Don Bluth is an American animator, film director, producer, writer, production designer, video game designer, and animation instructor.
He started his career at Walt Disney Productions in 1955, only to leave the company in 1979 and start his own animation studio, Don Bluth Entertainment (formerly Sullivan Bluth Studios) after believing the company had lost its charm when they turned down his pitch for an animated feature-length adaptation of Robert C. O'Brien's novel Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, which he decided to create by himself and a few of his friends at the studio. It was shortened to The Secret of NIMH, and the protagonist was originally named Frisby, but the Wham-O Company was the then owner of the toy name Frisbee, so Bluth changed the protagonist's name to Mrs. Brisby. He found his greatest success teaming up with Steven Spielberg and creating An American Tail and The Land Before Time, which both shattered box office records for animated features at the time and challenged Disney, until the release of The Little Mermaid. After departing with Spielberg, Bluth worked on a few more films, All Dogs Go to Heaven being the last successful one, before Don Bluth Entertainment closed down at the release of The Pebble and the Penguin, at which he was hired at Fox Animation Studios. He found new success with Anastasia, but this company closed down at the release of Titan A.E., which was Bluth's last film to date. He is currently fundraising for a movie adaptation of Dragon's Lair.
He was also the older brother of Toby Bluth, who passed away in October 2013.
An American Tail, The Land Before Time and Anastasia are his most commercially successful film franchises while The Secret of NIMH is his most critically praised film.
Fox Filmography[]
| Year | Film | Position | Company | Original Distribution | Current Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Anastasia | Director, producer | Fox Animation Studios | 20th Century Fox | Walt Disney Studios |
| 1999 | Bartok the Magnificent | Director, producer | Fox Animation Studios | 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment | Walt Disney Studios |
| 2000 | Titan A.E. | Director, producer | Fox Animation Studios | 20th Century Fox | Walt Disney Studios |
Outside Filmography[]
Disney (Non-Fox)[]
| Year | Film | Position | Company | Original Distribution | Current Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Sleeping Beauty | In-between Artist (Uncredited) | Walt Disney Productions | Buena Vista Distribution | Walt Disney Studios |
| 1961 | One Hundred and One Dalmatians | Assistant Animator (Uncredited) | Walt Disney Productions | Buena Vista Distribution | Walt Disney Studios |
| 1963 | The Sword in the Stone | Assistant Animator (Uncredited) | Walt Disney Productions | Buena Vista Distribution | Walt Disney Studios |
| 1973 | Robin Hood | Character Animator | Walt Disney Productions | Buena Vista Distribution | Walt Disney Studios |
| 1974 | Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too! | Character Animator | Walt Disney Productions | Buena Vista Distribution | Walt Disney Studios |
| 1975 | Escape to Witch Mountain | Animator: titles | Walt Disney Productions | Buena Vista Distribution | Walt Disney Studios |
| 1977 | The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh | Character Animator | Walt Disney Productions | Buena Vista Distribution | Walt Disney Studios |
| 1977 | The Rescuers | Directing Animator | Walt Disney Productions | Buena Vista Distribution | Walt Disney Studios |
| 1977 | Pete's Dragon | Animation Director | Walt Disney Productions | Buena Vista Distribution | Walt Disney Studios |
| 1978 | The Small One | Director, Producer, Animator | Walt Disney Productions | Buena Vista Distribution | Walt Disney Studios |
| 1981 | The Fox and the Hound | Supervising Animator | Walt Disney Productions | Buena Vista Distribution | Walt Disney Studios |
Other Studios[]
| Year | Film | Position | Company | Original Distribution | Current Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Journey Back to Oz | Layout artist | Filmation | EBA Filmation Associates |
Hallmark Home Entertainment |
| 1979 | Banjo the Woodpile Cat | Director, producer, writer/screenplay and animator | Don Bluth Productions | ABC Specials | Walt Disney Studios |
| 1980 | Xanadu | Animation sequence unit | Universal Pictures | Universal Pictures | Universal |
| 1982 | The Secret of NIMH | Director, producer, writer, animator, story adaptation, layout artist, visual development | Aurora Productions Don Bluth Productions |
United Artists (through Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1986 | An American Tail | Director, producer, production designer, storyboard artist, title designer | Amblin Entertainment Sullivan-Bluth Studios |
Universal Pictures | Universal |
| 1988 | The Land Before Time | Director, producer, production designer, storyboard artist, title designer | Amblin Entertainment Sullivan-Bluth Studios |
Universal Pictures | Universal |
| 1989 | All Dogs Go to Heaven | Director, producer, writer, animator, story, production designer, storyboard artist | Goldcrest Films Sweatbox Animation Sullivan-Bluth Studios |
United Artists (through Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer; Worldwide) The Rank Organisation (UK/Ireland) |
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1991 | Rock-a-Doodle | Director, producer, writer, animator, story, storyboard artist | Goldcrest Films Sullivan-Bluth Studios |
The Samuel Goldwyn Company (USA and Canada) The Rank Organisation (UK/Ireland) |
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1994 | Thumbelina | Director, producer, writer | Don Bluth Ireland, Ltd. | Warner Bros. Family Entertainment (Warner Bros. Pictures) | Walt Disney Studios |
| 1994 | A Troll in Central Park | Director, producer, writer, story | Don Bluth Ireland, Ltd. | Warner Bros. Family Entertainment (Warner Bros. Pictures) | Walt Disney Studios |
| 1995 | The Pebble and the Penguin | Director, producer | Don Bluth Limited | Metro Goldwyn Mayer (USA) Warner Bros. Family Entertainment (Warner Bros. Pictures) (Worldwide) |
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (US) Walt Disney Studios (international) |
External links[]
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