Animation Celebration Saturday - Sleeping Beauty (1959)

Disney, 1959
Voices of Mary Costa, Eleanor Audley, Bill Shirley, and Verna Felton
Directed by Clyde Geronimi and others
Music by Peter Ilych Tchaikovsky; Lyrics by Jack Lawrence and Sammy Fain

I'm doing this one in honor of the release of Maleficent: Mistress of Evil in a few weeks. Disney started work on this one in the early 50's after the success of Cinderella and continued with it through the decade. It was supposed to be Disney's magnum opus, but it had a lengthy and drawn-out production, with so many changes that it wound up being the most expensive Disney movie up to that point. Even being one of the bigger hits of 1959 couldn't put it in the black, but it's since become one of the more popular films in the Disney animated canon. How does the story of a prince, a princess, and a nasty fairy who can really hold a grunge look today? Let's head to the kingdom for the christening of infant Princess Aurora and find out...

The Story: King Stefan (Taylor Holmes) and Queen Leah (Felton) have longed for a child. They're delighted when they finally have little Aurora and hold a huge christening for her. Among those they invite are the three good fairies, Flora (Felton), Fauna (Barbara Jo Allen), and Merriweather (Barbara Ludley), who all have gifts for the new princess. Not on the guest list is Maleficent (Audley), a far darker fairy. She spitefully curses the child to prick her finger on a spinning wheel on her 16th birthday and die. Merriweather uses her gift to soften the curse into Aurora merely falling into a deep sleep.

Stefan's not taking chances and destroys all the spinning wheels in the kingdom, but the fairies know better. They turn themselves into ordinary humans and raise Aurora as a normal girl they call Briar Rose. Even so, she still manages to meet her intended, the handsome Prince Phillip (Shirley), in the woods and fall instantly in love with him. She thinks he's just a woodsman and is devastated when her mothers tell her the truth about herself. Meanwhile, Maleficent is still searching for Aurora...and she won't stop until her curse is satisfied.

The Animation: Some of the most gorgeous work Disney did in the 50's, with influences everywhere from Art Deco to medieval tapestries. I especially love the lush use of color here. Everything pops, whether it's the green of the forest where Aurora and Philip have their dance, the deepest blacks, grays, and purples of Malificent's domain, or the fiery scarlets of the duel between Philip and the dragon in the end.

The Song and Dance: The supporting cast is the thing here, along with that lovely animation. Maleficent is one of Disney's most beloved villains, and Audley gives her just the right touch of purring menace. Phillip is likewise one of my favorite Disney princes, far funnier and more romantic (and more relevant to the story) than previous prince charmings. The fairies are all hilarious, especially when they're trying to put together a birthday cake and dress for Aurora without the use of magic - or the slightest idea of what they're doing. The kings and their drunk song are almost as funny.

Favorite Number: "I Wonder" is Aurora's introductory number in the woods with her animal friends, as she admits to her loneliness and wonders where her someone is. She gets the answer quickly with this movie's most famous song, "Once Upon a Dream." She first performs it when her friends dress as the prince of her dreams...but it turns into a real dance of romance when Phillip finds her. It's one of Disney's most romantic sequences, with the soaring music and the soft greens of the forest providing the perfect backdrop. The two kings have a great comic drunk song with "Schumps"...which is stolen by their minstrel, who sneaks their wine and gets even more drunk.

What I Don't Like: The real problem here is with the title character. Other than as a love interest, Aurora just isn't that interesting. Despite being one of the more popular Disney princesses, things more happen to her than her doing anything. I don't think they ever really figured out what to do with her, besides putting her to sleep. The strength of the supporting cast just shows how bland she is.

The Big Finale: Come to this one for the stunning animation and one of Disney's best bad ladies, stay for some lovely music and hilarious side characters.

Home Media: Just re-released on Blu-Ray as part of Disney's new Signature Collection last month. It's also easily found for purchase on several streaming companies.

Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime