zi describes the various opinions that Disney inspired:
On the one hand, he was hailed as the animator "par excellence," the Burbank magician, the 20th century Aesop. On the other hand, he was criticized as the one who destroyed the graphic freedom of animation in favour of live-action-style realism or as the sly propagandist of American ideology all over the world. No matter, a critical history of cinema cannot overlook the ideological weight that Walt Disney's work had and still has on audiences and animators alike (70).
By the time he produced Peter Pan, Disney had the formula well in hand. His films were colorful, detailed, and solidly planned. Characters were worked out through elaborate sketches and notations, so as to remain consistent throughout the film. The movies included complete musical scores, with memorable, singable songs, many of which became hits on their own.
Although Peter Pan has a few more "normal" human beings as main characters than some Disney films, it makes good use of animation's ability to create characters that would be difficult or impossible in live-action films. The tiny Tinker Bell and the humanized Nana the dog both come to life easily as animated characters. Peter is able to fly, and he endows Wendy, Michael, and John Darling with this ability without having to resort to the elaborate system of harnesses, ropes, and pulleys needed in the live-action stage versions of the play, though making the characters appear weightless did present the animators with challenges; animator Milt Kahl observed, "There's nothing harder to do in animation than nothing. Movement is our medium" (Maltin 73).
Disney is the acknowledged master of popular animation, and many studios and independent producers sought to duplicate his efforts with their own animated features. Many used the Disney formula, some with more success than others, but few have been able to match it consistently. Disney's maste...