Sleeping Beauty (DVD)

...MAKING

Sleeping Beauty was the last animation to receive Disney's full undivided attention, as he had a lot to prove. Therefore every scene had to look perfect, this is a film with no mistakes what so ever. Disney allowed his top artists: Marc Davis, John Lounsbery, Milt Kahl, Eric Cleworth, Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston and John Sibley, extra time to pencil test and refine their scenes until they were absolutely perfect. This attention ...
...from Tchaikovsky and his 'The Sleeping Beauty' ballet. Some of the songs are sung to his music, added in perfectly by Tom Adair. Such a stirring score, played by a full orchestra again adds further life into the piece, as I feel the music carries the film quite literally. The final scene when the Princess finally returns would not have half the emotion it does if Tchaikovsky's strings weren't playing a full volume in the background. Nor would the ... more

THE DISNEY LOOK

When Disney's 'Sleeping Beauty' was first released in 1959 it was absolutely vilified by most of America's critics. At the time people could not see the film for what it was; a wonderful piece of art. Instead they made unfair comparisons between 'Sleeping Beauty' and other films such as 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' which was from a different era. Techniques in film making had improved exponentially since the 1930's, and somehow creators at Disney managed to give 'Sleeping Beauty' a fairytale look all of its own.

Today however it is viewed much more kindly, and has been on constant release on either VHS or DVD since the late 1980's. I purchased the latest copy of the DVD last summer for £19.99, which seems rather steep. However, Disney DVD's are special as they are crammed full of extras, and so worth the price you pay. They very rarely appear in the sale either! 'Sleeping Beauty' holds a special place in my heart as my favourite Disney movie when I was a child. I watched it every Saturday afternoon for around four years…so the makers at Disney must have been doing something right for it to hold my attention for so long!

MAKING

Sleeping Beauty was the last animation to receive Disney's full undivided attention, as he had a lot to prove. Therefore every scene had to look perfect, this is a film with no mistakes what so ever. Disney allowed his top artists: Marc Davis, John Lounsbery, Milt Kahl, Eric Cleworth, Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston and John Sibley, extra time to pencil test and refine their scenes until they were absolutely perfect. This attention to detail shines in the final cut of the film.

It was an expensive production for an animated movie in the 1950's. They spent an unprecedented $6 million on the film, and almost pushed the studio to bankruptcy, but Disney wanted the film to be perfect. They hired the best singers and character actors to play the animated roles. Mary Costa sings Princess Aurora. Costa was a famous classically trained opera singer, and her training really shows when singing Tom Adair's songs, such as 'Once upon a Dream.' The role of the Prince is played by Bill Shirley, who's only other role of any note was dubbing Jeremy Brett in the 1964 classic 'My Fair Lady.' He again sings this to perfection. Maleficent the evil witch is played by Eleanor Audley, who was a contract performer at Disney through out her career. So, he had got together a stellar cast to add life to the characters.

The music is taken mainly from Tchaikovsky and his 'The Sleeping Beauty' ballet. Some of the songs are sung to his music, added in perfectly by Tom Adair. Such a stirring score, played by a full orchestra again adds further life into the piece, as I feel the music carries the film quite literally. The final scene when the Princess finally returns would not have half the emotion it does if Tchaikovsky's strings weren't playing a full volume in the background. Nor would the escape of Prince Phillip from Maleficent's castle be half so rousing. All in all, the music makes the film what it is.

PLOT

The plot is so well known that I feel I can hardly do it justice! The film begins beautifully with a storybook opening and the camera diving into the pages, thus the audience know they are in a fairytale. A vast procession is occurring to mark the Christening of the Princess Aurora, with gifts and congratulations being brought from all over the country. Three fairies visit, and two of them bestow their gifts upon the newborn baby. However, they are interrupted by the evil queen Maleficent who puts a curse on the child -"The Princess shall indeed grow in grace and beauty, beloved by all who know her. But, before the sun sets on her 16th birthday, she shall prick her finger, on the spindle of a spinning wheel - AND DIE!"

To try and help the final fairy bestows a gift, that the needle shall not kill, but merely put her to sleep, to be awoken by loves first kiss. To make sure that the princess shall come to no harm she is sent to live with the three good fairies, where she is brought up as a peasant girl. Years pass, and the audience rejoins the tale at her sixteenth birthday.

There is always a handsome prince in these kinds of fairy tales, and indeed this is where he arrives. The princess meets him in the forest and he becomes infatuated, but she can not stay, telling him instead to meet her at the cottage she lives in with the fairies. Meanwhile, the fairies bundle the princess back to her parents, leaving the prince to wonder around the cottage all alone (I always used to find this part really scary!) Maleficent captures the prince at the cottage, and keeps him prisoner, telling him her plans to kill the princess.

Meanwhile, the princess does indeed prick her finger on a spinning wheel, while strangely hypnotised by Maleficent. This is one of the moments Disney critics absolutely hated at the time. The fairies know Prince Phillip is their only hope of waking Aurora, and so they go on a brave mission to save him from Maleficent's grasp. Sadly, this is the climax of the film, and I don't want to ruin the ending for any of you who haven't seen the film! Let's just say "True love conquers all."

CONCLUSION

This is an absolute for any family to own. Not only is it wonderful to watch, but it keeps children entertained for hours! I literally used to cower behind the sofa at the scary places…of which there are quite a few. The DVD format has some brilliant extras, such as a making of documentary and some Disney play along games for the kids.

This is definitely a film for both old and young to watch. Whether you are watching it to pass on a boring Saturday afternoon, because you like the music, or simply because it reminds you of childhood, it certainly gets my vote.

 

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