All for love: ‘New’ Sleeping Beauty ending goes viral

Sophie Gallagher

A filmmaker has rewritten the ending to Disney’s Sleeping Beauty in order to propose to his girlfriend in front of their friends and family. Lee Loechler from Massachusetts, USA, spent six months working in secret with an illustrator to edit the final scene of the 1959 princess cartoon, which is his partner’s favourite film.

On December 12, Loechler took his unsuspecting girlfriend of three years, Sthuthi David, to see a showing of the film at their local cinema. The couple sat in the front row, unknown to David, in the rows behind them were her friends and family, hidden in the dark.

As the final scene started to play, David noticed that the sleeping beauty character looked different, gradually clocking it was meant to resemble her instead.

Loechler got down on one knee and proposed, saying: “It’s not every day you get to propose to your childhood sweetheart, so I want to take my time. Savour this moment. I love you with all of my heart. Including its ventricles, atriums, valves,” reminding the other people in the room that his partner is a cardiologist.

“Sthuthi David, M.D, will you live happily ever after with me?” to which she replies: “Yes”.

Loechler shared a video of the proposal on YouTube on January 9 and it went viral, being watched over 1.7 million times. He wrote: “The only thing better than seeing the smartest person I know completely dumbfounded was knowing we’d get to live happily ever after together. Enjoy!”

Illustrator Kayla Coombs said: “After many late nights sketching and colouring I might be even more excited that [Sthuthi] said yes than he is!”

As the newly-engaged couple left the cinema, Loechler also pointed out that their names were up in lights on the marquee outside. Loechler and Coombs had also prepared an alternate ending featuring the seven dwarfs from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, in case the answer was no.

Commenters praised the innovation and dedication to the proposal. One said: “This is going to blow up and make proposals standards deeply unfair for the rest of us. Amazing work.”

Another said: “Damn, you guys even animated an alternate ending in case she said no? The level of work and commitment here is just unprecedented. Well done and congrats!”

“This is fine, I’m just sobbing uncontrollably, don’t mind me,” said another.

— The Independent