Review of Sleeping Beauty (1959) by Leona D — 21 Jun 2013

One of the most successful genres Walt Disney ever accomplished in his life was the fairy tale genre. Disney already made two successful films in the genre, Snow White and Cinderella, now Walt wanted to make another one. Sleeping Beauty, being the most expensive cartoon ever made at the time, although originally a box-office disappointment, became a classic after Walt's death.

In Sleeping Beauty, the young princess Aurora, as a child, is cursed by the evil sorceress Maleficent, who intends for her to kill herself by touching a spinning wheel spindle when she's 16. The three good fairies decide to hide her out in the woods and raise her on their own until her 16th birthday. However, Maleficent can't be fooled easily, and in the end, Aurora touches the spinning wheel and falls in a deep sleep, due to the fairies reversing the spell where she'll sleep instead and be waken by true love's kiss. When Maleficent kidnaps Prince Philip, who earlier fell in love with Aurora earlier when she was still the peasant girl, it's up to the fairies to rescue Philip, defeat Maleficent, and save the kingdom.

First off, I must say that the animation is stunning. Since the film is set in medieval times, I loved that the animation resembles medieval paintings. I also loved all the characters, even though some hardly spoke at all. (I'm looking at Philip and Aurora, especially). The true stars are the fairies, but they are still memorable characters who intend to do good for the kingdom. And Maleficent? She's easily one of Disney's scariest, most menacing villains ever. The climax especially, is a thrilling one, where Maleficent turns into a scary dragon.

Also, the score is a huge highlight in the film. Adopted from the Tchaikovsky piece, the score is phenomenal, right up there with Fantasia. It really gets you in the moving places, and excites you in the intense situations. That's what a good score does.

With great characters, a menacing villain, beautiful animation, and a phenomenal score, Sleeping Beauty is one of Disney's best.