Disney's DINOSAUR - Does it count as Walt Disney Animation Canon?

[Coheteboy]

This is kind of been tugging at me for a while and I just thought I'd ask the community at large what you think.

Some background:
In the 90s, when Disney would promote an animated film, they would have that announcer say something along the lines of:

"Disney proudly presents... their 34th animated feature length film..."

I kept counting all the way through 2005 when the Feature Animation became the CG house.

Somewhere in 2000, Dinosaur was released (also that year was Fantasia 2000 and Emperor's New Groove). Dinosaur was Disney's first entry into the CG category using live-action background plates.





According to wikipedia, Dinosaur is considered the 39th in the Disney line-up. But should it? I always saw it as some specialty product in the same vein as the stop-motion films or the Disney Toons projects. Afterall, it was produced by Disney's CG dept known as The Secret Lab which is now shuttered.


I dunno... I've never classified it as official Disney Animated Feature Canon. Maybe I should fire a Q to Dave Smith or something. What do you guys think? Maybe I should just accept it since wikipedia says so -- but deep down... it's still this ugly duckling that doesn't quite fit in.


p.s. If Dinosaur DOES count... that means Tangled will be Disney's 50th full length animated feature. If not... next year's Winnie the Pooh will be.

[Jeff]

1. Disney gets to pick what is canon
2. "Dinosaur" should NOT count as canon
3. There are others on the list that should be part of canon before "Dinosaur"
4. Add "A Goofy Movie" to canon and I'll be happy

[Barbossa]

It wasn't before, but it is now. I believe it's listed officially canon on Disney's website.

[Coheteboy]

It wasn't before, but it is now. I believe it's listed officially canon on Disney's website.

Do you know where it is on the site? I'm trying to find it.

[Jeff]

Do you know where it is on the site? I'm trying to find it.

They don't seem to have the official canon list anymore of the feature length animated films, but you can locate ALL of the Disney films:
D23 | The Official Community for Disney Fans

[Jeff]

They don't seem to have the official canon list anymore of the feature length animated films, but you can locate ALL of the Disney films:
D23 | The Official Community for Disney Fans

Actually, here's another list you can mess with if you'd like:
Disney Archives | Movies Index A-I

[Jeff]

Nevermind... I found the link you want:
Walt Disney Animation Studios

[Disney Magic]

You are not alone in wondering when it became one of the "official cannon" releases. I have the list printed out from 2008 and it lists Emperor's New Groove as the 39th release. Dinosaur was under the category of "other animated films release by Disney" along with Nightmare Before Xmas, James and the Giant Peach and Christmas Carol. When did the Secret Lab department close? Perhaps that is when they categorized it as a release of WDFA. All I know is that for years after Dinosaur was released it was not on the list, and now it is.

And Jeff just so you know, the official cannon list was comprised of movies that had a release in theaters and was produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation, the head animation company that started with Snow White. Other animated Disney movies (mostly direct to video) were produced by sub-divisions of WDFA such as Disney Toon Studios. While some of these were good and even saw theater releases, (like Goofy Movie, Duck Tales Treasure of the Lost Lamp, Return To Neverland, Tigger Movie) they aren't included as "cannon" movies.

[Coheteboy]

Nevermind... I found the link you want:
Walt Disney Animation Studios

Thanks!

Yah... I guess at some point they DID decide to include it. And like Disney Magic said, it was always an off shoot or a special project. I mean.. it was Disney's first CG entry AND it had live-action background plates. Certainly not a hand drawn entry that has been the main focus of the Studio.

But now that Disney is including the CG entries as canon, what's to stop them from including the stop-motion releases like Nightmare Before Christmas or James and the Giant Peach?

Are they not feature length "animated films" released and produced by the Walt Disney Company?


It starts to get really confusing because when does one cease to exclude Jungle Book 2, Return to Neverland, Tinkerbell, etc etc? I know that there was a different division animating these but as far as I understand it, Dinosaur was made by a different division too. It wasn't even made within the Disney Studio building but rather, a non-descript gray building down the street.



Oh well... at least we now know that it's officially part of the Disney canon so that's good enough for me I suppose!

Thanks everyone!

[JerrodDRagon]

it shouldn't be it really is just a 3D film with real BG but I guess I would not mind if Bolt was on the list since it was a good film and seemed like a Disney animated film.