Waking Sleeping Beauty

WAKING SLEEPING BEAUTY
Running time: 86 minutes
Rating: PG
Release Date: March 26, 2010

Website: http://www.wakingsleepingbeautymovie.com
Trailer: http://www.apple.com/trailers/disney/wakingsleepingbeauty/

Geek's Thoughts:

If you are a student of Disney Animation or ever wondered about some of the personalities behind one of the most successful runs of animated films ever then this is a must see. Don Hahn has assembled a look behind the curtain of Disney Animation from 1984-1994. You are treated to first hand accounts by many of the key players at Disney during this era including Michael Eisner, Jeffrey Katzenberg and Roy Disney. You are also given a rare glimpse at life within the studio through home video shot by several of the animators and interviews with them. The film traces the lows (being beat at the Box Office by the Care Bears) to the highs of Beauty and the Beast and the Lion King.

If this sounds interesting to you I would recommend checking out the official website(http://www.wakingsleepingbeautymovie.com), they have several video clips to give you a taste of the film. I really enjoyed taking a trip back in time to learn more about a time period in Disney history that was amazing to watch from the outside and what looked to be just as amazing/intriguing on the inside. The other point this film makes is one that is easy to forget and that is how many people need to be firing at the top of their game to produce successful animated films. The film also shows the human toll of cranking out these films, the effect ramping up production had on the studio.

 
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Press Release:

“WAKING SLEEPING BEAUTY” DEBUTS IN THEATERS ON MARCH 26, 2010
NEW YORK, LOS ANGELES, SAN FRANCISCO AND CHICAGO

After a successful festival debut, Waking Sleeping Beauty will begin its theatrical run with limited releases in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and San Francisco on March 26, 2010. Directed by Don Hahn and produced by Peter Schneider and Don Hahn, Waking Sleeping Beauty was an Official Selection at the 2009 Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and winner of the Audience Award at the Hamptons International Film Festival.

Waking Sleeping Beauty is no fairy tale, as it chronicles the time from 1984 to 1994, when a perfect storm of people and circumstances changed the face of animation forever. It is a story of clashing egos, out-of-control budgets, escalating tensions... and one of the most extraordinary creative periods in animation history.

In New York, the film will open at the Landmark Sunshine. In Los Angeles, the film will open on two screens, at the AMC Century City and AMC Burbank. In Chicago, the film will open at the AMC River East, and in San Francisco at the Landmark Embarcadero—all on March 26, 2010.

Director Don Hahn (producer of Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King) and producer Peter Schneider (former chairman of the studio), key players at Walt Disney Studios feature animation department during the mid1980s, offer a behind-the-magic glimpse of the turbulent times the animation studio was going through and the staggering output of hits that followed over the next 10 years. Artists polarized between the hungry young innovators and the old guard who refused to relinquish control, mounting tensions due to a string of box-office flops, and warring studio leadership create the backdrop for this fascinating story told with a unique and candid perspective from those that were there. Through interviews, internal memos, home movies and a cast of characters featuring Michael Eisner, Jeffrey Katzenberg and Roy Disney, alongside an amazing array of talented artists that includes Steven Spielberg, Richard Williams, John Lasseter and Tim Burton, Waking Sleeping Beauty shines a light on Disney animation’s darkest hours, greatest joys and its improbable renaissance. Waking Sleeping Beauty is a Stone Circle Pictures/Red Shoes Production.

Waking Sleeping Beauty - One Sheet
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