There are few major events in life as emotionally charged as a marriage proposal. Asking somebody to be a partner until death is a huge deal; making sure the titanic endeavor starts off on the right foot is critical. Fortunately for his now-fiancé, filmmaker Lee Loechler took that sentiment to heart when he proposed to her using an intricately altered version of the animated classic film, Sleeping Beauty. And fortunately for us, the surprisingly suspenseful moment he proposed was captured on video.
Video of the moment Lee Loechler proposed to his partner, Dr. Sthuthi David.
In the clip, we watch as Loechler and his partner, Dr. Sthuthi David, stare at a movie screen playing the iconic Disney movie. Just as the climactic scene between Princess Aurora and Prince Phillip begins, Dr. David’s face twists in confusion as she sees that the former character has been replaced by an animated figure that looks similar to herself. The altered film scene continues with an animated version of Loechler appearing with a giant smile on his face, and a mondo diamond ring in a box in his hand. It’s at this point that the animated version of Loechler “throws” the box to Loechler, who pulls out a real-life engagement ring and drops on bended knee to propose.
The moment David realizes the theater is filled with her friends and family.
“It’s not every day you get to propose to your high school sweetheart,” Loechler says as he holds the open ring box in front of David. He even draws out the time between popping the question and getting his answer by saying he wants to “savor the moment.” Then, after a brief interaction between Loechler and his animated self, during which the latter check his ticking watch, the IRL Loechler asks David if she will “live happily ever after with [him].” David responds with a resounding yes, and the entire tiny theater, full of the couple’s friends and family, cheer and clap.
In terms of how Loechler went about making the altered Sleeping Beauty clip, that’s a bit unclear. Although he does note in his YouTube video description that he spent six months working with an illustrator to make the movie magic happen. That illustrator, Kayla Coombs, has a lot of her other illustrated work available on her Instagram.
While Loechler’s proposal was obviously incredibly romantic, there is one aspect of it that has a lot of internet dwellers concerned. The question of whether or not he violated Disney copyrights by altering the corporation’s animated gem. Loechler even lists his contact email on Instagram as “[email protected].” But Loechler took the risk anyway, and like Prince Phillip battling Dragon Maleficent, risked his life for his love. And when we say life, we mean an encounter with a very scary cease and desist letter.
What do you think about Loechler’s Sleeping Beauty proposal? Is this the most impressive way of popping la gran pregunta you’ve ever seen, or are you aware of an even more impressive display of nascent matrimonial romance? Give us your most animated opinions in the comments!
Images: Lee Loechler