Sleeping Betty

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Wendy Woodfill, Hennepin County Library, Minnetonka, MN -- School Library Journal, 6/19/2008

Sleeping Betty. DVD. 9:15 min. with booklet. National Film Board of Canada (nfb.ca). 2007. #153E0007002. $99.

Gr 7 Up–Charles Perrault’s Sleeping Beauty gets a stunning makeover in this surprising and amusing wordless parody of the classic tale. Princess Betty lies in a deep sleep while her father, the King, desperately tries to awaken her. The Queen is distraught and the Royal Court stands nervously by as the King summons several of his subjects to use their talents to awaken his daughter, including Uncle Henry VIII and Aunt Victoria. As a last resort, he telephones the company, SOS Prince, Inc. A dashing prince travels on horseback to the working class neighborhood home of the royal family. He plants a kiss on the princess’s forehead to awaken her, but she doesn’t respond. The prince’s horse bestows a kiss also, to no avail. Animator Claude Cloutier drew 7000 India ink illustrations for this short. The attention to detail and the inclusion of many famous works of art, such as the Mona Lisa, will enthrall viewers. The film has a definite Victorian feel. The colors are softly muted and the animation is smooth and flawless. The many visual gags will endear the characters to viewers. The accompanying booklet offers a great deal of information for lesson plan ideas. Students will beg for repeated showings of this gem.