Disney's Sleeping Beauty

Before acquiring companies like Marvel and LucasArts and producing comic book movies, Walt Disney Studios was known for it's animated features.  These films would often feature amazing animation, stories and music.  One of their first actual movies, Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs, was released in 1937.  In the decades that followed, the world saw the release of some of the most iconic and memorable films in cinema: Pinocchio, Dumbo, Bambi, Cinderella, Peter Pan, and Alice in Wonderland.  Featuring state of the art animation, these films became a part of our daily culture, featuring stories that were funny, smart, dramatic and thrilling.  Walt Disney himself, accomplished more in 20 years, then most filmmakers could ever hope to achieve in a life-time.  One of the most memorable films that Disney has released, and one that I had watched many times as a youngster, was Sleeping Beauty.

Sleeping Beauty features a classic fairy-tale opening sequence with a book opening it's pages introducing us to a kingdom in a far-away land.  It is a kingdom that is celebrating the birth of King Stefan's daughter, Princess Aurora.  Among the many guests, are three wise fairies who come to bestow their blessings on the child, when they are interrupted by an evil and menacing fairy, Maleficent.  Maleficent curses the young princess to die when she pricks her finger on a spinning wheel when she turns 16.  Fearing for her life, King Stefan and his queen send her away with the fairies known as Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather.  This story is as classic as they come.  A tale about young love and the battle between good and evil, Sleeping Beauty has something for everyone.  It's a very charming story with some very unique characters.  Maleficent ended up becoming the most recognized villain in Disney's history.  This is not a character that is really over-the-top.  On the contrary, she's very well-restrained.  That makes her pretty intimidating, actually.  She doesn't really let loose until towards the end of the film.  Voiced by the late Eleanor Audley, Maleficent is not only evil, but strangely alluring at the same time.  The three fairies each have their own unique personalities and quirks.  Merryweather, being the short and stumpy fairy who is also the funniest of the bunch.

There are many things about this movie that still make it work, even 55 years after its initial release.  One: The artwork is very unique.  The backgrounds have a very straight-line theme, and the characters look like something out of a medieval painting.  It's appropriate since the film takes place in the 14th century.  While today's animated movies are slick and very-well done, they lack the personality that the older films had.  Sleeping Beauty is one of the most visually spectacular films that Disney has ever released, in my opinion.  The music is also a character in and of itself.  A lot of the music was based on Tchaikovsky's ballet of the same name, which gives the movie an epic feel, and it permeates the whole affair with a sense of humor and adventure.  Is there anything that really brings this movie down?  Not really, to tell you the truth.  I've said this about several movies, but when it comes to standing the test of time, Sleeping Beauty is among the finest.

With a story that's appropriate for audiences of all ages, Sleeping Beauty manages to both captivate and thrill at the same time, with a villain unlike any other.  Sometimes you can tell how interesting a Disney movie can be by how compelling it's villain is.  Maleficent is extraordinary and ranks among my favorite villains in general.  In fact, there was a recent film starring Angelina Jolie, Maleficent that is specifically about that character and how she becomes so evil.  I haven't had the chance to see that film yet, so I can't comment on how the film is.  Getting back to Sleeping Beauty, this film is classic Walt Disney in every way.  This is a film that I can EASILY recommend to everyone, both children and grown-ups alike.  Having watched this film a lot when I was younger, I still find myself enchanted by how well it tells its story.  Sleeping Beauty is a film we can pass on to our children and grandchildren, and I would certainly hope that everybody who hasn't seen it, gets to see it.  Disney releases certain movies for certain amount of time on home video before taking them off store shelves several months down the line, so I would recommend you just buy this one outright.  At 75 minutes long, it doesn't take up too much time and yet is a very compelling experience.  I don't think 10/10 says enough about this movie.  If you're a fan of animation and Disney movies in general, this is a no-brainer.  Go get it, you'll be glad you did.