Movie Title: Sleeping Beauty
Genre: Animation,Family, Fantasy, Musical, Romance
Writer: Erdman Penner (based on The Sleeping Beauty by Charles Perrault)
Starring: Mary Costa, Bill Shirley, Eleanor Audley, Verna Felton, Barbara Luddy, Barbara Jo Allen, Taylor Holmes, Bill Thompson
Review: An enchanted kingdom is in peril when the vile Maleficent places a curse on a young princess. And it's up to three good fairies and a brave prince to save her with a magic kiss.
Sleeping Beauty is not only a visually dazzling and rich fairy tale, it was also the final one produced by Walt Disney himself. This is certainly one of Disney's greatest creations. The characters, the animation, the music, the visuals, the script, the story, everything here is first rate.
What I think makes Sleeping Beauty stand apart from many of the animated films from Disney is it's truly a fairy tale come to life; and it feels complete. From the romance and the action to the villainous plan of Maleficent, everything is planned out and pays off. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is remarkable, a genuine masterpiece, but it kinda feels like a trial run for the possibilities of what's to come with feature length animation. Sleeping Beauty is fully realized and flawlessly executed.
And even though the beautiful Princess Aurora is our main protagonist here, the real star of the show is the chillingly creepy Maleficent. She is cruel and evil and so much fun to watch. Plus, her look and morbid color-scheme (green, black, pale white and purple) really make for an unforgettable villain which has been updated for her very own live action feature titled, you guessed it, Maleficent. But trust me, steer clear of that one.
Sleeping Beauty is a charming animated feature that has astonished audiences with its timeless story and unforgettable visuals for over 60 years. With every watch it's literally a dream come true.
Fun Fact: Sleeping Beauty (1959) was in production at the Disney Studios for nearly a decade. Story work began in 1951, voices were recorded in 1952, the actual animation took place between 1953 and 1958, and the stereophonic score was recorded in 1957. The movie was finally released one to two years later, in 1959.