Review of Waking Sleeping Beauty (2009) by Ryan O — 07 Jan 2011

Walt Disney and the company/brand he created seems to have been on top as long as we can remember and is synonomous with excellence.

However, this incredibly in-depth look at the down years of the Disney organization (from Walt's death in 1966 through the early 80's) shows how an influx of creative and leadership talent (from new animators to executives like Michael Eisner, Frank Wells and Jeffrey Katzenberg) saved the organization and put them back firmly on top (where they still remain).

The key was getting back to what originally put Disney on the map --- great animated stories. The influence of the late, great Howard Ashman who along with Alan Menken, were the musical inspirations behind "Beauty and the Beast", "The Little Mermaid" and "Aladdin" is evident here and his loss is still felt.

It is unfortunate that, whenever egos and creativity get together, there are often battles --- and these political fights are also detailed in this film that covers the years 1984 - 94. For any fan of Disney and I urge anyone who picks up the DVD to check out the terrific extras!