Sleeping Beauty (1959) DVD

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Sleeping Beauty (1959) DVD

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Sleeping Beauty (1959) DVD

Sleeping Beauty (1959) DVD

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$9.99

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J06212021202

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( 1 product review )

Product Description

Sleeping Beauty (1959)

Directors
- Clyde Geronimi(supervising director)
- Les Clark(sequence director)
- Hamilton Luske(sequence director)
Writers
- Erdman Penner(story adaptation)
- Charles Perrault(story "Sleeping Beauty")
- Joe Rinaldi(additional story)
Stars
- Mary Costa(voice)
- Bill Shirley(voice)
- Eleanor Audley(voice)
Disney produced this lavish animated fairy tale, the most expensive cartoon ever made up to its release with a budget of $6 million. When the young princess Aurora is cursed at birth by the evil fairy Maleficent, the baby is kidnapped by a trio of good fairies who raise the girl themselves, hoping to avoid the spell's fulfillment. Nevertheless, at the age of 16, the beautiful Aurora falls into a deep sleep that can only be awakened by a kiss from her betrothed, Prince Phillip. Knowing that Phillip intends to save Aurora, Maleficent takes him prisoner. When the good fairies launch a rescue attempt, Maleficent transforms herself into a spectacular fire-breathing dragon, forcing Phillip to defeat her in mortal combat. Sleeping Beauty (1959) was Oscar nominated for its musical score, which featured adaptations of Tchaikovsky compositions.

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Product Reviews

DISNEY'S MOST SPECTACULAR AND HYPNOTIC FAIRY TALE: "SLEEPING BEAUTY" (1959):

Posted by DEWEY MEE on Apr 23rd 2024

By the mid-1950's, Walt Disney's attention was divided between several areas of his entertainment empire: Disneyland amusement park, TV programs, etc. But he still had high expectations for "Sleeping Beauty."
Because the fairy tale shared so many plot elements in common with "Snow White" (1937) and "Cinderella" (1950), Disney was determined that "Sleeping Beauty" be more spectacular than its predecessors in every way. "Sleeping Beauty" would be released in Widescreen format, in stereophonic sound. Disney went high-class and classical style. George Bruns did a superb job adapting the musical score from Tchaikovsky's "Sleeping Beauty Ballet", and acclaimed opera star Mary Costa was hired as the speaking and singing voice of Princess Aurora (AKA: Briar Rose).
Disney wanted the film to resemble a "moving" Renaissance painting from the 14th Century; leaving specific stylistic details up to Eyvind Earle, a master of "magical realism". The "Widescreen" format required the animators to draw on canvases the size of large bedsheets.
"Sleeping Beauty" was finally released in January, 1959; six years in the making, at a cost of six million dollars. And every penny of that six million dollars is evident on screen. This is Disney's most elaborate and lavish fairy tale feature. You can see every stone in the castles and every leaf on the trees in the forest. The "animated atmosphere" is beyond hypnotic.
The film is a work of art. The "plot" is a simple, yet engrossing, story of "Good Versus Evil." Three Good Faeries; Flora, Fauna, and Merriweather, try to protect Princess Aurora from the curse of Maleficent, Mistress Of All Evil.
Memorable sequences include a magic wand "fight" between Flora and Merriweather; in which the color of Aurora's gown keeps changing from pink to blue. Eleanor Audley, who voiced the wicked Lady Tremaine in "Cinderella", returns here for the role of a lifetime as Maleficent. As Prince Phillip approaches the castle to awaken Aurora, a furious Maleficent materializes and proclaims, "Now you shall deal with me, Oh Prince-- and ALL THE POWERS OF HELL!!!" In a burst of rage and smoke, she transforms herself into a fire-spewing dragon for the most thrilling climax in Disney's fairy tale features.