Released theatrically back in 1959, Sleeping Beauty is an animated classic.  Production of the film had started a little bit after the success of Cinderella and the film had (what was back then) a huge budget of $6 million (which of course was recouped through the years in a huge way).

The film has spawned a legion of fans, imitators, hordes of merchandise, and is truly a part of our culture.  It has been released in a prior DVD package called the Special Edition and now arrives in this deluxe Platinum Edition boasting enhanced visuals, sound, and new extras. 

The story is a fairy tale about an evil curse put upon Princess Aurora after her birth by the evil sorceress Maleficent that she will die on her 16th birthday after touching a poisoned spinning wheel.  One of the three good fairies that came to her christening to give Aurora gifts combats this curse by changing it so that she will instead fall into a deep slumber until she is awoken by true love’s kiss.  Her true love is Prince Phillip who she is arranged to marry by her father King Stefan once she comes of age.

In order to protect the child further from harm, the three fairies agree to raise Aurora as their own in the woods until she comes of age.  And it is on her 16th birthday when she meets her true love Prince Phillip and then Maleficent springs forth her plan.  She kidnaps Phillip and tricks Aurora into touching the spinning wheel.  So it is up to the Prince and the three fairies to save the day and free Aurora from her slumber.     

CRITIQUE

The thing that really surprised me in watching Sleeping Beauty again (I haven’t seen it since I was a kid) is how striking the animation is, how epic and daring the scope of it is, and how exciting and entertaining that last third of the film is. 

I’ve recently seen some other old Disney animated films and they didn’t have that same affect.  Snow White, for instance, seemed very aged and honestly pretty dull.  I’m not big on animation anyway but was truly taken aback at how incredible the animation in this film is.  And this new Platinum Edition really takes it to the next level.

I do like the Pixar films but there is something to classically drawn animation.  And I know of no other classically drawn animated film that looks as amazing as Sleeping Beauty (except for maybe Fantasia). 

This new DVD edition makes the animation just jump off the screen.  The scope of Sleeping Beauty was much more vast and epic than in prior Disney films and this is a big reason for its success.  Walt Disney really wanted this film to look and feel different than the others and he was very successful in that. 

The vastness and extreme detail of the environments around the characters really drops you into this world creating a more organic feel to it than that stock, closed-in feel to other hand-drawn films.  It is what makes the Pixar films so incredible as well, the detail and time involved in creating the environment around the characters.  This was a film ahead of its time.

The story still manages to engage and the characters are timeless and livelier than in other older Disney animated films.  And that last third of the film where the fairies help Phillip escape and then he battles Maleficent and her hordes is truly exciting and entertaining.  Sleeping Beauty is an ambitious and extremely well-made animated film that has withstood the tests of time and remains a classic for the ages.         

THE VIDEO

The widescreen transfer in 2.55:1 (which is an expanded transfer from the prior DVD release) is astonishing.  This is exactly what this film calls for as it has such a vast and epic scope.  You will see more detail than ever before and the clarity is incredible.  The colors and vibrancy of the film simply jump off the screen; this is a superbly clear and vivid transfer (one of the best I’ve seen for such an old film).

THE AUDIO

Sleeping Beauty is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and the presentation is spectacular.  The dialogue is crystal clear and the surround sounds exceptional in the limited sequences you hear it.

THE EXTRAS

There are so many extras, I don’t know where to start.  Instead of listing all the extras one by one, I’ll describe the ones I felt were most worthy of the time spent. 

There is a terrific making-of featurette that encapsulates just about everything you could want to know about the film called Picture Perfect: Making of Sleeping Beauty.  It runs almost an hour and is the one extra of the bunch that is a must-see.  It goes from conceptualization all the way through to its lasting impact with interviews with almost everyone involved in it.

Another interesting extra that I also think is worth a look is called Sequence 8 which is a detailed look at the forest scene where Aurora meets Phillip.  It gives you a great sense of what it was like for the animators to just knock out one scene and how costly it was to do it back then.  Those are the two extras I would list a must-sees and the place to start with the extras.

The rest are all high quality and interesting but are so vast and overwhelming it’s a little ridiculous.

There are commentary tracks, music videos, featurettes on some of the key players, an alternate opening, deleted songs, games, storyboards, galleries, and a whole lot more.

Basically, no stone is unturned here.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Sleeping Beauty is an endearing classic that has stood the tests of time and remains a classic for all ages.  This Platinum DVD release boasts an astonishing, extended widescreen transfer, a spectacular audio presentation and an enormous amount of extras sure to satisfy anyone.