Sleeping Beauty [Disney 1959]

Disney recreates the old tale with new characters--giving the good and evil fairies much more of a role--in fact, they steal the show. The good fairies are Flora, Fauna and Merrywether, three chubby, bell-shaped sprites, who were inspired by housewives the artists observed in grocery stores. And Maleficent, the stylish, Goth baddy who is tall, slim and has a bit of a smoker's rasp in her deliciously evil voice (played by Eleanor Audley.)

The fairies, good or evil, have so much to do, in fact, that Princess Aurora only gets to sing a bit (by an exceptional operatic soprano Mary Costa) and Prince Philip is equally reticent. The Prince gets a shocker early on in the tale--he has somehow been betrothed to Aurora since early childhood, but this interesting fact wasn't communicated to him until just before the wedding is to go off.) He is understandably miffed, gee, a guy should have SOME say in the matter, even if he doesn't get to pop the question, and after a set-to with Mom and Dad, he never says another word.

The real star here is the production, with the stylish Scandinavian Sixties art by Ervind Earle. Earle looked to folk art, Medieval art and tapestries for inspiration and mixed it with a fine modern sensibility to make a stunning set. The animation owes a lot to Fantasia, which is especially noticible in the automated mops (Night on Bald Mountain) and Maleficent's domain. The artists wanted to avoid a repeat of "Snow White" and they certainly achieved a completely different look and feel. And taking the best of "Fantasia" was a good idea--as "Fantasia" itself was way ahead of its time and underappreciated until much later than its release in the Forties.

As to quality of the DVD, there was a glitch just as Philip is delivering the wakeup kiss to Aurora, the film jumps as if a few frames were cut. A glitch on this particular DVD? Strange that this happens at a critical moment. The extras are well worth looking at, especially the interview with Earle and getting a look at the exquisite detail of the background artwork, giving any parent or grandparent a reason to enjoy the film for their own reasons while it runs for the umpteenth time on the DVD player.


An Enchanting Restoration   August 28, 2003
Gary F. Taylor (Biloxi, MS USA)
26 out of 27 found this review helpful

Keyed to the style of Disney artist Ervind Earle, SLEEPING BEAUTY has long been renowned as one of Walt Disney Studio's most artistically beautiful films--and now with this meticulous restoration Earle's vision comes to the home market in a DVD package that is sure to win praise from every fan of hand-drawn animation.

The story, of course, is the time-honored fairy tale. Princess Aurora is cursed at birth by the evil Maleficent, who declares that on her sixteenth birthday the princess shall prick her finger on a spinning wheel's spindle and die--but fortunately the powers of good are able to mute the effect of the curse; the princess shall not die, but shall instead fall into a deep sleep from which she can be only awakened by love's first kiss.

Earle's vision for the story is drawn from a host of sources, some of them more immediately apparent than others. The result is a curious mixture of flat illustration and meticulous detail that imparts both a modernist edge and the quality of an ancient illuminated manuscript--a truly remarkable concept that gives the film a visual style completely unlike any other among the Disney classics. The DVD offers the option of viewing the film in either its original widescreen ratio or pan-and-scan format--but why any one would elect pan-and-scan is completely beyond me; if ever there was a film that made good and full use of the widescreen ratio, this is it, and you'll want to see every inch of Earle's remarkable work.

Earle's style aside, SLEEPING BEAUTY has been influenced by a number of films that are worth noting. In terms of plot detail, it has been very clearly influenced by Disney's earlier SNOW WHITE, and the designs for the evil Maleficent and her "goons" are very clearly influenced by FANTASIA's "Night on Bald Mountain" sequence--and to magnificent effect; Maleficent is easily among the darkest characters ever created for film. Interestingly, many visual set-ups also seem to have been influenced by MGM's THE WIZARD OF OZ, most notably in the scenes in which the three good fairies rescue Prince Philip from Maleficent's nightmarish castle.

Unlike some animated films, the voices are beautifully matched to the characters, with Mary Costa as Princess Aurora and Eleanor Audley (who also performed the Wicked Stepmother in Disney's CINDERELLA) as Maleficent standouts among the cast. The score, which is based on the brilliant Tchaikovsky ballet score, is also extremely well handled and includes the memorable "Once Upon a Dream."

All of this has been lovingly, shining restored, and quite frankly even if you saw the film in its first release the result here will no doubt surpass it. There is not a blip, a glitch, or a sound-surge to be found. And as is usual with Disney "limited release" DVD editions, the package includes a host of extras, some designed to appeal to the younger set (there are two simple games, neither of which require a CD-ROM) for children and a host of interviews and documentaries. Fortunately, many of the people involved in SLEEPING BEAUTY are still with us--including Ervind Earle and Mary Costa--and their various contributions make the bonus package truly superior.

All of this said, it should be noted that like FANTASIA, SLEEPING BEAUTY is more likely to appeal to adults who can fully appreciate the visual charms of the film than to children, who may find the film's tendency to linger over visuals a bit too much for a limited attention span. But this is indeed a Disney masterpiece, and it belongs in your collection.

3 stars for what could have been 5.   May 29, 2002
22 out of 25 found this review helpful

The film is visually stunning and beautiful which is why it was made in widescreen which was very advanced for 1959. So WHY WHY WHY is this DVD in full pan and scan screen when I know the movie was made in the widescreen format?? (It even says so in the 'making of' documentry) One of the reasons I bought this movie on DVD was to see it in widescreen. I wish i saved my money I've got the pan& scan VHS anyway. The extras though are quite good. The making of feature is very informative and the virtual galleries are very well made. The movie itself is brilliant thanks to the impressive art. (which we can only see half of)

Disney can You swap my DVD for a WIDESCREEN one!!


Thoughts of a humble animator   April 10, 2003
14 out of 15 found this review helpful

"Sleeping Beauty", is a defining film in Walt Disney's career, breathtaking in it's visual scope and musical score. Released in 1959, the same year as "Ben Hur", "Sleeping Beauty" shares the same panoramic screen format as the former (sadly only available on the collectors DVD addition. The normal edition uses a 4:3 pan and scan screen ratio). "Sleeping Beauty" doesn’t disappoint the eye when it comes to art direction. Braking away from the traditional Disney look, it is truly one of the most artful films of Disney’s impressive film history. The music too is a brake from tradition, no "high ho, hi ho" lyrics to hum along to, "Seeping Beauty" borrows Tchaikovsky's score to beautiful effect. It is in every respect a film that is different to the norm, owing as much to Fantasia as its fairy tale counterparts, Snow White and Cinderella. And here is the catch, because "Sleeping Beauty" holds very little fascination to an audience made up of young children. True, the central story is very simple, but the films extended narrative does little to help you empathize for any one of the characters and it is this fault that makes "Sleeping Beauty" come of cold, despite it's brilliance. Valuable screen time is wasted developing the three fairies intro a comedy trio and the result is a story that is centered upon it's secondary characters instead of it's hero, Price Phillip and heroine, Aurora. It's a shame because the film boasts wonderful scenes, startling imagery and maybe the most scary of all the Disney’s villains.

All in all, a groundbreaking film that hold up every bit as much as it did forty-four years ago, it's flaws only more apparent by it's brilliance. Oh, and the animation isn't bad either.


Outstanding   July 1, 2007
Ms. MacNeill (London)
10 out of 11 found this review helpful

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 all the other characters put together. Scattered among this motley crew are various cutesy animals, fairies, jamjars, etc., and everyone goes home, smugly saying, "Well! There goes Disney, ruining another classic fairy tale!"

There is, of course, an element of truth in all of this. Certainly Maleficent is the most interesting character in the film, and I'd go so far as to say that she's the greatest Disney villain ever. She is incredibly creepy and reminds the viewer of the Devil with her horned costume and dancing fiends in her castle. Her death, to be quite honest, is something of a tragedy. There are also plenty of the aforementioned cute woodland animals and fairies - although the former are really one of the most entertaining elements of the entire film.

It is impossible to talk about "Sleeping Beauty" without mentioning the artwork, and I personally think that Disney here reached a peak which they have never yet managed to equal. The visuals, quite simply, are gorgeous. Every scene looks like a Medieval painting brought to life. It is literally impossible to do the overall look of the film justice in words. The art is complemented by Tchaikovsky's score, the use of which was a real stroke of genius. Together, the two work together to wonderful effect, making "Sleeping Beauty" probably the most beautiful of all Disney films. There are perhaps too few songs for my liking (I have a weakness for full-on Disney musicals), but the ones that are there are entertaining and well-placed. The DVD extras are great, to the point that I don't think that Disney has ever included better ones. All the documentaries were interesting and well-informed - I really can't speak highly enough of them.

Oh, yes, it's not perfect. Aurora, as charming as she is, is not one of the most interesting princesses - her emotional struggles are regrettably shallow and she spends half the film fast asleep. Philip, too, is slightly more interesting than other Disney princes of this era - but only slightly. But in spite of the film's title, the film isn't really about either of them - the fairies and Maleficent are the key movers here. I suppose, furthermore, that the film lacks a complex plot, and the jokes are on the gentler, more old-fashioned side - although I think that both these points are made up for by the quality of the art and music.

I'm aware that Walt Disney himself was disappointed with the finished result, feeling that it lacked the heart of "Cinderella". He does himself a huge disservice. "Sleeping Beauty" is outstanding stuff, and probably one of the best films in the Disney canon. Full marks.