Waking Sleeping Beauty trailer

Clip description: Learn more about WAKING SLEEPING BEAUTY from producer Peter Schneider, director/producer Don Hahn, animator Randy cartwright, Composer Alan Menken, director Kirk Wise and director Rob Minkoff

more Waking Sleeping Beauty pics

Where do I even start when it comes to Disney movies? On one hand you have Pixar and all that John Lasseter has done to revitalize the company. On another limb, I’m going to say a foot, you have the concert/tween flicks like Hannah Montana, and anything that deserves to be banished to the realm of the television network they own. Then there are the cheesy knock offs of amusement park rides and terrible remakes. However, the redeeming genre is their crown: hand drawn animation.

The company was founded on the style, and a reemergence in the 90s of high quality stories (“Beauty and the Beast,” “The Lion King,” and “Aladdin”) helped to keep the art alive. However, the new millennium brought about a change to computer animation for the majority of their work. After a half-decade hiatus, Disney returns with another modern hand drawn classic in ‘The Princess and the Frog.’

I can’t even formulate how magical it is to see hand drawn animation again, and a stong story to back it up, makes “Frog” a great movie to go see. It isn’t an inventive story by any means, with a classic Disney structure. The ingenuity resides in the wonderful song, setting, and characters that refresh the Jazz Era setting. My favorite has to be the trumpet playing alligator named Louis. The styles of music also reflect the setting and character. The music all has a southern flavor with heavy African American influences, including jazz, soul, and hillbilly for the bayou characters.

The plot itself is a twist on “The Frog Princess” classic tale that all of us know. In this instance the princess, Tiana, turns into a frog when she kisses the bewitched frog prince, Naveen. She has to venture around Louisiana to find a witch doctor, Mama Odie. who can dispel the voodoo curse. Chasing them are the greedy characters of the prince’s manservant and the voodoo shadow man. They meet a variety of characters, including the alligator Louis and a whacky firefly.

I think this might be Disney’s most transcending film of the year. What the script achieves is a hybrid of stories Disney has already told. The best images from classics, such as wishing on a star, making dreams come true, talking animals, and princesses, all are warped here into a new twist of a story. Wishing upon a star is the most referenced part of this story, and I almost could imagine Jiminy Cricket singing his song to Tiana. Along with this, there is the theme of making dreams come true. Disney has changed that romantic and out of date saying into a theme for the modern audience: you can make your dreams come true with a little luck and a lot of work. Achieving your dreams isn’t a Disney fantasy in this film. It is about making a living for yourself and making them come true. I have to applaud Disney for maturing their themes to help kids not to be brats and love struck vampire tweens.

The voices actors are all top notch, except for the annoying one, but she’s allowed to be since the character Charlotte. Anika Noni Rose voices the lead, Tiana, and wow does she have an amazing voice. She sings every song as well; no skimping on actors who can’t sing. My favorite voice is John Goodman though, who plays Big Daddy La Bouff, just because it’s John Goodman.

As for the cultural impact of the film, it stands as Disney’s first African American princess movie. After all this time, and dancing around every other culture, Disney finally has caught up with the times. It is funny that Disney represented every other culture as a princess, Asian, Native American, and Middle Eastern, before they did an African American princess. Oh well, at least they did it right, and created an immersive world of beauty mixed with reality.  The songs all entertain, and hopefully might be up for Academy Awards, although it may be too late in the season to garner the nod. Be glad that it took in the top box office over the weekend, ensuring that Disney will dig deep to find other great stories to make with old-fashioned animation.

Grade: A-

Clip – Good food brings people together

James (voiced by Terrence Howard), Eudora (voiced by Oprah Winfrey) and young Tiana (Elizabeth M. Dampier) have some delicious gumbo in THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG.

Synopsis:

Walt Disney Animation Studios presents the musical THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG, an animated comedy that provides a modern twist on a classic tale, featuring a beautiful girl named Tiana, a frog prince who desperately wants to be human again, and a fateful kiss that leads them both on a hilarious adventure through the mystical bayous of Louisiana. – In Theaters December 11th, 2009.

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Directors Zemeckis, Burton to take part in first ever 3D Panel

* COMIC-CON’S FIRST EVER 3D PANEL — Veteran directors Robert Zemeckis and Tim Burton join TRON producers Sean Bailey and Steve Lisberger on Thurs., July 23 at 11 a.m. for an unprecedented presentation featuring behind-the-scenes filmmaker insights about the highly anticipated 3D adventures DISNEY’S A CHRISTMAS CAROL, ALICE IN WONDERLAND and TRON. In addition to Q&A opportunities with each of the filmmakers, the 90-minute panel will feature never-before-seen concept art, trailers, actual 3D film footage and other Comic-Con-only footage debuts. In a groundbreaking technical feat, this is the first time ever that 3D footage will be shown at Comic-Con. Patton Oswalt will moderate.

Animations Legends Miyazaki & Lasseter to Anchor Animation Panel

* ANIMATION PANEL — Animation legends Hayao Miyazaki and John Lasseter join veteran animation directors Lee Unkrich, Kirk Wise, Ron Clements and John Musker on Fri., July 24 at 12:45 p.m. for an animation panel which will highlight upcoming animated films, including Disney•Pixar’s TOY STORY/TOY STORY 2 double feature, Disney•Pixar’s TOY STORY 3 , Walt Disney Animation Studios’ BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, Walt Disney Animation Studios’ half-hour holiday TV special PREP & LANDING, Walt Disney Animation Studios’ THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG and Miyazaki’s PONYO. John Lasseter will host the panel and Patton Oswalt will moderate a group Q&A following the presentation, which will include filmmaker insights, trailers and select film sequences.

Disney to Showcase Key Titles
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PONYO

From the Academy Award®-winning director and world-renowned Japanese animation legend Hayao Miyazaki comes PONYO, a story inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale “The Little Mermaid.” Already a box-office success in Japan, the story of a young and overeager goldfish named Ponyo (voiced by NOAH CYRUS) and her quest to become human features an outstanding roster of voice talent, including CATE BLANCHETT, MATT DAMON, TINA FEY, FRANKIE JONAS, CLORIS LEACHMAN, LIAM NEESON, LILY TOMLIN and BETTY WHITE. PONYO opens in U.S. theaters on Aug. 14, 2009.

DISNEY’S A CHRISTMAS CAROL, a multi-sensory thrill ride re-envisioned by Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Robert Zemeckis, captures the fantastical essence of the classic Dickens tale in a groundbreaking 3D motion picture event. Ebenezer Scrooge (JIM CARREY) begins the Christmas holiday with his usual miserly contempt, barking at his faithful clerk (GARY OLDMAN) and his cheery nephew (COLIN FIRTH). But when the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come take him on an eye-opening journey revealing truths Old Scrooge is reluctant to face, he must open his heart to undo years of ill will before it’s too late. Opens in theaters nationwide on Nov. 6, 2009.

THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG

Walt Disney Animation Studios presents the musical THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG, an animated comedy set in the great city of New Orleans. From the creators of “The Little Mermaid” and “Aladdin” comes a modern twist on a classic tale, featuring a beautiful girl named Tiana (ANIKA NONI ROSE), a frog prince who desperately wants to be human again, and a fateful kiss that leads them both on a hilarious adventure through the mystical bayous of Louisiana. THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG marks the return to hand-drawn animation from the revered team of John Musker and Ron Clements, with music by Oscar®-winning composer Randy Newman. Opens on November 25, 2009 in NY and LA, and on December 11, 2009 nationwide.

PREP & LANDING
PREP & LANDING is ABC’s first television special produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. The half-hour holiday special reveals the never-before-told tale of an elite unit of Elves known as Prep & Landing. Every Christmas Eve, this high-tech organization ensures that homes around the world are properly prepared for a visit from the Big Guy (aka Santa Claus). After working tirelessly on Prep & Landing for 227 years, an elf named Wayne (voice of Dave Foley) is upset when he doesn’t receive an expected promotion to be the Director of Naughty List Intelligence. Instead, Magee (voice of Sarah Chalke), the North Pole Christmas Eve Command Center Coordinator (NPCECCC for short), partners Wayne with Lanny (voice of Derek Richardson), an idealistic rookie who has an undying enthusiasm for Christmas. During their Christmas Eve mission, Wayne and Lanny encounter unexpected challenges that push them to their limits.

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (In Disney Digital 3D™)

Walt Disney Pictures’ magical animated classic BEAUTY AND THE BEAST returns to the big screen in Disney Digital 3D™, introducing a whole new generation to the Disney classic with stunning new 3D imagery. Opening Feb. 12, 2010, the film captures the fantastic journey of Belle (voice of PAIGE O’HARA), a bright and beautiful young woman who’s taken prisoner by a hideous beast (voice of ROBBY BENSON) in his castle. Despite her precarious situation, Belle befriends the castle’s enchanted staff—a teapot, a candelabra and a mantel clock, among others—and ultimately learns to see beneath the Beast’s exterior to discover the heart and soul of a prince. Featuring unforgettable music by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken, and an enormously talented vocal ensemble, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST was the first—and only—animated feature to receive a Best Picture nomination from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

ALICE IN WONDERLAND (In Disney Digital 3D™)

From Walt Disney Pictures and visionary director Tim Burton comes an epic 3D fantasy adventure ALICE IN WONDERLAND, a magical and imaginative twist on some of the most beloved stories of all time. JOHNNY DEPP stars as the Mad Hatter and MIA WASIKOWSKA as 19-year-old Alice, who returns to the whimsical world she first encountered as a young girl, reuniting with her childhood friends: the White Rabbit, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, the Dormouse, the Caterpillar, the Cheshire Cat, and of course, the Mad Hatter. Alice embarks on a fantastical journey to find her true destiny and end the Red Queen’s reign of terror. The all-star cast also includes ANNE HATHAWAY, HELENA BONHAM CARTER and CRISPIN GLOVER; Linda Woolverton wrote the screenplay. Capturing the wonder of Lewis Carroll’s beloved “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” (1865) and “Through the Looking-Glass” (1871) with stunning, avant-garde visuals and the most charismatic characters in literary history, ALICE IN WONDERLAND comes to the big screen in Disney Digital 3D™ on March 5, 2010.

TOY STORY 3 (In Disney Digital 3D™)

The creators of the beloved “Toy Story” films re-open the toy box and bring moviegoers back to the delightful world of Woody, Buzz and our favorite gang of toy characters in TOY STORY 3. Lee Unkrich (co-director of “Toy Story 2” and “Finding Nemo”) directs this highly anticipated film, and Michael Arndt, the Academy Award®-winning screenwriter of “Little Miss Sunshine,” brings his unique talents and comedic sensibilities to the proceedings. TOY STORY 3 comes to theaters nationwide in Disney Digital 3D™ on June 18, 2010.

TRON (title not final) (In Disney Digital 3D™)

TRON is a 3D high-tech adventure set in a digital world that’s unlike anything ever captured on the big screen. Sam Flynn (GARRETT HEDLUND), the tech-savvy 27-year-old son of Kevin Flynn (JEFF BRIDGES), looks into his father’s disappearance and finds himself pulled into the same world of fierce programs and gladiatorial games where his father has been living for 25 years. Along with Kevin’s loyal confidant (OLIVIA WILDE), father and son embark on a life-and-death journey across a visually-stunning cyber universe that has become far more advanced and exceedingly dangerous.

“The Boys: The Sherman Brothers’ Story” is produced and directed by Gregory V. Sherman and Jeffrey C. Sherman. Executive producers are Stephen Buchsbaum, David Permut, Ben Stiller and Stuart Cornfeld. The film is edited by Rich Evirs. Director of photography is Richard Numeroff. Associate producers are Toni and Kenneth Liebman, and Randy and Valerie Lewis.

With such unforgettable songs as “Chim Chim Cher-ee” and “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” from “Mary Poppins,” “I Wanna Be Like You” from “The Jungle Book,” the score to “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,” and the most translated song ever written, “It’s a Small World (After All)” from the popular Disneyland attraction, to name just a few, brothers Bob Sherman and Dick Sherman celebrated family values and happy endings for generations of moviegoers.

Outside the public eye, however, the boys’ personal relationship with each other was less than harmonious.

Filmmakers Gregory V. Sherman and Jeffrey C. Sherman explore the brothers’ peripatetic childhoods, marriages, early careers and close personal and professional relationship with pioneering filmmaker and studio chief Walt Disney to create a unique portrait of these two extremely gifted but very different artists.

“The Boys: The Sherman Brothers’ Story” includes all-new interviews with such Hollywood luminaries as Julie Andrews, Roy E. Disney, Samuel Goldwyn, Jr., John Landis, Angela Lansbury, John Lasseter, Kenny Loggins, Alan Menken, Hayley Mills, Randy Newman, Robert Osborne, Debbie Reynolds, Stephen Schwartz, Ben Stiller, Dick Van Dyke and John Williams as well as a rare archival interview with Annette Funicello.

THE SHERMAN BROTHERS

Robert B. Sherman and Richard M. Sherman have been making the music that makes families happy for over 50 years. Their collaboration is one of the most prolific and honored musical partnerships in history, encompassing 50 motion pictures and resulting in a catalog of more than a thousand songs for television, records, theme parks and stage.

The sons of renowned songwriter Al Sherman, they bridged the gap between Tin Pan Alley and Top-Ten, reflecting the benchmarks of the music of their lifetime as they went, from their first hit song, “Tall Paul,” to their recent Broadway successes, “Mary Poppins” and “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.”

As the only songwriters ever to be put under contract by Walt Disney Studios, the Sherman Brothers created a unique sound that became synonymous with the Disney musical. Just some of their numerous film credits include “Mary Poppins,” “The Aristocats,” “Bedknobs and Broomsticks,” “The Jungle Book,” “The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh” and “The Parent Trap,” as well as such non-Disney titles as “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,” “Charlotte’s Web,” “Tom Sawyer,” and “Snoopy Come Home.” They also wrote the hit song “You’re Sixteen,” which twice hit Billboard’s Top 10; first in 1960 with Johnny Burnette, then in 1974 with Ringo Starr, when it went all the way to No. 1. Their song “It’s a Small World (After All)” debuted at the 1964 World’s Fair and is the most translated song on earth.

Among their many honors are two Academy Awards® (plus seven additional Oscar® nominations), the BMI Lifetime Achievement Award, a Grammy® and five Golden Globe® nominations. They are members of the Songwriters Hall of Fame and have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In a 2008 ceremony at the White House, the Sherman Brothers were awarded the National Medal of Arts, the highest honor the United States government bestows on artists.

Richard M. Sherman currently resides in Beverly Hills where he continues performing his music and writing new songs. Robert B. Sherman lives in London, where in addition to his ongoing collaboration with his brother, he has completed an autobiography and continues his life commitment to painting.

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION

Born and raised at the epicenter of the entertainment business, Gregory V. Sherman and Jeffrey C. Sherman, the producers and directors of “The Boys: The Sherman Brothers’ Story” grew up within blocks of each other in Beverly Hills. Even though their fathers are brothers and partners in a legendary musical collaboration, they never knew each other.

“There was a ‘keep out’ sign posted over that part of our lives,” says Gregg, an Emmy Award^®-winning producer and feature film writer who is the son of Richard M. Sherman. “My family would see his family at a Sherman Brothers event, but we would never be seated at the same table or near them in the theater. We would acknowledge that they existed, but we had no relationship with them.”

“It’s uncomfortable to go to a premiere and smile for the camera, and then walk to separate sides of the theater,” says Jeff, a writer, producer, director and com

poser for film and television and son of Robert B. Sherman. “I got dribs and drabs of the story as time went on, but we were all told ‘they have their life, we have our life and they shouldn’t cross.’ As adults, Gregg and I decided to break that tradition.”

The two finally connected in 2002 at the London premiere of “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,” the stage adaptation of one of their fathers’ most successful films. “It was the first time we ever really spoke,” says Jeff, “We talked for hours at the after-party. As we caught up with each other, we realized that most of what we had been told about our family was very different. It was like we were looking through two separate halves of a pair of binoculars focused on the same thing.”

Perhaps it was inevitable that the Hollywood-bred Sherman cousins would realize the enormous dramatic potential in the story of two brothers who created an unmatched musical legacy but destroyed their personal relationship in the process. “We both thought we could do a wonderful tribute to our fathers if we worked together,” says Gregg.

For both Jeff and Gregg, the first priority was to create a film that would connect their fathers to their vast body of work in the eyes of the public. “A lot of people outside the film industry don’t know who the Sherman Brothers are,” says Gregg. “They were never self-promoters; always behind-the-scenes guys. They never worked to connect their names to the music because they didn’t care about being famous.

“It wasn’t until I had my own kids that I realized that

this was an unparalleled body of work that was part not only of my childhood but also everybody else’s,” he says.

Some people, says Jeff, even believe that Walt Disney himself wrote some of the brothers’ most beloved songs. “There are people who are big fans of the Sherman Brothers and don’t even know it. Everybody knows the words to ‘It’s a Small World’ or ‘A Spoonful of Sugar.’ The volume and success of their films is really overwhelming. They’re timeless.”

In addition, the filmmakers wanted to debunk the myth that the Sherman Brothers wrote “kiddie songs.” “Kiddie songs are quickly forgotten,” says Gregg. “There is something about their melodies and lyrics that connects with people and takes them to a different place. They have the ability to write songs that resonate with people and stay with them forever. It’s a God given talent.”

The cousins decided to pitch a scripted film biography about their fathers that would follow both their triumphant professional and troubled private lives. “We interviewed our dads and got the story down, but we couldn’t sell it,” says Jeff. “Everybody knew their songs, but nobody really attached the Sherman Brothers to them.”

With a new stage adaptation of “Mary Poppins” coming to Broadway, Gregg and Jeff decided to record their fathers’ first meeting in several years. “That was the point at which we started thinking about doing a documentary,” says Jeff. “We thought it would be interesting to film

them coming from their hotel rooms to the theater and see what happened. At the premiere, we also interviewed our fathers and some of the people from Disney who were there.”

Eventually, they self-financed a short promo reel for the documentary. When they finished it, they showed it to Roy E. Disney and Tom Schumacher, president of Disney Theatrical Productions. “We knew we wanted to make this at Disney, because it is so much a part of their legacy,” says Jeff. “Roy and Tom urged Dick Cook, chairman of Walt Disney Studios, to take a look at it. After he saw it, Dick turned to Gregg and me and just said, ‘Let’s do this.’”

With Disney’s commitment to the film, the filmmakers had the financial backing they needed. The next hurdle was convincing their family members to participate. “When we initially talked about making a film, they were both thrilled,” says Jeff. “Even though my dad’s humble, anybody who goes public with their work would like to be appreciated for it.”

Jeff’s siblings also felt it was important to tell this story. “We all feel that they haven’t really gotten their due yet,” he says. “I hope this will be the beginning of getting them the recognition they deserve.”

The cousins knew they would need to approach the personal side of the story with caution. “We were aware there were some skeletons,” says Gregg. “But everybody in the Dick Sherman family was optimistic that this would be a lovely tribute film. They understood that Jeff and I wanted to connect the incredible body of music to the work they put into it.”

“The Boys: The Sherman Brothers’ Story” uses original interviews, archival footage and personal photographs to create an unusually full portrait of the songwriters’ lives. “There have been a lot of documentaries about creative people,” says Gregg. “In this case, we get to peek into the creative process. We have the footage of them working together.”

To talk to key people in their fathers’ network of friends and associates, the cousins logged thousands of miles traveling to London and New York for interviews. “Everybody wanted to speak,” says Jeff. “It was an amazing outpouring. One of the things we learned in talking to the many composers we interviewed is that it seems to be part of the job description that successful songwriting partners create friction.

“It was illuminating hearing about what my dad was like as a teenager from Samuel Goldwyn Jr.,” he continues. “I got to hear about him from ["Quantum of Solace" producer] Barbara Broccoli, who has known him since she was a little girl, and from screenwriter A.J. Carothers, who worked with them. The film paints a three-dimensional picture of who my father is and who my uncle is. It helped me understand what this rift was about, and to appreciate that their differences and the friction between them gave life to these beautiful songs.”

One of the singular delights of “The Boys: The Sherman Brothers’ Story” for both audiences and the filmmakers is the opportunity to revisit classic Sherman Brothers songs through the original recordings. “I began to appreciate how their songs worked within the film to tell part of the story,” says Jeff. “A true artist brings a lot of himself to the work. The music came from their hearts and reflected a part of their own stories. They really molded the movies, television shows and plays they did, and took part in the crafting of the story. With ‘Mary Poppins,’ they worked out the whole outline for the film before anything else was written.”

In addition to bringing to light the Sherman Brothers’ extraordinary musical legacy, Gregg admits the cousins had a second, more poignant reason for making the film. “My father and my uncle live 10,000 miles apart and we wanted to try and bring them closer together,” he says. “We were one for two.”

Still, he feels that “The Boys: The Sherman Brothers’ Story” has a message that many people will relate to. “There’s a certain level of dysfunction in most families,” he says. “Seeing the film has made people want to reconnect with estranged family members. If people can become more generous towards their family, that would be the true icing on the cake. We weren’t able to get my dad and uncle any closer together, but if others could reconnect with their family members, that would be very satisfying.

“Probably the most meaningful moment for me was when we interviewed Kenny Loggins,” Gregg adds. “He was extremely emotional during his interview. Then he asked to see the 20-minute work-in-progress we had put together. He watched it in silence on his laptop.

Then he turned to me and said, ‘I’m going to get my kids together with my brother’s kids.’ I just got chills. It’s the idea that the next generation shouldn’t suffer for the sins of the father.”

Delving into the painful personal aspects of the story was far more difficult than celebrating their fathers’ professional successes for the Shermans. “The challenge is they’re both still alive and active,” says Gregg. “We never intended to hurt anybody, so we had to be very delicate in how we handled some things.”

Gregg and Jeff came to the project with decades worth of knowledge of their family story, told from opposing viewpoints. “To make this film, we had to try and reconcile two very different points of view,” says Gregg. “It was not an easy process. Jeff and I ended up having bitter arguments over things that happened 40 years ago and which we were not involved in, but we had locked in on our dads’ points of view.”

“There were a lot of mysteries about their relationship,” Jeff concurs. “Not surprisingly, our biggest disagreements were about whose version of the story is correct. But we made an agreement at the beginning that there isn’t a bad guy in this story. They’re just different men. They’re our heroes and they always have been and they always will be.”

“Jeff and I are still mesmerized by how they were able to do it,” says Gregg. “It was tough enough for the two of us to work so closely together on this project for two years. They’re extraordinarily different personalities whose talent intersected in a way that created this voluminous catalog of songs. It’s admirable they were able to put aside their differences and do superlative work year after year. Think about collaborators like Lennon and McCartney or the Beach Boys who burned out after five to ten years. These guys have stayed together for going on six decades.”

Gregg and Jeff set out to create a sincere and truthful tribute to the men they both call their heroes. “As we see in the film, my father saw the darkest things imaginable during World War II,” says Jeff. “And yet, he came back and devoted his skills to making the world a better place. I’d just like people to know who he is.

“I hope audiences will be able to identify with them both as two very sensitive people who saw things in the world that needed to be addressed and made them better in their own way, which was communicating through songs,” he continues. “They share this inspiration that brings happiness and understanding to people. Their songs are about charity, loyalty, friendship and world harmony. They changed the world around them even though they couldn’t change their own world.