Reaction to "Waking Sleeping Beauty"

"Waking Sleeping Beauty" was everything I expected and more. I am always impressed, if not blown away by everything that Disney creates, but this offered a very different side to the story. What the audience doesn't know is what it takes to create the magic that appears on the screens. The average viewer is more interested in singing along with the catchy tunes and wondering what obstacles the protagonist will soon face.

In this case we saw the obstacles of everyone who worked for Disney, from the animators to the CEO. It was amazing to see how the drawers and animators would create the magic by starting with pictures moving, and the transition to digitized animation. We also were given behind the scenes insight of the production of certain movies such as, my personal favorites, "The Little Mermaid" and "Aladdin".

Seeing the progression of Disney was eye opening. I was born during the Disney Renaissance, when they created ten movies that were all huge hits. From my perspective, Disney was always coming out with the latest and greatest movies. I could hardly fathom a time where Disney struggled to capture the hearts of the audience. Luckily, even though they experienced minor setbacks, the success of Disney prevailed, and Walt Disney would definitely be very proud of what he created almost a hundred years ago.

Waking Sleeping Beauty

BY: SABRINA CASERTA 

I found the documentary, “Waking Sleeping Beauty,” particularly entertaining. As a child, I remember my eyes glued to the screen when my mom would pop a Disney feature film into our VCR. I knew every word, every song, and every scene by heart. In fact, there was a solid 6-month period when I was 3 years old where I would only respond to the name of my favorite Disney princess, Jasmine. It’s safe to say Disney has a very special place in my childhood, as it likely does for most 90s kids- the decade where Disney animation experienced a renaissance.

            Despite the overwhelming wave of nostalgia I feel when the Little Mermaid soundtrack plays, I had never knew the story behind Disney and I had never imagined the animators behind my beloved princes and princesses.

This documentary provided a behind the scenes look at the rise and fall of animation. I found myself much more entertained than I had originally thought. The entire creative process for a film was fascinating and extremely involved. I felt this film portrayed Disney pretty honestly, I wouldn’t attach the word ‘objective’ to this documentary because it really only showed Disney from one side, and that was from inside the Disney studios. I did appreciate the fact that they didn’t sugarcoat their struggles, both with animation and even within their own business model. Like any other major corporation, greed overtook all else and the vying for the spotlight was their ultimate downfall. I can’t even imagine how many films they must have been cranking out at their peak.

However, I did really enjoy getting to know the few main Disney executives that they tracked the animation story through. You could tell that some were truly in love with the craft and I appreciated seeing that. The entire film I couldn’t help but think of all the criticism Disney films have endured regarding undertones of racism, sexism and subliminal messages of propaganda. I wonder what the animators think of that.

            Perhaps it should be noted that I’ve been listening to Disney soundtracks throughout the duration of this blog post.

"Waking Sleeping Beauty" Response

Watching the film "Waking Sleeping Beauty" was incredibly entertaining.  Not only because it was about Disney and how they makes their animation films, which were a staple for a lot of us as children, but also because the filmmakers made the film fun and easy to follow.  Although it showed many of the bad times that Disney went through, it also showed the good times.  It really opened my eyes on how animation films were made back in the 80's and 90's.  It was a real craft to sit down for hours with nothing but pencils, paper and paint, and make wonderful, exciting and creative characters jump off the paper and inspire thousands of people.   I personally enjoyed watching the film because it showcased many of my favorite Disney films and brought back fond childhood memories.  To learn more about the struggles and tribulations that the company went through, as well as showing the basic framework about how the company works, really intrigued me.
Although I was meant to stay objective about the film, the fact that it was about Disney made it much more difficult to lok at it from an unbiased perspective.  Thinking about it now, I can't really see anything that was talked about in the film to be anything but true.  They talked about the rough situations that the animators and the executives went through, as well as the triumphs with the success of "The Little Mermaid" and "Beauty and the Beast."  The film was short enough to not bore, yet long enough to divulge the information about what happened between those ten years.

Waking Sleeping Beauty Reaction

Watching Waking Sleeping Beauty really opened my eyes to how much effort goes into making an animated movie, especially in the late 80's and early 90's before all of the advanced computer generated technology we have today was available.

The hours were endless and the workers were relentless.  The artists worked their hands to the bone every day to seemingly just stay in the business.  I was very surprised by was how competitive of an environment it was in the animation studios.  All of the writers really had to fight and try to push their ideas for movies through or else they would just be replaced.  It was a constant battle to stay relevant.  Also there seemed to be a power struggle, which is never surprising in such a large corporation, but the happy connotation that always is Disney is always accompanied with often makes it easy to forget that it still is a business.

I also was never awake of just how close Disney was to really giving up on animated movies.  From a business standpoint the production of animated movies in the late 80's was dragging Disney under but Roy disney would not abandon what gave Disney its name and I really respect the appreciation of tradition that exists within Disney.

Finally, as a child I never realized or appreciated that I was essentially growing up in the golden age of Disney Animation and seeing this documentary made me realize I was pretty lucky to be growing up and watching this unfold in front of my eyes.  It was a revolutionary period for animation and it's cool to see that people of my generation grew with all of these technological advancements.

-Brad Fagan

Waking Sleeping Beauty

       Before viewing Waking Sleeping Beauty  I had little to no idea what went into the production of creating an animated film. Of course the idea that everything had to be drawn was in my mind but to see how the process really took place was eye opening.
       Endless hours creating characters and making movement with just a pencil and paper. The little post-it note flip books of my childhood was how they made an entire film. The repetitive nature of the business shocked me. There are so many elements that go into making a film however it seems there are more ramifications of small changes when animating. For example, at one point an animator was holding a stack of his drawings that were thrown out and he said if a writer changes just a few lines in the script then he’s back on the drawing board recreating the action from scratch. This is one of the moments in the film that stayed with me. Not only does the entire Disney staff have to be a cohesive team to finish a film, they all have to be on the same page to get it done on time and budget because one small change of an idea can affect the entire production. Personally, it would be hard for me to work so hard on something and never have it be turned into something magically but the animators at Disney are experiencing that regularly. 

       Like many companies Disney experienced friction between its staff and those in charge. Before seeing this film it would be hard to image the happiest place on earth was created out of arguments and unsettled feelings. However, exposing the tension among the crew illustrates that Disney, although magically, has been created like anything else we experience, with disagreements and late nights of hard work. This film portrayed Disney in a truthful way that it was just like any other company. If what they portrayed is the truth or not, that is another question. 

My response to "Waking Sleeping Beauty"

While watching tonight's film I tried to be as unbiased as possible. My job was to evaluate the documentary and determine if the truth was being told and the creators were objective. I probably would have had an easier time doing that if the documentary wasn't about Disney. Disney defined the films of my childhood. I have a long list of favorites that I would happily sit down and watch even at 20 years old. I've always loved their work, even films like "The "Black Cauldron" Which was apparently a flop. After watching the film I came to the conclusion that much of what was divulged in the documentary could be confirmed. Working conditions and a time line of events for the company are hard to fabricate. As for the personal views of the people that were interviewed...I can say they sounded honest. Obviously no two people tell the same exact story about an event. How they perceived it and remember it will differ from other people's views. If something was described in an untruthful fashion I would like to think that it was accidental. The interspersed narration did sound scripted, but that doesn't mean it was untruthful. Seeing how so many great films were made was special to me. I've always been interested in film making and getting to see the production of films I know well is always great. I certainly have more respect for animators who worked before the industry became computerized. I would like to watch the documentary again to see if I have an easier time determining what was truthful and what wasn't. I feel that my own bias towards Disney could have impacted what I felt about the film. I would also like to see what working at Disney Animation is like today. It has to have changed a lot from a technology and production perspective.

What is this Course on Documentary Film About?

The Documentary Film: 

Through a historical survey of documentary and ethnographic film, this course explores documentary theory, aesthetics, and ethics. Topics include early cinema, World War II propaganda, cinema verité, radical documentary, the essay film, counter-ethnographies, and contemporary mixed forms such as documentary films as journalism, anthropology, biography, historical restoration and personal statement. Students will gain an understanding of cinema theory and its language.