Disney's 1959 Sleeping Beauty was the studio's most ambitious effort to date, a lavish spectacle boasting a gorgeous waltz-filled score adapted from the music of Tchaikovsky. In the 14th century, the malevolent Maleficent (not dissimilar to the wicked queen in Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs) taunts a king that his infant Aurora will fatally prick her finger on a spinning wheel before sundown on her sixteenth birthday. This, of course, would deny her a happily-ever-after with her true love. Fortunately, some bubbly, bumbling fairies named Flora, Fauna and Merryweather are on hand to assist. It's not really all that much about the title character--how interesting can someone in the middle of a long nap be, anyway? Instead, those fairies carry the day, as well as, of course, good Prince Phillip, whose battle with the malevolent Maleficent in the guise of a dragon has been co-opted by any number of animated films since. See it in its original glory here, alongside Malificent's castle, which, filled with warthogs and demonic imps in a macabre dance celebrating their evil ways, manages a certain creepy grandeur. --David Kronke, Amazon.com
DVD Special Features: Character design virtual gallery Making of featurette Rescue Aurora set top game Ink and paint studio set top game Art Attack -- How to make a Magic Castle Storyboard sequences --The capture of the Prince; The fairies put the castle to sleep Briar Rose dance reference (Helene Stanley)
A beautiful princess born in a faraway kingdom is destined by a terrible curse to prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and fall into a deep sleep which can only be awakened by true love's first kiss. Though the titular princess is on par with the rest of Disney's essential heroines, most of the fun arises from the trio of charming fairies entrusted with her care: Flora, Fauna, and Meriweather. Meanwhile the evil Malificent may just be Disney's most chilling villainess. This classic makes wondrous use of Tchaikovsky's same-titled ballet score, which earned SLEEPING BEAUTY an Academy Award nomination for Best Scoring of a Musical Picture.
First released in 1959, Sleeping Beauty is an unforgettable story of charming romance, majestic spectacle and electrifying adventure. The lovely Princess Aurora is gifted with grace and beauty but she provokes the jealously of of the wicked fairy Maleficent. A delightful trio of kindhearted Good Fairies do their best to protect the beloved Princess but even their magic is no match for the terrifying Mistress of All Evil, and Aurora falls into an enchanted sleep. The heroic Prince must brave many dangers and finally battle a ferocious fire-breathing dragon if he is to wake Princess Aurora from her eternal sleep.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
A Real Visual Beauty This is my favourite Disney movie. The backgrounds are detailed and stylised like a series of medieval tapestries. The intergration of the characters in what look like the best sets ever designed for a semi-swashbuckling musical/comedy/thriller is stunning.
I still get frightened when the fire goes out and Maleficent appears to tempt Aurora through the back of the fireplace (Maleficent being a truly evil villainess). The score is superbly used in these scenes. Brilliant stuff.
Outstanding Like "Cinderella" and "Snow White", "Sleeping Beauty" has gained a rather negative reputation over recent years. It represents, some critics might argue, everything that is wrong with the traditional Disney film: the princess is a brainless sweetheart who requires rescuing by a dullard of a prince, who is very brave and noble but not much else. The villain - shrouded in black and bearing a deep grudge against the princess - is treated mercilessly by the story, but somehow manages to be more interesting than... more info
Beautiful :D As a child, this edition of sleeping beauty was my favourite film. I loved it and watched it over and over again. I especially liked the evil mallificent, her raven and the dragon. This film is a childrens classic that will live forever. I just wish amazon were still selling this item :( I'd love to buy it on dvd.
Gorgeous artwork, lovely rendering of the classic tale It took Disney's animators six years to create "Sleeping Beauty" and the effort really shows in this magnificent rendering of the German fairy tale "Dornroeschen" or "The Little Briar Rose." The fairy tale is variously transcribed from European folktales by Perrault and The Bros. Grimm. (My favorite part in the Grimm rendering is how the arrival of the long-desired child is announced to the Queen-- she gets the news from a talking crab that jumps out of her bathwater. Now, what kind of crab would that be?)... more info
![Sleeping Beauty [1958]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/511WECTQSPL._SL160_.jpg)
