Photo: Super Festivals from Ft. Lauderdale, USA / CC BY 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Don Bluth fascinates me as the animator who dared to walk out of Disney's golden machine and bet on his own vision. Films like The Secret of NIMH and An American Tail carried a darker, more emotionally honest texture than the studio mainstream of their day, and I think a generation of children quietly absorbed that the world could be both beautiful and frightening. His Dragon's Lair leap into arcade animation shows a restless inventor unwilling to be boxed in by a single medium. I respect creators who choose independence over comfort, and Bluth's career is a stubborn, hand-drawn argument for artistic conviction.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Don Bluth
- Name (Japanese)
- ドン・ブルース
- Reading
- どん・ぶるーす
- Born
- September 13, 1937 (age 88)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Virgo / Ox
- Origin
- El Paso, Texas, United States
- Occupation
- film director / screenwriter / film producer / character animator / director
2. Background
- High school
- Springville High School
- University
- Brigham Young University
Awards & achievements
- 1983 Inkpot Award
- 1993 Time Machine Award
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | Dragon's Lair | — | |
| Notable work | Space Ace | — | |
| Notable work | The Secret of NIMH | — | |
| Notable work | An American Tail | — | |
| Notable work | The Land Before Time | — | |
| Notable work | All Dogs Go to Heaven | — |
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Don Bluth born?
Born September 13, 1937 (age 88).
Where is Don Bluth from?
Don Bluth is from El Paso, Texas, United States.
What does Don Bluth do?
Don Bluth works as film director, screenwriter, film producer, character animator, director.
What is Don Bluth known for?
Notable works include Dragon's Lair, Space Ace, The Secret of NIMH.
Film director — see all → · Screenwriter — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.