My wife and I are deep in the middle of the Wisconsin Film Fest and just got back from a viewing of Waking Sleeping Beauty, a documentary about the later hay-days of Disney animation. This particular film was high on her list, and I was pleasantly surprised at what an entertaining show it was. Producer (and long time Disney exec) Peter Schneider was on hand to answer questions, and I feel the movie really accomplished his goal of “humanizing” the Disney company.
While I’d wholeheartedly recommend the show, there was one thing about it that I feel is likely to be ignored by many: the only way a movie of this sort, rich with Disney animation clips, could ever be made was through official channels. There is no way that an unofficial documentarian could ever secure the copyright permission the volume of material that Schneider and Hahn were able to use–especially from a company like Disney. It’s an unfortunate sour note that, to me, colors the experience of an otherwise great movie.