History OlderThanTheyThink / AnimatedFilms

** ''WesternAnimation/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs'' is not actually the first full-length animated film. It is only the first ''color'' one. The first was the Argentinan political satire ''El Apóstol'' ("The Apostle") from 1917 by Quirino Cristiani. ''Peludópolis'', another Argentinian animated film by Cristiani, was released in 1931 and the first animated film with sound; it had songs synced to the action using sound-on-disc syncing. both films, and the sequel to 'El Apóstol', ''Sin Dejar Rastro'', are [[MissingEpisode lost films]] due to the only copies--and the soundtrack to ''Peludópolis''--all being destroyed in a fire. Of films that are known to still exist, 1926's ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfPrinceAchmed'' predates ''Snow White'' by eleven years. It's a silent feature that uses cut-out silhouettes against painted, colored backdrops. Disney's film ''is'' the first full-color and cel-animated feature, with a full music-and-dialogue soundtrack.

** ''WesternAnimation/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs'' is not actually the first full-length animated film. It is only the first ''color'' one. The first was the Argentinan political satire ''El Apóstol'' ("The Apostle") from 1917. It and its sequel ''Sin Dejar Rastro'' are [[MissingEpisode lost films]] due to the only copies being destroyed in a fire. ''Peludópolis'', another Argentinian animated film, was released in 1931 and the first animated film with sound; it had songs synced to the action using sound-on-disc syncing. The film and soundtrack were both lost in a fire. Of films that are known to still exist, 1926's ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfPrinceAchmed'' predates ''Snow White'' by eleven years. It's a silent feature that uses cut-out silhouettes against painted, colored backdrops. Disney's film ''is'' the first full-color and cel-animated feature, with a full music-and-dialogue soundtrack.

** ''WesternAnimation/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs'' is not actually the first full-length animated film. It is only the first color one. The first was the Argentinan political satire ''El Apóstol'' ("The Apostle") from 1917. It and its sequel ''Sin Dejar Rastro'' are [[MissingEpisode lost films]] due to the only copies being destroyed in a fire. Of films that are known to still exist, 1926's ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfPrinceAchmed'' predates ''Snow White'' by eleven years. It's a silent feature that uses cut-out silhouettes against painted, colored backdrops. Disney's film ''is'' the first full-color and cel-animated feature, with a full music-and-dialogue soundtrack.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'' has a multiple dose of Older Than They Think on this very wiki; on the [[Headscratchers/TheIncredibles Headscratchers]] page, one troper claimed that Pixar got the idea of zero-point energy from ''VideoGame/HalfLife2''. Another then pointed out that ''The Incredibles'' came out first (albeit by only a few days), a third claimed that ''he'' had first come across the idea in a story in 1980, and a fourth pointed out that the idea was far older even than the latter story, having been devised by Albert Einstein and Otto Stern.

* The cars in ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pxap-M_--k&feature=related Susie, the little blue coupe]]'' (from Disney itself) and ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaCTzQM9z4c One Cab's Family]]'' (from Tex Avery) bear a certain striking similarity to the cars in ''WesternAnimation/{{Cars}}''. Thing is though, both shorts are actually from ''1952''.

** Elsa has been cited as the first Disney character with [[RainbowLens heavy LGBTQ symbolism]] behind their story. Despite this, ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'', ''WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaid'', and ''WesternAnimation/{{Mulan}}'' to a lesser degree are all commonly analyzed as featuring queer metaphors. The main difference is just that Elsa isn't implied to be straight-- she's a CelibateHero with no canon interest in anyone, making the {{applicability}} of her character more obvious than with Ariel or the Beast.

** Some people also seem to think that the idea of a pig version of Spiderman came from the “spider pig” scene from WesternAnimation/TheSimpsonsMovie, in actuality there were SpiderHam comics dating back to 1983.

* ''WesternAnimation/ThePrincessAndTheFrog'', featuring Disney's first black princess, was accused of trying to cash in on the Obama presidency. Anyone who follows Disney will remember [[AnimationLeadTime this was on the drawing board years before Obama was nationally known]], and the first teaser trailer was available before the Democratic primaries, where Obama was nominated for the presidency.

* ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory'' has a cute and creative idea, the thought that toys actually come alive while their master is away. What many people don't know however is that the idea first appeared in several earlier children's classics:

* Ah, ''WesternAnimation/TheLegoMovie'', the first {{Franchise/Lego}} feature film! [[ObscurePopularity But have you heard of]] ''{{Toys/Bionicle}}'''': Mask of Light''? At least the former is the first LEGO ''theatrical'' feature, [[WhatCouldHaveBeen though the latter was also intended to be so]].

* While ''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}}'' is often credited for codifying an extra emphasis on pop cultural references and existing songs. Cartoons and animated films relying on pop cultural and existing songs for humor dates all the way back to ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' back in the late 30s.

%%** Disney has actually cast many well known celebrities in many of their films prior to ''Aladdin'' such as Peggy Lee (''WesternAnimation/LadyAndTheTramp''), Creator/MickeyRooney and Creator/KurtRussell (''WesternAnimation/TheFoxAndTheHound''), Creator/VincentPrice (''WesternAnimation/TheGreatMouseDetective'').

** The trend of having a CelebrityVoiceActor in animated films such as ''WesternAnimation/AnAmericanTail'', a Universal Studios production from 1986 that starred Dom De Luise, Christopher Plummer and Madeline Kahn.
** Even earlier was Rankin/Bass's ''WesternAnimation/TheLastUnicorn'', featuring Alan Arkin, Jeff Bridges, Mia Farrow, AngelaLansbury, and Christopher Lee.%%

* Everybody knows ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}'' was the first ever cartoon to have a CelebrityVoiceActor. Except Disney has been using celebrities in their films as far back as ''WesternAnimation/{{Pinocchio}}'', which had Cliff Edwards as Jiminy Cricket; he would reappear shortly thereafter in ''WesternAnimation/{{Dumbo}}'' as Jim Crow and then reprise Jiminy’s role in other works. ''WesternAnimation/{{The Jungle Book|1967}}'' is another good pre-''Aladdin'' example, having a nearly AllStarCast thanks to Phil Harris (Baloo), Sebastian Cabot (Bagheera), George Sanders (Shere Khan), and Louis Prima (King Louie).
** And the trend of having a CelebrityVoiceActor in animated films actually started with ''WesternAnimation/AnAmericanTail'', a Universal Studios production from 1986 that starred Dom De Luise and Madeline Kahn, though ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}'' would be the TropeCodifier.
** Even earlier was Rankin/Bass's ''WesternAnimation/TheLastUnicorn'', featuring Alan Arkin, Jeff Bridges, Mia Farrow, Angela Lansbury, and Christopher Lee.

* ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManIntoTheSpiderVerse'' has many things that fly over the heads of casual audiences that were actually in the comics, but the most notable is the idea of an adult Peter Parker given how every project before hand portrayed him as a high school or college student. Peter was actually a teenager for about two years in the comics, while most modern day adaptations simply focus more on him when he's younger.

** It's not the first to explicitly question or deconstruct the LoveAtFirstSight trope (''Film/{{Enchanted}}''), either, despite the idea that it was being so popular as to inspire a meme. A particularly interesting example in that while many fans talk about her being "the first" to question the trope, not only is Elsa not the first character in Disney history to do so, she's ''not even the first Disney princess in the same film'' to do it. Anna and Hans refer to their engagement as "crazy" even as they're forming it, but because the gates are going to close soon and "it all ends tomorrow, so it has to be today," Anna's willing to agree to a commitment with the pressure of the deadline closing in.