Disneyland Prepares to Open Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough
Sleeping Beauty herself, Princess Aurora, is pictured at Sleeping Beauty Castle
at Disneyland
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(July 17, 2008) The interior of Sleeping Beauty
Castle at Disneyland will open in time for the December holiday season, offering
guests a �reawakened� version of its classic walkthrough presentation kissed
with vibrant scenes of Aurora, her charming prince, the evil Maleficent and
other characters from the beloved fairy tale film.
�It is fitting that we are announcing the return of a classic on the 53rd
anniversary of Disneyland,� said Tony Baxter, Senior Vice President of Creative
Development for Walt Disney Imagineering, who unveiled a model of the castle on
July 17, the birthday of Disneyland park.
Next year marks the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney�s �Sleeping Beauty,� and the
excitement generated by the anniversary of the motion picture spurred interest
in the return of the Disneyland attraction.
Sleeping Beauty awaits true love's kiss in original artwork created in 1957 for
the Sleeping Beauty Castle walkthrough by Disney artist Eyvind Earle. A new
walkthrough, inspired by Earle's original designs, will open in Sleeping Beauty
Castle at Disneyland in time for the December holidays.
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Also celebrating the milestone 50th
Anniversary of �Sleeping Beauty� is Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment,
which will release a two-disc Platinum Blu-ray� Hi-Def disc, making �Sleeping
Beauty� the first Walt Disney animated classic title to be released in high
definition, as well as on two-disc Platinum DVD. A bonus feature on the new
release will be �The Original Sleeping Beauty Walk-Through Attraction With Walt
Disney Imagineering,� an immersive experience recreating the original castle
walkthrough.
On April 29, 1957, nearly two years before the premiere of Walt Disney�s
animated feature �Sleeping Beauty,� the Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough
opened with an in-park ceremony featuring Walt Disney and actress Shirley Temple
who, some 20 years earlier, had presented Disney with his special Academy Award
� one Oscar and seven little ones � for �Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.�
The crafting of the 1957 walkthrough show fell to Walt Disney Imagineer Ken
Anderson and animation art director and color stylist Eyvind Earle, credited
with giving the motion picture �Sleeping Beauty� the distinctive and colorful
look of storybook illustrations in medieval style. An entirely new look appeared
in 1977 when the attraction�s redesign featured miniature dioramas, including
moving figurines similar to the window displays in the shops on Main Street,
U.S.A.
When the attraction is unveiled later this year, the �show� will differ from the
dioramas of the 1980s and �90s, returning to the unique style of the original
1957 show and motion picture. Enhanced with new scenes and special effects
magic, the re-Imagineered attraction will employ technology not available in the
1950s to represent scenes from the story of Sleeping Beauty, including the magic
of good fairies Flora, Fauna and Merryweather, and the more sinister spells of
the evil Maleficent.
For the first time, guests who are unable to climb stairs or navigate the
passageways of the Castle will be able to experience the walkthrough �virtually�
in a special room on the ground floor of the Castle.
-- Posted July 17, 2008