Waking Sleeping Beauty
| Waking Sleeping Beauty | |
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| Directed by | Don Hahn |
| Produced by | Don Hahn Peter Schneider |
| Written by | Patrick Pacheco |
| Narrated by | Don Hahn |
| Starring | Roy E. Disney Michael Eisner Jeffrey Katzenberg Randy Cartwright Howard Ashman |
| Music by | Chris P. Bacon |
| Editing by | Ellen Keneshea Vartan Nazarian John Damien Ryan |
| Studio | Stone Circle Pictures |
| Distributed by | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures |
| Release date(s) |
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| Running time | 85 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $84,918 |
Waking Sleeping Beauty is a 2009 American documentary film directed by Disney film producer Don Hahn and produced by Hahn and former Disney executive Peter Schneider. The film documents the history of Walt Disney Feature Animation from the making of The Fox and the Hound in 1980-81 to the release of The Lion King in 1994. The film covers the rise and fall of Disney's animation division, the effects the new corporate team of Michael Eisner, Frank Wells, and Jeffrey Katzenberg had on the division, the competition with Don Bluth's animation studio, the pivotal roles of Who Framed Roger Rabbit and the CAPS system, the introduction of the home video format, and the new-found success the studio had with the releases of The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King between 1989 and 1994, during the midst of the so-called Disney Renaissance.[1]
Unusual for a documentary film, Waking Sleeping Beauty uses no new on-camera interviews, instead relying primarily on archival interviews, press kit footage, in-progress and completed footage from the films being covered, and personal film/videos shot (often against company policy) by the employees of the animation studio.
Narration is done by Hahn, with new audio-only interviews done by several of the studio's principal figures, including executives Eisner, Katzenberg, and Roy E. Disney, and animator/directors Mike Gabriel, Rob Minkoff, Roger Allers, Gary Trousdale, and Kirk Wise. The footage includes filmmakers Tim Burton, John Lasseter, Don Bluth, Ron Clements, John Musker, Steven Spielberg, Robert Zemeckis, Richard Williams, and George Scribner, as well as Howard Ashman, Alan Menken, Jodi Benson, Robin Williams, Paige O'Hara, Jerry Orbach, Angela Lansbury, Jeremy Irons, Nathan Lane, Elton John, and Tim Rice. A significant portion of the personal film used was shot by and features Disney animator Randy Cartwright, which is used to bookend the film.[2]
Waking Sleeping Beauty debuted at the 2009 Telluride Film Festival,[3] and played at film festivals across the country before its limited theatrical release on March 26, 2010 by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.[4]
The film is dedicated to the memories of Howard Ashman, former Disney President and Chief Operating Officer Frank Wells, animator Joe Ranft, and Roy E. Disney.
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Reception [edit]
Reviews [edit]
Since its 2009 release, Waking Sleeping Beauty has received generally positive reviews from most critics. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes currently gives the film a "certified fresh" rating of 71% based on 49 reviews. The general consensus is, "[The film] doesn't probe as deep -- or tell as many hard truths -- as it could have, but Don Hahn's look at Disney's rebirth offers a fascinating and surprisingly candorous glimpse into the studio's past."[5] It earned a Special Achievement Award at the 2010 Annie Awards and a Best Documentary Feature nomination at the 2010 St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Awards.
References [edit]
- ^ Schneider and Hahn Talk Waking Sleeping Beauty. AWN. Retrieved 2010-12-02.
- ^ Jeffrey M. Anderson (2010-03-26). Interview: Don Hahn and Peter Schneider of 'Waking Sleeping Beauty'. Cinematical. Retrieved 2010-12-02.
- ^ Sciretta, Peter (2009-09-06). Movie Review: Waking Sleeping Beauty. /Film. Retrieved 2010-12-02.
- ^ (2010-03-04). 'Waking Sleeping Beauty' Gets Limited Theatrical Release, 3/26. BroadWayWorld.com. Retrieved 2010-12-02.
- ^ "Waking Sleeping Beauty - Rotten Tomatoes". Retrieved 4 April 2012.
See also [edit]
- Dream On Silly Dreamer, a 2005 documentary by Disney animators Dan Lund and Tony West on the rise and fall of traditional animation at Disney from 1980 through 2002.
External links [edit]
- Official website
- Waking Sleeping Beauty at the Internet Movie Database
- Waking Sleeping Beauty at Rotten Tomatoes
- Waking Sleeping Beauty at Metacritic
- Waking Sleeping Beauty at Box Office Mojo
