What was the approximate budget of Sleeping Beauty in 1959?

Sleeping Beauty had an approximate production budget of $6 million. That made it the most expensive Disney animated feature produced up to that time.

The unusually high cost reflected the film’s long development, elaborate animation, detailed backgrounds, and ambitious presentation. Production began in the early 1950s and continued for years as Walt Disney sought a visual style that would distinguish the film from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Cinderella.

The budget was more than twice the cost of each of Disney’s three preceding animated features: Alice in Wonderland (1951), Peter Pan (1953), and Lady and the Tramp (1955). Disney also invested in large-format exhibition and stereophonic sound, adding to the film’s prestige and expense.

Although Sleeping Beauty later became highly regarded, its initial theatrical performance did not immediately recover the investment. The distributor’s share of the original domestic gross was about $5.3 million, and Buena Vista reported a loss on the initial release.