 Many at Disney had high hopes for the movie upon initial release.  Then studio head Jeffrey Katzenberg (qv) regarded it as a more  prestigious project than _Lion King, The (1994)_ (qv), and even  believed that it had a chance of earning an Academy Award nomination  for "Best Picture", following in the steps of  _Beauty and the Beast (1991)_ (qv). However, the movie was less  successful commercially than was hoped. Because the film dealt with  more adult themes and tones, it did not appeal to younger children  as much as earlier Disney hits had.