User Reviews

When I was a little girl, Sleeping Beauty was my all time favorite Disney film. I was so in love with this story, it's crazy how many times I wore out the VHS. But growing up, I lost touch with the story, but I recently bought the DVD and re-watched the film and you know what? I'm still in love with this movie. I really miss these old Disney movies where the animation was so bright and beautiful, the characters were so lovable, and the story was so magical. I'm not bashing Disney films from today, just I'm sure we could all relate on this subject where the older Disney films just had a certain charm about it. Sleeping Beauty is just a timeless story and has so much wonderful romance, I guess since I'm a girl, I just couldn't help but still be in love with this beautiful story.

Princess Aurora is born and is the future queen of her land, three fairy's, Flora, Merryweather, and Fauna bless her with three gifts: beauty and song, right as Merryweather is about to bless Aurora, the evil witch, Maleficent, comes in and curses Aurora that she shall touch a spinning wheel by her 16th birthday and die! Merryweather changes it to where she won't die, but sleep and could only be woke up by the kiss of true love. The fairy's wish to keep this from happening still, so they take Aurora and raise her as their own. One day Aurora on her 16th birthday goes out in the forest and meets the charming and handsome Prince Phillipe, but she doesn't know he's a prince and she doesn't know he's fhe man she's actually betrothed too. She is told by the fairy's that she can never see him again and that she's a princess; later that night the curse happens! Now the fairy's need Phillipe to save Aurora before it's too late.

Everything about Sleeping Beauty is just a perfect Disney film and I can't wait until to show this to my future kids one day. I know that their generation is going to have just the CGI animation, so it's good that at least we still have these films, they're treasures. The voices, the animation, the story, Sleeping Beauty is the most romantic fairy tale that anyone could easily fall in love with. If you are a Disney fan, this is a must see, it's a great family film or if you're just a film buff in general, I'm a grown up and I still tear up when I watch Sleeping Beauty.

10/10

When 'Sleeping Beauty' was first released it was the target of critical villification--perhaps because of the more stylized art work. The art work is actually a leap forward from 'Snow White' and the earlier classics. It took me awhile to get used to the new technique when I first viewed the film--but now I recognize how effectively it manages to convey the "feel" of a genuine fairy-tale. A nice discussion of the art work is featured in 'The Making of Sleeping Beauty' which accompanies the latest VHS release of the film. Aside from the richly textured backgrounds and brilliant animation, 'Beauty' is blessed with the rapturous singing voice of Mary Costa's light soprano doing full justice to the ballad, 'Once Upon A Dream'. The idea of using Tchaikovsky's 'Sleeping Beauty' music for the background score and songs was an excellent decision. This is a film that can be enjoyed on so many different levels--music, animation, story, art work--it ranks with the very best of the classic fairy-tales from Disney. And yes, Maleficent, in all of her wicked glory, makes the most impressive fire-breathing dragon you're ever likely to see!

...which is that it may have been designed more for an adult audience than a children's. At any rate it was way ahead of its time in 1959. "Sleeping Beauty" was one of the movies I watched as a child, and its grandness overwhelmed me even at the age of ten. I couldn't be happier to see it finally in the DVD format. But watch closely; you'll notice many subtle, sophisticated things which other viewers have touched on in earlier reviews. The animation is almost surreal-- so incredibly lifelike that it abandons its cute, 'Disneyesque' pretensions from previous fairy tales. There are no talking mice, dogs or cats anywhere to be seen. Here the animals are silent, as animals are supposed to be. (I love the sequence with the forest animals as they are awakened by the singing of the barefoot princess and join up with her, like multiple chaperons, in harmonious whistles.) Even the fairy godmothers- who may initially appear as sugary stereotypes- spend so much time bickering (well, two of them do anyway) that you get to identify them as thoroughly fleshed out personalities. The adaptation of the original Perrault fairy tale is also impressive. An ingenious move was to have the prince and princess meet in the forest *first* and fall in love- unaware that they are already engaged to be married. Someone mentioned the chilling sequence which shows the princess, cloaked in an eerie green pallor, actually being lured to the fateful spinning wheel. So dark, so frightening- when was the last time you saw something like this in a Disney fairy tale? And then immediately afterwords is a cleansing sequence of unmatched beauty showing the fairies sailing through the sky like fireflies, magically dusting the rest of the castle to sleep. It is, of course, only matched by the film's finale which shows storm clouds, lightning, a forest of thorns, and a flame-spewing dragon-- all seamlessly bringing the story to a 75-minute conclusion. It stands, in my opinion, as Disney's masterpiece.

Everything about this film is beautiful. The characters, the music and the animation.

The animation was lovely. It looks flat to some people, but to me it looks absolutely beautiful, and has a gorgeous stylistic look. The best scenes were actually the darker scenes, especially the climax, which is one of Disney's best. But I have to say the forest is one of the most beautifully animated forests in a Disney film. Sleeping Beauty mayn't have the strongest story development in a Disney movie, but neither the ballet or the fairytale have the best story development either, no matter how beautiful the film really is.

The characters were unforgettable. Whilst Aurora was the weakest character, she was made into a beautiful woman with lots of grace, class and charm, who dreamed of falling in love, and Mary Costa's vocals were sublime. Phillip is also well done, but these two characters don't say much in comparison, I noticed, except Phillip has some great lines. The forest scene with the animals was charming, and you have to laugh at the three fairies when they tried to make the dress. The fairies added a huge amount to this film, as did Meleficent, who terrified me when I was younger. There was a long time when I was so scared of her and the part when she entices Aurora to the spinning wheel, that I refused to see the film for about two years.

The music by Tchaikovsky was outstanding. He is a fantastic composer, one of my all time favourites. The music to the climax has been imitated by many Disneys but never as well. I recommend you see the ballet, which bears little resemblance to the film itself, but the music is a knockout, like Beethoven's Choral Symphony.

In conclusion, an ambitious(being the most expensive Disney project) but beautiful film, that has captivated me since I was little, and I am 16 now. 10/10. Bethany Cox

Classic Disney fairy tale adaptation about a princess named Aurora who is cursed by an evil witch named Maleficent. Lovely in every way with memorable characters and scenes that have stood the test of time. The animation is beautiful and stylish with rich, vibrant colors. The voice actors all do wonderful work. If I had a complaint, it would be that the narrator is rather bland. Someone with a stronger voice would have been better. But it's a minor thing in a film that is so wonderful from start to finish. The Tchaikovsky music is amazing and the song "Once Upon a Dream" is a real gem. I'm no film historian but it seems like, in many ways, this movie represents the end of an era for animated Disney films that began with Snow White in 1937. There would certainly be some great movies to come, even some classics, but they wouldn't have quite the same grand feeling and charming old-fashioned qualities of the films from this era.

"Sleeping Beauty" was envisioned by the great Walt Disney as his masterpiece--the feature-length cartoon par excellence. And, in many ways, it is. The then-record budget (six million dollars) was the largest ever for an animated motion picture. The widescreen Technirama 70 process had never been used for an animated feature. The six-track magnetic stereo sound was a step upward from the "Fantasound" system employed in "Fantasia" (1940). Also new and trend-setting was the style of the animation--a more realistic, geometric design which, surprisingly left many critics and audiences cold. The extra expense needed to showcase the widescreen film properly, together with the lukewarm reviews, prevented "Sleeping Beauty" from turning a profit at the box office when it was released (with much fanfare) in 1959. But time has been kind to the film, subsequent reissues have finally put it in the profit margin, and both viewers and critics are appreciating it for the beautiful fantasy it has always been. However, like it's predecessor "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" (1937) which was Disney's first fairy tale, as well as his first full-length film, this screen adaptation of "Sleeping Beauty" strays from it's origins. While the Charles Perrault version of the tale is given as the source, there are new variations.

The original story is as follows: When a baby girl is born to a King and Queen, they invite seven (or, in the Grimm version, twelve) Fairies to the christening. Uninvited is an evil fairy, who shows up anyway, and curses the child with death on her 16th birthday. Although a good fairy is able to alter the spell, the princess is doomed to sleep (along with the court) for 100 years. Despite the precautions taken, the curse is fulfilled (accidentally, in most versions of the story) and the princess does indeed sleep for a century, after which a prince awakens her. Understandably, Disney's telling departs from Perrault here as well, because in Perrault's version, the King and Queen are the sole members of the court who do not succumb to the sleeping spell, and, eventually die of old age. The Disney version of the tale whittles the number of good fairies down to three, giving them the appearance and personalities of elderly women. Meanwhile, the evil fairy, dubbed Maleficent, is a cold, flamboyant villainess who, for better or worse, overshadows everyone else in the film (but then, the villain always does). Disney's retelling also dispenses with the Heroine's 100 year sleep which lasts merely one night. There is much emphasis put on the three fairies who secretly, in the guise of peasants, raise the baby princess Aurora, (whom they dub "Briar Rose" interestingly, the name given the Princess in the Grimm retelling) and, unwittingly make it possible for Maleficent to execute her curse. Also new, is the introduction at the beginning of the film of Prince Phillip, who is immediately betrothed to Aurora. The climatic battle he has with the evil fairy, here transformed into a dragon, has become one of the most memorable parts of the film, though it was purely the scriptwriter's invention. In the end, however, it is best to appreciate the film as a stand-alone creation, rather than a faithful adaptation of a classic story.

Indeed, as some latter-day critics have pointed out, "Sleeping Beauty" has been embraced by the young and old audiences who find in it many of the same sword and sorcery elements in films like "Legend" and "Excalibur". And every penny of it's then-unprecedented budget is on the screen. One marvels at the intricate design of the animation, all accomplished well before the advent of computers, which the Technirama screen showcases to full effect. The voice talent is perfect. Mary Costa, who went on to an estimable opera career, is a lovely and expressive Aurora, while Bill Shirley is an ingratiating Prince Phillip. Eleanor Audley (so deliciously cold as the stepmother in Disney's "Cinderella") is the embodiment of majestic evil as Maleficent. Verna Felton (the Fairy Godmother in Disney's "Cinderella"), Barbara Jo Allen and Barbara Luddy are the delightful (and all too human) fairies, Flora, Fauna and Merryweather. Aurora's father, King Stefan, is voiced by Taylor Holmes, with Bill Thompson as Phillip's father King Hubert. A word should also be said for Candy Candido, who provided the sounds made by Maleficent's goons. The Tchaykovsky ballet score provides both the background music and melodies used for the new songs. All this blends perfectly in an epic adventure/fantasy seldom experienced on screen, and one with enough heart to capture the most cynical viewer.

The Special Edition DVD, released in 2003, and currently out of print, is another example of what a "Special Edition" truly encompasses, including a fully restored widescreen print of the film, a new 5.1 stereo mix which fully showcases the Academy Award nominated score, as well as many bonus features with appeal to all ages (including a widescreen/fullscreen comparison which should be the last word on that subject). Also included are several complimentary historical shorts like the Academy Award winning "Grand Canyon" which accompanied "Sleeping Beauty" on it's initial release. Trailers, games, interviews with Mary Costa and surviving animators, vintage featurettes which delve into the making of the film, and last, but not least, footage of Disney himself, complete the dazzling package. Finally awakened from her long slumber, and more refreshingly lovely than ever, "Sleeping Beauty" is a film (and DVD) for the ages.

Sleeping Beauty (1959) is not strong on story, I will admit. It embellishes little on top of the fairy tale and outside of the fairies and Maleficent (truly one of the greatest villains in classic film) none of the characters manage to rise above being mere ciphers. Still, this is among the greatest of Disney films for its sheer visual gorgeousness.

The animation is exquisite to say the least. The backgrounds, though they have their detractors like animation historian Michael Barrier, fit the more angular, jewel-colored characters in my opinion. They look so good on their own that you would not mind framing them on a wall at home. Tchaikovsky's music from the ballet Sleeping Beauty is beautifully adapted into the musical numbers and background scoring.

Not for people looking for emotional depth, but for those who aren't adverse to style over substance films, this is excellent stuff. It's an epic masterpiece.

Quick......what was "Sleeping Beauty's" name? Answer: Either "Princess Aurora" or "Rose," depending on where she was.

Most of you probably know that but I didn't, probably because I hadn't watched this movie since it came out about a half century ago! I was a little kid, and never did see this again on TV or VHS. I only saw it again because several high-definition DVD websites said this looked spectacular on Blu-Ray.

How right they were; this looks incredible! I cannot believe how fantastic the artwork is, and sharp the picture comes through on this restored high-def disc. The colors and the amount of details in all the art are astounding. Many of the scenes had my jaw dropping in admiration. The story, frankly, is not anything that great for a man my age but the visuals are so fantastic that I enjoyed the experience.

I also appreciated the 2.55:1 widescreen picture. If you've only seen this on formatted-to-TV 4:3, and love the movie, you owe it to yourself to see this version. You won't believe how good this 1959 film looks.

I'm sure I've seen this film before but for the life of me I cannot remember when. Perhaps I saw it when I was very young and not since but it is equally like that my "memory" of it has just been created by cultural reference points, clips and a general knowledge that it exists. Either way when I sat to watch this the other day as a man in his mid-30's it did very much feel like I was coming to the total film for the first time and I was quite surprised by how simply it engaged and entertained me.

The plot is simple and will be known to all and within this telling we do pretty much go from one bit to the next with little in the way of extrapolation or development – a potential problem for older viewers looking to get into it, but it still manages to work. A big part of this is the sense of fairy tale that it delivers, because it puts you in a frame of mind suitable for this. The "opening on a shot of a book" start to this film has been done since many times so it is easy to overlook how effective it can be, but here it works very well and the whole film captures the feel that this opening is suggesting. The telling is lightly comic but avoids cynicism or cruel humour and instead goes for a light touch; although I do love the edge that modern cynicism gives to some films, I will concede that it was quite refreshing to have a film free of it. The broad strokes of a fairy tale are here – the good fairies are non-threatening and comic while the evil fairy is tall, lean, strict and menacing; the prince is handsome, the princess stunning etc and it does feel like being read to as a child because it is simple yet vivid in the way it is told.

It is easy (and tempting) to look at the film with a cynical modern eye and criticise it for its presentation of beauty and its gender politics but, while I do believe that things like this film and Barbie and others had a major role in shaping the view of beauty, it is not a thought that occurred to me once while watching the film. Instead it charmed me to its agenda, not my own and I would suggest anyone watching this and muttering their way through it has simply not come with an open mind. The voice work perhaps lacks the character of modern animated films, but all are good in their various roles – in particular the evil fairy is strong in her presence.

Overall Sleeping Beauty is considered a classic and it is so for good reason – because it is. It is the type of film that parents will want their children to see because it is simple, engaging, well presented, beautiful to look at and tells a story that has danger and evil in it while also showing the power of love and that good will always prevail. Of course this is not true – but this is a fairy tale and it takes you with it while you watch. It says something that over 50 years after this was made that a audience of all ages can sit to watch this and all come away loving it. A delight.

This Disney cartoon feature has the familiar-princess-in-distress theme of a lovely girl, kind fairies, a handsome prince, forbidding castles and an evil witch. A perceived slight by a king and queen enrages a sorceress who casts an evil spell on the child that will take effect on her sixteenth birthday. Only her prince charming's kiss can save the girl from an unhappy fate and the frightening Maleficent stops at nothing to locate the princess in order to bring her prophecy to fruition. There are several pitched battles between the prince and the fairies against the forces of evil that accelerates into an exciting combat at the finish. The picture is bathed in beautiful color and the music of Tchaikowsky's ballet serves as a wonderful musical accompaniment.

I grew up in the Disney era where "Little Mermaid," "Beauty and the Beast," "Aladdin" and "The Lion King" reigned supreme among me and my elementary school pals (and to this day, if you ask one of my peers what their favorite Disney movie is, it's probably one of those or one of the Disney-Pixar creations).

But one Disney film has always remained my utter favorite and that is, indeed, "Sleeping Beauty."

Like most children, I grew up watching Disney movies -- everything from animated films like "Snow White" to "Lady and the Tramp," the semi-animated like "Mary Poppins" and "Bedknobs and Broomsticks," and the non-animated such as "The Parent Trap" and "Old Yeller." But "Sleeping Beauty" remains my favorite animated movie and you'd better believe at seventeen years of age, I'm still watching it. I cannot believe how the animation has been knocked in some reviews -- it's beautiful! They captured the medieval period so well and even the people look like, well, people. The score is beautiful and the songs "I Wonder" and "Once Upon a Dream" are sung wonderfully by Mary Costa. What a voice! Aurora is by far one of the prettiest Disney princesses (one thing that initially drew me to the movie as a child), following the formula with those trademark doe-eyes that Disney bestows upon all of their princesses and heroines. Prince Phillip actually does more than just show up to sing a song and say one line, a welcome change that answers the age old question, "What does she see in him anyway?" The three fairies are delightful (I always wanted to be Fauna!) and funny. And of course, there's the quintessential villain -- Maleficent. She scared me when I was younger and when I view the film now, no wonder. (For the longest time, I was also scared of Eleanor Audley period, but she's truly a marvelous actress.) And when Phillip kills her -- yeah, you'd better believe that's some scary business.

The story is beautiful and funny, the animation is divine, the music ethereal, and the voice talents extraordinary. This is a personal favorite and it comes highly recommended!

Simplest possible explanation of what cements Sleeping Beauty's place as an immortal classic: Maleficent.

Sleeping Beauty was never one of my favorite Disney movies, my parents having lost the tape really early. Since maybe ten years I haven't seen the movie, but now, after seeing it again, I have to admit, it's a masterpiece. I don't understand why it was so berated on first release. Where the critics expecting Snow White? 'Cause this is no Snow White. It's much better.

A long, long time ago, in a kingdom far, far away, King Stefan and the Queen have a daughter, Aurora, so-called because she brought sunshine to their lives. There is a great celebration, and the neighboring kingdom's Prince Phillip is betrothed to Aurora. The three Good Fairies, Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather, are invited. Flora and Fauna bestow gifts of beauty and song upon Aurora. Before Merryweather can cast her spell, the uninvited Maleficent--the Mistress of All Evil--arrives, furious at not being invited. She curses Aurora, predicting that at the age of sixteen the princess will prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning-wheel and die. Merryweather counteracts this by making Aurora go into a deep sleep were she ever to prick her finger, to be reawakened by true love's first kiss. To keep her safe, the fairies take her into the forest, no longer using magic, and calling Aurora Briar Rose. The princess knows nothing of her heritage, and meets no other humans, except for a man "Once Upon A Dream".

One of the greatest things about the movie is the style. The contrast between characters and surroundings (except for Maleficent) is stark. The backgrounds and layouts are colorful, stylized, round and angular at the same time. The characters, however, aim for total realism, except for the minor ones, who are clearly cartoon characters. The animation is beautiful. The movements smooth, the artistry unbelievably high quality. If there was no other likable thing about the movie, the animation would go a long way to saving it.

The story of Sleeping Beauty is, of course, set in stone. Despite everyone's complete familiarity with the fairy tale, the movie manages to enliven it and make it gripping, even though everyone has heard it a thousand times. A most definite improvement in the story is the scene in which Aurora pricks her finger. In the original the spinning-wheel was owned by an innocent old peasant, who just happened to own the last wheel in the land, unnoticed by the rest of the world. In the movie Maleficent hypnotizes Aurora, and commands her to prick her finger. In addition to the atmosphere of foreboding already present in the story, the movie adds genuine suspense, largely owing to the brilliant presence of the wicked fairy.

The characterization is very different from other Disney movies in some ways, but very like others. Usually in Disney's princess movies, the princess herself is something of a cypher, a passive element. This is true for Sleeping Beauty (she has no control over the three basic actions in the movie). The prince usually has an even more minute part, although the story would be nothing without him. Not so this movie. Here Phillip is a much more active character, a hero who battles dragons and witches, who goes through all sorts of hazards. In Snow White all the unnamed prince does is show up and kiss our heroine, in Cinderella Charming risks nothing and is nothing but a prop. But the ultimate character is, of course, Maleficent. Supervised by Disney's women's animator-in-chief, Marc Davis, hers has to be one of the great performances in animation. She is brilliantly drawn, amazingly voiced, and the dragon she transforms into is not just a dragon: it is HER particular dragon (a method taken to greater lengths in The Sword in the Stone). She is magnificent. The three fairies are quarrelsome all right, but they are caricatures that convey particularly clearly their good-naturalness.

Sleeping Beauty is one of those irreplaceable masterpieces. It is a magnificent retelling of a classic fairy tale, with no undue distortion of the source material. Come to think of it, the story EXISTS to be made into a movie; it's just perfect. And near-perfection is what Disney achieved.

9.5/10

"Sleeping Beauty" is definitely a classic among the Disney animated features. It bears the distinction of being the first to be shot in 70mm widescreen format. The score borrows much from Tchaikovsky's classic ballet based on the Brothers Grimm tale. The art is beautiful, being inspired by medieval art. And the characters are delightful, particularly the three Good Fairies, Flora, Fauna and Merryweather. Malificient makes for a wonderful villainess, with awesome magical powers. Even those who would not call this Disney's best animated feature should agree that it harkens back to the famed studio's golden age. It's a classic that all ages can treasure!

My first experience with "Sleeping Beauty" was at the end of my 2nd grade year, the film's magic simply blew my mind, the bell rung shortly after the christening part and we never could finish the film. Coincidentally, the same year, I saw the climactic fight with the dragon in a Disney TV's special yet the second act remained a total mystery and I never thought I missed much since I was already familiar with the best bits, including the incomparable Tchaikovsky's waltz theme of the same name. But after a series of missed opportunities, I finally watched Disney's "Sleeping Beauty" all the way.

Still, it wasn't that new an experience, I remember being mesmerized by the TV versions of the classic fairy-tale, I saw two when I was 9, and the story had no secret for me, especially because the two films where relatively faithful to Perrault's original book (in one of them, Aurora was actually named 'Briar Rose' and I thought it was just an artistic license). Speaking of the story, I thought it was surprisingly dark, projecting our deepest fears like being struck by a malevolent curse such as the spindle of the wheel, and living in the constant fear that it would be complete, not to mention the creepy vision of a whole town put in a comatose state for a whole century, a device that a child could easily assimilate to death.

Although it deviates from the original material, "Sleeping Beauty" magnificently renders the sinister atmosphere of the story and one of its strongest aspects relies on the depiction of magic through the eternal opposites: good and evil. Disney's animated movies have always provided the best art-form when it came to vehicle these fantastic elements and as a result, the animation is absolutely dazzling whether it induces fear of amazement. The three fairies are magnificently characterized thanks to the wise choice of reducing their number to three and making them physically different, and Maleficent has this mix of elegance and darkness that perfectly suits her status as a Disney villain. In fact, for a Disney film, the film gets strangely explicit by always referring to the antagonism between good and evil through the devilish incarnation of Maleficent, who's more than your usual Witch.

And perhaps this is the main achievement of "Sleeping Beauty", to exploit familiar archetypes from previous Disney classics, without recycling them. Maleficent is a class on her own and is never comparable to the Evil Queen from "Snow White" and the three fairies are much more motherly and three-dimensional figures than the jolly Godmother from "Cinderella". "Sleeping Beauty" goes even further by eschewing one of the dullest archetypes from the other films: the nameless and bland Prince. This time, Philip, to name him, becomes the first truly heroic Prince of Disney, the one who really struggled to get to Aurora and bless her with a true love kiss. Released in 1959, after several years of preparation and pre-production, anyone could tell Disney wanted to make a new movie out of familiar material.

Now, there are two aspects in the film that certainly divide opinions. One being the small screen-presence of Aurora, which probably suffers from the fact that the Prince, the fairies, Maleficent and even the Kings are given more preeminent roles. For some viewers, Aurora is dull, passive or under-developed at best. The second is animation, the realism of the background, the magnificent way it renders some of the most beautiful medieval paintings, and make you look at the film as a new milestone in Disney's canon, some might find it too linear or geometrical, foreshadowing the evolution of Disney's animation to a more sketchy format, and regret the most rounded aspect of Disney's previous film, the one that Disney Renaissance would resurrect with "The Little Mermaid".

Characters and animation either support or cancel one another. I, for one, thought that the animation was perfect for the film, that "Sleeping Beauty" is a masterpiece on the animation level, even more impressive since the film was still hand-drawn and didn't rely on the Xerox process that would be used for "One Hundred and One Dalmatians". Known for being the first to be shot in Technirama process, the large scope of the film allowed the team to be more perfectionism in the depiction of backgrounds whether for castles or forests, multiplying by ten the delays of production. But for what a result! I can only envy those who saw the film in a large screen; no castle has even been more frightening than Maleficent's, conveying the Gothic atmosphere the story required. The same year than Ben-Hur, Disney proved to be capable of making blockbusters, technically speaking.

And the drawing plays an interesting role, by canceling the eventual blandness of Aurora. She not only is the best-looking of all Disney princesses but her facial features also suggest a strongest and most modern personality, like a younger version of Lauren Bacall. Given the role she's supposed to have in the original story, the main players being the fairies, Maleficent and the Prince, her lack of screen-presence doesn't damage her characterization at all, hell, even her smile when she's waken up isn't the same ecstatic enthusiasm than Snow White but rather looks like a clever 'here you are' wink. The four roles are fairly distributed and the best thing it did was to spare us from too much cute little animals as time-fillers.

If not as revolutionary as "Snow White" or as popular as "The Lion King", the film features three classic scenes, so-defining of what Disney stood for: the magic christening, the climactic good vs. bad battle, and naturally, the magnificent kiss. "Sleeping Beauty" uses all the archetypes of the fairy-tales and Disney previous successes and the result is a classic masterpiece of Animation, certainly the most defining of Disney, since even the castle where Aurora lies in the highest tower became Walt Disney's all-time trademark.

When an evil witch places a curse on an infant princess that will cause her to fall into eternal sleep on her 16th birthday, her three fairy godmothers whisk her away to a life of normality and ignorance of her birthright. But can they stave off the curse when the 16th year of age arrives?

It upped the ante in costing for Disney, also taking a decade to produce. The ambition was high as new techniques were being used such as rotoscoping, while the musical score is brilliantly devised from Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty ballet. The story itself is a pure joy, based on Charles Perrault's ever enduring fairytale, it's awash with rich characters, led by the delightful three fairy godmothers - Flora - Fauna and Merryweather, all plumpy and sweet, while evil witch Maleficent is brilliantly produced, with a long pointy chin and devil horns on her head.

There's a whole bunch of charming fun on show, as the three ladies bring the magic and potter around while gently ribbing each other, but it's with the drama where Sleeping Beauty most soars. The nightmare sequence luring Briar Rose (Princess Aurora) to the dreaded spinning wheel is unnerving, and the battle between Prince Phillip and Maleficent is exhilarating and shows the animators at their best. As for the colour? Spanking!

Upon release it wasn't the roaring success Disney had hoped and planned for, but the decades since then have been very kind to Sleeping Beauty. For it's a magical film for children and adults to dreamily get lost in. 9/10

If there's one thing that separates the classic Disney era from it's modern efforts, then it was their ability to truly bring a fairytale to life. The moral and narrative simplicity of the fairytale formula is now portrayed somewhat cynically, with their black-and-white ethics and la-de-da princesses receiving a lampooning in the likes of Shrek (2001) and Enchanted (2007). Although this can make for clever and amusing viewing, it makes it easy to forget how beguiling these stories can be. Sleeping Beauty is one of Disney's finest, and a perfect example of how the make-believe world of witches, fairies, kings and princesses can truly enthral and fill a young heart with wonder.

King Stefan and Queen Leah welcome the birth of their daughter, Princess Aurora (Mary Costa), and invite their subjects to pay homage at their castle. The baby is thrice blessed by the three good fairies, Flora (Verna Felton), Fauna (Barbara Jo Allen) and Merryweather (Barbara Luddy), until the evil sorceress Maleficent (Eleanor Audley) gate-crashes the party. Maleficent curses the princess and announces that on her sixteenth birthday, she will prick her finger on a spinning wheel and die. The curse is dented somewhat when Merryweather intercepts, meaning that Aurora will not die, but will fall into an eternal sleep unless she receives true love's kiss.

Inspired by the Brothers Grimm's Little Briar Rose and The Sleeping Beauty by Charles Perrault, the film, under the directorial supervision of Clyde Geronimi, has some of the finest animation work ever put out by Disney. The last Disney film to use hand-inked cells, animators Marc Davis, Milt Kahl, Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston, John Lounsbery, Wolfgang Reitherman and Eric Larson, create a beautiful world reminiscent of the colourful Medievals film that were so popular in the 1950's, when Technicolor was a-booming. The climax, which sees the horned demon Maleficent turn into a dragon, was revolutionary in it's day and is still unnervingly striking today. The romance between Aurora and her betrothed - the amusingly named Prince Phillip (Bill Shirley) - is rather unconvincing and wishy-washy, but it does little damage to a movie that is a delight from start to finish.

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This is my favourite Disney movie.I saw it when I was 8,and that was the first movie which scared me to death.Back home at night,I was afraid of the dark,I could not turn off the light,because I was afraid of Maleficent.One scene would go well in any horror movie:Princess Aurora ,spellbound,comes up the stairs,and arrives in a room.Maleficent is hidden in the fireplace,you can only see her eyes..Absolutely frightening!I saw it again at 18,and although I had grown up(!) I was scared almost the same way.I cannot think of any baddie ,any villain in the Mouse House that can equal this witch.She's got some kind of vamp's face-not as ugly as Snowwhite's evil queen-,and her horns add to her satanic(sadistic) look.When she becomes a dragon,the terror she generates is not as intense because a dragon remains a dragon,even if it's more successful than Mim's metamorphosis in "Sword in the stone".

The rest of the movie seems rather nice,compared to the movie's baddie.Tchaikowsky's waltz is tastefully used ,and adds lustre to a pretty bland pair of lovers.The three good fairies-three Cinderella's godmothers for the price of one- are funny and charming and God knows how much we need them as a relief in the nightmarish world of Maleficent and her demons.

A question remains:at the time,was it really a movie for children?Now time has passed ,the kids have seen worse.But I keep on thinking it was a bit too much for the brat I was in 1960.

For some reason, there's a whole swathe of classic 40's and 50's Disney classics I've not yet seen, including "Cinderella", "Pinocchio", "Dumbo", "Bambi", "101 Dalmations", "The Lady & The Tramp" and up until now, this lovely, warming re-telling of the classic "love conquers all" fairy tale.

It's a long time since I've sat so rapt by a movie, an animated one at that, my eyes and ears never leaving the screen, even knowing as we all do, how the story ends. Delightfully old-fashioned, no doubt reflecting the solid family values of Eisenhower's late 50's America, I'll take "Sleeping Beauty"'s wide-eyed innocence to today's knowing, post-modern cynicism and I speak as a fan of the whole "Shrek" franchise! Only once did I detect the encroachment of the modern, with references to "this is the fourteenth century, you know!", but this was only the mildest of jarrings if I'm being honest.

The animation is delightful, particularly the backgrounds and there are some particularly eye-catching segments, two I particularly liked being the three good fairies' transformation into pixie-size and one of Malificent's entrances where she's reduced to a set of eye-slits and green light.

Tchaikovsky's orchestral music is lovely, although some of the songs are a little starchy plus there's a bit too much of the young lovers' royal fathers if I'm carping, but with its gentle humour ("make it pink, make it blue") and sheer Disney magic firmly in place, this delightful movie will waft all but the coldest heart to a lovely place long ago and far away.

Not insulting Disney, this just does not seem like a Disney film. There are many scary scenes (which are likely to disturb anyone aged under 9 or so) and there are many scenes that will make much more sense to adults than to children. There are also many references to what life was like in the Medieval ages (not counting the fantasy scenes of course), including the fact that it was quite normal (or even a little late) for girls to marry when they are 16. In none of Disney's other films is there this kind of reference.

Aside of these points, there is stunning Disney charm, animation, humour for just about everyone and this film also includes pieces from Tchaicovsky's ballet. The characters and plot of course also help make up this wonderful animated film. The only negative point is the fact that it strays quite far from the original fairy tale, but in some cases this is not really a bad thing.

You may know the story already. A baby girl is born to a king and queen and three good fairies bless the child with a gift. Although - at first it is only two. Just as the third fairy is about to bless her gift, the bad fairy Malecifent gives the baby a bad gift, that she will die on her 16th birthday. The good fairy helps turn this around, but only in a little way...

Recommended to anyone who likes the fairytale, the ballet or the princess stuff of "Sleeping Beauty". Enjoy! :-)

For some reason when I haven't seen "Sleeping Beauty" in a while I start to remember it differently. I remember it as not being as good as some of the other Disney classics. Nothing could be further from the truth. "Sleeping Beauty" is a very good movie. It's a lot of fun and very exciting. As I watched the final "brawl for it all" tonight I was almost on the edge of my seat. The short running time is a big plus for this movie. I saw this movie in the theater on a re-release in the 1970s. I wish they would re-release it again.

Sleeping Beauty is one of the more uneven Disney classics. Meaning that while some of its elements are frankly speaking revolutionary, culture-changing even, it has some other elements that are not really that good, not by Disney standards or even objectively.

First the good stuff. The animation is quite frankly among the best Disney has produced. Ever. The characters move with fluid grace, the colours defy believe and help the whole movie leap from the screen and the attention to detail is amazing. But it's the backgrounds which make this one of the, if not the best movie Disney has ever released. The designs are fantastically medieval, the amount of detail they have put into every frame is unbelievable and it's no wonder it took so long to produce and cost so much that it really had no realistic hope of making its money back. But it was worth it. This is animation art in its finest form. Every single frame worthy of being framed and hanged on the wall.

And then there's Maleficent, the finest Disney villain since the original Evil Queen from Snow White, and the first one to truly eclipse her. And she's still amazing. Eleanor Audley really gives her a threatening presence with her voice alone. She can be quietly menacing when she needs to be, but when she's truly enraged, she also has the lungs to back it up. Plus the character design, the storyline, they're all enough to cement her as one of the great ones.

Then the bad stuff. Aurora and Prince Phillip are awful. Their character designs are great, but they have no screen time to build chemistry, their romance is one of the quickest even by Disney standards, their storyline is not interesting and as a whole they're a dreadful bore.

Luckily the three fairymothers are a lot of fun. They're not on Maleficent's level, but they hold the movie together admirably.

Sleeping Beauty is one of the best Disney movies. It's not the best because quite frankly I can't stand the romantic couple in it, but aside from that, it holds a dear place in my heart.

Sleeping Beauty is a classic. It features memorable music and one of the best Disney villains ever. Plus, who doesn't love Fauna trying to bake a cake without magic and the epic pink versus blue war between Flora and Merryweather? Plus, the ending is one of the most intense battles found in a Disney animated feature. This is still as fun to watch as an adult as it was to watch it as a kid.