Waking Sleeping Beauty

[Escapay]

Plus, I don't like the fact that it wasn't released on Blu this time around.

Most everything in the documentary is from SD sources of various quality: home movies (the stuff from 1980 is near-unwatchable if you had no idea what was going on), news and TV programs (some of which are not from the original source but videotaped from a television broadcast), VHS trailers, etc. The "60 Minutes" interview with Michael Eisner, for example, didn't come from CBS News' master copy, but from Eisner's own VHS copy when it was broadcast more than 20 years ago. Most of this didn't look too good in theatres (just like a television screen blown up), and wouldn't look too good on Blu-Ray either, even with upconversion.

The only portions of the documentary that would benefit from Blu-Ray would be the clips from the animated films, the HD scans of some of the caricatures drawn for the film (or drawn over the years), and a bit of various b-roll footage that was shot. IIRC, when Howard Ashman passed away, they simply have a lingering shot of a hospital corridor and text talking about it.

Don Hanh's press release of this DVD is quite misleading. It mentions "over 80 minutes of bonus material"

Early listings of the special features also included 3 webisodes and a gallery, neither of which ended up on the final product, but could have been what made the bonus material over 80 minutes long (commentary excluded). Altogether, the video-based extras that *are* on the disc make up 77 minutes of material, and combined with the audio commentary, that's still 163 minutes of bonus material.

albert

[Super Aurora]

Watched it last night. It was really damn good. Although most of overall talk of the issue I already knew but there were some neat info I did like. It could of went more in-depth even further.


I've yet to go watch the bonus stuff. I did lol'd at young Tim Burton. Look like such a recluse and anti-social person. lol

[brownie]

I'm so excited to watch this! I asked for it as a Christmas present, so I'll wait until then to see if I have to buy/rent it myself.

[sdswanso3092]

Anyone know the name of the song that plays over the Waking Sleeping Beauty menu? I think it's beautiful, but have never been able to figure out what it is.

[SWillie!]

I would actually really like to know this as well. I remember really liking it.

[Magic.Mirror]

actually i was watching it today

if someone could help me to find that Someday my Prince will Come piano music at the titles when it begins

[rb_canadian181]

If it's an official recording on a CD somewhere, the Shazam app might be able to pick it up

[MeerkatKombat]

I know I'm bumping. Sorry! You are the only people who might actually listen to, or rather read, my Disney talk

Finally got around to watching this. I haven't enjoyed a documentary so much for a long time. I was surprised at how honest it seemed to be. I was thinking the whole time - I would have loved to have worked at Disney at that time period. If only I could draw! Despite the evident tension between some major parties at the company, the whole operation at Disney animation must have worked well and we got some amazing classic films out of it. Immediately imported the dvd from the US and will watch it again when it arrives.

I also bought Dream on Silly Dreamer on itunes. Whilst this wasn't as good as Waking Sleeping Beauty, it was very nice to hear from animators. When they were discussing leaving the animation studio it was really sad. Seeing those animators desk abandoned was heartbreaking. It was obvious they all really loved their job. This documentary could have benefited from being longer in my opinion. It seemed to rush through things very quickly and didn't give the viewer enough time to process it. I loved how it talked about the crappy sequels and the slimming down of the animation studio. I would love for someone to make an in-depth documentary about the downfall and death of 2D animation at Disney and the Eisner era.

[Sotiris]

The film's editor, Ellen Keneasha, talks about her experience on the documentary.

She edited Waking Sleeping Beauty, a film about Disney Animation during the era she was there. “I’m the third editor on the film so when I came on, Don [Hahn] had a structure that he wanted already. What I did was go in and finesse things and make some cuts… What I found was the most difficult thing was you want to stay true to the facts that were and sometimes it's more dramatic if you don’t do that, so we had to be very careful… There’s a place in the film where they brought the lions in for the artists to draw and you hear a woman say ‘Everyone stay behind the line, we don’t want you to get too close.’ And then Jeffrey [Katzenburg] came in, so I put her line over him entering and that didn’t really happen, but it’s true to the essence of who he was… We actually screened the film for Michael Eisner and he said to Don, “You’re making it seem like I didn’t care about what was going on and I did.” And he said ‘You’re right” and we changed it.”

Bob Iger requested an edit on Waking Sleeping Beauty. “One of the funny things was we had a lot of caricatures of Roy Disney because Roy was there and at the time, Roy was a chain smoker,” Ellen shared about her original edit for the film. “He did quit, but in all of those characters you see he’s got a cigarette and when Bob Iger saw the movie, he said you can keep the caricatures but you’ve gotta get rid of the cigarettes.” Prior to the film’s release, Bob Iger implemented a company-wide policy banning smoking from new films.

Source: https://www.laughingplace.com/w/article ... ter-hours/

[Farerb]

What's up with "Coreman"?!? It's Corman.

[Escapay]

The film's editor, Ellen Keneasha, talks about her experience on the documentary.

She edited Waking Sleeping Beauty, a film about Disney Animation during the era she was there. “I’m the third editor on the film so when I came on, Don [Hahn] had a structure that he wanted already. What I did was go in and finesse things and make some cuts… What I found was the most difficult thing was you want to stay true to the facts that were and sometimes it's more dramatic if you don’t do that, so we had to be very careful… There’s a place in the film where they brought the lions in for the artists to draw and you hear a woman say ‘Everyone stay behind the line, we don’t want you to get too close.’ And then Jeffrey [Katzenburg] came in, so I put her line over him entering and that didn’t really happen, but it’s true to the essence of who he was… We actually screened the film for Michael Eisner and he said to Don, “You’re making it seem like I didn’t care about what was going on and I did.” And he said ‘You’re right” and we changed it.”

Bob Iger requested an edit on Waking Sleeping Beauty. “One of the funny things was we had a lot of caricatures of Roy Disney because Roy was there and at the time, Roy was a chain smoker,” Ellen shared about her original edit for the film. “He did quit, but in all of those characters you see he’s got a cigarette and when Bob Iger saw the movie, he said you can keep the caricatures but you’ve gotta get rid of the cigarettes.” Prior to the film’s release, Bob Iger implemented a company-wide policy banning smoking from new films.

Source: https://www.laughingplace.com/w/article ... ter-hours/

What a great article. I've only had the chance to be in the audience for a couple of the Happily Ever After Hours streams, but they always provide a wealth of information, whether it be stuff already known or newly-revealed backstage stories. Unsurprised to hear that Meet the Robinsons was considered a low-budget B-picture, but I still love it.

Alby