Sleeping Beauty (Two-Disc Platinum Edition)

Buy This Item Sleeping Beauty (Two-Disc Platinum Edition) by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment  Available from Amazon  $19.99  on 11-27-2008     "Sleeping Beauty" (1959) marked a stunning departure from the usual "house style" of animation at Disney Studios. Eyvind Earle designed the production to resemble a Renaissance painting in motion; with a stylized juxtaposition of horizontal and vertical lines in relation to the characters and backgrounds. This extremely expensive, lavish film took six years to complete, and, for once, you can see where all the money went. It's right up there on screen-- thankfully preserved forever on DVD. The expense and time are extremely well-justified. "Sleeping Beauty" is Disney's definitive fairy-tale masterpiece! <br /> The film presents a wonderous 14-Century Kingdom where good and evil magic are both commonly practiced. Malificent is certainly the Wickedest of all Disney Witches. Malificent, voiced with icy authority by the outstanding Eleanor Audley (who also voiced Lady Tremaine, the cruel, abusive Stepmother in Disney's "Cinderella") is the self-proclaimed "Mistress Of All Evil." She places infant Princess Aurora and her Kingdom under a curse that is to be fulfilled on her 16th birthday. <br /> "Sleeping Beauty" is blessedly free of the slapstick humor and superfluous "padding" found in Disney's "Snow White" and "Cinderella." This story is told in a straitforward manner. The Good Fairies Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather (Merryweather resembles my beloved Aunt Betty) attempt to save Aurora from Malificent by raising her like little old mortal women in a cottage in the woods. They call Aurora by the name Briar Rose. Their attempts at making a cake and dress for her 16th birthday are so disasterous they resort to magic. When sparkles from their magic wands fly up the chimney, Malificent's raven knows he has at last discovered the hiding Princess. The fairies are so inept at cake-baking and dress-making like mortals, I do wonder HOW they managed to feed and dress themselves and the young girl AT ALL for 16 entire years, but I won't ponder this plot problem any further. <br /> A nice case of romantic, mistaken identity is employed. The Princess meets Prince Phillip without knowing he's a Prince. Phillip thinks Aurora is a common peasant girl. Mary Costa provides the beautiful soprano voice for Aurora/Briar Rose. She sings the haunting songs "I Wonder" and "Once Upon A Dream", based on themes from Tchcovsky's Sleeping Beauty Ballet. It is a pity that Aurora/Briar Rose is not a well defined or developed character, and she spends half the film in a sleeping coma. Prince Phillip, however, is very well-defined and active. The two Prince Charmings in "Snow White" and "Cinderella" are bland plot footnotes and afterthoughts. The same CAN NOT be said of Phillip, who, with some help from the Good Fairies, leaps into action to save himself and his beloved Princess from Malificent's black magic. The climax, with Malificent transforming herself into a demonic dragon, is one of the most scary battles of Good Versus Evil in cinema history. As Tchchovsky's score rages on, Malificent screams, "Now, you shall deal with me, Oh Prince-- and ALL THE POWERS OF HELL!!!!!" Hey, that's heavy stuff for a Disney film. I LOVE IT!!!!!! <br /> On repeated adult viewings, Disney's "Snow White" and "Cinderella" leave me feeling cold and disappointed. "Sleeping Beauty" thrills me and is vastly superior. The animation is detailed and dazzling. This film lingers long in my imagination, and I often return to the enchantment that only happens "Once Upon A Dream." And it all happens in an amazing 75 minute running time! "Snow White", at 83-84 minutes, feels draggy and much too long to me. Reader Reviews I think the story line was great. The villian is one of the coolest ever. Music was great too. One of my favorite Disney movies. Not as good as Cinderella or Snow White, but a great Disney classic for people young and old to watch!

Sleeping Beauty (Two-Disc Platinum Edition) Available from Amazon Price: $19.99 Updated on 11-27-2008.

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