The Animation Renaissance was a period of time beginning in the late 80's and ending in the late 90's when American animation saw a resurgence. It generally is considered to begin with the 1989 release of Disney's The Little Mermaid in theaters. Television animation was also part of this renaissance, as animators wished to move away from the limited animation techniques portrayed in the past by studios such as Hanna-Barbara, and create more fluid animation near feature film quality. The television animation renaissance is generally considered to have begun in 1985 with Disney's Gummi Bears, and and includes the animation in the Disney Afternoon block and the Warner Bros. animation beginning with 1990's Tiny Toon Adventures, and continuing into 1992's Batman: The Animated Series and the later Kids' WB block.
Feature Films:
Name | Year | Company |
The Little Mermaid | 1989 | Disney |
The Rescuers Down Under | 1990 | Disney |
Beauty and the Beast | 1991 | Disney |
Aladdin | 1992 | Disney |
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm | 1993 | Warner Bros |
The Lion King | 1994 | Disney |
Pocahontas | 1995 | Disney |
Toy Story | 1995 | Pixar |
The Hunchback of Notre Dame | 1996 | Disney |
Hercules | 1997 | Disney |
Antz | 1998 | DreamWorks |
A Bug's Life | 1998 | Pixar |
Mulan | 1998 | Disney |
Tarzan | 1999 | Disney |
Toy Story 2 | 1999 | Pixar |
Television Animation:
The Gummi Bears (1985-1991) (Disney)
The Wuzzles (1985-1987) (Disney)
DuckTales (1987-1990) (Disney)
Chip 'n' Dale's Rescue Rangers (1989-1990) (Disney)
TaleSpin (1990-1991) (Disney)
Darkwing Duck (1991-1992) (Disney)
Goof Troop (1992-1993) (Disney)
Bonkers (1993-1995) (Disney)
Gargoyles (1994-1997) (Disney)