r/Schaffrillas

Recently, my mind kept coming back to "What would a Disney or Disney-style animated film for adults look like?" I know there's different options for adult animation (Ralph Bakshi, various anime, Primal, European animation, etc.) but I'm thinking specifically Disney or Disney style.

At first, Disney would sound like the opposite of adult animation or maturity; they're predominantly associated with families and kids, stories with happy endings.

But at various points, Disney tried to explore different things artistically. Fantasia blended classical music and creative visuals, Sleeping Beauty used an art style more reminiscent of Medieval tapestry. You had some legit artists at the studio. I remember reading a book on Marc Davis and how he delved into different art mediums in his free time.

Many of them eventually left Disney to start UPA after the Animators' Strike. But that modernist influence eventually looped around to shape Disney as well. Ward Kimball took inspiration from UPA for his Adventures In Music shorts. Ward himself was very open to the influences of other studios like Warner Bros, UPA, and later Bakshi and Crumb.

The film that seems like a good template would be 101 Dalmatians. When I go back to 101 Dalmatians, the vibe feels a lot different from most Disney films. The vibe feels chill. Roger and Anita feel like two adults meeting rather than fairy tale characters. You have the opportunity to see Disney parents (Roger and Anita, Pongo and Perdita) showing concern for their children and pets instead of parents being obstacles.

And the art style feels particularly ambitious for Disney. They took advantage of the change to Xerox which allowed the animator's drawings to be faithfully reproduced on screen. This gave the characters a lot more vitality. There have been some divided opinions over the years as not everyone liked the scratchy outline. But in hindsight, it just adds a bit of grit and personality.

Check out this behind the scenes: Redefining the line: The Making of 101 Dalmatians. French animator Sylvain Chomet cited 101 Dalmatians as his favorite film.

When I look at Brad Bird's films, I can tell that he's someone strongly influenced by Disney (mentored by Milt Kahl, sought advice from Frank and Ollie) while still very distinct. He's frequently advocated for animation as a medium that can tell different types of stories, not a genre.

I don't think a Disney film for adults or mature audiences would necessarily be gritty or violent. But I'd be interested if they tackled adult themes in an understated way.

What do you guys think? Would it seem antithetical to Disney's mission? Or would it just be a matter of taking certain ideas further?

REVOLUTION

I'd be so happy if Schaff made another anime video but only for Shoujo anime. He would love Cardcaptor Sakura!

(For the record, I didn't make anything Inappropriate, I just wanted to be funny, and second, all of these are fake, ofc)

They pretty much do similarish film reviews (whenever Danny does one)

The list: https://boxd.it/4BpPu

Note: "Doogal", "A Troll in Central Park" and "Fly Me to the Moon" are already on here

My Peoples poster made by me :)

For the record, I don’t hate Chicken Little. I just think My Peoples looks better. Also CL is widely regarded as one of the worst Disney movies of all time