Review of Sleeping Beauty (1959) by Disneylover1 — 06 Oct 2021

Sleeping Beauty is an all-time classic no doubt. The characters are loved & unforgettable like the 3 good fairies Flora, Fauna, & Merryweather, King Stefan & his wife Queen Leah, King Hubert & his son Phillip, the Mistress of Evil Maleficent, & of course Princess Aurora.

The story is amazing with so many funny & romantic moments like when one of the castle's musicians get drunk from drinking only one glass of wine & when Phillip & Aurora dance in the forest.

The story begins with Stefan & Leah spending many years together without a child & they eventually give birth to their beloved daughter Aurora. When Aurora was born, Stefan & Leah decided to proclaim a holiday to all of the subjects in the kingdom pay homage to the baby princess.

During her christening, baby Aurora is betrothed to young prince Phillip who is King Hubert's son & Hubert is King Stefan's best friend to unite their kingdoms. Once Hubert & Phillip give their blessings to the princess & the kingdoms, the good fairies Flora, Fauna, & Merryweather decide to give Stefan & Leah's daughter blessings as well.

Flora blesses Aurora with beauty, Fauna blesses Aurora with song, but when Merryweather makes her blessing she is then interrupted by the evil Maleficent. The Good Fairies tell Maleficent that she wasn't invited & then Maleficent decides to leave, but Queen Leah quickly asks the evil fairy if she's offended at all.

When Maleficent says that she isn't offended, she decides to give Aurora a "blessing" as well but she gives a curse to the baby princess saying that when Aurora is 16 years old, she will prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and die.

Stefan & Leah ask the good fairies if the curse can be undone but it can't because the good fairies aren't more powerful than Maleficent. Eventually, Merryweather uses her blessing to weaken Maleficent's curse, where Aurora won't die if she pricks her finger; she will fall into a deep sleep, only broken by true love's kiss.

King Stefan then orders the entire kingdom to burn all of the spinning wheels. Since Aurora wouldn't be safe with her parents, the good fairies persuade the King & Queen that they'll take care of Aurora & they will keep Aurora safe in a forest cottage.

15 years later, Aurora grows into a beautiful young woman. On her birthday, the fairies ask her to gather berries so they set up the surprise party for Aurora. During her walk in the forest, Aurora meets Phillip who is a handsome young man who is instantly attracted because of her beauty.

Aurora is frightened because she can't talk to strangers but the two eventually fall in love, & she invites him to meet her at the cottage. Flora & Merryweather argue over the color of Aurora's gown which attracts the attention of Maleficent's raven who knows the princess' location.

When Aurora gets home, she tells the fairies that she's in love. Eventually, the fairies tell her that she's betrothed to a prince & she shouldn't the man she saw. Aurora is heartbroken & cries.

Phillip returns to the kingdom and tells his father of the peasant girl he met but Hubert fails to convince his son not to which makes Hubert devastated. The Good Fairies bring Aurora back to the castle and make her wait for her birthday celebrations which is meeting her parents.

Maleficent finds Aurora and lures her into a dark tower with a spinning wheel where Aurora finally pricks her finger. The Good Fairies put Aurora in a bed in the highest tower & they put a sleeping spell on the entire kingdom where they all sleep until Aurora's curse is broken.

Phillip is then kidnapped by Maleficent where she will only release Phillip when a century passes where Phillip is close to dying & Aurora not aging at all. The Good Fairies rescue Phillip giving the prince a magical Sword of Truth & the Shield of Virtue.

Maleficent's goons fail to capture Phillip which causes an enraged Maleficent to transform into a dragon. The Evil Fairy & Prince fight where Phillip throws his sword at Maleficent's heart instantly killing her.

Phillip awakens Aurora with a kiss breaking Maleficent's curse & waking the entire kingdom. The couple walk down to the ballroom, where Aurora meets her parents and the couple live happily ever after.

IMO, the best parts of the movie is Flora & Merryweather fighting over the color of Aurora's gown & one of King Stefan's musicians becoming drunk. The graphics are BEAUTIMUS, the plot is just perfect, all of the characters are all lovable in their own way, & just the legacy the movie built was incredible because there are parts of Sleeping Beauty that's used in Video Games, Disney Park rides, & a live-action film adaptation! This movie is a classic for a reason & it's one of the best animated films Disney has made.