Read All About It!: The 30th Anniversary of "Newsies"

 

By Michael Lyons

The story of a group of underdogs who are initially counted out but eventually "seize the day"  is not just the story of the characters in Newsies; it's also the story of the film itself.

Disney produced it during the early years of their Animation Renaissance when films like 1989's The Little Mermaid and 1991's Beauty and the Beast became landmarks.  Many noted that animation was the new home of the movie musical.  Disney decided to do one better and attempt to bring the musical back in live-action with Newsies.

Celebrating its 30th anniversary this spring, the film is based on the real-life events of an 1899 newsboy strike in New York City.  Newsies (the nickname for the newsboys) would re-tell this story with lots of singing and big, musical numbers.

Released on April 10, 1992, Newsies made only $2.8 million at the box office. Compared to the $145 million that Beauty and the Beast had just brought in domestically, Newsies' failure to ignite audience interest couldn't be ignored.

However, this was also a time when an entire generation of children was being raised by their VHS players, allowing them to enjoy movies over and over and over and over again.  And while this may have been to the dismay of many a parent, it proved to be a benefit to many a movie studio, whose less than successful films could now find an audience.

This was especially true at Disney, most notably in the 1990s.  The studio's animated features The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) and A Goofy Movie (1995), both initially box-office disappointments, had newfound life thanks to home video.

As did Newsies. Thanks to VHS, the film was so popular with home rentals and purchases; it made its budget back.

There was a tremendous amount of talent involved in the film, from stars such as a young Christian Bale (singing, no less), Bill Pullman, Ann-Margret, and Robert Duvall (as none other than Joseph Pulitzer).

Kenny Ortega directed and would also helm Hocus Pocus, another live-action Disney movie from the '90s that would develop an immense following years after its release.  Additionally, Ortega would go on to direct the hugely popular High School Musical series of films for Disney.

And the songs in Newsies were composed by Alan Menken, the musical wizard behind the animated hits of the era, who here was partnered with Jack Feldman (also behind songs for A Goofy Movie).

And some of the songs are catchy little numbers, including the rousing anthem "Carrying the Banner" and the showstopper "King of New York."

The groundswell of popularity for Newsies was such that it was adapted into a Broadway musical twenty years after the film's debut.

In 2012, Newsies: The Musical opened at the Nederlander Theater in New York and went on to tour after.  New songs were added, and some plot and character changes were made. It received several Tony nominations, including Best Musical, winning the Best Choreography and Best Original Score award.

After it completed its tour, the show was so popular that Disney re-issued the film Newsies to theaters for a limited run in 2017, which wound up grossing $3.47 million, more than the film made during its initial release.

Thirty years later, the story of Newsies the film is a great comeback story about overcoming adversity for a movie that's all about overcoming adversity.

*My new book, Drawn to Greatness: Disney's Animation Renaissance is now available on Amazon:Drawn to Greatness

**For more of my articles, visit my web site: Words From Lyons