Sep 14, 2015

The Adventures of Disney's Gummy Bears Celebrates 30th Anniversary Today

If the idea of a movie about Pez candies sounds ridiculous, remember Disney's TV series "The Adventures of the Gummy Bears," which debuted 30 years ago on this date.

Michael Eisner, then Disney CEO, was inspired to develop the series after his own son wanted the candy. Eisner invested in the series and marketed it to NBC himself. The translucent gelatinous blobs were reimagined by the show's creators, Jim Magon and Art Vitello, as a family of six, the Gummi Glen Gummi Clan, a family of Great Gummies on the verge of extinction. The bears, bouncing from place to place on gummy berry juice, were being hunted by Duke Sigmund Igthorn and his ogre army.

The series, which premiered the same day as Disney's The Wuzzles (co-produced with toymaker Hasbro Bradley), ran for six successful seasons and over 90 episodes. Notably, both shows were the first to be produced by Disney Television Animation.

Today, we think nothing of Disney producing animated television shows like "Gravity Falls," "The 7D," and "Wander Over Yonder," but 30 years ago, the idea that the standard bearer of American animation would embarrass itself by producing animated television shows The idea was a very contentious proposition among both critics and studio artists. To save dollars, both shows will be voiced and designed in Japan, but the actual animation work will be done in Japan, employing cheaper limited animation techniques," wrote David Friendly of the Los Angeles Time. David Friendly of the Los Angeles Time wrote, "This is unlikely to enhance the company's historic achievement in the art of animation.

"Disney's quality has always been unique and has set the studio apart," Disney artist Jane Baer told the LAT about the controversy surrounding Disney's decision to produce "limited animation" gummy bears.

Concerns about the quality of the show were unfounded. Certainly, the series was no "Bambi" or "Cinderella," but it was also not the typical early-'80s flop that many had hoped for. The success of "Gummi Bear" paved the way for Disney's other above-average television productions of the late 1980s and early 1990s, including "Ducktales," "Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers," "Tailspin," "Darkwing Duck," and "Goof Troup.

In this day and age, with the popularity of "Pickles and Peanuts" and "Two More Egg Tuesdays," the very discussion of the quality of Disney animation seems quaint. But 30 years ago today, Disney did more than simply premiere a TV series; it forever changed the trajectory of the studio's business model and became a major producer of all types of animated entertainment, including animated TV shows. Zoomi, Gruffi, Grammi, Tumi, Sunni, and Kabbi were gummy bears that proved Disney could do well.