Don Bluth facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Don Bluth
Bluth in 2025
Born	Donald Virgil Bluth (1937-09-13) September 13, 1937 (age 87) El Paso, Texas, U.S.
Alma mater	Brigham Young University
Occupation	Film director animator producer writer production designer animation instructor
Years active	1955–present
Employer	Walt Disney Productions (1955–1979) Filmation (1967–1970) Don Bluth Entertainment (1979–1995) Fox Animation Studios (1994–2000) Don Bluth Studios (2020–present)
Notable work	The Secret of NIMH (1982) An American Tail (1986) The Land Before Time (1988) All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989) Thumbelina (1994) Anastasia (1997) Titan A.E. (2000) Dragon's Lair (1983) Space Ace (1984)
Relatives	Toby Bluth (brother)
Family	Pratt family
Awards	Inkpot Award (1983)

Donald Virgil Bluth (born September 13, 1937) is an American filmmaker, animator, and video game designer. He is famous for his work in animation. Bluth started his career at Walt Disney Animation Studios before opening his own studio in the 1980s.

He is well-known for directing animated movies like The Secret of NIMH, An American Tail, The Land Before Time, All Dogs Go to Heaven, and Anastasia. He also helped create the popular video game Dragon's Lair. Don Bluth's films were a big competitor to Disney's movies in the 1980s.

Early Life and Inspiration

Don Bluth was born on September 13, 1937, in El Paso, Texas. His parents were Emaline and Virgil Roneal Bluth. As a child, he loved watching Disney films at the movie theater. He would then go home and try to copy the drawings from Disney comic books.

When he was six, his family moved to Payson, Utah, where they lived on a farm. Later, in 1954, his family moved to Santa Monica, California. Bluth attended Brigham Young University in Utah for a year. He later returned to the university to finish a degree in English.

Starting His Animation Journey

First Steps at Disney

After high school, Bluth was hired by Walt Disney Productions in 1955. He worked as an assistant on the movie Sleeping Beauty. In 1957, Bluth left Disney because he found the work a bit dull.

He then spent two and a half years in Argentina on a religious mission. When he returned to the United States, he opened a local theater. There, he produced musicals like The Music Man.

Back to Animation

Bluth went back to college and earned his English literature degree. In 1967, he returned to the animation world. He joined Filmation and worked on TV shows like The Archie Show. In 1971, he went back to Disney as an animation trainee.

He worked on films such as Robin Hood and Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too. For The Rescuers, Bluth was promoted to a directing animator. His last project with Disney was the short film The Small One. During this time, he also made his own independent film, Banjo the Woodpile Cat.

Creating His Own Studio

Leaving Disney and New Beginnings

While working on The Fox and the Hound, Don Bluth had different ideas from the studio leaders. He wanted more artistic control and different ways to train animators. So, on his 42nd birthday in 1979, Bluth left Disney.

He started his own animation studio, Don Bluth Productions, with fellow animators Gary Goldman and John Pomeroy. Their first big project was the animated movie The Secret of NIMH. This film was praised by critics. Even though it didn't make a lot of money at first, it became a favorite movie later on. However, due to the modest earnings and a difficult time for animation studios, Don Bluth Productions faced financial trouble.

Adventures in Video Games

In 1983, Bluth and his team created the arcade game Dragon's Lair. This game was special because it used animated cartoons on a Laserdisc. Players could choose simple paths for the cartoon character. This was followed by Space Ace in 1984, another animated game. Bluth even voiced the villain, Borf, in Space Ace.

Work on a Dragon's Lair sequel began, but then video game sales dropped. Bluth's studio had no income, and they faced bankruptcy again in 1985. A sequel, Dragon's Lair II: Time Warp, was made in 1991 but was not widely seen.

Moving to Ireland

In 1985, Bluth, Pomeroy, and Goldman started Sullivan Bluth Studios with businessman Morris Sullivan. They later moved the studio to Dublin, Ireland. This move helped animation grow as an industry in Ireland. Bluth and his team also taught animation courses there.

Working with Steven Spielberg

Big Successes

Don Bluth then teamed up with famous producer Steven Spielberg. Their first project together was An American Tail. When it was released, it became the highest-earning non-Disney animated film at that time.

Their next movie, The Land Before Time, did even better. Both films became very popular on home video. The main character from An American Tail, Fievel Mouskewitz, even became a mascot for Spielberg's new animation studio, Amblimation.

Bluth ended his partnership with Spielberg before his next film, All Dogs Go to Heaven. This movie was very successful when it was released on home video. He also directed films like Rock-a-Doodle, Thumbelina, A Troll in Central Park, and The Pebble and the Penguin. While some of these didn't do well in theaters, Rock-a-Doodle became more popular on home video.

Later Career and New Projects

Fox Animation Studios and Anastasia

In the 1990s, Bluth started hosting youth theater shows at his home. As these shows grew, he formed a theater group called Don Bluth Front Row Theatre.

In 1997, Bluth had a big hit with Anastasia. This movie was made at Fox Animation Studios in Phoenix, Arizona. It earned nearly $140 million worldwide. Critics praised it for having action, romance, and music, similar to big Disney hits. Anastasia became Don Bluth's most successful film.

However, his next film, Titan A.E. in 2000, did not do well at the box office. After this, Fox Animation Studio closed down. Titan A.E. was Bluth's last movie released in theaters as a director.

Video Games and Books

In 2002, Bluth worked with the video game company Ubisoft to create Dragon's Lair 3D: Return to the Lair. This game tried to bring the feel of the original Dragon's Lair into a 3D world. Bluth also created animated scenes for the game I-Ninja in 2003.

In October 2004, Bluth animated the music video for the song "Mary" by the Scissor Sisters. He also wrote books, including The Art of Storyboard (2004) and The Art of Animation Drawing (2005). In 2011, Bluth worked on a modern version of the arcade game Tapper, called Tapper World Tour.

Return to Hand-Drawn Animation

In October 2015, Bluth and Gary Goldman started a fundraising campaign. They hoped to bring back hand-drawn animation by making a feature film of Dragon's Lair. The project successfully raised money through crowdfunding. A live-action Dragon's Lair film starring Ryan Reynolds was announced, with Bluth as a producer.

In 2020, Bluth opened a new animation studio called Don Bluth Studios. His goal is to bring back "hand-drawn animation" because he believes people still want to see it. His first project there is Bluth's Fables. This is a collection of short stories written, narrated, and drawn by Bluth himself. These stories are like Aesop's Fables and nursery rhymes.

Bluth's memoir, Somewhere Out There: My Animated Life, was released in July 2022. His first children's picture book, Yuki, Star of the Sea, was released in April 2024. It tells the story of a whale who becomes a movie star.

Unproduced Projects

Throughout Don Bluth's career, many projects were planned but never finished. This happened because studios closed, partnerships ended, or video game sales dropped. Some art and animation tests from these unfinished projects can still be found online.

Unfinished Films

One early unfinished project was a Disney animated short film based on The Pied Piper of Hamelin. After The Secret of NIMH, Bluth started working on an animated movie of Beauty and the Beast. However, this film was canceled when Disney announced plans for their own version.

At the same time, Bluth also began developing an animated movie of East of the Sun and West of the Moon. But this film was never made due to a lack of money. Other planned films included The Velveteen Rabbit and Satyrday, a fantasy story about a boy protecting the moon and sun.

After his partnership with Steven Spielberg ended, Bluth planned another film called The Little Blue Whale. This movie was about a girl and her animal friends trying to protect a small whale. Other ideas included animated films based on books like Quintaglio Ascension and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. These were canceled after Titan A.E. did not do well and Fox Animation Studios closed.

Unfinished Games

After Dragon's Lair became a hit in 1983, Don Bluth planned seven more arcade games. These included "The Sea Beast" and "Jason and the Golden Fleece". However, these projects were stopped due to money problems and the drop in video game sales.

A sequel to the 2003 game I-Ninja was also planned with Bluth's help. But the studio making it faced financial problems and closed down. A project called Pac-Man Adventures was also planned with Namco around 2003. This was also canceled due to financial issues.

Filmography

Filmmaking Credits

Animation Department

Video Games

See also

In Spanish: Don Bluth para niños

• Don Bluth Entertainment
• Fox Animation Studios
• Sony Pictures Animation
• Threshold Entertainment
• Vanguard Animation
• Worker Studio