Fastpass to History ~ Waking Sleeping Beauty
Welcome Fastpass to History Blog Hoppers!
Today I had the pleasure of watching "Waking Sleeping Beauty" a beautiful, fascinating film following the evolution of Disney Animation from the uncertainty of 1984 through it's own happily ever after, the animation renaissance of the early nineties.
A historical look back through press releases, archival footage and even home videos by the animators themselves, this hodgepodge approach by director Don Hahn (better known as the producer of Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King) supports the theme of dissonance in the growing power struggle between (then CEO) Michael Eisner, Jeffery Katzenberg (brought in as chairman of the Walt Disney Studios) and Roy E Disney (nephew of Walt Disney and son of Roy O. Disney and then vice chairman of the board and head of the animation department).
All three of these power players express their views in historical footage as well as more recently taped interviews and it feels relatively even handed and fair in expressing each of their individual points of view without resorting to casting one as a villain. The film also features a number of wonderful historical glimpses at the behind the scenes experience of Tim Burton, John Lasseter, Don Bluth, Alan Menken, Howard Ashman and many, many others.
As it describes itself:
Crammed full of historical whozits and whatzits aplenty, this eighty-six minute documentary is not to be missed. Little gems sparkle throughout like in the seven dwarves diamond mine. These moments include first hand accounts of the animators and ink and paint departments getting kicked out of the Burbank studios while the animators try to unwind under immense studio pressure to earn high marks. "Part of Your World" almost never left the cutting room floor due to pacing problems in the early part of The Little Mermaid. The early version of Beauty and the Beast getting entirely scrapped and reworked from scratch and later the rough animation premiering at the New York Film Festival to standing ovation. The best and brightest animators sent to work on Pocahontas which they presumed to be a early American Romeo and Juliet and clear runaway hit while The Lion King sat to the side almost an after thought in the studio. The one week spot is that, like much of real history, it seems to trail off, leaving me wanting more. I think that I almost need to watch The Pixar Story to round out the rest of the history.
I would say that this is compulsory viewing for any Disney fan. Especially those who are children of the eighties. Now if you don't mind, I feel the immense urge to go pop some popcorn and pull out my 2002 DVD of Beauty and the Beast and review the "Work in Progress" version.
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| Photo courtesy of Wikipedia |
A historical look back through press releases, archival footage and even home videos by the animators themselves, this hodgepodge approach by director Don Hahn (better known as the producer of Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King) supports the theme of dissonance in the growing power struggle between (then CEO) Michael Eisner, Jeffery Katzenberg (brought in as chairman of the Walt Disney Studios) and Roy E Disney (nephew of Walt Disney and son of Roy O. Disney and then vice chairman of the board and head of the animation department).
All three of these power players express their views in historical footage as well as more recently taped interviews and it feels relatively even handed and fair in expressing each of their individual points of view without resorting to casting one as a villain. The film also features a number of wonderful historical glimpses at the behind the scenes experience of Tim Burton, John Lasseter, Don Bluth, Alan Menken, Howard Ashman and many, many others.
As it describes itself:
By the mid-1980s, the fabled animation studios of Walt Disney had fallen on hard times. The artists were polarized between newcomers hungry to innovate and old timers not yet ready to relinquish control. These conditions produced a series of box-office flops and pessimistic forecasts: maybe the best days of animation were over. Maybe the public didn't care. Only a miracle or a magic spell could produce a happy ending. Waking Sleeping Beauty is no fairy tale. It's the true story of how Disney regained its magic with a staggering output of hits - "Little Mermaid," "Beauty and the Beast ," "Aladdin," "The Lion King," and more - over a 10-year period.
Crammed full of historical whozits and whatzits aplenty, this eighty-six minute documentary is not to be missed. Little gems sparkle throughout like in the seven dwarves diamond mine. These moments include first hand accounts of the animators and ink and paint departments getting kicked out of the Burbank studios while the animators try to unwind under immense studio pressure to earn high marks. "Part of Your World" almost never left the cutting room floor due to pacing problems in the early part of The Little Mermaid. The early version of Beauty and the Beast getting entirely scrapped and reworked from scratch and later the rough animation premiering at the New York Film Festival to standing ovation. The best and brightest animators sent to work on Pocahontas which they presumed to be a early American Romeo and Juliet and clear runaway hit while The Lion King sat to the side almost an after thought in the studio. The one week spot is that, like much of real history, it seems to trail off, leaving me wanting more. I think that I almost need to watch The Pixar Story to round out the rest of the history.
I would say that this is compulsory viewing for any Disney fan. Especially those who are children of the eighties. Now if you don't mind, I feel the immense urge to go pop some popcorn and pull out my 2002 DVD of Beauty and the Beast and review the "Work in Progress" version.
Ooh this sounds fascinating! Where did you find it?
ReplyDeleteOur library had a copy. I had requested it forever ago, but it only came in last week.
DeleteI loved this film!! I do agree...it did leave me wanting more. I guess I need to watch The Pixar Story now. :-) Thanks for linking up!
ReplyDelete