An equally captivating animated fairy story by Walt Disney Studios depicts “Sleeping Beauty”, an enchating tale by Charles Perrault and elements of Tchaikovsky’s ballet. The story portrays Princess Aurora who at her christening has been cursed by the evil fairy, Maleficent, to prick her finger on a spinning wheel and fall into an endless sleep. The curse can only be broken by true love’s kiss. To protect her from Maleficent, Flora, Fauna and Merryweather – three kind fairies- hide Aurora in the woods for the rest of her life. But destiny has a way of bringing her to her true love Prince Philip, who at the end conquers Maleficent, now a monstrous dragon, to kiss Awaken her with a kiss.

Awards & Wins

While not marketed as a big moneymaker of the new age neither put on anyone’s must-see list, Sleeping Beauty was to be one of the classic Disney animated movies of all time. Over time, it has completely transformed and now is in one of the most loved collections. Its depiction of directioning and the use of Technirama new widescreen technology won the world’s heart. Some of its key achievements are: Academy Award Nomination- Best Scoring of a Musical Picture (George Bruns), Induction into the National Film Registry for the conferred reason of being culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant.

Cast & Crew

• Directed by: Clyde Geronimi
• Produced by: Walt Disney
• Princess Aurora/Briar Rose (voice): Mary Costa
• Prince Philip (voice): Bill Shirley
• Maleficent (voice): Eleanor Audley

Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather (voices): Verna Felton, Barbara Jo Allen, and Barbara Luddy

Music: Adapted from Tchaikovsky’s ballet by George Bruns

IMDb Ratings

A rating of 7.2 makes the movie quite impressive on IMDB, which goes to show it has kept its legacy as a classic in history and animation.

Personal Insights

The major highlight of Sleeping Beauty is its extravagant beauty, powered by medieval art and Gothic curtains, thanks to background artist Eyvind Earle. The dreamlike mood is created by the stark and subtle employement of colors, perspective, and patterns. Maleficent stays within the boundaries of traditional ‘ evil witch’ and remains one of the most well-known villains to this day. Her character is enhanced by Eleanor Audley’s addictive voice acting which adds menace and charm.

Even though Aurora is representative of the ideal fairy tale heroine of her time, she does get critized for her lack of agency within the storyline. One of the most exhilarating Disney climaxes is Prince Philip’s courageous fight against the Dragon form of Maleficent.

Cultural Significance

With its unique approach, the film served as an inspiration for several animated movies after it. Maleficent quickly became a revered character and was given re-imaginings of her own including Angelina Jolie’s Maleficent (2014). Good versus evil, love’s importance and destiny are amongst the many themes that are prevalent even today, making it a valuable asset for the new generation as well as the older one.

Sleeping Beauty stands out from the rest of the fairy tales in his creative accomplishments as well as the animation, sound tracks and the story telling. It does not matter if someone decides to watch it for old times sake or for the first time, it always transports the viewer to the magical world stemming from the zenith of Disney animation.