was novel? While it has been able to age well due to the SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome, the concept sounds entirely cliché with the availability of music videos on the internet. "The Rite of Spring" deserves special mention -- would you believe that it showing the history of Earth being formed not by God, but by what is considered scientific was actually ''pushing the limits'' of what was allowed?
* CG, either [[TwoDVisualsThreeDEffects splicing it with cel animation]] or using it as an AllCGICartoon, has evolved a ''lot'' over the years. ''WesternAnimation/TheBlackCauldron (1985)'' was the first to use CGI as a special effect. Watching it nowadays, it veers almost into SpecialEffectFailure, same with the somewhat out of place looking gears in ''WesternAnimation/TheGreatMouseDetective (1986)''. Pixar and Dreamworks's early movies also look a ''lot'' more rubbery and stiff compared to their most recent cartoons, and the humans will fall ''right'' into the UnintentionalUncannyValley. But at the time, they were some of the most technically impressive films on the market.

** Story-wise, the plot and themes of ''Ghost in the Shell'', revolving around humanity's relationship with technology and the potential future of both, have been riffed on and built upon by countless works both Japanese and Western, from ''Film/TheMatrix'' to ''Film/ExMachina''. As such, when it got [[Film/GhostInTheShell2017 a big-budget, live-action Hollywood adaptation in 2017]], one of the more common criticisms (among [[WTHCastingAgency many others]]) was that its once-revolutionary subject matter had grown passe over the course of twenty-two years.

** Additional, the topic of A-List actors doing voice roles in movies has come under fire in the years since, with many feeling that actual profession voice actors are getting cheated out of their iconic roles because of a persons name having star power attached to it. Creator/ChrisPratt ended receiving ''significant'' backlash when it was announced he would be replacing Creator/CharlesMartinet as the voice of Mario in ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperMarioBrosMovie'', with many feeling he was largely phoning in his performance as Mario in said movie. Now a days, there's many who genuinely wish animated movies would just use professional voice actors again.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{The Little Mermaid|1989}}'' might seem like a paint-by-numbers Disney flick these days. But when it came out in 1989 it was hugely groundbreaking. It was the first Disney film to merge the fairy tale plot with Broadway elements. Numerous other stock cliches of the Disney Renaissance -- feisty PluckyGirl, IWantSong, AwardBaitSong, comedy animal sidekicks (great potential for tie-in merchandise), campy villain -- were all innovated by this. Pretty much most animated projects made in the 90s owe their existence to this film. It's notable to see that ''The Little Mermaid'' and its successor ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'' are far more Broadway-esque than later Renaissance films. No surprise there, they were scored by Broadway musical duo Music/AlanMenken and Music/HowardAshman.

* CG, either splicing it with cel-animation or using it as an AllCGICartoon, has evolved a ''lot'' over the years. ''WesternAnimation/TheBlackCauldron (1985)'' was the first to use CGI as a special effect. Watching it nowadays, it veers almost into SpecialEffectFailure, same with the somewhat out of place looking gears in ''WesternAnimation/TheGreatMouseDetective (1986)''. Pixar and Dreamworks's early movies also look a ''lot'' more rubbery and stiff compared to their most recent cartoons, and the humans will fall ''right'' into the UnintentionalUncannyValley. But at the time, they were some of the most technically impressive films on the market.

* Genie in ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}} (1992)''. A-List actors did not star in speaking roles before this. They all did afterwards. The film that really set the trend of AnachronismStew and ParentalBonus was ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}'', which was different to what Disney was doing at the time, and yet has influenced countless subsequent movies including ''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}}''. However, by ''WesternAnimation/QuestForCamelot'', it had worn thin and really, only Genie could get away with it.

* Creator/{{Disney}} and Creator/DreamWorksAnimation have an... odd history. When the first ''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}}'' movie came out, it was considered a witty and refreshing break from the then-formulaic Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon fare, despite the fact that, at that point, Disney was going through a different and experimental period with ''WesternAnimation/{{Dinosaur}}'', ''WesternAnimation/Fantasia2000'', ''WesternAnimation/TheEmperorsNewGroove'', ''WesternAnimation/AtlantisTheLostEmpire'', ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitch'', ''WesternAnimation/TreasurePlanet'', ''WesternAnimation/BrotherBear'', and ''WesternAnimation/HomeOnTheRange''. The freshness still hadn't eroded by the time of ''WesternAnimation/Shrek2'', which was considered an EvenBetterSequel by many. However, by the time of ''WesternAnimation/ShrekTheThird'', [=DreamWorks=] Animation -- and their competitors -- had run the formula into the ground harder than Disney's "[[{{Disneyfication}} Disneyfied]] musical adaptations of mythology/classic literature with spunky heroines and goofy sidekicks" did in the '90s. To add insult to injury, most of the Disney films criticized for following ''their'' formula (''WesternAnimation/{{The Hunchback of Notre Dame|Disney}}'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Hercules}}'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Mulan}}'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Tarzan}}'') have been VindicatedByHistory by '90s kids, and the experimental films often became {{Cult Classic}}s.
** ''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}}'' deserves a special mention. Back in 2001, this iconoclastic take on {{Fairy Tale}}s and use of pop-culture references felt like a welcome reprieve from the usual clean fare. These days, ''Shrek'''s pop-culture jokes have aged rather poorly and the film is blamed for killing off traditional animated films and spawning a litany of pale imitation {{All CGI Cartoon}}s that relied on AnachronismStew, AllStarCast, WorldOfSnark and DemographicallyInappropriateHumour, including a few from Shrek's own studio Creator/DreamWorksAnimation.
* Creator/DreamWorksAnimation has their own breed that is almost like an inversion -- with a few exceptions like ''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}}'', plenty of Dreamworks's early CGI movies were seen as low-budget Pixar movies to downright knock-offs of Pixar movies. However, they have since [[GrowingTheBeard grown the beard]], and in the new tens, are considered to be one of the better animation studios, producing movies that rival Pixar's.

* CG, either splicing it with cel-animation or using it as an AllCGICartoon, has evolved a ''lot'' over the years. ''WesternAnimation/TheBlackCauldron (1985)'' was the first to use CG-I as a special effect. Watching it nowadays, it veers almost into SpecialEffectFailure, same with the somewhat out of place looking gears in ''WesternAnimation/TheGreatMouseDetective (1986)''. Pixar and Dreamworks's early movies also look a ''lot'' more rubbery and stiff compared to their most recent cartoons, and the humans will fall ''right'' into the UnintentionalUncannyValley. But at the time, they were some of the most technically impressive films on the market.

* CG, either splicing it with cel-animation or using it as an AllCGICartoon, has evolved a ''lot'' over the years. ''WesternAnimation/TheBlackCauldron (1985)'' was the first to use CG-I as a special effect. Watching it nowadays will be ''beyond'' TwoDVisualsThreeDEffects and veer almost into SpecialEffectFailure, same with the somewhat out of place looking gears in ''WesternAnimation/TheGreatMouseDetective (1986)''. Pixar and Dreamworks's early movies also look a ''lot'' more rubbery and stiff compared to their most recent cartoons, and the humans will fall ''right'' into the UnintentionalUncannyValley. But at the time, they were some of the most technically impressive films on the market.

* The Minions from ''WesternAnimation/DespicableMe'' were lauded as the movie's funniest characters and became the series' EnsembleDarkhorse group. This, of course, wound up leading to other companies [[FollowTheLeader wanting a piece of the pie]] and coming up with their own Minion-like characters themselves. (i.e. [=McDonald's=] Happy Meal creatures, the elves in Dreamworks' ''WesternAnimation/RiseOfTheGuardians'', and the lemmings in ''WesternAnimation/NormOfTheNorth'', etc.) The verbally-impaired-friends/helpers-of-the-protagonist trope has seen so much use that anyone who went back to watch the movie that broke it into the mainstream will likely fail to see the appeal of the quirky Minions.

* Creator/{{Disney}} and Creator/DreamWorksAnimation have an... odd history. When the first ''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}}'' movie came out, it was considered a witty and refreshing break from the then-formulaic Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon fare, despite the fact that, at that point, Disney was going through a different and experimental period with ''WesternAnimation/{{Dinosaur}}'', ''WesternAnimation/Fantasia2000'', ''WesternAnimation/TheEmperorsNewGroove'', ''WesternAnimation/AtlantisTheLostEmpire'', ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitch'', ''WesternAnimation/TreasurePlanet'', ''WesternAnimation/BrotherBear'', and ''WesternAnimation/HomeOnTheRange''. The freshness still hadn't eroded by the time of ''Shrek 2'', which was considered an EvenBetterSequel by many. However, by the time of ''Shrek the Third'', [=DreamWorks=] Animation -- and their competitors -- had run the formula into the ground harder than Disney's "[[{{Disneyfication}} Disneyfied]] musical adaptations of mythology/classic literature with spunky heroines and goofy sidekicks" did in the '90s. To add insult to injury, most of the Disney films criticized for following ''their'' formula (''WesternAnimation/{{The Hunchback of Notre Dame|Disney}}'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Hercules}}'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Mulan}}'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Tarzan}}'') have been VindicatedByHistory by '90s kids, and the experimental films often became {{Cult Classic}}s.

* CG, either splicing it with cel-animation or using it as an AllCGICartoon, has evolved a ''lot'' over the years. ''WesternAnimation/TheBlackCauldron (1985)'' was the first to use CG-I as a special effect. Watching it nowadays will be ''beyond'' TwoDVisualsThreeDEffects and veer almost into SpecialEffectFailure, same with the somewhat out of place looking gears in ''WesternAnimation/TheGreatMouseDetective (1986)''. Pixar and Dreamworks's early movies also look a ''lot'' more rubbery and stiff compared to their most recent cartoons, and the humans will fall ''right'' into the UncannyValley. But at the time, they were some of the most technically impressive films on the market.

* While ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory1'''s graphics were state-of-the-art back in 1995, they pale in comparison to what's being done today. The humans look [[UncannyValley almost as plastic as the toys]] (which is why they told a story where the main characters ''were'' toys), there's an airless quality to the outside scenes, and the animation is not as fluid and nuanced as what we see today. Not that the movie has now become unwatchable, far from it, but compare it to ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory2'' just four years later and the improvement is remarkable. And then compare that to ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory3'' 11 years after and ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory4'' nine years after that, and you appreciate how much CGI has evolved in the quarter-century since the first film's debut. Also, consider the fact that before ''Toy Story'', the number of fully computer-generated feature films was exactly zero, and it would be three more years before there was another such film. [[TechnologyMarchesOn With CGI so ubiquitous today]], it's hard to imagine how mind-blowing an experience it was to see Woody and Buzz for the first time. Compare it to ''WesternAnimation/TinToy'' and the difference is apparent. When you watch the behind-the-scenes features about ''Toy Story'', it's clear that John Lasseter and the late Joe Ranft were aware of this issue. They made sure they put as much effort into the story and the characters as they did into the technology. Which is why people will probably still be watching ''Toy Story'' in fifty years, long after its technology has become outdated.

* Most consider this trope to have reached UpToEleven with the [[TrailersAlwaysLie misleading ad campaign]] for Disney's ''WesternAnimation/{{Tangled}}'', which tried to portray a more traditional fairy tale as a hip spoof of fairy tales -- meaning, in essence, that the TropeMaker for such traditional movies is now scared to admit they're still making them.

* On a similar CG note, it can be hard for latecomers to gleam how truly ''groundbreaking'' the ballroom sequence in ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'' was. Instead of enhancing an effect or environment like the above examples, the computer-aided environment brought not just greater fidelity to the ballroom, but was able to help the animators simulate a swooping camera so that the two-dimensional Belle and Beast looked like they had 360 degrees of movement for their dance. Until the release of ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory'', it was generally seen as the most visually watershed sequence in a full-length animated movie.

* The trend of including a very well-known PopStarComposer in charge of the music and/or lyrics of an big-budget animated musical (''WesternAnimation/YellowSubmarine'' and the like aside) took off with the success (and Oscar win) of ''WesternAnimation/{{The Lion King|1994}}'' employing Music/EltonJohn and Creator/TimRice. Following that would be similar contributions, such as [[Music/ThePolice Sting]] writing for ''WesternAnimation/TheEmperorsNewGroove'', Music/PhilCollins writing for ''WesternAnimation/{{Tarzan}}'' and ''WesternAnimation/BrotherBear'', Music/RandyNewman contributing music for the ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory'' franchise and other Creator/{{Pixar}} works, Music/BarryManilow working on ''WesternAnimation/ThePebbleAndThePenguin'', etc.

* ''{{WesternAnimation/Pocahontas}}'' is a strange one. When it came out, it was badly received by American audiences ([[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff but did very well in Europe]]). The main reason? It was an animated film that took Artistic License with American history (though filmmakers insisted they were adapting the ''legend'' of Pocahontas rather than trying to be accurate). After ''Pocahontas'' we got films like ''WesternAnimation/{{Anastasia}}'', ''WesternAnimation/TitanicTheLegendGoesOn'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Mulan}}'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame'' -- which took place in named times and depicted historical events. The general public would be desensitised to that kind of thing these days. ''Anastasia'''s producers took note of the reaction to ''Pocahontas'' and marketed the film as merely a historical fairy tale not to be taken as fact. It worked and [[MexicansLoveSpeedyGonzales they loved it in Russia]].
* Creator/{{Disney}} and Creator/DreamWorksAnimation have an... odd history. When the first ''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}}'' movie came out, it was considered a witty and refreshing break from the then-formulaic Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon fare, despite the fact that, at that point, Disney was going through a different and experimental period with ''WesternAnimation/{{Dinosaur}}'', ''WesternAnimation/Fantasia2000'', ''WesternAnimation/TheEmperorsNewGroove'', ''WesternAnimation/AtlantisTheLostEmpire'', ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitch'', ''WesternAnimation/TreasurePlanet'', ''WesternAnimation/BrotherBear'', and ''WesternAnimation/HomeOnTheRange''. The freshness still hadn't eroded by the time of ''Shrek 2'', which was considered an EvenBetterSequel by many. However, by the time of ''Shrek the Third'', [=DreamWorks=] Animation -- and their competitors -- had run the formula into the ground harder than Disney's "[[{{Disneyfication}} Disneyfied]] musical adaptations of mythology/classic literature with spunky heroines and goofy sidekicks" did in the '90s. To add insult to injury, most of the Disney films criticized for following ''their'' formula (''WesternAnimation/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Hercules}}'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Mulan}}'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Tarzan}}'') have been VindicatedByHistory by '90s kids, and the experimental films often became {{Cult Classic}}s.

** ''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}}'' deserves a special mention. Back in 2001, this iconoclastic take on FairyTales and use of pop-culture references felt like a welcome reprieve from the usual clean fare. These days, ''Shrek'''s pop-culture jokes have aged rather poorly and the film is blamed for killing off traditional animated films and spawning a litany of pale imitation {{All CGI Cartoon}}s that relied on AnachronismStew, AllStarCast, WorldOfSnark and DemographicallyInappropriateHumour, including a few from Shrek's own studio Creator/DreamWorksAnimation.

* While ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory'''s graphics were state-of-the-art back in 1995, they pale in comparison to what's being done today. The humans look [[UncannyValley almost as plastic as the toys]] (which is why they told a story where the main characters ''were'' toys), there's an airless quality to the outside scenes, and the animation is not as fluid and nuanced as what we see today. Not that the movie has now become unwatchable, far from it, but compare it to ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory2'' just four years later and the improvement is remarkable. And then compare ''that'' to ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory3'' 11 years after, and you appreciate how much CGI has evolved in such a short time. Also, consider the fact that before ''Toy Story'', the number of fully computer-generated feature films was exactly zero, and it would be two more years before there was another such film. [[TechnologyMarchesOn With CGI so ubiquitous today]], it's hard to imagine how mind-blowing an experience it was to see Woody and Buzz for the first time. Compare it to ''WesternAnimation/TinToy'' to ''really'' see the evolution. When you watch the behind-the-scenes features about ''Toy Story'', it's clear that John Lasseter and the late Joe Ranft were aware of this issue. They made sure they put as much effort into the story and the characters as they did into the technology. Which is why people will probably still be watching ''Toy Story'' in fifty years, long after its technology has become outdated.

** ''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}}'' deserves a special mention. Back in 2001, this iconoclastic take on FairyTales and use of pop-culture references felt like a welcome reprieve from the usual clean fare. Now, with several films, including a few from Shrek's own studio Creator/DreamWorksAnimation, ''Shrek'''s pop-culture jokes have aged rather poorly and the film is blamed for killing off traditional animated films and spawning a litany of pale imitation {{All CGI Cartoon}}s that relied on AnachronismStew, AllStarCast, WorldOfSnark and DemographicallyInappropriateHumour.

** ''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}}'' deserves a special mention. Back in 2001, this iconoclastic take on FairyTales and use of pop-culture references felt like a welcome reprieve from the usual clean fare. Now, with several films, including a few from Shrek's own studio Creator/DreamWorksAnimation, ''Shrek'''s pop-culture jokes have aged rather poorly and the film is blamed for killing off traditional animated films and spawning a litany of pale imitation {{All CGI Cartoon}}s that relied on AnachronismStew, AllStarCast, WorldOfSnark and GettingCrapPastTheRadar.

* Franchise/{{Disney princess}}es. WesternAnimation/{{Snow White|SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs}}, [[WesternAnimation/SleepingBeauty Princess Aurora]], and WesternAnimation/{{Cinderella}}. People like to complain that these characters are boring and don't do much, especially as compared to their later counterparts. What many forget however is that these characters could be considered very active when compared to most depictions of women in media at the time, and had at least as much personality. They appear even more active and nuanced when compared to the characters from the original fairy tales who did and said far less. For example, both Snow White's and Aurora's relationships with their princes were an improvement over the original fairy tales - in that they met before they were saved. Aurora in particular was the first princess to actually properly get to know her prince - even though their time together was brief.