Short Film: Sleeping Betty

Sleeping Betty by Claude Cloutier

Here is a modern take on an old story.  Betty is fast asleep and no one can wake her up despite their best attempts.  So, the king has no choice than to send for a prince (based on a certain HRH Prince Charles by the looks) in the hope that he will be able to awaken Sleeping Betty with a kiss.

This very funny romp is brought to us by the National Film Board of Canada and is, to be honest, a joy to behold. As with any animation there is usually one stand out character and for me this has to be the prince’s horse.  He manages to effortlessly steal virtually every single scene that he is in.

Princess Betty sleeps in a narcoleptic stupor. The king appeals to his subjects to wake her. A worthy Prince Charles lookalike has to leave his royal suburb to save the princess, but will Betty be wakened with just a kiss?

Drawn in India ink, this animation sets the Perrault classic in Claude Cloutier’s disjointed, anachronistic and playful universe.