No matter what generation you belong to, Disney films are and have been omnipresent in children’s programming. The old classics and modern reinterpretations regularly cause amazement and nostalgic memories for adults too. Are you a real Disney expert and recognize the films from just one picture? Take the test!
Disney has been reinventing itself and its style again and again for 100 years. When the brothers Walt and Roy Disney founded the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio in 1923, they laid the foundation for what was probably the most famous animated film production company. Today, The Walt Disney Company is a true giant in the film industry. Musicals, exuberant animated films and fairytale-like live-action films are just as much a part of the repertoire as the classic – hand-drawn – animated films that Disney and many of us grew up with. For a true Disney fan, just one image is enough to recognize the film, whether it’s a live-action adaptation, a newer animation or an all-time classic. Find out how well you know in the quiz!
Disney quiz: recognize films from just one picture
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More than just fairy tales
But Disney can do more than just evoke nostalgic childhood memories. In its golden years, the company managed to set several milestones in film history. On November 18, 1928, the Mickey Mouse film “Steamboat Willie,” the world’s first animated film with music, celebrated its premiere. A short excerpt in which Mickey is happily whistling at the helm of a steamer will still be familiar to most people today. Walt Disney Animation Studios uses this short sequence in the opening credits of their films – as a moving logo, so to speak.
But the first full-length animated film – “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” (1937) – also contributed to Disney’s success account. This marked the big breakthrough of long animated films and at the same time marked the start of the famous fairy tale adaptations. But Disney diversified its offerings early on. From today’s perspective, the short educational film “The Story of Menstruation” be. From 1946 until the 1980s it was played in US schools – mostly to girls, of course.
Disney is growing and growing
Disney flourished again in the 1950s and 60s, when the company released today’s classics such as “Cinderella”, “Alice in Wonderland” and “Lady and the Tramp” – of which there are now also live-action films. With the purchase of Marvel (2009) and Lucasfilm (2012), Disney expanded its genre spectrum to include superhero films and the Star Wars universe.
With the two commercially very successful princess films “Rapunzel” (2010) and “Frozen” (2013), the era of fully computer-animated films (and only moderately convincing subtitles) began. The following generations are now growing up with a completely different figure aesthetic than before.
In addition, Disney’s target group increasingly includes younger children as well as adults who grew up with Disney. This is particularly evident in the live-action films, which are more action-packed and – in the case of “Ariel” – a little darker than their predecessors. Good to know: The streaming provider Disney+ bundles all Disney productions, but has recently had to struggle with weak numbers and some film flops. So it’s slowly time for Disney to reinvent itself again.