The Ultimate DisneyToon Studios Animated Film Guide: 2010-2015
Created | Updated Feb 5, 2020
1990-1999 | 2000-2003 | 2004-2005 | 2006-2009 | 2010-2015
DisneyToon Studios was the second animation studio founded by the Walt Disney Company organisation. Unlike the prestigious Walt Disney Animation Studios, DisneyToon Studios dealt with low-budget animated productions which often had limited cinema or direct-to-video releases. It had been founded in 1990 as Disney MovieToons with the aim of adapting Disney's popular television cartoon series, made by Walt Disney Television Animation1, for the big screen. It involved teams of animators in Disney-owned studios based all around the world2.
It soon began churning out sequels to many of Walt Disney Animation Studios' most successful films. Although animated films are by their nature a commercial art form, the studio, renamed DisneyToon Studios in 2003 and placed under the control of Sharon Morrill, soon gained a reputation for emphasising commercial success to the point that the artistic merit of what was released was considered irrelevant. They even released Disney Television Animation's half-finished abandoned projects, leading to further criticisms and associations of poor quality with the Studio's outputs.
Disney acquired a more prestigious animation studio following the merger with Pixar in 2006. This merger led to Pixar's John Lasseter becoming Chief Creative Officer of Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios. In 2007 he also gained control over DisneyToon Studios after the film Tinker Bell's budget spiralled out of control and led to Sharon Morrill being fired. He believed DisneyToon Studios should develop their own identity and their policy of making sequels to classic films was demeaning and detracted from the originals. By 2010 only the Tinker Bell series remained, although plans were underway to develop a second series loosely inspired by Pixar's Cars films.
Below is a summary of the last films made by DisneyToon Studios, from 42 to 47. Recurring characters and actors are shown in Bold as well as whether the films were released in the cinema or went direct-to-video. Also mentioned is whether the films pass The Bechdel Test (this can be summarised as whether the film involves two or more named female characters who have a conversation together that does not include or mention any male characters). The film's European runtime is also included3.
42. Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue (2010)
| Director | Bradley Raymond |
|---|---|
| Release | Cinema |
| Plot | When bringing summer to the mainland, Tinker Bell is captured by a nine-year-old girl called Lizzy. Lizzy tries to persuade her distracted father, who has no time for her, that fairies exist. |
| Length | 77 minutes |
| Setting | England, near London, in the Edwardian era |
| Animation Type | CGI |
| Inspiration | Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up by JM Barrie (play 1904, novel 1911) |
| Characters |
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| Music | Score composed by Joel McNeely, songs:
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| Spin Off Of |
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| Films in Series |
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| Bechdel Test | Pass |
This is the only film in the series not to be set in Pixie Hollow. It would appear that the Griffiths live southeast of London, but London looks quite small with Big Ben being near the countryside. Dr Griffiths, despite being an English character, uses Americanisms such as 'trunk' rather than 'boot'.
43. Tinker Bell: Secret of the Wings (2012)
| Director | Peggy Holmes |
|---|---|
| Release | Brief cinematic run |
| Plot | The fairies are preparing for winter but the Winter Woods, where it is always cold, are strictly off limits. Tinker Bell, rebellious, crosses the border and finds herself drawn in as her wings start sparkling. She learns that she has a sister, Periwinkle, born of the same child's laugh, who lives as a frost fairy in the Winter Woods and has identical wings. Yet Lord Milori has decreed that frost fairy and summer fairy cannot mix - if a summer fairy spends too long in winter, or a winter fairy spends time in summer, their wings will tear and they will lose the ability to fly. Will Tinker Bell and Periwinkle be separated, will Tink's ingenuity allow them to spend time together, and will they unite when the Pixie Dust Tree is threatened? |
| Length | 75 minutes |
| Setting | Pixie Hollow and the Winter Woods, Neverland |
| Animation Type | CGI |
| Inspiration | Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up by JM Barrie (play 1904, novel 1911) |
| Characters |
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| Spin Off Of |
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| Music | Score composed by Joel McNeely, songs by Brendan Milburn and Valerie Vigoda:
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| Films in Series |
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| Bechdel Test | Pass |
Another highly enjoyable entry in the Tinker Bell series, concentrating on the value of friendship, and unifying in the face of adversity. There are some enjoyable touches, with Scribble the librarian fairy facially resembling Stephen Hawking while the Keeper looks just like Einstein. Megan Hilty replaces Kristin Chenoweth as Rosetta.
44. Planes (2013)
| Director | Klay Hall |
|---|---|
| Release | Cinema |
| Plot | Crop-dusting aeroplane Dusty Crophopper longs to be a racing aircraft. Supported by his friends, fuel tanker Chug and forklift Dottie, and mentored by former US Navy aircraft Skipper, Dusty just qualifies for the Wings Across the Globe race. How will the racing aircraft react to having a crop-duster in their midst, and can a crop-duster really win a round-the-world air race? |
| Length | 88 minutes |
| Setting | All around the same world as Cars, with sentient vehicles instead of people |
| Animation Type | CGI |
| Inspiration | Pixar's Cars film series |
| Aeroplanes |
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| Cars |
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| Music |
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| Spin Off Of |
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| Sequel |
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| Bechdel Test | Fail |
This story was based on an idea by John Lasseter, the writer-director of the first two Cars films. Set in the same world, the film follows the same basic plot as those films, featuring a race with the hero facing an arrogant opponent. Brent Mustangburger had appeared in Cars 2 as the race commentator, while Skipper and Sparky had appeared in 'Air Mater', an episode of Cars Toons: Maters Tall Tales.
Although the plot is incredibly predictable, there are still plenty of details to pick up on. The characters played by Val Kilmer and Anthony Edwards were based on their characters Goose and Ice Man in Top Gun. In the Iceland to Germany section of the race the aircraft fly through Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria, which inspired the appearance of the Disney Castle. Also many of the clouds and landscapes in the background appear in the shape of different aircraft.
The film was so successful at the box office that it was the eighth most successful animated film of the year5.
45. Tinker Bell: The Pirate Fairy (2014)
| Director | Peggy Holmes |
|---|---|
| Release | Cinematic |
| Plot | Zarina, a pixie dust keeper fairy, secretly experiments with the powerful pixie dust that gives all the fairies the ability to fly. When an experiment goes dangerously out of control she is banned from working with pixie dust again, after which she runs away. She returns to Pixie Hollow during the Four Seasons Festival and, after sending almost everyone to sleep, steals blue pixie dust. When Tinker Bell and her friends try to stop her, she mixes their talents to confuse them. She takes the dust to a group of pirates who call her their captain, makes her own Pixie Dust Tree inside Skull Rock and plans to make a pirate ship fly. Yet the pirates are not to be trusted. Can Tinker Bell and her friends save the pixie dust and reunite with Zarina? |
| Length | 78 minutes |
| Setting | Pixie Hollow and Skull Rock, Never Land |
| Animation Type | CGI |
| Inspiration | Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up by JM Barrie (play 1904, novel 1911) |
| Characters |
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| Spin Off Of |
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| Music | Score composed by Joel McNeely, songs:
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| Films in Series |
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| Bechdel Test | Pass |
This enjoyable film contains numerous links to Peter Pan, including Hook, Smee and the Tick-Tock Croc. This is a bit confusing as the first film in the series, Tinker Bell, featured Wendy only a few years younger than when she was seen in Peter Pan, yet Hook here in this film set later is roughly 20 years younger. Fairy characters that appeared in previous films in the series can be seen attending the Four Seasons Festival. Another reference is to The Wizard of Oz where, like in this film, poppies put people to sleep.
46. Planes: Fire & Rescue (2014)
| Director | Robert Granaway |
|---|---|
| Release | Cinema |
| Plot | Following a successful racing career, Dusty learns that his gearbox, which is out of production and cannot be replaced, has suffered cumulative damage, and if he flies fast ever again he will crash. After Dusty accidentally causes a fire at Propwash Junction airport when defiantly trying to fly fast, a government inspector condemns and closes the airport for having insufficient firefighting personnel. Dusty, unable to race, volunteers to be trained as a firefighter. He flies to Piston Peak National Park for training. There he learns that, although the team are efficient, they have inadequate resources because of the park's self-obsessed superintendent, Cad Spinner. |
| Length | 80 mins |
| Setting | Propwash Junction and Piston Peak National Park in the same world as Cars, with sentient vehicles instead of people. |
| Animation Type | CGI |
| Inspiration | Pixar's Cars film series |
| Aeroplanes |
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| Cars |
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| Music | Soundtrack by Mark Mancina, songs:
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| Sequel To |
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| Spin Off: |
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| Bechdel Test | Pass |
Also called Planes 2: Fire and Rescue, this is a better film than the first, having a more original plot that doesn't copy the first two Cars films. That said, the plot of the heroic racer crashing and coming to terms with choosing an alternative career would feature in Cars 3 (2017), which does it much better.
Like the original, this made the top ten most successful animated films of the year, coming eighth6.
47. Tinker Bell and the Legend of the NeverBeast (2015)
| Director | Steve Loter |
|---|---|
| Release | Cinema |
| Plot | Fawn is an animal fairy whose heart leads her to endanger those around her as she cannot help but care for all creatures, including vicious carnivores that eat fairies. Soon after a green comet passes over Pixie Hollow, she encounters a giant, unusual creature unlike anything she has ever seen. She removes a thorn from its paw and befriends him, naming him Gruff. After catching a glimpse of Gruff after hearing his fearsome roar, Nyx, a scout fairy determined to keep Pixie Hollow safe, unearths an ancient fragmented picture from the library. It seems to foretell that a legendary NeverBeast, which looks just like Gruff, will bring lightning and destruction. As the circumstances surrounding this prophecy appear to be playing out, should Fawn listen to her heart and protect Gruff? |
| Length | 70 minutes |
| Animation Type | CGI |
| Setting | Pixie Hollow, Neverland |
| Inspiration | Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up by JM Barrie (play 1904, novel 1911) |
| Characters |
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| Music | Composed by Joel McNeely, Songs:
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| Spin Off Of |
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| Films in Series |
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| Bechdel Test | Pass |
This was not expected to be the final film in the series, or indeed the final DisneyToons Studios film, as another Tinker Bell and Planes film were in development. This is the only film in the series not to concentrate on Tinker Bell, instead focusing on her friend Fawn, who is now played by Ginnifer Goodwin, the third actress to voice her. Many of the regular Tinker characters such as Fairy Mary, Bobble and Clank do not appear either.
The End
Despite many of the films having a short cinematic run, the majority of DisneyToon Studios' income was from the home entertainment market and video (DVD and Blu-Ray) sales. Although new films in both the Tinker Bell and Planes series were planned, Disney announced in June 2018 the immediate closure of DisneyToon Studios, with 75 animators and other staff losing their jobs. The reason given was the decline of home video sales since the rise of online video streaming services. Although Disney Television Animation would continue making occasional feature-length direct-to-video films, it was felt that having an entire animation studio dedicated to this declining area was superfluous, especially as Walt Disney Animation Studios had embraced the concept of making sequels to their films, making Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018) and Frozen 2 as big budget official films rather than low-budget, lesser releases.
Also in mid-2018 it was announced that Walt Disney intended to acquire 21st Century Fox, including Blue Sky Studios, the animation studio most famous for the Ice Age series. This deal was finalised in 2019. Disney being set to acquire another prestigious animation studio was another reason for no longer needing DisneyToon Studios.
There was an additional factor in the Studio's closure. John Lasseter had fully supported the continuation of both the Planes and Tinker Bell / Disney Fairies series. In late 2017 he admitted sexual misconduct7, resulting in an initial six month leave-of-absence followed by an announcement that he would step down at the end of 2018. It was no longer considered appropriate to continue to support projects such as Planes and Tinker Bell that he was closely associated with. He was replaced as Chief Creative Officer at Pixar by Pete Docter, who had directed Monsters, Inc (2001), Up (2009) and Inside Out (2015), while Jennifer Lee, writer/director of Frozen (2013), was appointed Chief Creative Officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios.
