Time is truly a flat circle. 30 years of cinematic evolution and live-action remakes of kids’ cartoons are still dominating movie theaters. However, those three decades between Casper and Lilo & Stitch also signify a drastic shift between how these kinds of titles operate.

Once upon a time, Disney actually knew the difference: their oeuvre set the standard for a new breed of “four-quadrant” storytelling, parsing out tough themes with a heady mix of charm and movie magic.