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Summary: My favorite Disney movie has gotten better!
Review: I have always loved this movie, and having owned it on VHS, I am so pleased with the DVD version! It's crisper, the music is clearer, and the colors are brighter. My husband and I are expecting our first child, and I have been collecting all the Disney DVDs I can so that my child will be able to watch them longer--some of my VHS tapes are warped from hours of use. If you love Disney as much as I do, it is worth the money--plus, there is usually a $5.00 rebate for the DVD if you already own the VHS format.
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Summary: Walt Disney's Finest
Review: "Sleeping Beauty" is truly Walt Disney's finest movie. Disney Studios almost went bankrupt trying to make this film, but Walt believed that it would be a success. When it was released in 1959 audiences embraced this thrilling, romantic, and fun movie. It was second in the overall box office that year. The animation is truly stunning in this movie. One thing that never ceases to amaze me is that the Disney studios always comes up with a fresh new look for every movie that they make, and "Sleeping Beauty" has some of the most impressive animation I have ever seen. I have the seen the movie enough times to be able to look at the tiny details in the animation, and each and every bush and tree has intricate details. This review would not be complete if I did not pay homage to the one that started it all, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" which is also a stunning accomplishment. "Sleeping Beauty" has a whole extra disc of fun features that are worth the money you spend for this DVD, not to mention you get this amazing movie. I am a college student, and this is still my all-time favorite movie. Don't miss out on this classic that is missing from your collection.
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Summary: The most romantic story of all time!
Review: when i was a kid i saw "sleeping beauty" and i just realized that when i was that age, i thought the young prince was so cute and i would rewind that scene in my 4 disney videos per cassete and practically scratched it. Now, it brings flutters to my heart when i see Phillip as a dying teenager. (he was 4 or something when aurora was born and he must be around 20) The DVD has so much better clarity than the video but i could have done without all the extra doo-doo that took up an entire disc. Like a nasty techno remake of Aurora's "once upon a dream" where horrid teenage girls with the worst attitude ( you know what i am getting at) and color Aurora games!!! i personally, would have liked the meaning and intention Walt had for each scene then all this nonsensical rubbish. But this is definity an upgrade from my VHS -which i will keep for nostalgia-
What i love most about hte story is the way that young prince looks at baby aurora like "yuck!" and then when he is in the bushes with Samson and has this wide grin that makes you smile as well, like " i have found treasure!" look. Then that scene when you realize the peasant boy is the prince and how romantic it all is. THen it is almost like a tragic Romeo and Juliet thing where he leaves just as Aurora is coming to the castle. Then that scene where he asks Samson to wish him luck right before that chilling scene which made me always check a room before entering. When she puts her head on his shoulder, and this is all fine because they had no one and felt they knew each other from their dreams! how he memorized her song and sung it to Hubert. That scene was funny where he says "this is the fourteenth century" and the king asks Samson if this really happened. Aurora is so beautiful and the Prince is undeniably handsome and that scene where Malificent is threatening Phillip with that aurora will not like him because he is old. It is so wonderful when in the end everythng is as it should be and this is not the type of movie that you muddle over with, " if this happened, then maybe..." Sleeping beauty is the kind of movie that makes you believe in destiny, fairies, strength, courage, but the thing that determines all this, it makes you believe in love.
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Summary: Excellent!!!
Review: What a nice restoration job was done when transfering this to DVD. It is sharp and beautiful. The audio is outstanding as well. The film is as vibrant as the outer packaging is and the special features only enhance the value of this wonderful DVD. A true classic and suitable for even the smallest children.These releases are great and you should collect them all because at some point they won't be there any more unless you want to pay big bucks on e-bay. Things this wonderful never last. Purchase it now. If you've never seen this film, you owe it to yourself and your child to own it. Amazing...!!!...
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Summary: Finally, it's here!
Review: This DVD was orignally slotted for release sometime mid November of 2002. We were tired of borrowing my in-laws VHS copy of this Disney masterpiece. The journey of Princess Aurora from doomed royal infant to peasant, masking behind the alias Briar Rose, brings so many characters to life- Maleficant, the evil witch who longs to punish Aurora's parents by casting a spell on her, the somewhat bubmling royal father's, and of course, the three fairies Flora, Fauna and Merriwether (my favorite) who swear to protect her until her 16th birthday, when the spell will hopefully be broken. Nobody expected Aurora/Briar Rose to find her intended husband, Prince Philip, in the woods as she sings and dances to "Once Upon a Dream". Ahhh...true love's kiss! Having never been a girly-girl myself, most people are surprised at how much I anticipated this re-release (hey- I'm not a robot). I'm so excited that it's finally here! If you have a VHS copy, you may (like me) be lulled in by the easy convienence of DVD's and want to purchase this anyway. There are no fun interactive games for kids to play (like on the newer Disney movie DVD's), but there's enough interesting material for both parents and kids to enjoy (although they tend to scatter to their room to play when the "Behind the Scenes" stuff is on). Get it before they "lock them away in the Dinsey vault!" You won't be sorry. Great picture quality-all hail the digital era!
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Summary: Couldn't wait! The first movie I saw as a child.
Review: Magnificent! Words cannot describe the beauty!
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Summary: The world of dreams can become true
Review: Describing Princess Aurora's dream coming true as the prince of her dreams rescues her killing the evil, is a job that has no words to describe it. The songs that come in the DVD and Bonus section where they describe how the sleeping beauty was created are marvelous pieces of information that every disney collector should possess. There are very few good romantic novels available at the market to foster children's dreams, and sleeping beauty is one of them.
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Summary: SLEEP NO MORE - ONCE UPON A DREAM, NOW A REALITY!
Review: At a hefty cost of $6 million dollars and 6 years in production, "Sleeping Beauty" promised to be the most ambitious feature ever produced. However, changing public tastes resulted in a majestic glossy-looking effort that, despite its techincal inovations, failed to become the blockbuster the studio had hoped for.
TRANSFER: VERY, VERY NICE! "Sleeping Beauty" was shot in Technirama - a Cinemascope-style 2:35:1 aspect ratio that, in the past, has suffered on 1:33:1 television displays that cropped off nearly 50% of its image. On disc one we get both the Technirama transfer and a full frame copy.
The review herein will concentrate on the widescreen version of the film: in a word - beautiful! Colors are rich, vibrant, bold and have been carefully rebalanced to provide a very smooth and crisp looking transfer. Black and contrast levels are fully realized.
A few problems - minor digital noise and a halo effect during portions of the forest sequence that flashes so quickly you almost have to stop and think, "Did I just see that?" The audio, remixed to 5.1 but strident, strangely lacking in bass - I say, strangely because "Sleeping Beauty" was recorded in stereo that, while, of course, should sound dated by today's standards, usually has a strong sonic bass characteristic that is curiously absent here.
EXTRAS: A ton, but most - oddly enough - not worth the effort. We get the "Once Upon A Dream" featurette - billed as a documentary - on the making of the film. Created for the previously issued laserdisc and VHS copies it's too, too short - not covering the scope of production that one would expect. Next, there's the Peter Tchaikovsky Story - a badly acted and largely fictional account of the man who was inspired to write, among other things, the "Sleeping Beauty" ballet. The transfer here is terribly faded, suffers from chips and scratches and is riddled with digital noise, edge enhancement and shimmering fine details. Over all, a disappointment. We also get the "Grand Canyon" featurette that accompanied "Sleeping Beauty" on its original theatrical engagement, but again, as with the Tchaikovsky Story, all the same criteria apply and - this time - the Technirama image HAS NOT BEEN ENHANCED FOR 16:9 TELEVISION DISPLAYS!!!
There's a really, REALLY awful music video, some benign child's play and a few short featurettes that, among other topics, explain how the film was shot, the techniques used in the animation and the restoration process employed for this new DVD.
Over all, I could have done without these studio junkets, especially since none of them were even moderately cleaned up for inclusion into this special edition.
BOTTOM LINE: For the art of animation and a near pristine transfer of the film - once upon a dream no more! - YES! AN ABSOLUTE MUST!
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Summary: Stunning animation for a Disney Princess
Review: When the royal family cibducts birthday festivities for their newborn dauhgter, Aurora, they neglect to invite the evil Maleficent. She in turn curses the young child, that before sunset on her 16th birthday, she will prick her finger on a spinning wheel and perish. To save her from such a dire fate, three good fairies take the young princess into the woods to protect her. What follows after is one of Walt Disney's most beautifully animated films. The story is basic fairy tale stuff: a princess in danger, a charming prince battles the forces of evil to save her, and everyone lives happily ever after. Two things that set this apart from other Disney films are first, the adaptation of Tchaikovsky's music for the ballet "The Sleeping Beauty," which gives us the beautiful song "Once Upon a Dream." The second is the stunning art work of Eyvind Earle: marvellously detailed landscapes that could almost be tapestries hanging in some centuries-old castle. that alone makes this DVD worth watcing. But, Disney has included both the original widescreen release and the full-screen version from when the movie first came out on VHS. The tons of extras including the making of the film, a Princess Persnoality game, the award-winning short film "Grand Canyon," and much more make this one of the best DVDs to be released in 2003.
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Summary: Undeniable Classic Gets A Flawless Remastering Job!
Review: Before SLEEPING BEAUTY, Disney had previously made two other "Princess" movies. Now, I personally cannot stand SNOW WHITE, believe it or not; the princess is so darned obnoxious, and the prince has no personality whatsoever. Then came CINDERELLA, which was a much better film but still not really great. For one thing, the princess was a very likable character; but once again, the prince was so incredibly lifeless that when they finally lived Happily Ever After, one couldn't care less. Eight or nine years later, Walt Disney delivered SLEEPING BEAUTY, by far the best animated fairy tale so far. Though the princess isn't as intriguing as those of more modern Disney films, Princess Aurora is along the same lines as Cinderella. But the one thing that I found the most groundbreaking about this film (storywise) is the prince; he finally had a personality, maybe even more so than the princess! Thankfully, the trend lasted throughout the rest of Disney's Princess films, but that's not to say that it's the best thing about this film. Although this film obviously borrows some elements from SNOW WHITE and CINDERELLA, the viewer couldn't possibly care less, thanks to all of the film's strengths. Besides the aforementioned Prince Phillip, there's also the art to consider: in many ways, it is the pinnacle of Disney animation (and that's saying something!) The entire film truly looks like a moving illustration/story book, more so than any film before or since. And the backgrounds seamlessly compliments the characters, and vice versa. Thanks to the ingenuity and style of artist Eyvind Earle (whom I have actually met in person), SLEEPING BEAUTY remains a beautiful work of art. Another aspect of the movie that I have always loved dearly is the music. Adapted from the Peter Tchaikovsky ballet, its a masterful composition, indeed. For the score's highlight(s), view scenes 26-28 . . . . . . . . absolutely riveting. That one part where Prince Phillip leaps across the bridge on his noble steed, and Maleficent rises to her tower to deliver an onslaught of black magic, sends shivers down my spine every time. A perfect blend of animation and music if ever there was. And now, this all-new 2-disc DVD enhances the film further than ever before, with one of the greatest transfers of all time. The picture really is, quite frankly, flawless. All except for one single shot of the castle tower. Aside from that, utter perfection. The Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound brings the music to extraordinary life like never before. The extras are where the set begins to waver a bit. For starters, the Making-Of "documentary", is only 15 friggin' minutes long!!!!!!!! I HATE how Disney does this. But no matter how short it is, it delivers interesting tidbits. But don't give up hope too quickly, as I did. There's a lot more spread out across this disc; it's more like they broke up the full-length making-of into seperate sections here and there, and if you put it all together, it's quite good. But the best extra for me was the original 1950's featurette "Four Artists Paint One Tree". It's a fascinating look at different artists and their diverse, unique styles. Also fascinating is to see how seamlessly all four styles were molded into the art for SLEEPING BEAUTY. Conclusion: With the releases of this and THE LION KING, Disney has changed their DVD style: focus more on the actual film, and not wholly on the extras (like they did with BEAUTY AND THE BEAST). SLEEPING BEAUTY is a classic film to be cherished as long as the art of the motion picture remains, and this Special Edition DVD is to be treasured just as long.
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