Disney
From WikiFur, the furry encyclopedia.
Disney, in the furry fandom, refers to the Walt Disney Company and its associated stylized artwork.
The Walt Disney Company was founded in 1923 by animation pioneer Walter "Walt" Disney, his brother Roy (father of current board member Roy Disney), and Ub Iwerks. Beginning with Pegleg Pete, and expanding to include such characters as the now-forgotten Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Disney and Iwerks' brainchild Mickey Mouse, Minnie, Dippy Dawg (later Goofy), and Horace Horsecollar, Disney dove into the early 1920's and depression-era animations continuing in the tradition of Felix the Cat. In 1934, Donald Duck was added to the cast, soon joined by his newphews Huey, Dewey, and Louie created by comic strip artist Al Taliaferro, as well as a very long list of characters developed into a whole Duck universe by animator and comic artist Carl Barks, starting with Donald's tightwad Scottish uncle Scrooge McDuck.
Disney established themselves as a major animation presence with their first feature-length film in Technicolor, 1937's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Unlike rival Fleischer, which was later absorbed by Paramount, Disney has grown ever larger and more influential over the years. Furry animator Don Bluth started out at Disney before he went on his own, creating furry favorites such as The Secret of NIMH, An American Tail, or The Land Before Time.
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[edit] Controversy
[edit] Controversies around Disney as a corporation
Disney has long been scorned by many for their habitual tendency generally to soften or even drastically alter the stories on which their animated films are based. Also, some are annoyed by the consistent visual attractiveness of most Disney characters. Still, it may be argued that no Disney villain, no matter how attractive, can be mistaken for a hero with respect to their actions and motives. Another perception by many is that Disney has long been (especially recently) more about quantity than quality--that saleability is more important than solid content.
[edit] Walt Disney and Nazi Germany
Political controversies also surrounded Walt Disney as a person. His interest in Medieval German folktales of which he adapted a number into his cartoons gave rise to rumors of personal sympathies for Nazi Germany and anti-Semitism during the 1930s, until Disney started to make anti-Nazi cartoons during World War II commissioned by the government. After the war, these rumors of Nazi sympathies regained currency when Disney worked closely together with former Nazi Germany top scientist Wernher von Braun (who had constructed the V1 and V2 rockets devastating London during the war) in order to popularize von Braun's visions of space travel in American society.
[edit] Walt Disney and anti-Communism
After the war, Walt Disney as an outspoken anti-Communist also showed no inhibitions in cooperating with the House Un-American Activities Committee during the controversial McCarthy witch hunts and testify against many of his Hollywood colleagues.
[edit] Influential films
Bambi, being the first Disney film with an all-animal cast, bears mentioning as an influential film in furry fandom, but 1994's The Lion King stands out bar-none as the most popular. It could not have come at a better time, as the emerging furry fandom was finding its way onto the then-infant graphical internet. Many other Disney films are also known for their influences on Furry Fandom, including The Adventures of Robin Hood (the first Disney animated film with an entirely "funny animal" cast) and the more recent Brother Bear (with its themes of human-to-non-human transformation and animal spirit guides).
Beauty and the Beast could be also be considered of interest to the furry community, as Belle has to fall in love with the prince in his 'beast' form, although she is unaware he is a prince.
