Animated films have been around for almost as long as film has, with filmmakers experimenting with stop-motion animation as early as 1899. The 1930s and the 1950s brought on the golden age for animation with the production company Disney leading the way. Animation tells stories that appeal to children and adults alike.
Most of what children watch is animated, with some exceptions. This gives way for many favorite childhood films being animated. Because of this, many adults look back at these childhood favorite movies fondly. It is easy for them to think of all of their favorites as “great” when they are only memories. However, when watched as an adult, it is easy to see that some of these films have not aged well. Here are 10 classics in animation that have not aged well.
Anastasia
Anastasia tells the story of Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna had she survived the Bolshevik attack on her family. The film is a musical and chronicles her journey to Paris to reunite with her grandmother with Dimitri, her love interest and a con man, and Vlad, a fellow con man.
While still a fun film, the historical inaccuracy is incredibly apparent to adults and any child with reading comprehension and access to the internet. Anastasia, unfortunately, did not survive and the film at times feels like its exploiting Anastasia’s fame as well as the false claims made by women claiming to be Anastasia.
The Secret Of NIMH
The Secret of NIMH is an adaptation of Robert C. O’Brien’s children’s novel Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. The film follows Mrs. Brisby (Mrs. Frisby’s name in the film) as she seeks a cure for her son Timothy, who is extremely ill with pneumonia, while also grappling with moving Timothy while sick and her three children to a new home due to the farmer plowing the field in which they live earlier than they expected.
This is another film with a story that is still fun as an adult. However, the animation is incredibly dark and creepy, making some of the characters and especially the antagonists look terrifying. The film also deals with surprisingly adult themes such as animal testing and abuse.
The Last Unicorn
The Last Unicorn, another adaptation of a novel, chronicles a unicorn who learns she is the last of her kind. She then embarks on a journey to find out what happened to the rest of the unicorns, where she encounters evil witches, kings, princes, and even temporarily turns human and falls in love.
Now, the film’s story and animation look cheesy. Furthermore, the story itself could be compelling, if it were not paired with the cheesy animation, weird scene transitions, and the soundtrack that was performed by the band America.
The Three Caballeros
The Three Caballeros is a film about Donald Duck, who receives three presents for his birthday, all of which pertaining to different aspects to Mexico, Latin America, and South America. Within the film, there are also six short films featured.
Parts of the film are informational in that they provide facts about birds in Mexico, Latin America, and South America, and this film is the first film to include both animation and live-action. However, the film also perpetuates Hispanic and Latinx stereotypes, making it a classic that has definitely not aged well.
The Swan Princess
The Swan Princess is an animated film adaptation of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s ballet Swan Lake. The film is about Princess Odette who is cursed and turned into a swan. In order to break the curse, someone needs to make a vow of everlasting love to her. Odette seeks to break the curse and defeat the antagonist Rothbart, while her love interest Derek seeks to hunt the Great Animal which killed Odette’s father earlier in the film.
While the film has some great moments such as Odette calling out Derek for only declaring love for her beauty, the story itself does not hold up. Even though it does deviate from the original ballet, meaning it should seem original, the film does not feel very original and at times is as tacky as The Last Unicorn.
Lady And The Tramp
Lady and the Tramp is a Disney classic. It is the love story of two dogs, named Lady and Tramp, after Lady finds herself on the streets. Tramp, in spite of being disillusioned about humans and pet ownership, helps her find her way back home and even helps Lady defend her home against a rat.
While this film is a classic, it has one scene that is incredibly racist. Two Siamese cats in the film temporarily act as antagonists toward Lady. The two cats are written as stereotypes of Asian cultures. This, paired with the antagonism, casts people of color in a negative light, which unfortunately was commonplace in the 1950s. The fact that it was commonplace does not make it okay, though.
Peter Pan
Peter Pan is another film considered a Disney classic. It is based on the J.M. Barrie stories about a boy who never grows up. In the film, Peter takes Wendy and her brothers to Neverland, where they meet the Lost Boys and fight the evil Captain Hook.
Like Lady and the Tramp, Peter Pan depicts people of color in a problematic way, in this case, the Indigenous Peoples of the Americas. Like the Siamese Cats, the indigenous tribe residing in Neverland is based purely on exaggerations and stereotypes of historical indigenous tribes. They are also referred to as “Indians” in the film, which is incorrect and rooted in the historical ignorance of European explorers and colonizers of the Americas.
Dumbo
Dumbo is also considered a Disney classic but again has problematic depictions of race. The film is about Dumbo, originally named Jumbo Junior, an elephant born into a circus who has larger than average ears. His large ears make him subject to ridicule from humans and animals alike. Dumbo learns to use his uniqueness to his advantage with the help of some crows.
The crows are actually why the film has not aged well. The crows are depicted as stereotypes of black people, with the leader originally being named Jim Crow before he was later renamed Dandy Crow.
The Thief And The Cobbler
The Thief and the Cobbler is a film about Tack, a cobbler, and Princess Yum-Yum, who fall in love after Tack is taken to the castle to await punishment for Grand Vizier Zigzag accidentally stepping on one of Tack’s tacks. The couple also has to defeat Zigzag who is vying for the throne and stop monsters known as One-Eyes from destroying the Golden City.
The film is whitewashing and an appropriation of Middle Eastern cultures. Furthermore, the Princess’s name is Yum-Yum, which is both sexist and racist as it can be seen as a comment on the Princess’s desirability and is disrespectful toward other cultures’ naming conventions.
Thumbelina
Thumbelina is Don Bluth’s adaptation of the Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale of the same name. It is about Thumbelina, a girl the size of a thumb, who desires love and to find people who are also her size.
What is problematic about Thumbelina is that the toads, who act as antagonists initially, are stereotypes of Latinx peoples. Furthermore, Mrs. Toad is oversexualized. Also, every antagonist in the story falls in love with Thumbelina, either for her looks, her beautiful singing voice, or both. Each antagonist acts like his insta-love for Thumbelina entitles him to be with her, which is a toxic way of thinking.
