Disney's Animated Storybook facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Disney's Animated Storybook
Series logo
Genres	Point-and-click adventure, interactive storybook
Developers	Media Station, Inc. (most entries) Pixar (Disney's Animated Storybook: Toy Story) Creative Capers Entertainment (Ariel's Story Studio [with Media Station], Disney's Animated Storybook: Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too) Revolution Software (Disney's Story Studio: Mulan for PlayStation)
Publishers	Disney Interactive NewKidCo (Mulan PS1 NTSC) SCEE (Mulan PS1 PAL)
Creators	Marc Teren
Platforms	Windows, Macintosh, PlayStation
First release	Disney's Animated Storybook: The Lion King November 1994
Latest release	Disney's Animated Storybook: Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too April 1999

The Disney's Animated Storybook series (also known as Disney's Story Studio) is a collection of point-and-click adventure games. These games are like interactive storybooks. They are based on popular movies from Disney and Pixar. The games were released in the 1990s.

Disney Interactive published these games for personal computers (like Windows and Apple Macintosh). They were made for kids to enjoy and learn from. Most games in the series were made by Media Station, starting in 1994. The games follow the stories of the movies, but they are shorter versions.

Games in the Series

Here is a list of the games in the Disney's Animated Storybook series:

How the Games Were Made

Early Disney Games (1988–1994)

Disney characters have been in video games since 1981. At first, Disney let other companies make games using their characters. These games were often simple, like arcade games. Later, games became more complex, like adventure games. In 1988, Disney started its own game studio, Walt Disney Computer Software. This allowed Disney to be more involved in how their characters were used in games.

For example, Disney animators worked on the Sega Mega Drive version of Aladdin (1993). This helped make the games look and feel more like the movies.

Starting the Storybook Series (1994)

The idea for the Animated Storybook series came after the huge success of Disney's 1994 film, The Lion King. Disney wanted to create more products related to the movie. They decided to make an animated storybook game.

On June 24, 1994, Disney announced two new computer games. One was The Lion King Animated Storybook. Disney chose Media Station to develop this game. They only had five months to make it! The game was based on a shorter version of The Lion King storybook.

The Lion King Animated Storybook was released on November 18, 1994. It was very successful. This success led Disney to create a whole series of Disney's Animated Storybook games.

Disney Interactive Is Born (1994)

Because The Lion King Animated Storybook and Aladdin Activity Center were so popular, Disney created a new company called Disney Interactive on December 5, 1994. This new company would focus on making and selling interactive games and educational software.

Disney Interactive wanted to make games that truly represented the original movies. They also wanted to make money from successful films. The games were designed for kids to use at home. They were meant to be fun and educational.

The stories in the games were shorter versions of the movies. They had voice acting, sometimes by the original movie actors! Kids could choose what they wanted to do on screen. For example, in The Lion King game, you could click to change Pride Rock's color. This made the stories more engaging.

Media Station's Role (1994–1996)

Media Station was the main company that developed most of the Animated Storybook games. Disney Interactive handled the animation and design. This meant Disney controlled the look and feel of the games.

Disney and Media Station worked closely together. They created thousands of new digital animations for each game. For The Lion King game, Media Station made 7,000 new animations, and Disney animators added 5,000 more. They also created music and sound effects.

A cool part of making the games while the movies were still being made was that the original voice actors could be involved. For Toy Story Animated Storybook, Don Rickles (Mr. Potato Head) and Annie Potts (Bo Peep) voiced their characters. Sometimes, different actors who sounded like the originals were used, like Jim Hanks (Tom Hanks' brother) voicing Woody in the Toy Story game.

The games were often made quickly and on a budget. Disney found that making software while films were in production helped keep costs down. It also allowed games to be released soon after the movies.

Pixar's Involvement (1996)

Disney's Animated Storybook: Toy Story was special because it was developed by Pixar itself, not an outside company. Most storybooks used a traditional animation style. But Toy Story used CGI graphics to look like the movie. About 80% of the artwork Pixar made for the game was new.

Pixar created a special group called the Interactive Products Group in 1996. This group made computer games. They had their own animators and engineers. They worked very hard to create Toy Story Animated Storybook and Toy Story Activity Center in just 16 months!

The writer, Carolyn Handler Miller, had to change the story for the game. Since Tom Hanks couldn't narrate, she told the story from Hamm the pig's point of view. This was a big change from the movie! The team also tried to add fun interactions. For example, they added a mini-game where you had to quickly hide toys before Andy came into the room. This made the game exciting.

Even though the Toy Story games sold well (about one million copies combined), Pixar decided to stop making games. They wanted to focus all their talent on making movies, which was their main passion.

Creative Capers Takes Over (1996–1999)

After Media Station stopped making the games, Creative Capers Entertainment took over. They had worked on animation for earlier Disney games. Creative Capers had to adjust their animation style for the games. Animations in the storybooks were shown at a lower speed (about ten frames per second) than in movies.

Creative Capers wanted to make the games look like feature films, but for computers. They made sure the animations weren't too big so the games would run smoothly on different computers.

In November 1997, Disney Interactive released Ariel's Story Studio. This game let players follow The Little Mermaid story. But it also let them create and print their own stories! This was a new feature. Mulan Story Studio also had a similar feature, allowing players to become "Imperial Storymakers" and create their own animated storybooks.

How to Play

Gameplay Features

These games encourage kids to learn and have fun. They use a point-and-click interface. This means you click on things with your mouse. Each game has a creative way to go from one page to the next. For example, in 101 Dalmatians, you follow inked paw prints to the next page.

The games tell shorter versions of the movies. Some parts of the story might be changed. A narrator reads the story to you, and the words are highlighted. You can also read along yourself. When you play, you can click on different "hotspots" to see animations or hear sounds. Many pages also have fun mini-games.

Some of the original voice actors from the movies returned for the games. In 101 Dalmatians, they even added modern things like computers and video game consoles to appeal to kids in the 1990s. The game also has karaoke songs, including new ones and a new version of "Cruella De Vil."

Ariel's Story Studio lets you create your own storybooks and print them. Mulan has more gameplay. You search for scrolls in different places from the movie. When you find all five scrolls, you become an "Imperial Storymaker" and can create your own animated stories.

The games teach you many things. They help with reading, vocabulary, and creative writing. You can sing along to Disney songs, practice memorization, and learn about music. They also help with early childhood motor skills.

Storylines

All the games tell shorter versions of the Disney animated films they are based on. Some parts of the original movie plots might be changed or removed.

• Disney's Animated Storybook: The Lion King is based on the 1994 film.
• Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree is based on the 1966 short film.
• Pocahontas follows the 1995 film. It tells the story of Pocahontas trying to prevent a war. Grandmother Willow narrates the game.
• Toy Story is based on the 1995 film. It's the only game in the series based on a Pixar film.
• The Hunchback of Notre Dame follows the 1996 film. It features Quasimodo's adventure and escape from Claude Frollo. Clopin Trouillefou narrates the story.
• 101 Dalmatians is based on the 1961 animated film and its 1996 live-action remake.
• Hercules is based on the 1997 film.
• Ariel's Story Studio was released with the 1997 re-release of The Little Mermaid. It's considered part of the series, even though it has a different name.
• Mulan is based on the 1998 film. A PlayStation version was also released.
• Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too is based on the 1974 short film.

How the Games Were Sold

Promotion

Disney put a lot of effort into promoting these games. They advertised in computer magazines and on TV. They also had giveaways like sweatshirts and mouse pads. There were even sweepstakes to win trips to Walt Disney World!

Disney showed off their games at big events like the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). Some computers, like Apple Macintosh Performa models, even came with games like The Lion King Animated Storybook already installed.

For Toy Story Animated Storybook, Disney did a huge marketing campaign. They aired TV commercials and created new animations just for the ads. They also had a website with puzzles and a contest to win free games or a trip to Walt Disney World. Stores had special displays with flashing lights and voices of Woody and Buzz.

Sales Success

The games were very popular! By February 1995, Disney's Animated Storybook: The Lion King had sold 400,000 copies. It became the best-selling children's game in 1994 and 1995.

Other games like Pocahontas and Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree were also top sellers during the 1995 Christmas season. By May 1996, the first five games in the series were among the best-selling children's titles in the United States.

Disney's Animated Storybook: Toy Story sold over 100,000 copies in just three weeks after its release in May 1996. By the end of 1996, it had sold over 500,000 copies. 101 Dalmatians was the best-selling educational game in the first five months of 1997. By October 1998, The Lion King had sold over 1 million copies!

Awards

See also

• Living Books
• Magic Tales
• Disney's Activity Center
• Playtoons
• The Kidstory Series