Set at the turn of the 20th century, Newsies finds its roots in the actual Newsboys' Strike of 1899, which pitted united newsboys and newsgirls against fat cats Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst. The events of the strike play out here in musical form and follow Cowboy (Christian Bale) as he slings newspapers, mentors new kids into the trade, and demands buybacks of unsold papers. Released during the mega-successes of Disney animated musicals, this live-action musical, also with Alan Menken songs, bombed. Newsies found a cult following and a second life as a popular Broadway musical making the source material an interesting revisit.