Looking back at the best cartoons of the 1950s needs to take into account the era. With the ravages of World War Two somewhat receding and film production and attendance stabilising, animated feature films made a notable return to the big screen in the 1950s. It was the decade that arguably sparked an ever-increasing range of animation production internationally over the coming decades.
Fantasy and animation often dovetailed with vigour and the Disney Animation Studio in Los Angeles arguably asserted its centrality to the medium, and it success would set Disney’s 12 principles of animation that are followed today. Of the Disney animated films of the 1950s, animation director Shaun Magher notes that, “The Disney films made in the ‘50s created a bedrock for all others to follow”.
Cel-animation (sometimes referred to as classical animation, and recently made popular in Procreate Dreams and even in the best animation software, like Blender) was the medium of preference for American animation. Internationally, animation enjoyed plentiful production, including enduring work produced in the UK and the Soviet Union.
The creative principles showcased in this selection of movies have defined much that’s endured in animated characterisation. For this reason, the below list is a good start when it comes to the best animated movies of the 1950s.
(Image credit: Disney)
01. Alice in Wonderland
Did you know?
The film’s distinct visual palette was significantly the result of the work of designer Mary Blair. Art historian Ruth Millington explains that, “For Alice in Wonderland, she [Mary Blair] made hundreds of gouache studies, in which the heroine falls down the rabbit hole into a technicolored world of unusual colour contrasts”.
(Walt Disney Animation Studio, 1951)
For animation director, Gnomon Workshop tutor and creator of Unreal Engine 5 short The Voice in the Hollow, Miguel Ortega this ’50s animated movie is perfection and manages to bring out the character of the artists behind the on-screen action.
“Alice in Wonderland is a magnificent descent into wonderful madness, but what fascinates me most is how it captures [animator] Ward Kimball’s essence on film,” says Miguel. “The Tea Party sequence especially; it’s pure Kimball energy given form. The Mad Hatter’s movements, his extraordinary expressions, the complete abandonment of physical laws; it’s Ward’s artistic spirit preserved in animation.”
He continues: “Watching the Hatter and March Hare demolish the Unbirthday song, I see Ward’s brilliance dancing across every frame. It reminds me of what his Firehouse Five Plus Two performances must have been – that same wonderful blend of genius and calculated chaos.”
Animation director and and lecturer at Birmingham University Shaun Magher adds: “The sheer excellence and mastery of Milt Khal’s animation in Alice in Wonderland are some of the finest animation sequences ever created”.
(Image credit: Disney)
02. Lady and the Tramp
Did you know?
Lady and the Tramp was the first animated Disney movie based on an original idea rather than being an adaptation.
(Walt Disney Animation Studio, 1955)
Shaun Magher, creative director and animation director of thirty years’ experience, and now Course Director for BA Digital Animation and MA FFD at Birmingham City University, notes that Disney’s series of animated features in the 1950s include this classic, Lady and the Tramp (which has had a controversial live action remake).
“In my opinion,” says Shaun, “the greatest animated film of all time is Lady and the Tramp. It led animation production into a golden era of quality and a level of believability and integrity within every scene. Frank Thomas’s ‘Spaghetti’ scene in Lady and the Tramp brings joy and a subtle tear every time I see it.”
(Image credit: Halas & Batchelor)
03. Animal Farm
Did you know?
This adaptation of George Orwell’s novella, Animal Farm remains one of the most famous and lauded of British animated feature films. The movie comprises 750 scenes and 300,000 drawings.
(Halas & Batchelor, 1954)
Drew Roper, founder of Yamination Studios, notes that “Animal Farm is an outstanding British film. The powerful subject matter and gritty tone stays with you for life. It was one of the first films I remember seeing as a child and I don’t think I will ever, not remember it.”
Unlike Disney, Halas & Batchelor opted for a simpler aesthetic for Animal Farm, using flat, uncluttered background paintings and stylised character designs, to focus attention on George Orwell’s allegory. As Drew explains: “The genius also lies with its aesthetic and technique: beautifully drawn, expression-filled and executed 2D cel animation, and very gritty in its dull tones used making this a quintessential British classic.”
He adds: “Its characters are not overly attractive, making it more relatable for the audience. Halas and Batchelor prove that any great story can be told using any technique and aesthetic. Honest and humble film making.”
(Image credit: Disney)
04. Sleeping Beauty
(Walt Disney Animation Studio, 1959)
Did you know?
Walt Disney had struggled to communicate to his creative leads, his approach and vision to the adaptation of the fairy tale.
It’s not just Maleficent who endures as a character from the movie; so too have the three fairies. For animation director, Shaun Magher, “Ollie Johnston’s wonderful portrayal of the three good fairies is a masterful example of warm, emotive character performances”.
Miguel Ortega says: “When I first experienced Sleeping Beauty in 70mm, it overwhelmed me. [Designer] Eyvind Earle transformed every frame into living medieval art. I find myself pausing on those forest scenes, mesmerised by the dramatic interplay of thorns and shadows. There exists somewhere an alternate version, where the characters matched Earle’s original vision – more angular, more stylised.”
Then you have the design and animation performance of Maleficent. “And Maleficent… unlike other Disney villains who desire power or vengeance, she embodies something deeper, something primordial. When she appears in those grand halls, towering and cruel, she brings genuine horror with her,” says Miguel.
(Image credit: Lev Atamanov / Soyuzmultfim, 1957)
05. The Snow Queen
Did you know?
The Snow Queen is identified as the film that compelled Hayao Miyazaki to continue working in animation after a period of doubt early in his career as an animator. The Ghibli Museum re-released the film in 2007.
(Soyuzmultfilm, 1957)
For animation historian and scholar, Christopher Holliday, “Among all the animated adaptations and big-screen reworkings of Hans Christian Andersen’s acclaimed 1844 fable, Lev Atamanov’s mid-century reimagining perhaps best captures the wonder, enchantment, and Scandinavian flavour of the original story.”
Atamanov’s 1957 film pushed cel-animation into new visual territory and offered a counterpoint to Disney’s dominant style, while both feature a push for realism, Lev Atamanov’s animation beings in traditional, softer storybook illustration.
“Coming exactly 20 years after the arrival of Snow White, The Snow Queen offers several beautifully illustrated backgrounds and landscapes complete with an ornate depiction of a world placed under permafrost,” reflects Christopher.
He adds: “Its dramatic shifts in colour palette and design, including the stark bright white of snow and ice, as well as an emphasis on anatomical realism in the movements of Gerda and Kai’s animated bodies, situates this landmark of Soviet animation well beyond the then-dominant Disney model.”
Is your favourite animated movie from the 1950s on our list? What are we missing and why? Which is your most-loved 1950’s cartoon?
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