DVD review: “Sleeping Beauty 50th Anniversary Platinum Edition”
From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman.
Disney is offering a two-DVD set fit for a princess to celebrate the 50th anniversary of “Sleeping Beauty,” the studio’s most lavishly beautiful animated fairy tale.
It is based on Charles Perrault’s version of the story and features a lush score adapted from Tchaikovsky’s “Sleeping Beauty” ballet.
The movie ostensibly is about Princess Aurora, cursed to fall into deep sleep when she pricks her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel. But Disney’s scariest animated villain, the curse-casting witch Maleficent (magnificently voiced by Eleanor Audley), steals the show. The thrilling battle between charming Prince Phillip and Maleficent, who takes the form of a frightful dragon, remains the highlight.
The restored picture is clean and bright, the better to admire production designer Eyvind Earle’s elegant animation, which resembles a medieval tapestry.
The set is laden with special features, including a 45-minute making-of documentary, behind-the-scenes featurettes, an alternate opening, deleted songs, commentary, a tour and history of Disneyland’s old “Sleeping Beauty” Castle attraction and more.
For younger children, a language game teaches simple words, but youngsters probably need an adult’s help manipulating the arrow buttons on the DVD remote.
For tweens, it includes a dancing game, waltz lessons and a new “Once Upon a Dream” music video by Emily Osment of “Hannah Montana.”
- BAM
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For me, the part of this movie I always remember is the three fairies and their fight over blue or pink dresses.