Waking Sleeping Beauty

Waking Sleeping Beauty chronicles the transition in Disney animation from a low point in the mid-1980s—when the box-office debacle The Black Cauldron (1985) led some to assume that animation (the heart and soul of Walt's kingdom) was a dying art form and live-action films and theme parks became the company's primary focus—through the decade that followed, when a near-miraculous burst of corporate leadership and artistic genius spawned The Little Mermaid and a string of modern classics. Director and narrator Don Hahn (a producer on Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King, among others), tells the amazing story of this incredibly fertile period through priceless home movies, production footage, film clips, in-house video, and interviews with key animators and executives, including Michael Eisner, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Roy E. Disney, and John Lasseter. Corporate politics and personal rivalries eventually flared up in the wake of the tragic death of peacemaking studio chief Frank Wells, threatening to doom this renaissance period that was hailed as Disney's Second Golden Age, but the tide turned thanks to the sheer talent and dedication of the artists (look for a gloomy Tim Burton hunched over his desk) and the true believers in the executive suites. DVD extras include deleted scenes, a featurette on the studio's history, profiles of pivotal figures, behind-the-scenes studio tours, and a comparison between Disney Studios' two stellar eras. Lively, candid, and surprisingly moving, this engaging and informative documentary is highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (D. Liebenson)