Celebrating 50 Years Of Classic Animation And A TimelessVoice (NAPSA)—Some of Hollywood’s event that transports viewers to a magical kingdom filled with more romance, adventure and humor most beloved films come with back stories of extensive talent searches to find just the right face—or voice—to makethe pic- than ever before. And for thefirst time ever, this cinematic master- piece will be released in 1080p high definition and becomethe ture perfect. For example, 1,400 actresses were interviewed for the first Disney Platinum Edition ever to release on Blu-ray” Disc. part of Scarlett O’Hara in “Gone With the Wind,” and more than 400 were askedto do readings. Another American classic al- As one of the studio’s most ambitious undertakings, the film features an Academy Award-nom- most didn’t get made because the man behind it was holding out for a beautiful leading lady to give voice to a legendary princess. Behind The Voice Walt Disney searched for three years to find the voice (and model) for the fairy-tale heroine of “Sleeping Beauty” and nearly shut down production on his epic telling of the timeless tale. That is, until finding young Mary Costa, whose voice has now captivated audi- ences for more than 50 years. “Walt chose me because my voice was a pure voice,” recalls Costa, “an extension of speech. He told me, ‘when you get in front of that microphone, useall the colors of your vocal palette and paint with your voice.’ I shall never forget that.” In a career that spanned over four decades, Costa sang in radio, films, television and on the opera stage, performing over 44 major operatic roles. But perhaps her most memorable appearance was at an event late in 1968, when she was asked by First Lady Jacque- line Kennedy to perform “Libera Me” from Verdi’s “Requiem”for the worldwide televised memorial of the slain President John F. Kennedy. In 2003, nominated by Presi- dent Bush, Costa served on the National Council on the Arts, an In honor of its 50th anniversary,a classic animated film has been restored and issued on DVD and Blu-ray. advisory group to the National Endowment for the Arts in Washington, D.C. Today, she continues with charitable efforts on behalf of various children and arts causes. Behind The Scenes In active production from 1951 until the end of 1958, “Sleeping Beauty” set a record for being the Disney animated film with the longest production schedule. Consider that the elaborate background paintings usually took seven to 10 days to paint. By contrast, a typical animation background normally takes one workday to complete. “Sleeping Beauty” wasalso the production company’s first animated feature to be created for the 70mm format. As with many classic stories, this one has passed from generation to generation—and like many of the most cherished folktales, this one only gets better with each new telling and new presentation. The two-disc “Sleeping Beauty: 50th Anniversary Platinum Edi- tion” is a spectacular widescreen inated score adapted from the incandescent music of Pyotr Tchaikovsky. Its breathtaking action sequences and extravagant musical production numberswill charm adults and children as they chuckle at the antics of Flora, Fauna and Merryweather (the bubbly and bumbling fairy godmothers), and cheer the gallant Prince Phillip in his quest to save Princess Aurora. Among the many extras found on the Platinum Edition DVDs and Blu-ray Discsare: An all-new “Making of Sleep- ing Beauty” Restoring The Sound Track— A featurette covering the creation of the all-new 7.1 mix of the score, using the source tapes from the original recording sessions e Alternate Opening—Story- boards from 1952 indicate that the film was originally going to open with a big musical production number Two Deleted Songs—Two new musical numbers created using original storyboard art and demorecordings e “Grand Canyon”—The Acad- emy Award-winning short that accompanied “Sleeping Beauty” in its first theatrical run. To learn more, visit the Web site at www.disney.com.
