History UsefulNotes / The80s

* The early part of the decade saw the fall of the UsefulNotes/NewHollywood era. While the 70s saw the success of a number of director-controlled films with minimal interference from the major studios that invested in them, it eventually saw a number of [[BoxOfficeBomb Box Office Flops]]. These included ''Film/HeavensGate'' (which contributed huge losses to Creator/UnitedArtists, leading it to get sold to [[Creator/MetroGoldwynMayer MGM]]) and ''One From The Heart'', both of which also [[CreatorKiller derailed the careers]] of their respective directors. The failure of some of these later films along with the commercial opportunities that Blockbusters provided led to cutbacks on "Auteur"-driven films and instead led to the establishment of UsefulNotes/TheBlockbusterAgeOfHollywood.

* The UsefulNotes/CompactDisc was introduced in 1982, the first digital audio consumer product. Although the sound quality was much higher than vinyl or cassette, the luxury-oriented prices of CD players and the [[DigitalDestruction poor audio sourcing]] on early releases kept it from immediately catching on with the general public. As prices of players began to drop and CD production became better-handled (most significantly shifting focus towards the original master tapes), the discs began to rapidly replace the older analog formats toward the end of the decade, outselling them for the first time in 1987 and continuing to serve as the dominant form of music distribution until the rise of digital downloading services in the 2000's and streaming services in the 2010's.

* The UsefulNotes/{{VCR}} hits the big time, albeit initially impeded by the uncertainties of the VHS/Beta format war; this would redefine the business model of the film industry and the nature of going to the movies itself.

** The first wave of [[SlasherMovie Slasher Movies]] crested and broke, with long-running {{Villain Based Franchise}}s spun around such characters as [[Franchise/{{Halloween}} Michael Myers]], [[Franchise/FridayThe13th Jason Voorhees]], and [[Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet Freddy Krueger]], making for the most popular horror heavies since the original run of Franchise/UniversalHorror films. In the U.K., this tied into the supposed scourge of VideoNasties. Directors like Creator/WesCraven and Creator/SamRaimi became household names in horror circles, and actors such as Creator/BruceCampbell and Creator/RobertEnglund similarly became BMovie royalty by decade's end.

* While Creator/DonBluth used to work for [[Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon Disney Animation Studios]], he left in 1979, feeling that Disney was sacrificing quality in order to save money. He then formed his own animation studio in 1980 with some other former Disney employees. His films tended to have dark sequences and emphasize the quality of animation. While his debut ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretOfNimh'' ended up doing poorly commercially despite positive critical reception, it did gain the attention of businessman Mark Sullivan who moved the studio to Ireland in exchange for a huge grant from the Irish Government. They teamed up with Steven Spielberg to create ''WesternAnimation/AnAmericanTail'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTime'', both of which performed very well at the box office [[note]] the former was the highest grossing animated film in initial release at the time while the latter outgrossed Disney’s ''WesternAnimation/OliverAndCompany'' worldwide despite being released on the same day [[/note]] and received positive critical reception. Bluth cut ties with Spielberg after he kept making changes to the films due to disagreements over what was appropriate for children. Bluth’s success convinced Disney animation that they needed to step up their game. They responded with ''WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaid1989'', which proved to be one of their most successful films in years and kickstarted the "Disney Renaissance," which would continue throughout the following decade. While Bluth’s work in this decade helped kickstart the UsefulNotes/TheRenaissanceAgeOfAnimation that would occur throughout the 90s, his fourth film, ''WesternAnimation/AllDogsGoToHeaven'''s poor box office performance (due to being released at the same time as ''The Little Mermaid'') [[note]] it would later find huge success on VHS [[/note]] began a string of flops for Bluth that would cause his studio to collapse in the 90s.

* Personal computers (particularly the UsefulNotes/AppleII and, across UsefulNotes/ThePond, the UsefulNotes/BBCMicro) made their grand entrance into education during this decade, especially around the midpoint and after. Schools built dedicated computer labs to teach students typing, a skill that they (correctly) guessed would become very important in the coming years for more than just secretaries. These school computers also had games like ''VideoGame/TheOregonTrail'', loved by teachers for its ability to teach students history, and loved by students for granting them the opportunity to shoot everything between the Mississippi River and the Willamette Valley.

* Creator/{{Atari}} and its [[UsefulNotes/{{Atari2600}} 2600]] system were leading the way during UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfVideoGames in America, along with dingy arcades as everyone got PacManFever. Unfortunately, it was followed in 1983 by [[UsefulNotes/TheGreatVideoGameCrashOf1983 The Crash]]. All it took was a Japanese company by the name of Creator/{{Nintendo}} and its [[UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem little gray toaster]] ([[MyFriendsAndZoidberg And a Robotic Operating Buddy!]]) to change it all back in '85. Mario and Luigi went on to become household names with ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros1'', and was the best-selling video game of all time until ''VideoGame/WiiSports'' (also made by Nintendo) stole its thunder in '09. Most parents and MoralGuardians weren't too concerned about home computer games at the time, instead focusing their worries on arcades, which were viewed as hangouts for juvenile delinquents and gangs.
* Home computing was taking its first baby steps towards becoming a fixture of daily life. Computers like the UsefulNotes/AppleII, the UsefulNotes/{{IBM P|ersonalComputer}}C and the UsefulNotes/{{Commodore 64}} emerged, creating the first generation to know computers as something other than room-sized boxes used only for scientific purposes. Businesses started switching over from typewriters, schools started to build dedicated computer labs (see above), Apple made its famous [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhsWzJo2sN4 1984 ad]], and the area around San Jose, California began to become known as "Silicon Valley". The first computer games were also developed during this era, and enjoyed great success in Europe, a market that was never as receptive to home consoles as North America was (during both the Atari and Nintendo eras). Stateside, they were heavily marketed to {{Education Mama}}s who wanted their kids to be "computer-literate" and stay away from those mind-rotting consoles.

* Jazz music enjoyed its last period of mainstream popularity with the rise of the "smooth jazz" genre, led by 70s-era stalwarts such as Dave Grusin and George Benson as well as new faces such as Kenny G and Pat Metheny. Other jazz stalwarts like Music/MilesDavis would also make a commercial comeback with music that was more commercially accessible than their prior work, but not ''as'' commercialist as smooth jazz, acting as {{gateway|Series}}s to their prior output for a generation of new listeners. Across the pond, jazz influenced the "SophistiPop" movement led by Sade, Spandau Ballet, Music/RoxyMusic alum Bryan Ferry (fresh off the success of the genre's TropeMaker and Roxy Music's GrandFinale, ''Music/{{Avalon}}''), and the ironically-named Johnny Hates Jazz.

* The SummerBlockbuster came to prominence in this decade, spearheaded by the work of Creator/GeorgeLucas and especially Creator/StevenSpielberg (carrying on from the second half of TheSeventies). Spielberg's success with ''Film/ETTheExtraTerrestrial'' in particular made him THE biggest name in Hollywood. Beyond his directorial efforts, he executive produced a number of diverse films that used his input as a selling point and also did well at the box office: ''Film/{{Poltergeist|1982}}'', ''Film/TheGoonies'', ''Film/{{Gremlins}}'', ''Film/BackToTheFuture1'', ''WesternAnimation/AnAmericanTail'', etc. Many were "High-Concept Films" which meant that their plots that could be summarized easily and this in turn made them easy to market to a mass audience.

Some possibly useful notes on TheEighties, by tropers who remember them and others who don't.

* In the US, Creator/{{NBC}} started the decade in the AudienceAlienatingEra to end all Audience-Alienating Eras, but ended it as the top dog in the ratings (a trend that would continue through [[TheNineties the following decade]]), chiefly on the strength of its {{sitcom}} lineup. Creator/{{CBS}} and Creator/{{ABC}}, meanwhile, notably lost ground during the '80s; while they were still on seemingly solid footing by 1990, they were both facing severe problems that would prove devastating in the decade to come. The Creator/{{Fox}} network premiered in 1986, and while it did make something of a splash at the time, its GoldenAge was still ahead of it.

* In 1986, Creator/SteveJobs purchased the Graphics Group, a part of the computer division of Creator/Lucasfilm which was renamed [[Creator/{{Pixar}} Pixar Animation Studios]]. While not initially a full on entertainment company, the studio would become known for their cgi shorts, including WesternAnimation/LuxoJr which was the first cgi short to be nominated for the best animation oscar, as well as commercials for outside companies. It would later become one of most successful western animation studios when it started releasing feature films in the 90s, starring with ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory''. After several successful films, it was brought by Disney in 2006 who had distributed much of their work before then.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', a primetime animated series that would go on to reach massive popularity (and at times, controversy) premiered on December 17, 1989.

* The "Satanic Panic" took off and reached its peak in this decade. Spurred on by alleged "true stories" like ''Michelle Remembers'' and ''The Satan Seller'' (both of which are now widely believed to be [[BasedOnAGreatBigLie fraudulent accounts]]), there was widespread fear among communities, churches, and even law enforcement and social services that there existed an underground network of devil-worshippers who kidnapped, abused, and sacrificed children and other "innocents" in order to gain power from [[{{Satan}} the Dark Lord]]. Your next-door neighbors could be conducting {{virgin sacrifice}}s in their basement and you wouldn't know about it -- [[MediaScaremongering until they came for you and your loved ones!]] Some of [[ConspiracyTheorist the wackier theories]] even alleged that the Satanists had [[GovernmentConspiracy infiltrated the government, business, and the military]], and were using their resources to not only cover up their evil but facilitate it. Hundreds of people saw their lives destroyed by [[WitchHunt allegations that they were Satanists]], with one of the most notable (and [[IfItBleedsItLeads sensationalized]]) incidents being the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McMartin_preschool_trial McMartin preschool case.]] It got to the point where even Procter & Gamble was accused of being Satanic due to their logo, which they had to change -- they later wound up suing the people who spread the rumors (which caused their stock to plummet) for $19 million. To this day, only one group of this model was ever known to exist -- that being the Finders, whose existence was only made public by the FBI during the tail end of the 2010's after decades of investigation -- but while this single organization is generally acknowledged as being real, the idea that Satanic child abuse cults were everywhere and influencing society on a major scale is generally regarded as a moral panic.

* Many successful teen-oriented films were released this decade, some even spanning different genres while rarely talking down to their targeted audience. These included a number of comedy films that were directed or written by Creator/JohnHughes like ''Film/TheBreakfastClub'', ''Film/FerrisBuellersDayOff'' and ''Film/PrettyInPink'', many of which starred the members of a group of actors known by the media as the Creator/BratPack, who also starred in other teen films throughout the decade. Along the way, more musical and dance-based such as ''Film/{{Fame}}'', ''Film/{{Footloose}}'', ''Film/DirtyDancing'' and ''Film/{{Hairspray|1988}}'' came out to wide success. Even films with science fiction and fantasy elements like ''Film/WeirdScience'', ''Film/BackToTheFuture'' and ''Film/BillAndTedsExcellentAdventure'' found an audience. Some of the stars of these films would continue to have prominent acting careers in later decades such as Creator/TomCruise, Creator/KevinBacon and Creator/KeanuReeves.

* The SummerBlockbuster came to prominence in this decade, spearheaded by the work of Creator/GeorgeLucas and especially Creator/StevenSpielberg (carrying on from the second half of TheSeventies). Spielberg's success with ''Film/ETTheExtraTerrestrial'' in particular made him THE biggest name in Hollywood. Beyond his directorial efforts, he executive produced a number of diverse films that used his input as a selling point and also did well at the box office: ''Film/{{Poltergeist|1982}}'', ''Film/TheGoonies'', ''Film/{{Gremlins}}'', ''Film/BackToTheFuture'', ''WesternAnimation/AnAmericanTail'', etc. Many were "High-Concept Films" which meant that their plots that could be summarized easily and this in turn made them easy to market to a mass audience.

* In 1980, Ted Turner founded the cable channel Creator/{{CNN}}. It was the first channel to provide 24 hour news coverage as well as being the first all news channel in America.

* Tie-in merchandise and ExpandedUniverse material took off in this decade as ''Franchise/StarWars'', ''Franchise/{{Ghostbusters}}'', and ''E.T.'' became grist for toys, animated cartoon shows, original novels, etc.

* Shoulder pads among [[LadyInAPowerSuit women's business suits]] were also an AcceptableTarget with their ridiculously masculine style.

* Many successful teen-oriented films were released this decade, some even spanning different genres while rarely talking down to their targeted audience. These included a number of comedy films that were directed or written by Creator/JohnHughes like ''Film/TheBreakfastClub'', ''Film/FerrisBuellersDayOff'' and ''Film/PrettyInPink'', many of which starred the members of a group of actors known by the media as the Creator/BratPack, who also starred in other teen films throughout the decade. Along the way, more musical and dance-based such as ''Film/{{Fame}}'', ''Film/{{Footloose}}'', ''Film/DirtyDancing'' and ''Film/{{Hairspray}}'' came out to wide success. Even films with science fiction and fantasy elements like ''Film/WeirdScience'', ''Film/BackToTheFuture'' and ''Film/BillAndTedsExcellentAdventure'' found an audience. Some of the stars of these films would continue to have prominent acting careers in later decades such as Creator/TomCruise, Creator/KevinBacon and Creator/KeanuReeves.

* Western pop music began to draw from WorldMusic after two albums in 1980 featured prominent African influences: Music/TalkingHeads' ''Music/RemainInLight'' and Music/PeterGabriel's third SelfTitledAlbum, nicknamed ''Music/{{Melt}}'' by fans. Music/PaulSimon had a CareerResurrection with 1986's ''Music/{{Graceland}}'', but the controversy over Simon breaking a cultural boycott in South Africa over apartheid by recording there with black musicians [[GenreKiller put a damper on the trend]]. In the wake of this, Gabriel and Talking Heads frontman Music/DavidByrne wound up popularizing unfiltered world music in the anglosphere with their respective 1989 albums ''Music/{{Passion}}'' (the soundtrack album for ''Music/TheLastTemptationOfChrist'') and ''Music/ReiMomo''.

* In Japan, meanwhile, the main music industry was dominated by pop, the IdolSinger, and similar. In particular, the late 80's economic boom were the thriving years of City Pop, a subgenre of J-pop influenced by funk, jazz, RAndB, and soft rock that reflected the economic prosperity and upper-class optimism of the era, essentially being a rough Japanese analog to SophistiPop ("rough" in the sense that the funk influences in City Pop could oftentimes lead it to being less overtly smooth than its western counterpart). HardRock and HeavyMetal were pretty much limited to two bands, Music/{{Loudness}} and the then-upstart band Anthem, at the beginning of the 80s, with other HardRock and HeavyMetal acts being pretty much strictly underground or at the local club scene level.

* Western pop music began to draw from WorldMusic after two albums in 1980 featured prominent African influences: Music/TalkingHeads' ''Music/RemainInLight'' and Music/PeterGabriel's third SelfTitledAlbum, nicknamed ''Music/{{Melt}}'' by fans. Music/PaulSimon had a CareerResurrection with 1986's ''Music/{{Graceland}}'', but the controversy over Simon breaking a cultural boycott in South Africa over apartheid by recording there with black musicians [[GenreKiller put a damper on the trend]].

* [[{{Fantasy}} Fantasy Films]] saw a resurgence in popularity in this decade, particularly after the success of ''Film/ConanTheBarbarian'' with [[HeroicFantasy Heroic Fantasies]] being popular in the early part of the decade. These included ''Film/{{Excalibur}}'', ''Film/TheSwordAndTheSorcerer'', ''Film/RedSonja'' and ''Film/{{Willow}}''. Fairy Tale type fantasies were also produced such as ''Film/TheNeverEndingStory'' and ''Film/ThePrincessBride''. Some of these films like ''Film/{{Labyrinth}}'' did not gain box office success but would later become successful through home media with many of them now considered [[CultClassic Cult Classics]].

* Creator/{{Atari}} and its [[UsefulNotes/{{Atari2600}} 2600]] system were leading the way during UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfVideoGames in America, along with dingy arcades as everyone got PacManFever. Unfortunately, it was followed in 1983 by [[UsefulNotes/TheGreatVideoGameCrashOf1983 The Crash]]. All it took was a Japanese company by the name of Creator/{{Nintendo}} and its [[UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem little gray toaster]] ([[MyFriendsAndZoidberg And a Robotic Operating Buddy!]]) to change it all back in '85. Mario and Luigi went on to become household names with ''Videogame/SuperMarioBros'', and was the best-selling video game of all time until ''Videogame/WiiSports'' (also made by Nintendo) stole its thunder in '09. Most parents and MoralGuardians weren't too concerned about home computer games at the time, instead focusing their worries on arcades, which were viewed as hangouts for juvenile delinquents and gangs.

* The early part of the decade saw the fall of the UsefulNotes/NewHollywood era. While the 70s saw the success of a number of director-controlled films with minimal interference from the major studios that invested in them, it eventually saw a number of [[BoxOfficeBomb Box Office Flops]]. These included ''Film/HeavensGate'' (which contributed huge losses to Creator/UnitedArtists, leading it to get sold to [[Creator/MetroGoldwynMayer MGM]]) and ''One From The Heart'', both of which also [[CreatorKiller derailed the careers]] of [[Creator/MichaelCimino their]] [[Creator/FrancisFordCoppola directors]]. The failure of some of these later films along with the commercial opportunities that Blockbusters provided led to cutbacks on "Auteur"-driven films and instead led to the establishment of UsefulNotes/TheBlockbusterAgeOfHollywood.