Despite being the first Mickey cartoon to be released, Steamboat Willie was not the first cartoon featuring the mouse to be made. Plane Crazy and The Gallopin' Gaucho were created before the iconic steamboat scene, but Disney couldn't get anyone to buy his work. That is, until Disney became the first to release a cartoon with synchronized sound: Steamboat Willie. This would be the first cartoon to be made strictly with sound in mind, instead of only focusing what was happening on screen; Disney wanted every action and reaction of the characters to correspond with a sound effect. Steamboat Willie debuted at the Colony Theater on Broadway on November 18, 1928.

With America's involvement in World War II in full effect, the Walt Disney company began to face some of the consequences of war. The 'Wartime Era' films are noticeably lower quality than those from the Golden Age, though not from a lack of trying; many of the men working for Disney at the time were getting drafted, and the general public did not have the time or money to spend on going to the movies. However, Disney still had projects to work on, as the State Department commissions films from the company as a way to promote their new 'Good Neighbor Policy', which would help dissuade German influence from rising in South America. Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros were the movies that came from this effort. Overall, this era of the Disney company did not see much growth in terms of technological innovation for animation, but the war didn't stop the artists from creating: Make Mine Music is an anthology of smaller shorts created by the company due to the lack of man power, and was the first Disney film released after the war ended in 1945. 

This era is also known as the 'Dark Ages' for a variety of reasons. With Walt Disney's passing in 1966, and many of the original animators retiring as well, the Disney company was forced to find its new voice. All of Walt Disney's original projects had been finished, and the new generation of animators were left to conjure up fresh stories on their own. While a few of the films from this time are now regarded as Disney classics, the public at the time did not see them so, regarding these movies as money grabs due to the noticeable drop in quality and the lack of Walt Disney's imagination. These films also have darker stories and themes than those from the Silver Age, perhaps a reflection of the emotions of those who remained at the company after Walt's death. Despite the darkness of the era, it didn't go without any light: The Great Mouse Detective showcased immense promise in the usage of new CGI technology in conjunction with animation. 

Also known as the 'Experimental Era', this period of Disney movies focused on innovation and using new technology to tell new stories. During this time, the company began moving away from the song-driven stories and shifted from fairytales to instead explore otherworldly scenes using a lot of new CGI technology; Atlantis: The Lost Empire would be the first Disney movie to fall into the science fiction genre with a lot of other movies from this era following suit. Leaning away from what had made the Disney Renaissance so popular didn't come without consequences, unfortunately. Despite its remarkable use of CGI and animation, Treasure Planet was the first Disney film to lose the company money since 1980 when it failed at the box office, only bringing in $16.7 million on a budget of $140 million. 

While Disney has been putting more of its efforts towards producing live action versions of beloved classics such as The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, Aladdin, and more, animated movies are still being produced frequently. They have all stuck with the same CGI look as those from the Revival Era, with Encanto standing out from the rest due to its well received soundtrack that took the world by storm in 2021. The others, however, have not seemed to meet audience standards. Strange World absolutely flopped at the box office, earning only $73.6 million worldwide on a budget of an estimated $120 million. Wish did fairly well in theaters, though it didn't seem to sit well with audiences, with some calling it "an uninspiring mess of bland brand management" while Rotten Tomatoes criticizes the movie's use of Disney nostalgia: "Nostalgia's no substitute for genuine storytelling magic." The future of Disney animated movies is unclear, though with upcoming releases such as Zootopia 2 and Frozen III on the way, only time will tell if Disney will make a dramatic turn back into audience favor like it has done time and time again.