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DVD Sleeping Beauty (Special Edition)
Disney's 1959 animated effort was the studio's most ambitious to date, a widescreen spectacle boasting a gorgeous waltz-filled score adapting Tchaikovsky. In the 14th century, the malevolent Maleficent (not dissimilar to the wicked Queen in Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs) taunts a king that his infant Aurora will fatally prick her finger on a spinning wheel before sundown on her 16th birthday. This, of course, would deny her a happily-ever-after with her true love. Things almost but not quite turn out that way, thanks to the assistance of some bubbly, bumbling fairies named Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather. It's not really all that much about the title character--how interesting can someone in the middle of a long nap be, anyway? Instead, those fairies carry the day, as well as, of course, good Prince Phillip, whose battle with the malevolent Maleficent in the guise of a dragon has been co-opted by any number of animated films since. See it in its original glory here. And Malificent's castle, filled with warthogs and demonic imps in a macabre dance celebrating their evil ways, manages a certain creepy grandeur. --David Kronke
"Sleeping Beauty" was one of my favorite Disney animations when I was little, along with "Alice in Wonderland". Watched it quite a few times, and know all the words to all the songs, and pretty much all the dialogue, both of which are pretty good.
A princess, Aurora, is born, and three fairies come with gifts to give. Only two, beauty and song, are given. The sorceress Malificent interrupts the ceremony, and gives a gift of her own, a promise that when Aurora touches the spindle of a spinning wheel on her sixteenth birthday, she will die. Luckily, the third of the fairies, Merryweather, has her gift to give, and she counters the spell. If the princess does prick her finger, she will fall into sleep rather than death, and can be awoken with true love's first kiss. Still, the King is not convinced, and has every spinning wheel burnt, and the fairies take the child into the forest, to be raised as a peasant under the name of Rose. Will this be enough, or will Malificent get her way?
The animation and scenery has a medieval flavor, while the augmented Tchaikovsky score and additional songs really add to the atmosphere. The sorceress Malificent is probably my favorite Disney villain, she's a very carefully crafted character, from the crack of her staff, to her flowing robes to her soft voice. The chatter and squabbles between the good fairies is pretty interesting too, as is the discussions between the two kings. Fine characters all round, though I do feel a bit bad calling Malificent "fine"...
Worth a look for fans of fantasy and lovers of animation.
Enjoyable for young and old and on many levels.
I'm sure we're all familiar with the story of Sleeping Beauty - the timeless classic of a beautiful princess, separated from her birth parents for 16 years in an effort to prevent her from pricking her finger and drifting into an endless sleep. Her only cure, were this to happen would be the kiss of True Love.
Of course, this film is Disney at his best, no doubt about it, and is a joy to watch for all ages, both young and old. It works at many levels. The musical score, based on a famous ballet, is exquisite and charming, and the story line, is multi-leveled and quite enthralling, both to very young children and to sage adults.
It is interesting to note that Walt Disney changed this 14th Century story from a pagan tale to a Christian one. The original story is one of rape and revenge, but Walt Disney's classic is one of triumph of Good over Evil. I particularly love how Prince Philip is essentially impotent without the aid of the three magical faeries, Flora, Fauna and Meriwether, who obviously symbolize the Three Graces. Without their help, he (nor any of us, is the implication), cannot succeed in the ultimate triumph over the Evil One, manifested in Malefacent, and her spell of Death, (or endless sleep - a reference perhaps to indifference to the Godliness around us?). Also of interest is the reference to the spinning wheel itself. In the 14th century, the art of weaving was terribly important and thus a young maiden, including a royal one, would well be judged on the quality of her weaving and spinning ability. Additionally, the original story had her poisoned by a flax seed on the spinning wheel, and there truly is a poison carried by flax seeds. Another example of Disney's Christian theme is the very nature of the story itself, of a child, a girl in this story, who is taken from her rightful parents for a certain length of time, but will be reunited again with them someday, presumably after her "death" and reuniting with her true love, a Prince of all Princes. As I say, Sleeping Beauty, is a story to be enjoyed on many levels.
Brilliantly done and a joy to watch with your family again and again.
A CINEMATIC MASTERPIECE....THE BEST OF DISNEY!
I consider "Sleeping Beauty" the best of Disney's animated features. It is innovative and perfect! To parents: Please do your children a favor and find this DVD for them to treasure. Its fun and beautiful to watch. It is indeed a cinematic masterpiece!
Worry not, Disney fans--this special edition DVD of the beloved Cinderella won't turn into a pumpkin at the strike of midnight. One of the most enduring animated films of all time, the Disney-fied adaptation of the gory Brothers Grimm fairy tale became a classic in its own right, thanks to some memorable tunes (including "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes," "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo," and the title song) and some endearingly cute comic relief.
Imaginatively rendered but slightly chilly, this 1951 Disney adaptation of the Lewis Carroll classic is also appropriately surreal. Alice (voiced by Kathryn Beaumont) has all the anticipated experiences: shrinking and growing, meeting the White Rabbit, having tea with the Mad Hatter, etc. Characterization is very strong, and the Disney team worked hard to bring screen personality to Carroll's eccentric creations. For a Disney film, however, it seems more the self-satisfied sum of its inventiveness than a truly engaging experience. --Tom KeoghMore Info about this DVD Director(s): Wilfred Jackson - Clyde Geronimi - Hamilton Luske DVD Release Date: Released the 27 January 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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From the moment that Prince Eric's ship emerged from the fog in the opening credits it was apparent that Disney had somehow, suddenly recaptured that "magic" that had been dormant for thirty years. In the tale of a headstrong young mermaid who yearns to "spend a day, warm on the sand," Ariel trades her voice to Ursula, the Sea Witch (classically voiced by Pat Carroll), for a pair of legs. Ariel can only succeed if she receives true love's kiss in a few day's time and she needs all the help she can from a singing crab named Sebastian, a loudmouth seagull, and a flounder. The lyrics and music by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken are top form: witty and relevant, and they advance the story (go on, hum a few bars of "Under the Sea"). Mermaid put animation back on the studio's "to do" list... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Ron Clements - John Musker DVD Release Date: Released the 03 October 2006 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Disney's 1992 animated feature is a triumph of wit and skill. The high-tech artwork and graphics look great, the characters are strong, the familiar story is nicely augmented with an interesting villain (Jafar, voiced by Jonathan Freeman), and there's an incredible hook atop the whole thing: Robin Williams's frantically hilarious vocal performance as Aladdin's genie. Even if one isn't particularly moved by the love story between the title character (Scott Weinger) and his girlfriend Jasmine (Linda Larkin), you can easily get lost in Williams's improvisational energy and the equally entertaining performances of Freeman and Gilbert Gottfried (as Jafar's parrot). --Tom KeoghMore Info about this DVD Director(s): John Musker - Ron Clements DVD Release Date: Released the 05 October 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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It's still one of the sweetest kisses onscreen, up there with Bergman and Grant, Bogey and Bacall: the moment when pampered purebred Lady and streetwise mongrel Tramp, sharing a moonlit plate of spaghetti in an alley behind an Italian café, unknowingly slurp the same strand, and suddenly find their mouths meeting in surprise and tenderness. Ah, puppy love. Lady and the Tramp is a delight of animation and surprisingly deep character development, given that the stars are all dogs. Lady, an adorable Cocker Spaniel, feels neglected when her owners become distracted by the pending birth of a baby. But the last straw is clueless Aunt Sarah's appearance with her conniving Siamese cats (among Disney's most creatively evil villains), who wreak havoc on Lady's blissful home life. Soon... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Clyde Geronimi - Wilfred Jackson - Hamilton Luske DVD Release Date: Released the 28 February 2006 Usually ships in 24 hours
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