Maureen Donley

Movies

Waking Sleeping Beauty
Self (archive footage)
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.
Treasures Untold: The Making of Disney's 'The Little Mermaid'
Self
Find out how the spectacular music inspired the animation, and learn more about the development of the characters—such as how Ursula ended up being a big octopus—and how the memorable song "Part of Your World" almost got cut from the film.
Anastasia
Executive Producer
This animated adventure spins a more optimistic twist on the long-mythicized story of the "lost daughter" of Russia's last czar. A wicked sorcerer places a curse on the Romanov family, and Anastasia is separated from them during their attempts to escape from a rowdy revolt seizing their palace. Years later, after growing up with amnesia in an orphanage, "Anya" encounters two Russian men seeking a reward offered by the Dowager Empress Marie, for the return of her missing granddaughter. They decide to travel together to visit the Empress in Paris. Will Anya finally be reunited with her remaining family and find a loving home at last?
The Little Mermaid
Production Manager
This colorful adventure tells the story of an impetuous mermaid princess named Ariel who falls in love with the very human Prince Eric and puts everything on the line for the chance to be with him. Memorable songs and characters -- including the villainous sea witch Ursula.
The Little Mermaid
Associate Producer
This colorful adventure tells the story of an impetuous mermaid princess named Ariel who falls in love with the very human Prince Eric and puts everything on the line for the chance to be with him. Memorable songs and characters -- including the villainous sea witch Ursula.