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Disney’s animated “Sleeping Beauty” reawakens at El Capitan
posted by
philbertgray
on
August 27, 2008 at 8:00 am
HOLLYWOOD, CA — “Sleeping Beauty,” one of the most spectacular, stylish, and unique films in the history of Disney animation, has undergone a total digital restoration of its picture and soundtrack and will have an exclusive wide-screen engagement at Hollywood’s legendary El Capitan Theatre from August 29th through September 18th.
“Sleeping Beauty” was the first animated film to utilize the 70mm process. Viewers will now experience a brand new state-of-the-art restoration created using high resolution digital scans of the original 50-year old Technirama 70 negative along with a 7.1 stereo mix made from the original multi-channel stereo music masters recorded in 1958. An article on the restoration and screening at the El Capitan can be found at Laughingplace.com.
(Thanks to Scutter for providing the photo.)
Comments (5)
Will the new digital video DLP version be as crisp and clear as the 70mm roadshow film? The split surround speakers at The El Capitan Theatre Hollywood CA are never turned up to hear them If you have a seat in the middle or up in the big center balcony. I hope the Disney people do a new 70mm transfer to DVD and Dolby Digital®. The 70mm print played at the ‘Coronet Theatre’ in San Francisco when It was released many years ago. Now the Coronet is gone but the 70mm print is coming back on video.
Not to mention Bluray, since the Bluray will be packed with special features. That bluray will also have the 7.1 surround and HD video of the 70mm print. I only saw it once on VHS in pan-and-scan; can’t wait to see the widescreen version. Too bad Disney doesn’t make animated cartoons like they used to anymore, save for a short or two (the recent one being a Goofy short played before National Treasure 2).
The 2003 DVD has the widescreen version, albeit in 2.35 instead of 2.20.
The advent of computers and the computer age has permanently changed the way that animated cartoon films are made. That’s how it goes. Yet, I agree that there’s nothing like the old, original animated films. I remember seeing the film “Sleeping Beauty”, as a preteen, when it first came out. It was in 70mm. The parents of a classmate had taken her and several other kids, including myself, to see “Sleeping Beauty” for her birthday. I forgot how cool that film was until I looked at the submitted photos.
Btw—the El Capitan looks like a gorgeous theatre..and a perfect place to show films such as “Sleeping Beauty”, as well as a whole host of other classic films.