Sleeping Beauty was the sixteenth film in Walt Disney’s canon, following Lady and The Tramp and preceding One Hundred and One Dalmatians. It was the last feature to be based upon a fairy tale, written by Charles Perrault. Indeed, Disney Studios would not return to a fairy tale again until the 1989 release of The Little Mermaid. Moreover, this was the last feature to use hand-inked cells.

The film was controlled by Walt Disney himself, though he charged the direction of the feature to his trusted animators Les Clark, Eric Larson, and Wolfgang Reitherman. The three animators, as well as six other colleagues, were known jointly as “The Nine Old Men.” The Nine Old Men were the key animators who had worked with Walt beginning with Snow White and ending with The Rescuers. The film’s score was performed by the Berlin Symphony Orchestra, based on the 1890 Sleeping Beauty ballet composed by Pytor Tchaikovsky.

Production of Sleeping Beauty stretched nearly the entire decade of the 1950s. According to Wikipedia, the story was rewritten through 1951, the actor’s voices were recorded in 1952, the actual animation spanned from 1953 to 1958, and the stereophonic score was recorded in 1957. Walt Disney wanted the look of the film to mimic medieval art. This marked a decided break from the characteristically rounded and fluid animation style Disney had become famous for. Since the feature would be screened via the Super Technirama 70 format, Disney was keen on making Sleeping Beauty as complex and detailed as possible. The Super Technirama 70 format was a process that optically enlarged 35mm film stock to a 70mm print. The Black Cauldron is the only other Disney film to have been presented Super Technirama 70.

Disney charged Eyvind Earle, a background painter and artist, with the production design of the film. Earle was granted a great deal of freedom to push the boundaries. His opulent backgrounds often took seven to ten days to paint, whereas an average background painting took only one day to prepare. Earle’s artistic latitude was not popular among the animators as they had previously enjoyed a great deal of input with regards to their respective characters and background settings. Disney’s confidence in Earle was directly related to his winning an Academy Award for a Disney released short in 1953 entitled Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom.

Following its release, Sleeping Beauty only earned half of its $6 million budget. This deficit nearly bankrupted the Disney studio. The film was initially criticized for its pacing and alleged shallow character development. Many believed the drastic new look alienated a number of Disney fans. It has subsequently come to be hailed as a classic, most notably for its lush backgrounds, widescreen format, and stirring soundtrack.

The creation of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs began sometime in early 1934. This was Walt Disney’s first effort at producing an animated feature. To this point, Disney had successfully produced a series of animated shorts entitled The Alice Comedies as well as Mickey Mouse and Silly Symphonies.

This was a risk for Disney as no one had ever attempted such a feat. He had estimated the cost of production at a staggering $250,000. This was approximately ten times the cost of an average animated short. Indeed, Disney had to mortgage his home, while knocking on every studio door in Hollywood. When all was said and done, by 1937, Disney had managed to raise the massive sum of $1.5 million! The production stretched three years, wherein Disney pioneered a plethora of techniques that would come to be industry standards. Among these techniques was the use of rotoscope animation, which allowed live-action actors to be overlaid with animation cells, creating the fantasy of realistic movement. Additionally, Disney pioneered vivid effects animation and the use of the multi-plane camera, which allowed him to make and film groundbreaking three-dimensional scenes.

When it came to the dwarves, Disney had always wanted Grumpy. He asked his animators to pool together about fifty different names and personalities for the dwarves. Among the abandoned names were such standouts as Blabby, Shifty, Awful, Biggy, Burpy, Cranky, Daffy, Dippy, Helpful, Lazy, Puffy, Scrappy, Silly, Sleazy, Tearful, Tipsy, Tubby, Weepy, and Woeful. The seven that were finally created, were, of course, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, Bashful, Sneezy, Dopey, and Doc.

Besides the animation and loveable characters, it was the music of Snow White that enthralled the audience. The music was composed by Frank Churchill, Larry Morey, and Paul J. Smith and included such classics as “Heigh-Ho,” “Some Day My Prince Will Come,” and “Whistle While You Work.” The soundtrack was in such demand, that it was released along with the theatrical release. Indeed, Snow White is the first film in history to have a separate soundtrack released.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs premiered at the Carthay Circle Theater in Los Angeles on December 21, 1937. The premiere was met with a standing ovation from such luminous luminaries as Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Judy Garland, Carole Lombard, John Barrymore, and Marlene Dietrich. It was hailed as a daring new step in not only animation, but filmmaking in general. It was the top earning film of 1938. In fact, it is still one of the highest grossing films in history, adjusting for inflation. It was a resounding victory for Walt Disney, both creatively and monetarily. The proceeds from Snow White would see Disney Studios relocate from Silver Lake, a suburb of Los Angeles to Burbank. Moreover, it would deservingly earn Disney an honorary Academy Award for “significant screen innovation.

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