Rating: 
Summary: Nice
Review: I must confess that Sleeping Beauty was never my favorite Disney movie. Sleeping Beauty was always a bit too vanilla and the three good fairies were annoying. The villain wasn't having much fun. Still, it's a pretty good movie if you don't compare it to better Disney cartoons and there are some great scenes such as the dragon fighting scene. Also the scene with Sleeping Beauty singing to the animals has been parodied so much (particularly in the title of Grease) that it's rather sweet to see it done without irony.It's a cute movie, but it's not as classic as other Disney movies. This special edition has two discs - one with the movie and the other with the extras (movie trailers, games, old Disney shows). The extras are a treat to any fan of this movie. The animation one is rather fun. The Tchaikovski short is cool even if it outright lies about Tchaikovski being in love with a woman (ok, so it's a 1950s children's feature made to sell a cartoon so I suppose including mentions of his homosexuality and suicide would not meet with Walt's approval). The trailers are pretty standard. The 1950s one is what you expect out of 1950s trailer and the 1995 one is what you expect out of a modern trailer. The "Once Upon a Dream" remix is just bizarre. Techno beats and skantily clad teenagers singing Disney song as a hiphop song with the cartoon gives the viewer the feeling of being in a dance club where they use the animations - and Sleeping Beauty seems just a bit lustful in the remix process. I didn't think that she woke up and they spent few hours locked away with each other before going downstairs until that video. The rest of the extras range from cool to awful. The game is very dull. So it's a good DVD. Buy it if you're a Disneyphile.
Rating: 
Summary: Once Upon a Dream...
Review: This new 2-disc dvd of Disney's 1959 masterpiece is simply beautiful. "Sleeping Beauty" was a turning point for Disney when animators sought a more sophisticated look for their animation and presented it in widescreen. The abundance of extra features for this dvd show how this look was achieved with a history of behind the scenes which includes samples, restoration comparisons and interviews from many of the animators. Also included are games ("Rescue Aurora" and "Princess Personality Game"), music videos, art projects, art galleries, trailers, scrapbooks, publicity posters, etc. Also included: a 25 minute short film "Grand Canyon", and two other shorts - "The Peter Tchaikovsky Story", and "Four Artists Paint One Tree". The commentary is especially noteworthy and informative. It features a narration by Disney historian Jeff Kurtti with the participation of Eyvind Earle (art director), Mary Costa (voice of Aurora), Ollie Johnston (supervising animator), Marc Davis (supervising animator), Frank Armitage (background painter), Mike Gabriel (Disney artist) and Michael Giaimo (Disney artist). The dvd has the option of viewing it in widescreen mode (enhanced for 16x9 televisions) or full screen. I must add that viewing it in full screen will be a travesty - the full glory of this artistic accomplishment is best seen in widescreen!
Rating:
Summary: Long Live the Princess Aurora!
Review: The good faeries at Disney and Amazon.com provided me with an advance copy of the "Sleeping Beauty" Special Edition DVD, and I couldn't be more pleased. The movie is (obviously) a classic, and the animation holds up well in the face of the modern, stylized approach to traditional animation. True, there aren't any computer-generated images in "Sleeping Beauty," but it remains one of the best-crafted cartoons of all time. I was very impressed with the sound and picture quality, and the choice to watch the movie widescreen or full-screen was a nice feature. It's the best presentation of "Sleeping Beauty" that I've ever seen. The second disk is packed with in-depth information about the making of the movie, and the restoration of the film for this DVD release. It's great stuff for afficionados, but it's even interesting for casual fans. Even if you already own a VHS copy of Disney's "Sleeping Beauty," you should absolutely pick up the Special Edition DVD. Click "add to cart" right now! - cousinpaco
Rating: 
Summary: 5 stars for video/audio restoration
Review: I'm sure this won't be a popular opinion in this forum, but I tell it like I see it. After the overwhelming feedback from my first version of this review, I thought it might be good to clarify a few viewpoints to maybe help others accept an opinion different from their own. As with all of the Disney special edition DVD releases, the quality spoils you for the multitude of other older films put out on DVD from other labels without the care and expertise of video and audio restoration in which Disney obviously is a master. Yet another wonderful job was done on this film. If you are already a fan of Sleeping Beauty I'm sure this package will knock your socks off. Buy it now, (and don't worry about the rest of this review.) I just still don't get why anyone would be a particular fan of this one over the far superior and memorable Snow White, Dumbo, Toy Story 1 & 2, Roger Rabbit, etc, etc. I know I saw this as a kid on the BIGGGG screen in the first few years after it came out. I didn't like it then, and it was so forgetable I didn't remember hearing any of the music before, and only remembered seeing some of the scenes. Probably slept through it 40 years ago. I still find it to be slow paced, plodding and basically boring compared to those other Disney classics. I watched this DVD with my wife (who also didn't care much for it as a kid, or in this cleaned up version) and our 3 young kids (2 boys & 1 girl). The kids were completely disinterested through out the film. They had a great time when we showed them Snow White and Dumbo. The multitude of extras included didn't interest us much either, it's nice they are there if you are really into this movie. One of the main complaints I have with this movie (besides plodding) over the other older Disney classics is actually with the animation. Sure, it's nice to be in widescreen, but all those wonderfully detailed backgrounds don't go with the style of the characters put on top. Most of the characters are quite simply drawn, fairly flat and plain. They don't blend well with their surroundings. Snow White and Dumbo don't have that problem. If you already specifically love this movie, for what ever reason, you'll love the quality of this DVD set. If you are after the truely great unforgettable Disney classic about a beautiful girl in a deep sleep, woken up by the kiss of a handsome prince--well that would be Snow White. If you are just looking for a wonderfully FUN family movie, you are on the wrong page again--that would be the Toy Stories and Who Framed Roger Rabbit! Or venture beyond Disney, and treat your whole family to the incredible DVD of Yellow Submarine. Unless you just have to own THIS movie, do yourself and your kids a favor and buy any of the other truely great and entertaining Disney classics instead. Because it's not a shoe-in your kids will like this.
Rating:
Summary: DVD Review
Review: We'll all agree that the movie is quite good, with an excellent score, beautiful animation, and a loveably dark story. The question is whether this DVD treatment of the film is adequate. My answer: sort of. This is essentially the same DVD package that Disney has put together for its other recent animated releases (Snow White, Beauty and the Beast). There are a lot of pictures in the same too cute gallery set up, the same type of making of information that you got in the previous DVDs, the same inane games that I can't imagine even young kids enjoy, and the obligatory short film (excellent, but I would have preferred to see some originality injected into the package). Everything on the second disc comes off sounding like an advertisement for Disney that they've tricked you into paying for. However, the picture quality on the DVD is astounding, as is the sound, so at the end of the day, the first disc provides exactly what any reasonable movie lover is looking for. You're buying a great movie in its full glory, but you're also buying an extensive advertisment for Disney. Make your own choice, but, overall, I'd recommend the purchase.
Rating:
Summary: Still Amazing
Review: This is a great DVD! It had been such a long time since I had seen this movie that it was almost like seeing it for the first time. The animation in this movie is awesome, classic Disney, very detailed and engaging, in a clean and simple style. The remastering is perfect, they didn't try to remake the movie. They preserved the movie and enhanced the image so that it looks more seamless, almost real. This is a great story, one that people of all ages can enjoy. I highly recommend this DVD, no collection will be complete without it.
Rating:
Summary: "Good over Evil ~ Sleeping Beauty by Disney"
Review: The final of the Disney fairy tale series is no sleeper in "Sleeping Beauty", a classic tale with all the trimmings ~ including one of the best loved scores ever to grace the big screen. Must make mention the music was nominated for Best Musical Score in 1959, the Tchaikovsky composition blending pure adaptation through brilliant arrangements. The films running time is 75 minutes, but all the extras of bonus features and technical specifications is pure gravy. Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound gives the viewer options of Widescreen and Fullscreen ~ "RESCUE AURORA" set-top adventure game ~ 3-D virtual galleries ~ "ONCE UPON A DREAM" is The making of Sleeping Beauty" ~ Story Reels ~ Princess personality game ~ Sleeping Beauty ink and paint game ~ Academy award- winning "GRAND CANYON" short film ~ The brilliant music ~ The design ~ The restoration ~ Four artists paint one tree ~ "THE PETER TCHAIKOVSKY STORY" ~ Creating the backgrounds ~ DVD-ROM links ~ THX-certified ~ and much, much more! This is a must have for "Disney-classic-collectors" that will do your ever growing collection proud. This is someting you'll cherish and watch over and over again through the years. Disney has done it again ~ it just keeps getting better with every DVD release from the Disney people...gotta love it!
Total: 2-CD-Set ~ Walt Disney Home Video 29755 ~ (9/09/2003)
Rating:
Summary: Timeless tale of wonder comes to DVD!
Review: Hats off to Disney for a superb release of "Sleeping Beauty" on DVD. Gloriously magnificent colors, fully restored picture and sound, including the Academy Award nominated score, make this edition a must have. Whether you have children of your own, grandchildren, nieces, nephews or are just a kid at heart this magical tale continues to delight the young and old alike. Included are a bevy of extras, a real step-up for Disney, commentaries, featurettes and both full-screen and 70mm wide-screen (enhanced for wide-screen TV's) editions included in this deluxe two disc set. Especially poignant for us older folks are the memories of those who worked on this film now preserved for all to enjoy. Don't miss it. Thanks, cal
Rating:
Summary: Pure Enchantment in the Newly Released DVD Restoration
Review: Keyed to the style of Disney artist Ervind Earle, SLEEPING BEAUTY has long been renowned as one of Walt Disney Studio's most artistically beautiful films--and now with this meticulous restoration Earle's vision comes to the home market in a DVD package that is sure to win praise from every fan of hand-drawn animation. The story, of course, is the time-honored fairy tale. Princess Aurora is cursed at birth by the evil Maleficent, who declares that on her sixteenth birthday the princess shall prick her finger on a spinning wheel's spindle and die--but fortunately the powers of good are able to mute the effect of the curse; the princess shall not die, but shall instead fall into a deep sleep from which she can be only awakened by love's first kiss. Earle's vision for the story is drawn from a host of sources, some of them more immediately apparent than others. The result is a curious mixture of flat illustration and meticulous detail that imparts both a modernist edge and the quality of an ancient illuminated manuscript--a truly remarkable concept that gives the film a visual style completely unlike any other among the Disney classics. The DVD offers the option of viewing the film in either its original widescreen ratio or pan-and-scan format--but why any one would elect pan-and-scan is completely beyond me; if ever there was a film that made good and full use of the widescreen ratio, this is it, and you'll want to see every inch of Earle's remarkable work. Earle's style aside, SLEEPING BEAUTY has been influenced by a number of films that are worth noting. In terms of plot detail, it has been very clearly influenced by Disney's earlier SNOW WHITE, and the designs for the evil Maleficent and her "goons" are very clearly influenced by FANTASIA's "Night on Bald Mountain" sequence--and to magnificent effect; Maleficent is easily among the darkest characters ever created for film. Interestingly, many visual set-ups also seem to have been influenced by MGM's THE WIZARD OF OZ, most notably in the scenes in which the three good fairies rescue Prince Philip from Maleficent's nightmarish castle. Unlike some animated films, the voices are beautifully matched to the characters, with Mary Costa as Princess Aurora and Eleanor Audley (who also performed the Wicked Stepmother in Disney's CINDERELLA) as Maleficent standouts among the cast. The score, which is based on the brilliant Tchaikovsky ballet score, is also extremely well handled and includes the memorable "Once Upon a Dream." All of this has been lovingly, shining restored, and quite frankly even if you saw the film in its first release the result here will no doubt surpass it. There is not a blip, a glitch, or a sound-surge to be found. And as is usual with Disney "limited release" DVD editions, the package includes a host of extras, some designed to appeal to the younger set (there are two simple games, neither of which require a CD-ROM) for children and a host of interviews and documentaries. Fortunately, many of the people involved in SLEEPING BEAUTY are still with us--including Ervind Earle and Mary Costa--and their various contributions make the bonus package truly superior. All of this said, it should be noted that like FANTASIA, SLEEPING BEAUTY is more likely to appeal to adults who can fully appreciate the visual charms of the film than to children, who may find the film's tendency to linger over visuals a bit too much for a limited attention span. But this is indeed a Disney masterpiece, and it belongs in your collection. --GFT (Amazon.com Reviewer)--
Rating:
Summary: A bit of Disney magic on DVD
Review: Courtesy of Amazon.com, I received Sleeping Beauty. At first, I was skeptical to watch. But I decided I would give it a go. What I found was a decent children's film. For kids, it will allow them to watch a fairy tale and dream of being a princess or prince. Parents will be pleased that there are no sex scenes, profanity, or any other common elements in films and TV today. For those reasons, parent and child alike will be charmed by Sleeping Beauty. Buy the magic today!
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