Chris Brown‘s ongoing legal battle with his former housekeeper continues to escalate. According to a new report, the singer’s ex-employee is fighting against his request to stop her from showing bloody pictures from an injury she said she sustained at his sprawling LA home. Before that, Brown reportedly asked a judge to stop the plaintiff from bringing up his past assault charges from his relationship with singer Rihanna.

Maria Avila, who initially lodged a lawsuit against Brown in 2021, is fighting against the singer’s effort to stop her from showing images of her gruesome injury to the court, according to TMZ.

In the new legal documents, Avila argues that the images are relevant to the case because they show the seriousness of her injuries.

According to Avila, being unable to show the photos would make it more challenging to prove her claims.

Chris Brown’s Former Housekeeper Was Allegedly Attacked By His Dog In 2020

For those who may be unfamiliar, Avila filed a suit back in July 2021, claiming Brown’s large, dark-colored dog attacked her while she was completing work for the high-profile celebrity.

According to an NBC News report, Avila accused Brown and his team of ignoring her when she was “screaming in terror and calling out for help.”

The initial suit claimed that Brown’s dog “viciously and brutally” mauled, bit, and attacked her on December 12, 2020, at the singer’s Los Angeles home.

“The dog begins savagely biting her face, her arms and other parts of her person and body, literally tearing out and ripping off large chunks of her skin from her face and her arms,” Avila’s then attorney, Nancy Doumanian, wrote.

However, the story doesn’t end there. According to the legal documents, Brown allegedly ordered the dog to be driven to a “nebulous location in Humboldt County” to have the dog euthanized in an effort to destroy evidence.

An official from Humboldt County confirmed that an animal matching Brown’s dog’s description was euthanized a day before Christmas due to its aggressive nature.

Per reports, the attack was labeled a “high profile case” due to the dog’s owner being “a celebrity” and the injuries being “extensive.”

Chris Brown’s Lawyer Asks Judge To Stop His Ex-Housekeeper From Speaking About His Past Issues With Rihanna

In addition to hopefully stopping Avila from showing pictures to the court, Brown is reportedly asking the judge to bar her from speaking about his past domestic violence case with Rihanna.

Brown pleaded guilty to felony assault following the headline-making incident in 2009, according to TMZ.

The “Fine China” singer’s lawyer urged the judge to stop Avila and her team from presenting that as evidence, questioning its relevance to the case at hand.

Brown’s team also argued that mentioning the assault, which happened “more than a decade ago,” would be “improper, irrelevant, and unduly prejudicial.”

Brown Promises He’s ‘Not Bad’ After Breaking Silence About Alleged Brutal Dog Attack

According to Rolling Stone, Brown spoke out about the alleged dog attack during an April 2025 deposition, during which he explained his actions after seeing his former housekeeper lying “face down” in his driveway.

“I didn’t touch her. I bent down and I looked. I was – I was making sure she was breathing and then from there, I ran and put the dogs away and yelled and told the security guard to come over,” he said, adding that he saw her “chest moving.”

Brown explained that he didn’t touch Avila while she was on the ground because she was allegedly unconscious. He went on to say that after his security guard called 911, his manager ordered him to leave the home.

Avila’s lawyer asked the singer whether he felt “bad” about leaving his ex-employee after the alleged attack, to which he replied, “I’m not bad — I’m not feeling bad about leaving the house.”

He added that he was concerned about Avila’s well-being and left only after her sister or a trusted individual was by her side.

Brown Is Gearing Up For A Massive Tour With Usher

Amid his ongoing legal battles, Brown is preparing for a massive tour with R&B legend Usher. According to The Blast, the tour will hit stadiums across the United States and feature performances of chart-topping hits from both artists.

The joint tour comes years after reports about an alleged fight between the two surfaced. Whatever beef they may have had, though, has clearly been squashed—and fans are grateful for it.

Taylor Frankie Paul’s ongoing legal battle with Dakota Mortensen has taken a deeply personal turn, with new revelations emerging in court that shed light on the struggles behind their relationship. 

As the pair face off over protective orders and custody of their young son, previously private details, including Paul’s experience with multiple miscarriages, have come to the forefront, adding more tension to the already existing case.

Taylor Frankie Paul’s recent court hearing uncovered painful details that had never been publicly shared before. 

During testimony tied to the protective order case, her attorney revealed that she had suffered two miscarriages before the February incident that led to the current legal dispute.

“This was a very difficult time in their relationship,” her lawyer explained in court, per Us Weekly, outlining the timeline surrounding the events. 

“They were going through some challenges, of course, compounded by the fact that my client was dealing with two recent miscarriages,” they added. 

The attorney also pointed to other contributing factors during that period, noting, “Alcohol was also a massive factor in the 2023 incident, a factor that is no longer an issue. She has not consumed alcohol.” 

Judge Calls Out ‘Toxic’ Behavior In Taylor Frankie Paul Court Clash

At the recent hearing, a judge laid out a series of blunt statements, making it clear the situation involved both parties. 

As The Blast shared, the judge said, “I’m finding that there’s been violence both ways between these parties,” and added that when the two are together, “it turns violent.”   

He went on to call their relationship “dysfunctional” and described the situation as marked by “toxicity.” 

Addressing them directly, the judge said, “You guys have to figure out how to function as co-parents,” while warning, “You’re linked together for the remainder of your lives.”   

He also stressed the impact on their child, stating, “You’re modeling right now how you deal with conflict to a 2-year-old,” and cautioned that it could affect the child later in life.  

Paul And Dakota Mortensen’s Legal Fight Intensifies

Taylor Frankie Paul and Dakota Mortensen’s dispute centers on competing protective orders and custody arrangements for their two-year-old son, Ever. 

The legal battle stems from allegations tied to incidents that reportedly occurred in Utah on February 23 and 24.

Following those events, both parties sought legal protection against each other. Mortensen initially filed for a temporary restraining order, which was granted in March, along with temporary custody of their son. 

Weeks later, Paul filed her own request for a restraining order, which was approved in early April.

As the case developed, authorities reviewed evidence from both sides. Ultimately, prosecutors decided not to move forward with charges against the “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” star. 

“After reviewing reports and evidence submitted to the Draper Police Department and West Jordan Police Department, the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office has declined to file charges against Taylor Frankie Paul,” District Attorney Sim Gill’s office confirmed.

Taylor Frankie Paul And Dakota Mortensen Speak Out After Ruling

As The Blast reported, Paul responded emotionally after learning that she would not face charges in connection with the February case. 

Taking to Instagram, she shared her reaction with followers, writing, “Cried when I got the call THANK YOU to those that have stood with me.”

Mortensen also addressed the situation publicly days later, offering his perspective on the outcome. 

“I’m not perfect, and I take accountability for my part. I’m sincerely sorry to those I’ve hurt,” he wrote in an Instagram statement. 

However, he made it clear that he disagreed with how the situation has been portrayed. 

“At the same time, I don’t agree with how this situation has been portrayed publicly. It does not reflect the full context of what occurred or the impact it has had on me and my son,” Mortensen added.

He went on to explain his current focus moving forward, stating, “I’ve chosen to step away from the spotlight to focus on my family, my growth, and our healing, and that’s where my energy will remain. I’m closing an unhealthy chapter and moving forward with hope for better days ahead.”

Paul Gains Support As Case Impacts Career And Personal Life

Taylor Frankie Paul has not been navigating this situation alone. Ahead of the latest hearing, she received support from those close to her, including her “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” co-star Jessi Draper. 

According to a report from The Blast, court records confirmed that Draper filed an affidavit in support of Paul, adding her voice to the case.

Paul’s younger sister, Aspen May, also submitted an affidavit, reinforcing the backing she has from her inner circle during the legal proceedings.

The situation has also had ripple effects beyond the courtroom. Production on season five of “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” was temporarily halted as the allegations surfaced and investigations began. 

In addition, ABC canceled Paul’s season of “The Bachelorette” three days before it was set to premiere. 

Taylor Frankie Paul’s attorney is speaking out after a judge issued both her and ex Dakota Mortensen protective orders during a custody hearing on Thursday, April 30.

“Today’s hearing was a significant step forward as the Court entered protective orders requiring that Taylor’s ex-partner stays far away from her,” Taylor’s attorney, Eric M. Swinyard, told Us Weekly in a statement.

Swinyard went on to praise Taylor, 31, for her candor during Thursday’s hearing, after she and Dakota, 33, made several accusations of domestic violence against one another.

“Taylor was incredibly candid with the Court that she is not perfect and owned her faults, which is in direct contrast to how the other party presented their argument, despite evidence and input from law enforcement that showed otherwise,” Swinyard said.

Related: What to Know About Taylor Frankie Paul and Ex Dakota’s Custody Battle

The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives stars Taylor Frankie Paul and Dakota Mortensen have tried to coparent son Ever since their fall 2024 split. Paul and Mortensen welcomed their first baby together, the MomTok content creator’s third, in March 2024, months before they called it quits. As Paul and Mortensen navigated jointly raising their son, […]

He continued, “Taylor feels solidarity with the many survivors who have endured similar hardships behind closed doors and shared only part of their stories, and she remains grateful for the outpouring of support she continues to receive. She looks forward to continuing to cooperate with the Court to make progress in the custody case.”

Utah judge Commissioner Russell Minas issued mutual protective orders for both Secret Lives of Mormon Wives stars, ordering them to stay 100 feet from each other. The orders are expected to last three years.

Minas did not make any changes to the former couple’s custody arrangement of their 2-year-old son, Ever. Dakota was granted temporary custody of Ever in March, with Taylor being allowed up to eight hours of supervised visitation each week. (Taylor also shares daughter Indy, 8, and son Ocean, 5, with ex-husband Tate Paul.)

“This has been a very toxic relationship. It’s beyond the pale in a lot of ways, the toxicity,” the judge told the exes on Thursday. “What I’ve seen from the evidence even post [the] last hearing, there seems to be a continuing attraction that they have for each other. … You guys have to figure out a lot here. You have to figure out how to function as coparents.”

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Related: Inside Mormon Wives’ Taylor, Dakota’s Messy Relationship: What They’ve Said

The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives‘ Taylor Frankie Paul and Dakota Mortensen never shied away from addressing their messy — and oftentimes volatile — relationship ahead of their multiple domestic disputes. Before the show premiered on Hulu in September 2024, Taylor and Dakota started dating following her divorce from husband Tate Paul in the wake […]

“I’m hoping that you’re not people who just thrive on the drama and the conflict. You’ve got to put your child first and shield the child from this conflict,” Minas added. “I’m going to leave the current [custody] order in place. I need to think a little bit more about this lifting of supervision. I have mixed feelings about it.”

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Dakota sought custody of Ever in March amid two separate police investigations into alleged domestic violence incidents involving Taylor and Dakota. In April, prosecutors declined to press charges against Taylor in connection with the incidents, which allegedly took place in 2024 in West Jordan, Utah, and this past February in Draper, Utah, respectively.

“After reviewing reports and evidence submitted to the Draper Police Department and West Jordan Police Department, the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office has declined to file charges against Taylor Frankie Paul,” district attorney Sim Gill’s office said in a statement obtained by Us on April 14.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support. 

Grey’s Anatomy is gearing up for a shocking season 22 finale with one character getting fired — while another could potentially die on screen.

During the Thursday, April 30, episode of the hit ABC series, Kwan’s (Harry Shum Jr.) future at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital was called into question when Richard (James Pickens Jr.) realized Miranda (Chandra Wilson) wasn’t actually involved in secretly giving a patient an experimental treatment that was denied by the FDA. Richard then revealed to Miranda that he had fired Kwan off screen.

Teddy (Kim Raver), meanwhile, was secretly considering a job in Paris that would take her away from Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. She got in a fight with Owen (Kevin McKidd) about it, but a voicemail he left the next morning took a turn when she heard him getting into a potentially deadly car crash.

The shocking twists came after news broke in March that both McKidd, 53, and Raver, 57, were leaving the show.

Related: Why Is ‘Grey‘s Anatomy‘ Going Through So Many Cast Exits, Onscreen Deaths?

Grey’s Anatomy has been going through a surprising amount of cast exits and onscreen deaths. The medical drama, which premiered in 2005, is focused on the personal and professional lives of surgical interns, residents and attendings at the fictional Seattle Grace Hospital a.k.a Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital a.k.a Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. Due to […]

“Grey’s Anatomy has been a huge chapter of my life, creatively and personally, and I’m deeply grateful for everything the show has given me over the years,” McKidd said in a statement at the time. “Playing Dr. Owen Hunt and directing on the show have both shaped me enormously, and I’ve had the privilege of working with an extraordinary group of people throughout that time. I’m particularly thankful to Shonda Rhimes for creating Owen, and for the encouragement she gave me as I stepped into directing.”

He continued: “As that chapter comes to a close, I’m looking forward to what’s ahead — building new work, telling new stories and taking everything I’ve learned into the next phase of my career.”

Raver also broke her silence on the news.

“Playing Dr. Teddy Altman will always hold a dear and special place in my heart. Sixteen years ago, I had the incredible privilege of stepping into this role thanks to the vision of Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers,” she wrote in her own statement. “Since that day, it has been a true gift to bring the iconic words of Shonda and our brilliant team of writers to life. … To the fans — your unwavering devotion and support are the reason this show remains such a force. Thank you for making this set my place of magic and my home.”

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Related: Grey’s Anatomy’s Biggest Exits Over the Years

Katherine Heigl, Patrick Dempsey, Justin Chambers and more stars have left Grey’s Anatomy — for various reasons. Created by Shonda Rhimes and starring Ellen Pompeo, Grey’s Anatomy debuted on ABC in 2005. Pompeo (Meredith Grey) left the show as a series regular following season 19 but continued to provide voiceover narration and make special guest […]

Creator Shonda Rhimes, meanwhile, hinted how the season will wrap up for Teddy (Raver) and Owen (McKidd).

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“Over the years, we have had the privilege of watching Owen and Teddy’s love story evolve and deepen — two characters who always seem to find their way back to each other. It is both bittersweet and joyful to give this couple the happy ending their story deserves,” she teased in her own statement. “Kevin and Kim bring extraordinary talent, nuance and heart to their roles as Owen and Teddy. Their contributions leave an indelible mark on Grey’s Anatomy, both in front of and behind the camera. I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with them both and to see them shine.”

She concluded: “While we will all miss seeing them in the halls of Grey Sloan Memorial each day, I am excited to witness where Kim’s and Kevin’s journeys will take them in the future.”

Grey’s Anatomy airs on ABC Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET before streaming the next day on Hulu.

Olivia Wilde found herself back in the spotlight this week, but not entirely for the reasons she may have hoped. 

While promoting her latest directorial project, “The Invite,” at a major film festival, attention quickly shifted to her personal life as headlines about Harry Styles’ rumored engagement to Zoë Kravitz gained traction. 

The timing has reignited interest in Wilde’s past relationship with the singer, reminding fans of a romance that once dominated headlines and continues to echo years later.

Olivia Wilde became a trending topic again as news spread that Harry Styles is reportedly engaged to Zoë Kravitz after just eight months together. 

The buzz intensified after Kravitz was photographed wearing a striking diamond ring, said to be worth around $1 million, instantly sparking speculation about an engagement.

The renewed attention naturally circled back to Wilde, whose nearly two-year relationship with the One Direction veteran had once been one of Hollywood’s most talked-about romances. 

While the actress appeared composed at her April 24 film festival appearance, insiders say the timing of the news has stirred old memories.

A source revealed that although both have moved forward, the past still carries weight. 

“The breakup with Harry was very painful for Olivia too, but she’s dated other people and has moved on,” the insider told the Daily Mail.

Even so, Styles’ apparent new chapter has brought their history back into public focus in a major way.

Wilde And Styles’ Breakup Left A Deep Emotional Impact

Behind the scenes, sources say the end of Olivia Wilde and Harry Styles’ relationship was far from easy. 

According to an insider, the singer struggled significantly after the split. “When Harry and Olivia split, it was the hardest breakup he had ever gone through,” the source shared.

The emotional toll reportedly even influenced his creative process. “He recorded an entire album about what he was going through, but it never saw the light of day. He decided it was best to keep it private and move on,” the insider added.

However, a few years down the line, Styles appears to be in a very different place. 

“Now that he’s met Zoe, he is so happy and it all makes sense why he went through that,” the source revealed.

Olivia Wilde’s Appearance Sparks Debate As Defenders Speak Out

Wilde’s appearance at the San Francisco International Film Festival also sparked intense online discussion after a viral clip showed her looking noticeably slimmer. 

The footage led to mixed reactions, with some critics pointing to Hollywood’s beauty standards and others suggesting the video may have been misleading.

One source pushed back against the criticism, stating, “The wide angle lens that is circulating an unflattering photo is unfair. She’s always been skinny. She works out and eats healthy. She looks the same.”

The same insider dismissed any link between her appearance and Styles’ rumored engagement, adding, “Her movie was the highest selling film in Sundance, she has a wonderful family and is a great mom.”

Despite the support, another source acknowledged that Wilde is not immune to public opinion. 

“Olivia has always been a bit insecure and she cares what people think about her. Everyone does and just because she’s famous, she’s no different,” they said. 

Wilde And Styles’ Romance Was Marked By Intense Public Scrutiny

Olivia Wilde and Harry Styles first met while working on “Don’t Worry Darling” in 2020, shortly after the “In Time” actress ended her engagement to Jason Sudeikis. 

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The pair went public in early 2021 after being spotted holding hands at a wedding, immediately sparking intense media coverage.

Their relationship unfolded under constant attention, from living together in Los Angeles to vacationing in Italy and attending concerts. Styles was also reported to be building a connection with Wilde’s children during that time.

Rumors and criticism followed closely, including speculation about how their relationship began. 

Wilde addressed those claims directly, telling Vanity Fair in 2022, “The complete horsesh*t idea that I left Jason for Harry is completely inaccurate,” and explaining that her previous relationship had already ended.

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Following the rumors, both Wilde and Styles decided to keep their relationship private. Speaking about that decision, the “Eternals” actor told Rolling Stone, “There’s always going to be a version of a narrative and I think I just decided I wasn’t going to spend the time trying to correct it or redirect it in some way.”

Olivia Wilde Navigates Fallout From Past Drama While Moving Forward

Olivia Wilde’s personal life remained in the spotlight even after her relationship with Styles ended in 2022. 

During the promotion of “Don’t Worry Darling,” she was unexpectedly served custody papers related to her children with Jason Sudeikis in a public setting, an experience she described as deeply upsetting.

Further drama followed when a former nanny made claims about the couple’s breakup, prompting Wilde and Sudeikis to respond together. 

In a joint statement, they said, “As parents, it is incredibly upsetting to learn that a former nanny of our two young children would choose to make such false and scurrilous accusations about us publicly.” 

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They added, “Her now 18-month-long campaign of harassing us, as well as loved ones, close friends and colleagues, has reached its unfortunate apex. We will continue to focus on raising and protecting our children with the sincere hope that she will now choose to leave our family alone.”

The legal disputes were eventually settled, with both agreeing to joint custody of their children. Since then, Wilde and Sudeikis have appeared to maintain a more peaceful co-parenting relationship, recently seen sharing a friendly moment while exchanging their kids.

If you’ve heard of collagen powder, then you probably know it’s the secret to an inside-out glow. But what if it could help you feel as good as you look? Everyday Dose’s new collagen powder supports mental clarity and calmness as much as gut and skin health. It’s about time!

Everyday Dose Collagen+ is the complete formula you’ve been waiting for, combining collagen, functional mushrooms and L-theanine for total mind and body wellness. Now through May 30, shoppers can BOGO Collagen+ Powder, sold exclusively at Target!

Collagen is known to promote skin elasticity and hydration (translation: fewer visible wrinkles), but it may also strengthen the nails and keep joints in tip-top shape. Packed with 18 amino acids and 18 grams of protein, collagen powder is a powerhouse itself, but this blend doesn’t stop there.

In addition to collagen, this Collagen+ supplement contains lion’s mane for focus, chaga for immune support and cordyceps for recovery. Add in calming L-theanine, and it’s the ultimate flow-state formula. It’s no wonder this brand-new blend is already selling out at Target.

One Target shopper wrote, “Great combination of healthy ingredients and it’s easy to use and mixes great. This will be huge for my gut health and hair.”

Even better, it couldn’t be easier to incorporate into your routine. Simply mix one scoop into your yogurt, smoothie or coffee and you’re ready to go — no clumps or funky aftertastes involced. This supplement even comes in a stick pack format, ideal for those with busy lifestyles.

Snag this brand-new wellness staple below!

President Donald Trump isn’t interested in wearing a bulletproof vest despite surviving multiple assassination attempts.

Trump, 79, was asked by reporters at an Oval Office event on Thursday, April 30, whether there had been any talks regarding the president taking the security precaution in future.

“I don’t know if I can handle looking 20 pounds heavier,” Trump responded, prompting laughs from several people in the room.

Trump was likely the intended target when a shooter reportedly opened fire at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner event, held in the Washington Hilton ballroom on April 24.

Related: Karoline Leavitt Says Nobody Has Faced ‘More Violence’ Than Donald Trump

Karoline Leavitt claimed that no one has endured “more violence” than President Donald Trump following the recent shooting at the White House correspondents’ dinner. “Saturday was supposed to be a joyful evening, celebrating free speech and the first amendment with all of you members of the press,” the White House press secretary, 28, said in […]

The president and first lady Melania Trump, 56, were rushed off stage after shots reportedly broke out.

While the Trumps, Vice President J.D. Vance and others were safely evacuated, a Secret Service agent was struck during the incident. The wounded agent was wearing a protective vest.

“Frankly, the vest did an amazing job because it took a bullet close up,” Trump said in the Oval Office on Thursday. “And he didn’t even want to go to the hospital. We sent him to the hospital.”

Trump also likened the experience of getting shot while wearing a bulletproof vest to “getting hit by Mike Tyson.”

The day after the WHCD shooting, Trump praised the bulletproof vest’s role as he briefed the media on the condition of the injured Secret Service agent.

“The vest did the job,” Trump told reporters. “I just spoke to the officer and he was doing great, he’s in great shape, in very high spirits and I told him we love him and respect him and he’s a very proud guy, he’s very proud of what he does, the Secret Service agent.”

California native Cole Tomas Allen was apprehended during the shooting and subsequently charged with attempting to assassinate the President of the United States, transportation of a firearm and ammunition in interstate commerce with intent to commit a felony, and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence, per the Justice Department. He has not yet entered a plea.

Related: New WHCD Shooting Video Shows Moment Shots Were Fired With Trump Nearby

Shocking new video footage shows the moment shots rang out at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner last weekend. Jeanine Pirro, the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, posted what appears to be security camera footage of the shooting incident via X on Thursday, April 30. Shooting suspect Cole Tomas Allen can allegedly be […]

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Meanwhile, Trump insisted he was “honored” to be a target after the WHCD shooting incident.

“When you look at our great presidents, [this] doesn’t happen to people who don’t do anything,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Saturday, April 25.

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Trump has also addressed his seemingly slow evacuation from the ballroom in the midst of the incident.

“What happened is, it was a little bit me. I wanted to see what was happening, and I wasn’t making it that easy for [the shooter],” Trump told 60 Minutes on Sunday, April 26.

“I wanted to see what was going on. And by that time, we started to realize maybe it was a bad problem, different kind of a problem, bad one, and different than what would be normal noise from a ballroom, which you hear all the time,” he added. “I was surrounded by great people, and I probably made them act a little bit more slowly. I said, ‘Wait a minute. Let me see.’”

The Walt Disney Company was founded in 1923 by brothers Walt and Roy O. Disney after Walt lost the rights to his first co-creation with animator Ub Iwerks, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, to Universal. From humble beginnings making animated theater shorts, Walt’s ambition would see the company expand into animated filmmaking. While they have branched into other areas, such as live-action filmmaking and theme parks, the animated catalog is still what Disney is best known for, and the timeless appeal of animation ensures that the movies won’t be forgotten anytime soon.

Fans and historians alike tend to break down the history of Disney animation into various eras. They are determined by several factors, including common themes among the films, major events in the company, and their overall impact on pop culture history. Each of these eras is an important building block in the company’s history, but a few are more highly regarded because of the masterpieces they produced.

8

The Dark Age (1970-1988)

The term Dark Age is used to describe when something, be it civilization or a long-running series, hits a point of creative and/or cultural stagnation and decline, which sums up Disney’s 4th animated era pretty well. Walt Disney died in 1966, and Roy O. Disney in 1971. Walt’s top animators, nicknamed The Nine Old Men, were also getting ready to retire, leaving the company in a period of uncertainty as to what its future would look like. As a result, films took longer to produce, and the ones that came out were made with a “What would Walt Do?” philosophy, resulting in cheap, safe movies that played to the lowest common denominator. Sure, they have their fans, and very few of these movies are objectively terrible, but when compared to the rest of Disney’s catalog, the differences are like night and day. One film, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, was an amalgamation of 3 shorts released between 1966 and 1974 with new animation to bridge them. Roy E. Disney, son of Roy O., and the only member of the Disney family still involved with the company, resigned as executive in 1977 over creative disagreements.

Meanwhile, new animators were joining from the California Institute of the Arts, and many of them were becoming frustrated that the magical films that inspired them were no longer being produced. Things reached a boiling point during the production of The Fox and the Hound, which saw Don Bluth lead a mass exodus of animators in 1979 and release his own animated movie, The Secret of NIMH, in 1982, giving Disney some competition. And things kept getting worse: by 1984, future big names in animation, like Brad Bird, Tim Burton, and John Lasseter, had either left the company or been fired for pushing back against the creative stagnation. That same year, Roy E. Disney left his seat on the Board of Directors, and a hostile takeover attempt saw Disney nearly dismantled. However, Roy E. and the Board of Directors worked together to stop the takeover and ousted Walt’s son-in-law and then CEO, Ron Miller, replacing him with Michael Eisner and Frank Wells as President. They would bring Jeffrey Katzenberg to oversee animation with Roy E. They had a rocky beginning with The Black Cauldron, but the moderate success of The Great Mouse Detective encouraged Eisner to put more faith into future movies. Thus, the Dark Age of Disney can be looked back on as the era that proved Disney could survive the death of its founder, but also shows the dangers of resting on one’s laurels and refusing new ideas.

7

The Wartime Era (1943-1949)

World War II hit Disney hard. Not only did the loss of overseas markets mean that many of their late Golden Age films bombed at the box office, but most of Walt’s best animators were drafted. Thus, the company needed to focus on conserving money until the war was over, and the global economy could recover. The first thing Walt did was partner up with the American government to produce wartime propaganda shorts like Der Fuehrer’s Face and Victory Through Air Power. The government also commissioned Disney to make films focused on Latin and South America as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt‘s Good Neighbor Policy, resulting in Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros. Meanwhile, Disney’s main animation department was full of half-finished story concepts and not enough staff to complete them. Thus, Walt decided to keep the anthology train going by releasing “package films.”

Their animation quality was a far cry from the experimental and lavish details of the Golden Age, but they were quick to produce and kept the budget small. They alternated between two structures: musical anthologies and double features. Make Mine Music and Melody Time were musical films similar to Fantasia, but focused on more contemporary music and featuring more traditional narratives in their shorts compared to Fantasia’s more abstract segments. Meanwhile, Fun and Fancy-Free and The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad featured two short movies with complete three-act structures, bridged together with live-action footage. While the package movies kept Disney afloat until his animators could come home, Walt viewed them as a necessary evil, since they didn’t turn in a big enough profit or let him push the boundaries of animation like he always tried. Thus, the first change he got, he would return to making standard animated features, ending the Wartime Era. The movies are certainly fun, and thanks to concept artist Mary Blair, their visuals became more surreal. However, there really isn’t a lot of substance to them, hence why they have become forgotten by all but the most die-hard Disney fans.

6

The Post-Revival Era (2018-Present)

Determining when an era ends and a new one begins usually takes a few years, so in the past, several of these films were considered part of the Revival Era. However, it’s been long enough now that we can say that the Revival Era ended in 2018 with John Lasseter’s departure from Disney following accusations of sexual misconduct. He was replaced as Chief Creative Officer of Disney Animation by Jennifer Lee, writer and co-director of Frozen, in one of many major shakeups that would take place at Disney before the 2010s were through. A year later, Disney finished their acquisition of 21st Century Fox, and they launched their own streaming service, Disney+. Bob Iger planned to step down as CEO to be replaced by Bob Chapek, but after COVID hit and Chapek made a series of unpopular opinions, Iger returned. He finally got his retirement in 2026, with Josh D’Amaro now at the helm, while Lee would step down as CCO in 2024 to focus on future Frozen films. She was succeeded by Jared Bush, who worked on several of the Revival Era’s biggest hits.

Post-Revival movies share one of two things in common: they are sequels to popular movies, or they bombed at the box office. They’re also far more divisive than previous movies. Many of the criticisms feel similar to the Dark Age, such as an over-reliance on safe, formulaic stories, especially through the sequels. Generational trauma has become somewhat of a meme, being almost as common here as twist villains were during the Revival. The movies also became more focused on spreading messages than telling good stories, as admitted by Iger himself in 2023. The most egregious example is Wish, which was supposed to mark the company’s 100th year, but it instead became a hated mess of a movie that smashed together as many references to classic Disney as it could with barely any plot connecting them. Since the Post-Revival era is still ongoing, it’s hard to truly judge what its place in Disney history will be, or its overall quality. There’s still time for it to turn itself around, but the movies we do have don’t paint the best picture.

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The Post-Renaissance Era (1999-2008)

All things that rise must eventually fall, and such was the case for the influential Disney Renaissance. With the emergence of Pixar and DreamWorks as immediate competition for Disney, and other production companies trying to mimic Disney’s winning formula for animated musicals, the company decided to mix things up. Rather than simply adapting well-known books and fairy tales, Disney would produce more original stories in different styles, beginning with Fantasia 2000, a passion project of Roy E. Disney’s that bombed at the box office. Meanwhile, Disney’s first animated movie with CGI, Dinosaur, turned in a hefty profit, thus sending a clear message that 2D animation was out and 3D animation was in. Lilo & Stitch and Brother Bear were successful, but Atlantis: The Lost Empire and Treasure Planet weren’t. Meanwhile, Pixar was churning out hit after hit, and DreamWorks altered the pop-culture landscape forever with Shrek.

This era also saw a shakeup of leadership that led to Eisner’s exit and the hiring of Bob Iger as new CEO. Iger patched up relationships with Pixar, leading to its acquisition in 2006. John Lasseter was made CCO of both Disney and Pixar animation, leading to major story changes to the CGI movies still in production—Meet the Robinsons and Bolt, bringing an end to the Revival Era. Overall, this era can be looked back on as one of Disney’s most experimental and ahead of its time. Many of the films have found new life as cult classics since their release, and with how formulaic and uninspired modern Disney films are, there’s something to admire about how they broke the mold of what a Disney film is. The Post-Revival Era would also be the last to have any input from the Disney family, as Roy E. would sadly die in 2009 after a long battle with stomach cancer.

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The Silver Age (1950-1967)

The Wartime Era kept Disney alive as a company, but they were running on life support. The package films didn’t turn in enough of a profit to offset the losses from the Golden Age or cover the relocation of Disney studios to Burbank, California. Once Walt’s animators were back from the war, he proposed that they return to making animated features. In 1950, Cinderella hit theaters, becoming the company’s biggest success since Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and kicked off the Silver Age, so called because it’s a successor to the Golden Age, while not quite reaching the same heights.

The Silver Age saw a bunch of major changes to Disney animation. For one, the style became more universal, thanks in large part to legendary animator and draftsman Milt Kahl. As more and more animators came to him to help finalize their character designs, Disney characters shifted to more angular designs compared to the rounded ones during the company’s early years. The Nine Old Men, who worked on each film together, also started getting split up after Peter Pan. Walt also had greatly reduced input on the animated films compared to decades earlier, as his attention was now aimed at live-action movies and theme parks. The biggest shakeups came following Sleeping Beauty, which was a massive box-office bomb. To save on production costs, Walt reluctantly agreed to shift to using xerography to copy the animator’s pencil drawings directly onto animation cells. All in all, the Silver Age truly is the end of an era, with many of its movies not receiving the recognition they deserved until decades after it ended, and the loss of Walt’s personal touch. However, its movies are also some of Disney’s most magical.

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The Revival Era (2009-2016)

With John Lasseter and Bob Iger now seated in their roles, Disney would undergo one of its biggest and brightest eras. It began with The Princess and the Frog, Disney’s return to 2D animation, and the beginning of Lasseter’s attempt to produce 2D animation alongside 3D. Sadly, a lack of audience interest and poor box office performances compared to both Disney and rival 3D films saw the project end after its second film, Winnie the Pooh. And when you consider both Princess and the Frog and Winnie the Pooh’s box-office numbers, to the CGI Tangled sandwiched between them, it was a no-brainer. 3D was here to stay, so Disney fully embraced it.

Disney also began an unprecedented rise beginning in 2009, when the company bought Marvel, and again in 2012 with the purchase of Lucasfilm. This further transformed Disney into the dominant media conglomerate in the world and saw the beginning of the ever-dominant Marvel Cinematic Universe. But in 2013, they would see unparalleled pop culture dominance with the release of Frozen. The film became the highest-grossing animated film until the release of the live-action The Lion King, and the first movie in the Disney animated canon to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Their next two films, Big Hero 6 and Zootopia, would also take home the award, while Moana was the first Disney movie to feature songs written by Lin-Manuel Miranda. In short, the Revival Era was a return to form for Disney, and the success of these movies, alongside the company’s other acquisitions, set Disney on a path of true global dominance.

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The Golden Age (1937-1942)

The Golden Age refers to a period of the distant past where there was peace, prosperity, and tremendous cultural advancement. Disney’s Golden Age checked the last two, but it was far from peaceful. The idea for Walt’s first feature, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, came about as a means for Walt to both grow his company and push animation further as a medium. He spent the better part of the 1930s training his animators through his Silly Symphonies cartoons and developed the multiplane camera, all while people called the project “Disney’s Folly.” Yet, Snow White was a smash hit and the bedrock upon which the modern animation landscape is built.

Unfortunately, Snow White was the only major hit of this period. Dumbo would make a decent profit on account of Walt scaling back its budget, but Pinocchio, Fantasia, and Bambi bombed or failed to make enough to justify their cost, largely because of World War II, which had closed off the overseas markets. Walt also faced an animator’s strike in 1941, which cost him many of his best animators at the time, like Art Babbit, Walt Kelly, Tyrus Wong, and Bill Tytla, who felt ostracized due to sympathizing with the strikers. So then, why is this era called the Golden Age if it had so much trouble?

Simply put, the movies that came out during this time were revolutionary. Pinocchio was released only 3 years after Snow White, yet its character animation is leagues better, and it still possesses some of the most realistic 2D water animation. Fantasia is an ambitious audiovisual experience that pairs beautiful animation with classical music. Bambi saw a massive jump in quality when it came to animal anatomy, and the colors and shading perfectly evoked the sensation of a deep forest. Even Dumbo saw stellar character animation through its silent main character. Even with nearly a century of technological advancements, these movies remain visual masterpieces that represent Walt’s passion and ambition, perhaps the best of any movie made during his lifetime.

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The Renaissance Era (1989-1999)

As amazing as the Golden Age is, there’s only one era of Disney that surpasses it in terms of quality and cultural impact. That is the Renaissance, born from the shakeup of leadership at the end of the Dark Age. With new animation techniques developed through working on Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and a willingness to try more bold and ambitious storytelling, Disney would become the dominant force in animation throughout the 1990s. This era made animated musicals a mainstay at Disney, thanks to musician Alan Menken and lyricist Howard Ashman, who brought a Broadway formula that made the songs integral to the story. As a result, all but The Rescuers Down Under would earn nominations at the Academy Awards for music and songs. One film, Beauty and the Beast, would make history as the first animated movie to be nominated for Best Picture, while the success of Robin Williams‘ Genie in Aladdin would lead to the modern era of hiring celebrity voices for animated movies.

The Renaissance also saw major advancements in technology. Disney started using CGI with The Black Cauldron, but for this era, they would come up with new, revolutionary programs to make the films even more dynamic. Some of the best examples include the wildebeest stampede in The Lion King, done using a program that simulated and animated hundreds of independent models that avoided collision, and the Deep Canvas for Tarzan, which allowed artists to paint on 3D geometry, resulting in dynamic camera angles. Pixar also developed the CAPS system, allowing movies to be drawn and colored digitally.

Not all was great for Disney during this era. Ashman would tragically pass away from AIDS complications a few months shy of Beauty and the Beast’s release, and in 1994, Frank Wells died in a helicopter crash, leading to a falling out between Michael Eisner and Jeffrey Katzenberg. Katzenberg would leave to co-found DreamWorks, which, alongside Pixar, would become a major rival for Disney. Pocahontas also did not perform nearly as well as the company had hoped, and is remembered as one of Disney’s most questionable films due to the many changes it made to real history. And while the movies released after Pocahontas made money, they never reached the heights of the ones that came before. Nevertheless, the majority of the films from the Renaissance remain not just beloved by Disney fans, but iconic pillars of pop culture that are still referenced today. Only time will tell if Disney will ever have another era that equals it.