Don Bluth was one of the most prominent animators to emerge from the Disney studio after the passing of its founder, Walt Disney. As the animation director for films such as The Rescuers (1977) and Pete's Dragon (1977),Bluth was deeply dissatisfied with the quality of animation being produced at Disney, which he believed had fallen short of the company's legendary standards.
Following a rumored threat to shut down the animation department, Bluth and a group of fellow animators staged a walkout and went on to establish their own independent animation firm. Bluth's first feature-length film, The Secret of NIMH (1982),was an adaptation of the children's book Mrs. Frisbee and the Rats of Nimh, and it told the story of a widowed field mouse named Mrs. Brisbee who, with the help of a group of super-intelligent rats, strives to relocate her home before a farmer plows the field.
The film was visually stunning and reminiscent of the Disney classics, earning the admiration of animation enthusiasts, although it failed to achieve significant commercial success at the box office. Undeterred, Bluth continued to push the boundaries of animation, creating the video games Dragon's Lair (1983) and Space Ace (1983),which allowed players to control actual cartoons.
Bluth's subsequent collaborations with Steven Spielberg, including An American Tail (1986) and The Land Before Time (1988),further solidified his reputation as a visionary animator. However, with the release of Disney's The Little Mermaid (1989) and Beauty and the Beast (1991),Bluth faced stiff competition from a revitalized Disney studio.
Following the mixed reception of his next film, All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989),Bluth's subsequent projects, including Rock-A-Doodle (1991) and Thumbelina (1994),failed to match the critical and commercial success of his earlier work. Despite this, Bluth persevered and eventually found success with his film Anastasia (1997),produced by 20th Century Fox.
Bluth's subsequent projects, including the ambitious but ultimately disappointing science fiction fantasy film Titan A.E. (2000),have yet to recapture the magic of his earlier work. Nonetheless, Don Bluth remains a champion of animation and an independent filmmaker who has consistently pushed the boundaries of the medium, earning him a place in the pantheon of animation legends.
