Still Looks Great
I vividly remember the release of Sleeping Beauty. I was old enough to go see it myself - just barely. There I was sitting way up front eating my popcorn and all of a sudden this spectacular dragon materialized right before my eyes. Popcorn forgotten, I was hooked. Cartoons never looked the same to me, and I spent the rest of my life inhaling fantasy and science fiction on a quest for the same thrill.
Animation has changed quite a bit in the ensuing years, but even today Sleeping Beauty is a towering achievement. Now I'm more sensitive to the tricks of the art and can see the masterful use of perspective that made the scenes leap out at you. When I first picked up this DVD I half expected to be disappointed, to find it really wasn't so glorious in retrospect. This is hardly the case - this film is just as vibrant and alive as it was in 1959.
The added dimension now is that I can see how Disney's work was a formative influence on animation even today. Artist/Directors like...
A Restored Disney Classic with Bonuses
This movie is one of the great classics of animation, especially for Disney. The DVD version is significantly improved compared to the previous VHS tape. The picture and sound were both greatly enhanced for this release. Furthermore, both widescreen and full screen versions are available in this package.
As with Disney's other classics, some liberties were taken with the original story of Sleeping Beauty. Disney took the classic story and made it unique and special. In some ways the story is less violent and dark than the original fairy tale. In other ways, such as the portrayal of Maleficent, the movie is dark and forbidding. While the movie is generally a children's movie, Maleficent's dragon and her general demeanor can be somewhat frightening for some in the pre-school and younger set.
Aurora was the first love for many a young boy, and was also the model for the aspirations of millions of girls. The romantic love story of Princess Aurora and Prince Phillip enchanted...
Dark and brooding, with excellent intentions.
Disney's "Sleeping Beauty" is one of the most macabre and dark pictures ever. The tale of good versus evil is magically brought to life through an astonishing visual display of elite and sinister animation, combined with our heroes and villians, and a well-rendered musical score that is taken from the very music of Tchaikovsky. There is no doubt about it: this is a meticulous and excellently crafted motion picture which remains one of Disney's most ambitious and intriguing.
The story remains the same: the princess Aurora is born into King Stephen's royal court, the pride and joy of all the kingdom, where celebrations and gifts are bestowed upon the small child. Tragedy strikes when the lone misfit of the kingdom, the evil and crafty Malificent, rains on their parade to place a curse on the child: "Before the sun sets on her 16th birthday, she shall prick her finger on a spindle of a spinning wheel, and die!" The kingdom is in peril with this news, and so the...
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