Back when it first came out?
Toys, big plush Feivels, books, that damn song, and here it is now and the movie's basically...forgotten.
I'm sitting here watching it now with my one year old and they really don't make'em like this anymore.
Loved the movie when I was a child, despite the fact that the animation style was creepy at times. Same as the Secret of Nihm.
shareI still have my plush Fievel....it's on mine and my husband's bed :P.
-Amanda
"She will remember your heart when men are fairy tales in storybooks written by rabbits"
Disney's Pinnochio sleeping beauty and Snow White all had creepy boundary-pushing animation. Don Bluth was inspired by these films stating animation isn't just for children and that's why he left Disney and developed his own films.
shareI can't believe a movie that was so huge is now, as you said, seemingly forgotten.
"Here are beauties which pierce like swords or burn like cold iron" - C.S. Lewis
Given that I wasn't even born at the time the movie was released, when I saw the box office results, I merely thought that it was a successful movie that made profit (the big blockbuster was Top Gun). Naturally, I'm surprised to be hearing such things.
It's too bad An American Tail, The Secret of NIMH, and The Land Before Time are all now irrelevant. All three films are well-made movies that showed Don Bluth's potential with movies and I think he was capable of so much more.
---
Talking about my movie experience in here: http://astarisborn94.livejournal.com/
[deleted]
I wouldn't say that! It's maybe not as big as The Little Mermaid, but anyone who was a kid around this time knows what this movie is and if they have children, they probably show this movie to their kids too. My cousin is 11 years old and when he was like 3 or 4 he LOVED all the Land Before Time movies. Just because it isn't heavily merchandised anymore doesn't mean it's forgotten :)
shareWell the difference is that it doesn't attract new people.
While Disney have a "new release" every five years of ther old movies (added scenes, added comments, one new song, dimond collection and bla bla bla) This one, just like Land before times and Anastasia ends up in the sales bin. If even there. Its almost impossible to get a hold of them on DVD or Bluray. So with new format, old movies drop of the map.
So great movies like this are heartwarming for those of us that grew up with them, but anyone who didn't will not seek them out and watch them since it's not heavily promoted.
X ~We are the people our parents warned us about
Younger people do get a taste of it at Universal Hollywood with their "trolley" cars with that mouse and some other characters (including their Walter Lantz woodpecker that they distributed in the 40s-60s). They rare somewhat aware and I have seen any Bluth films available, but yeah, Phantom, is, others your right. The ones that grew up are still relatively younger compared to audiences of many black and white films (Deanna Durbin, most Shirley Temple..) so compared to those Golden age 40s films, American tales original audience, especially being kids back then, are still huge for the moneymakers....P
shareThe problem is this: it was very successful in the short run, but in the long run, Disney's films (yes, even their lower-scale films like "The Rescuers" 1 & 2, and "The Great Mouse Detective") have proven to have more staying power. Better marketing and, ultimately, the usually better-quality filmmaking have gone in Disney's favor, while many of Bluth's films are merely relegated to bargain bins or small-scale deals (with maybe the occasional ad or two promoting them).
shareI remember that when growing up every kid I knew had this movie, E.T., Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, and The Land Before Time on VHS. I was obsessed with this movie as a kid and vaguely remember it even had a small attraction at Universal Studios. Watching this and listening to the soundtrack make me really nostalgic.
shareGlad to see I'm not the only one that has thought about this. I came to this page thinking the same exact thing.
This film was massive when it hit theaters. Merchandise was everywhere, as were a couple of the songs--everyone knew them. But yet, unlike other big animated hits, it's largely forgotten today.
It's quite interesting to think about. I think the main reason is simply money and product support, specifically over the long term. Disney has surely put out some clunkers over the years, but they have the money and highly organized marketing machine in place to give them legs and make them well known and available to people. Over time, these films eventually gain a foothold, even if they weren't that successful or good to begin with. Young kids can only see what is readily available to them--they don't have their own money or freedom to seek out what they want. Disney puts their characters and films everywhere--and they stick with it.
Conversely, these Don Bluth films don't have a huge company with a centralized vision behind them. I've looked for An American Tale and the original Land Before Time at various chains(Best Buy, etc.) and rental stores and couldn't find any of them. NONE. That doesn't happen with Disney films. And the Don Bluth DVD's that are available are pretty awful, and you can tell as little money as possible was put into them. Low quality, no special featuers, no nothing.
well they don't have the fucked up marketing push that Disney has, but they are not forgotten, you are showing them to your kids.
share