Audience Rating: G (General Audience) Binding: VHS Tape EAN: 5017182047629 Format: PAL Label: American Broadcasting Company (ABC) Manufacturer: American Broadcasting Company (ABC) Number Of Discs: 1 Publisher: American Broadcasting Company (ABC) Sales Rank: 110046 Studio: American Broadcasting Company (ABC) Theatrical Release Date: January 29, 1959
Amazon.com: Disney's 1959 animated effort was the studio's most ambitious to date, a widescreen spectacle boasting a gorgeous waltz-filled score adapting Tchaikovsky. In the 14th century, the malevolent Maleficent (not dissimilar to the wicked Queen in Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs taunts a king that his infant Aurora will fatally prick her finger on a spinning wheel before sundown on her 16th birthday. This, of course, would deny her a happily-ever-after with her true love. Things almost but not quite turn out that way, thanks to the assistance of some bubbly, bumbling fairies named Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather. It's not really all that much about the title character--how interesting can someone in the middle of a long nap be, anyway? Instead, those fairies carry the day, as well as, of course, good Prince Phillip, whose battle with the malevolent Maleficent in the guise of a dragon has been co-opted by any number of animated films since. See it in its original glory here. And Malificent's castle, filled with warthogs and demonic imps in a macabre dance celebrating their evil ways, manages a certain creepy grandeur. --David Kronke
Stills from Sleeping Beauty (Click for larger image)
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - dark and magical
For a fifty year old animated movie, Sleeping Beauty holds up exceptionally well for the modern viewer. While a bit light on story (evil queen threatens new born princess with curse of death, fairies cause the curse to be limited to slumber, fairies raise princess as a peasant to protect her from curse, curse strikes, etc), Sleeping Beauty tells that story quite well without relying too heavily on over-the-top musical numbers. Visually, Sleeping Beauty is one of the stronger works of from Disney with a striking Maleficent, contrasts between light and darkness, and one incredibly creepy castle ... Read More
Rating: - Disney's 50th Anniversary of Sleeping Beauty in Stunning Blu-ray!
Walt Disney released his greatest artistic masterpiece "Sleeping Beauty" in February of 1959. After spending 6 million dollars and 8 years in the making of this masterpiece, Sleeping Beauty managed to gross 5.3 million at the box office, certainly not enough for Disney to break even on his greatest artistic achievement in animation. Disney spared no expense on Sleeping Beauty, as he used Technicolor and Technirama 70. Technirama 70 was a special system of film running through the camera horizontally, exposing two 35mm frames simultaneously. This unusual film is then printed normally on standard ... Read More
Rating: - Beyond belief! Go Blu-ray!
I was skeptical about buying an animated movie in blu-ray. I can't even express how amazing this movie looks! The color is outstanding, the scenery better than I would have ever thought possible. All the dotty looks of the old-style Disney movies has been completely erased with this enhancement and yet, you lose none of the nostalgic feel. The story is one of the best, as always and the characters are wonderful. The sound is fabulous AND you get a bonus regular dvd with this purchase which I think is wonderful (Yay portible DVD player for trips!). If you are on the rail about buying animated ... Read More
Rating: - Blu-ray specific review
This movie is a classic. Many reviews here describe why this movie is just that and I won't dwell on that aspect of the movie. I will say this though.
This is my absolute favorite of the Disney classics. The art direction is simply superb, many scenes present themselves as multi-layered moving story books. It not only is an interesting direction but is entirely complimentary to midieval fairy tale setting of the movie.
The story is wonderfully and efficiently written, and includes Disney's most memorable villian. This movie truly is a stylistic classic, a giant among ... Read More
Rating: - True Love's Kiss Breaks the Spell
"Sleeping Beauty" is a magnificent adventure now in widescreen with sumptuous detail. The backgrounds have a lush intricate medieval design while the characters seem to float through each scene effortlessly. I found the movie to be especially calming and filled with luminous beauty. Each scene is exquisite, like a painting in motion. The handmade animation has been restored to a new level of brilliance. The colors are gorgeous and keep your attention even more than the storyline, which is a bit slow in places.
The basic story revolves around three good fairies who protect princess Aurora ... Read More
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