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Rating:  - A True Masterpiece
For all of the thirty two years I've been on this planet, "Sleeping Beauty" was one of the few Disney films that I never viewed. My wife and daughter have watched it numerous times on VHS, but I either wasn't home at the time or I was interested in something else. My wife considers this film to be her favorite Disney movie. Having watched it for the first time tonight, I understand why.
The Disney version of this fairy tale is inspired by Tchaikovsky's ballet. With the wonderful "Once Upon A Dream" waltz, a cast of likeable characters including the fairies Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather and a classic Disney villain in Maleficent, "Sleeping Beauty" is two parts love story and one part action yarn. Humor is provided by the fathers of Aurora and Prince Philip, as well as the fairies.
For those unfamiliar with the story, Maleficent casts a spell on the infant Aurora. On her sixteenth birthday, she is to fall into a deadly sleep. Luckily the kind fairy Merryweather had not yet given Aurora a gift. In order to save her life, Merryweather casts a protective spell that prevents Aurora from passing away but puts her into a deep sleep. This slumber can only be broken by her true love's kiss. From there, the story has magic, a dragon, and an ending that's both beautiful and funny.
The 50th Anniversary Platinum Edition of Walt Disney's classic is a masterpiece. The film looks beautiful. It is set in a widescreen format and has been digitally restored to a colorful and eye-popping presentation. The sound is also excellent and the music is simply wonderful.
The DVD is loaded with special features. It includes an alternate opening sequence, a game in which you can learn a waltz, a look into the life of Tchaikovsky, the musical "Grand Canyon Suite" and much, much more. Heck, even the standard Disney Channel television star music video is good. This time around it's Emily Osment's popped-up version of "Once Upon A Dream."
I can honestly say that "Sleeping Beauty" has worked her way into my top ten list of Disney films. It's a wonderful film for the whole family and deserves a spot on everybody's DVD (or Blu-ray) shelf.
Rating: - Stunning
Disney's first classic to hit Blu-Ray is spectacular! I have to admit that Sleeping Beauty isn't one of my favorite Disney movies, but I pretty much like them all is some way or another. Why then the five stars? The conversion to Blu-Ray is spot on!!! I can't wait for them to convert the rest of the library, this is the way these movies are meant to be seen. Not to mention I have barely tapped into BDlive yet (so far seems very cool).
Rating: - Sumptuously Visual but not Disney's Best
From what I gathered from viewing the interviews on the most recent "Platinum" release of "Sleeping Beauty" this was Disney Studios' pinnacle of achievement in animation of that time. And indeed, the artistry is stunningly beautiful. You get the full scope of what was put into it with this new widescreen edition. However, unless you have a large wide-screen TV, the characters are nearly overwhelmed by the wide and "busy" background art. The Full-Screen version seems to give one more of a 'personal' experience with the characters whereas the wide picture seems to distance you from them.
As for story, it is the 3 Good Fairies that carry the movie and have the best material. Princess Aurora and Prince Philip seem almost incidental characters built around the story of the 3 fairies' heroics (Aurora and Philip have an amazingly small amount of dialogue). Don't get me wrong, I love this movie, but next to "Cinderella" all the extravagance of "Sleeping Beauty" does not hold a candle.
Rating: - Hail Aurora and this Edition of Sleeping Beauty
To be very honest, I debated on whether or not to purchase this edition of Sleeping Beauty because I have the 2003 version. I was skeptical because I was afraid that the bonus features on this new edition would excluded the Grand Canyon featurette and the Story of Peter Tchaikovsky until lo and behold, it was included. I have yet to have seen all of the bonus features of the DVD but the film looks and sounds greater than the 2003 version I noticed more detail and the sound was outstanding. The Disneyland Walk-Through feature was just breathtaking as this was the version I never saw.
I strongly recommend this for any Disney fan!
Rating: - A big "WOW!" to the new DVD
Most new Disney editions have been improvements over what has come before, but this new edition of SLEEPING BEAUTY is an unparalleled improvement on all previous editions. Before receiving the new Platinum DVD copy I dipped back briefly into my old VHS copy that I had for my daughter when she was a child. 4:3 ratio, poor color, in general nothing special.
I then put in the disc for the new Platinum edition. I was utterly and absolutely astonished. Widescreen instead of 4:3. The improvement in the color was unbelievable. Now, I have to offer a disclaimer. I watched the Platinum edition on a Philips up-conversion DVD player. Unless you own an up-conversion DVD player and a high-def TV it won't look this good for you (though it is also available in Blu-ray -- I would love to have checked this out on Blu-ray through my Sony PS3, but I only had the regular DVD). But with my set up the results were nothing short of spectacular. I was absolutely thrilled with the results. Even if you have a relatively low-tech DVD set up, this is going to be a vast improvement over the old VHS edition.
SLEEPING BEAUTY has always had special emotional importance for me. My Dad and I never did much stuff together. I don't have many childhood memories of just me and him. But for some reason he took me, when I was a very small child, to the theater to see SLEEPING BEAUTY. I believe that it was the only movie that only he and I ever saw. My mother took me to many, many movies, but my father only this. We would later go as a family to many movies, but this one was just the two of us. This alone would mark this as a special movie. This new edition brings back the original big screen experience that I had at the Markham Street Cinema (since torn down) in Little Rock, Arkansas as a small child.
As an adult SLEEPING BEAUTY is both a wonderful experience and something approaching self-parody. There is A-List Disney and B-List Disney. SLEEPING BEAUTY is without any question A-List. It was one of the last feature length films done before the institution of the Xerox process. I consider it the end of the Golden Age of Disney. It ends the era that began with SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS. The self-parody comes out in the endless take offs on elements contained in the film. The recent (and exceptionally good) Disney film ENCHANTED takes off on the aspects of this film that shows Aurora as intimate friends with wild animals. It is also seen in SHREK when Princess Fiona sings and makes wild birds explode.
The was the last Disney film to be completely hand painted. ONE HUNDRED AND ONE DALMATIANS, the next major Disney production, utilized a xerox process that eliminated the need for most of the background painters. The difference between this and subsequent films is palpable. While the economics of the industry dictated that the switch to Xerox be made, it is truly said that the transformation was made.
As a child, I found this to be far and away the most terrifying of all the Disney films. I stil vividly remember the horror I felt as the Prince chopped his way through the barrier of thorns that surrounded the castle and the terrifying transformation of Mileficent into a terrible dragon.
If you are already a fan of SLEEPING BEAUTY then this is a must-owen film. If you don't know the movie, this is the only edition that you should consider for your first encounter. As I've learned first hand, all of the Disney re-releases of their movies are utterly first rate. But this is one of the great Disney movies. We get not only a exquisite version of a Disney movie, but a first rate version of one of the greatest fims that Disney had mde.
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