Waking Sleeping Beauty

Name: Waking Sleeping Beauty
Genre: Documentary
Released: 2009-09-05
Duration: 1 h 26 min
Rating: 7.2
Cast: Don Hahn, Roy Edward Disney, Michael Eisner, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Peter Schneider

2009·Movie·PG·86 min·★ 7.2(113)

Documentary More English titles

“From 1984 to 1994 a perfect storm of people and circumstances changed the face of animation forever.”

By the mid-1980s, the fabled animation studios of Walt Disney had fallen on hard times. The artists were polarized between newcomers hungry to innovate and old timers not yet ready to relinquish control. These conditions produced a series of box-office flops and pessimistic forecasts: maybe the best days of animation were over. Maybe the public didn't care. Only a miracle or a magic spell could produce a happy ending. Waking Sleeping Beauty is no fairy tale. It's the true story of how Disney regained its magic with a staggering output of hits - "Little Mermaid," "Beauty and the Beast ," "Aladdin," "The Lion King," and more - over a 10-year period.

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Where to watch Waking Sleeping Beauty in United States

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Click a service to open Waking Sleeping Beauty there. Availability last verified on June 20, 2026.

Where is Waking Sleeping Beauty streaming around the world?

Country	Streaming on	Rent / Buy
United States	Disney Plus	Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies
United Kingdom	Disney Plus	Apple TV Store, Rakuten TV, Amazon Video
Canada	Disney Plus	Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, CosmoGo
Australia	Disney Plus	Apple TV Store, Amazon Video
Germany	Disney Plus	—
France	Disney Plus	Google Play Movies, YouTube, VIVA by videofutur
Spain	Disney Plus	—
Brazil	Disney Plus	—

About Waking Sleeping Beauty

Waking Sleeping Beauty is a 2009 English-language documentary film directed by Don Hahn. The cast is led by Don Hahn, Roy Edward Disney, Michael Eisner. It has a runtime of 1h 26m. Viewers rate it 7.2/10 across 100 ratings. In United States, it is currently streaming on Disney Plus.

Waking Sleeping Beauty was produced by Walt Disney Pictures, Red Shoes / Some Shoes, and Stone Circle Pictures and made in United States of America. It was released on September 5, 2009, and carries a PG certification. At the box office it grossed around $0 million worldwide.

Director: Don Hahn
Writers: Patrick Pacheco
Release date: September 5, 2009
Original language: English
Age rating: PG
Status: Released
Country: United States of America
Box office: $0 million
Production: Walt Disney Pictures, Red Shoes / Some Shoes, Stone Circle Pictures

#computer animation#struggle for survival#documentary filmmaking#innovation#challenge for change#motion picture studio#movie studio#struggle for independence#animation documentary#economic struggle#past failure#digital innovation

Waking Sleeping Beauty cast & crew

Waking Sleeping Beauty was directed by Don Hahn and written by Patrick Pacheco.

The cast features Don Hahn as Self, Roy Edward Disney as Self, Michael Eisner as Self, Jeffrey Katzenberg as Self, Peter Schneider as Self, and Rob Minkoff as Self - Pumbaa (voice).

Is Waking Sleeping Beauty worth watching?

Waking Sleeping Beauty holds an audience score of 7.2/10 from 113 ratings, marking it as well-reviewed documentary films.

At 1h 26m, it's an easy, time-light watch.

If you enjoy documentary, Waking Sleeping Beauty is worth a place on your watchlist.

How and where to watch Waking Sleeping Beauty

In United States, you can stream Waking Sleeping Beauty on Disney Plus, or rent and buy it on Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, and YouTube. Click any service above to open it directly.

Streaming rights change country by country and month by month, so the options above reflect United States today — switch your country at the top of the where-to-watch section to see availability elsewhere.