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For half a century, little girls (and big girls, too) have loved Princess Aurora, the beautiful princess from Disney’s animated classic, Sleeping Beauty. After all, she wears pretty dresses, she lives in a gorgeous castle, and she gets to marry a handsome prince who brings her back to life with True Love’s Kiss. It’s a perfectly dreamy fairy tale.
Surprisingly, Princess Aurora (voiced by Mary Costa) spends most of the movie in the background. She does, however, get to sing in the forest—and she gets to fall in love. So that’s probably good enough.
Sleeping Beauty opens with Princess Aurora’s birth—which is cause for celebration throughout the kingdom. The royal celebration, however, is crashed by an uninvited guest—the dark witch Maleficent (Eleanor Audley). The bitter witch curses the child, predicting that, by sunset on her sixteenth birthday, the child will prick her finger on a spinning wheel and die.
Three good fairies—Flora (Verna Felton), Fauna (Barbara Jo Allen), and Merryweather (Barbara Luddy)—manage to lighten the curse. So, as a result of the prick of the spinning wheel, the princess won’t die—she’ll just fall into a deep sleep, only to be awoken by True Love’s Kiss. But still unwilling to take his chances, King Stefan (Taylor Holmes) destroys every spinning wheel in the kingdom—and the three fairies go into hiding with the princess (who goes incognito as “Briar Rose”). But, refusing to be beaten, Maleficent sends out her minions to find the princess and follow through on her curse.
Though Princess Aurora gets top billing in Sleeping Beauty, the story focuses more on the battle between Maleficent and the three good fairies. But while the story is suspenseful and even thrilling, the lovable characters make it fun (and sometimes even funny). Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather are sweet and delightfully batty characters. Despite the movie’s super-short (75-minute) runtime, the three characters are still developed—each with her own distinct (and distinctly batty) personality.
Maleficent, on the other hand, is absolutely terrifying—which might surprise those who think that Sleeping Beauty is just a cute little movie for little girls. But this isn’t just a fluffy fairy tale. On the contrary, Sleeping Beauty is suspenseful and action-packed. And, thanks to the shape-shifting evil witch, it’s almost as scary as a Harry Potter movie.
If it’s been a while since you’ve seen Disney’s Sleeping Beauty, you might be surprised by the scary parts—I sure was. But you’ll still find it every bit as delightful as you remember. It’s an incredibly short film that has a little bit of everything—from fire-breathing dragons to True Love—and that makes it the perfect animated adventure to share with your kids. They’re sure to fall in love with Princess Aurora—just like you did when you were a kid.
Blu-ray Review:
Now that you’ve seen Angelina Jolie’s take on Sleeping Beauty’s legendary villain in Maleficent, it’s the perfect time to look back at the classic Disney fairy tale that gave the evil witch her horrifying horns. And, while you’re at it, be sure to take a look at the Blu-ray release’s new features, too.
In addition to the classic DVD features (see more on those below), the Diamond Edition Blu-ray release of Sleeping Beauty also includes storyboards for a deleted scene and an alternate take on Maleficent’s arrival, along with an alternate telling of the story, in which Aurora and Phillip meet at a fair.
For some playful Sleeping Beauty fun, you can sing along with “Once Upon a Dream” using the Beauty-Oke feature. Or you can join Modern Family’s Sarah Hyland as she tells the magical story of Fantasyland’s new Festival of Fantasy Parade in Once Upon a Parade.
And, finally, for a look behind the scenes, try @DisneyAnimation: Artists in Motion, in which Disney Visual Development Artist Brittney Lee shows how she uses paper to inspire design. Or take a look at villains through the years with The Art of Evil: Generations of Disney Villains, in which animators and historians discuss the role of Disney’s villains while exploring the art of Marc Davis, the animator responsible for Maleficent.
As is often the case with Disney releases, there’s a little bit of something for everyone here. Kids will enjoy the magic of Once Upon a Parade (though they may start begging you to take them to Disney World as soon as they finish watching it), while grown-up fans will enjoy the more in-depth features. If you favor the art, don’t miss Artists in Motion. If you favor story, check out the deleted scenes. And if you love Disney history as much as I do, be sure to watch The Art of Evil.
DVD Review:
The two-disc 50th Anniversary Edition of Sleeping Beauty is definitely packed with extras that Sleeping Beauty fans—both old and new—will enjoy. In fact, there are so many extras that the infamous Disney DVD Map is required for navigating through them all.
Among the hours of extras, you’ll find singalongs for all of the movie’s songs—as well as a music video of an updated “Once Upon a Dream” with Disney star Emily Osment. There are various making-of features, along with an alternate opening, storyboards, and three deleted songs. There’s even a live-action television feature—the first TV feature presented in stereo, in fact—on the life of Tchaikovsky. And, of course, there are the usual commentaries and games and other fun Disney stuff.
While kids will enjoy the games, grown-up viewers will be fascinated by the features—and that, once again, makes Sleeping Beauty fun for the whole family. The extras, of course, aren’t absolutely necessary—but if you don’t already own a copy of this classic animated film, the special edition is worth picking up.
