Loveday Writing

Now that I’ve finished reviewing and analysing Disney’s Wartime Era, the next era I will be exploring is the Silver Age.

The Silver Age consisted of eight animated feature films, and lasted for seventeen years from 1950 until 1967:

• Cinderella
• Alice in Wonderland
• Peter Pan
• Lady and the Tramp
• Sleeping Beauty
• 101 Dalmatians
• The Sword in the Stone
• The Jungle Book

The Silver Age is also known as the “restoration age,” as the films during this era returned to their roots of feature-length narratives and adaptations of famous narratives, having high-art animation, being approachable (cartoonish gags, music from contemporary artists, and a lighter approach to storytelling), steering clear of intense scenes, and being heartwarming with happy endings, good morals, and catchy songs.

The films of the Silver Age were the last ones to be made under Walt Disney’s supervision before his death in 1966, with The Jungle Book being released in 1967. According to Modern Mouse, filmmakers re-evaluated the way they told stories and the stories they wanted to tell, by looking back at what worked during the Golden Age. It clearly worked, as this Era is looked back on fondly by audiences and colloquially known as “Classic Disney.”

The Silver Age ended with The Jungle Book in 1967, with the Bronze Age kicking off in 1970 with The Aristocats, which would see Disney criticised for its heavy xerography use in its animation, and tone shifts in its films.