"Sleeping Beauty," one of the most spectacular, stylish, and unique films in the history of Disney animation, has undergone a total digital restoration of its picture and soundtrack in advance of the October 7th release of its 50th Anniversary Platinum Edition on Blu-ray Hi-Def and DVD, and will have an exclusive digital wide-screen engagement at Hollywood's legendary El Capitan Theatre from August 29th through September 18th.
Guests will experience a brand new state-of-the-art restoration that was created using high resolution digital scans of the original 50-year old Technirama 70 negative (over 7.5 miles long), and hear a new special 7.1 stereo mix made from the original multi-channel stereo music masters recorded in 1958. This special engagement of "Sleeping Beauty" will play from August 29th through September 18th.
Daily showtimes are 10 a.m., 12:15 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 4:45 p.m., 7 p.m., and 9:15 p.m. For added fun, a special character breakfast will take place daily before the 10 a.m. show with an advance ticket purchase required. Tickets are available at the El Capitan Theatre (6838 Hollywood Blvd.), on line at
www.elcapitantickets.com, or by calling 1-800-DISNEY6. Special group rates for parties of 20 or more are available by calling 1-818-845-3110.
To help celebrate the film's new restoration and the 50th Anniversary Blu-ray DVD release, a special opening night gala event will take place on Thursday, August 28th at 7:00 p.m.
Hosted by award-winning veteran Disney producer Don Hahn ("Beauty and the Beast," "
The Lion King"), the film will be preceded by a filmmakers' panel that includes Mary Costa (the enchanting voice of Princess Aurora), animator/Disney Legend Blaine Gibson, background artist Frank Armitage, acclaimed Hollywood journalist/author Bob Thomas (Walt Disney The Art of Animation), and renowned Disney Imagineer Tony Baxter.
Throughout the film's engagement, Disney's Soda Fountain and Studio Store (adjacent to the theatre) will be offering a delicious royal treat, "The Sleeping Beauty Sundae." Enjoy two scoops of vanilla ice cream awakened with pink and blue sprinkles, accompanied by a long stem chocolate rose. A sundae fit for any prince or princess!
Commenting on the announcement, Lylle Breier, senior vice president of worldwide special events for Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, said, "'Sleeping Beauty' stands apart from all the rest of the Disney classics because of its incredible illustrated look and wide-screen format, and this new digitally restored presentation at the El Capitan Theatre makes you appreciate the artistry and animation all the more. We are thrilled to be bringing this unique experience to our guests, and know that they will appreciate seeing and hearing the film in a new and improved way. 'Sleeping Beauty' has something for everyone including a beautiful princess, a wicked villain, a fantastic dragon fight, and some of the most wonderful music ever featured in an animated film. This is truly a rare opportunity to experience Walt Disney's animated classic in all its wide-screen epic grandeur."
Home viewers will also have a chance to experience this meticulously restored version of Walt Disney's "Sleeping Beauty," with the October 7th release of the 50th Anniversary Platinum Edition on Blu-ray Hi-Def and DVD. This represents the first Disney animated classic to be released in the Blu-ray format and launch of the Disney BD-Live network, and the special 2-disc release will include a bonus DVD of the movie in the same package along with other exclusive features. The DVD bonus material includes a fully immersive 3-D tour of the original Disneyland "Sleeping Beauty" walk-thru attraction (with commentary by Tony Baxter and other Imagineers), an all-new documentary ("Picture Perfect: The Making of 'Sleeping Beauty'), four deleted songs presented with original storyboard art, plus other programming (the Academy Award®-winning short "Grand Canyon;" plus the Disney TV show episodes of "The Peter Tchaikovsky Story" and "Four Artists Paint One Tree").
The Blu-ray bonus materials include an all-new Cine-Explore experience with full motion Picture-in Picture and commentary by
John Lasseter, Leonard Maltin, and Andreas Deja; the audio experience "Dragon Encounter;" "Maleficent's Challenge" (where the viewer goes head to head with one of Disney's most infamous villains), plus other featurettes along with access to the Disney BD-Live Network - which for the first time in history allows consumers to chat, stream video, play communal games, & more.
Originally released in 1959, "Sleeping Beauty" was the first animated feature to be conceived for and exhibited in the 70mm wide-screen format. This required special layout, planning, and additional animation to fill the screen, and to utilize the format to best effect. Based upon the Charles Perrault version of the classic fairy tale, Walt Disney enlisted artist Eyvind Earle to style and color the film and give it the look of a "moving illustration." Disney's expert team of animators, operating at the top of their game, created some of the most memorable characters and performances to tell their story.
The film recounts the tale of Princess Aurora, who is cursed at birth by the evil fairy Maleficent to die before the sun sets on her sixteenth birthday by pricking her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel. Despite the loving attempts of three good-but-bumbling fairies - Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather - the curse if fulfilled. With the entire kingdom placed into a protective deep slumber, Prince Phillip springs into action to battle Maleficent (who has taken on the form of an enormous fire-breathing dragon), and attempt to awaken the sleeping princess with true love's kiss. An Academy Award®-nominated orchestral score of the Tchaikovsky music adds to the excitement, along with such memorable songs as "I Wonder" and "Once Upon a Dream." Mary Costa, who went on to worldwide fame as an opera singer and entertainer, tops a vocal ensemble that includes Bill Shirley, Eleanor Audley, Verna Felton, Barbara Luddy, Barbara Jo Allen, and Candy Candido.
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