Media Beat

Movie Anniversaries: A Trip Down Memory Lane

2024 is celebrating many film anniversaries this year. From timeless classic films like Footloose to more recent films such as Maleficent, film anniversaries not only rekindle nostalgia for film fans but also celebrate the enduring legacy these films have had in pop culture. Film anniversaries have allowed for discussions on how these films have shaped the film industry and inspired a new wave of filmmakers. These discussions have allowed for these celebrated films to remain relevant in film discourse as well as a renewed interest in film.

Here are some films that are having their anniversaries in 2024:

The Lion King: 30 years

Poster for the Lion King film 
Animals in the Savanah looking at Rafiki (monkey) holding the young Simba

The Lion King (1994), IMDb.com. https://go.iu.edu/8rfN

The beloved classic The Lion King follows the young lion and heir to the Pridelands Simba who is forced to leave the Pridelands after his father (Mufasa) is killed by his uncle Scar. When Simba grows up, he returns to the Pridelands to challenge Scar to take back his rightful place as king. The character animators who animated the animals for the film studied real life animals to use as a reference from places such as the MiamiMetroZoo. The Pridelands is actually modeled after Kenyan National Park. A Zulu version of the film was made for the film’s release and the Zulu dubbing was made available on Disney+ in 2022.

Little Mermaid: 35 years

Mermaid sitting on a rock in the ocean with a full yellow moon behind her in the background

The Little Mermaid (1989), IMDb.com. https://go.iu.edu/8rfP

The special effects for The Little Mermaid required the most special effects for a Disney movie since the movie Fantasia came out in 1940. The animator supervisor for the film estimated that over a million bubbles were drawn for the film. The film is the last Disney film to use traditional hand painted animation. There was worry by Jeffery Katzenberg (a film producer and chairman of Disney) over the film being a “girl’s film” that it would not make much money compared to the succesful Disney film Oliver and Company. He was proven wrong as The Little Mermaid broke box office records and hit over $100 million in its first run at theaters.

Amadeus: 40 years

Original poster for the Amadeus Film

Amadeus (1984), IMDb.com. https://go.iu.edu/8rfQ

The film grossed over $90 million worldwide. Amadeus was nominated for 11 Academy Awards and won eight. The film was shot in Prague and the town of Kromeriz in the Czech Republic. Mark Hamill auditioned for the role of Mozart but Forman (the director of the film) decided not to cast him due to doubt that people would not believe him as the composer. Hamill’s fame as Luke Skywalker would have let many people to not associate him with any other role.

All That Jazz: 45 years

Original criterion collection cover for the All That Jazz film 
The title is spelled out in lightbulbs that are lit up

All That Jazz (1979), Criterion.com. https://go.iu.edu/8rfR

All That Jazz is a semi-autobiographical film that is based on the life and career of Bob Fosse. Bob Fosse was a well known dancer, choreographer, and director in the Broadway world known for creating and participating in musicals such as Cabaret, Chicago, and Pippin. The film mirrors Fosse’s health issues that were happening at the time (he suffered a serious heart attack in 1974 and became interested in the themes of life and death after he recovered).

Annalee Deabel is a senior at IU Media Services. She has worked for Media Services since her sophomore year. Her interests are reading, video games, and painting. Her major is in Anthropology with a minor in Folklore.


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