Though it might be hard for anyone under about 30 to contextualize, Disney was once in very real danger of losing its entertainment superpowers. You couldn't catch teenagers at animated films unless they were forced to go and the theme parks were essentially going the museum route, merely living off of past glories.
Waking Sleeping Beauty, a dizzying study of a tumultuous decade in the life of Disney animation investigates how the studio went from its sleepwalking nadir (
The Black Cauldron, 1985) to its joyous rebirth (
The Little Mermaid, 1989) and world domination (
The Lion King, 1994).
This story is the stuff of showbiz legend. The film has super-powered egos battling for control (Jeffrey Katzenberg vs. Michael Eisner) unassuming but formidable heirs to a family throne (Roy Disney) and it's peppered with cameos from showbiz giants (Tim Burton appears in his gangly youth as an intern!)...
