Sleeping Beauty

Buena Vista Film Distribution Company | Release Date: January 29, 1959

7.9	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 50 Ratings

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kpmeadeDec 21, 2018

this is the best out of the original 3 princess why well it explains the weird marriage its arranged and the villain is so great and if anybody says other wise al i can say is SKUMPS!

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greedybadideaMay 25, 2020

After many childless years, King Stefan and Queen Leah welcome a daughter, the Princess Aurora. A holiday is proclaimed to pay homage to the princess. At her christening, Aurora is betrothed to Prince Phillip, the son of King Stefan's closestAfter many childless years, King Stefan and Queen Leah welcome a daughter, the Princess Aurora. A holiday is proclaimed to pay homage to the princess. At her christening, Aurora is betrothed to Prince Phillip, the son of King Stefan's closest friend King Hubert, to unite their kingdoms.

Among the guests are the three good fairies, Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather. Flora and Fauna bless Aurora with beauty and song, respectively, but Merryweather's gift is interrupted by the evil fairy Maleficent, who is angry and insulted she was uninvited. As retaliation, Maleficent curses the princess, proclaiming Aurora will grow in grace and beauty, but before the sun sets on her sixteenth birthday, she will prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and die. The King and Queen beg the fairies to undo the curse, but they are not powerful enough; Merryweather uses her magic to weaken the curse; instead of dying, Aurora will fall into a deep slumber, only broken by true love's kiss. King Stefan orders all spinning wheels throughout the kingdom be burned. At the fairies' urging, the King and Queen reluctantly allow Aurora to live with the fairies, hidden in a cottage in the forest.

Aurora, renamed Briar Rose, grows into a beautiful young woman. On her sixteenth birthday, the fairies ask her to gather berries so they can prepare a surprise party. Aurora befriends the animals of the forest and sings them a song, "Once Upon a Dream". Phillip, now a handsome young man, follows Aurora's voice and is instantly struck by her beauty and grace. She is initially startled, as she is not allowed to talk to strangers, but she and Phillip fall in love. She invites him to meet her godmothers at the cottage that evening.

Meanwhile, Flora and Merryweather argue over the color of Aurora's gown, their magic attracting the attention of Maleficent's raven who learns Aurora's location. Returning home, Aurora is thrilled to tell her guardians that she has fallen in love. The fairies finally tell Aurora that she is a princess, already betrothed to a prince, and she must never see the man again. Heartbroken, Aurora cries in her room. Phillip tells his father he wishes to marry a peasant girl, despite his betrothal to a princess and he is left devastated.

The fairies take Aurora to the castle to await her birthday celebrations and be reunited with her parents. Maleficent appears and lures Aurora into a dark tower and tricks her into touching the spindle of a cursed spinning wheel. Aurora pricks her finger, fulfilling the curse only moments before the sun sets. The three fairies place the sleeping Aurora on a bed in the highest tower and cast a powerful spell on everyone in the kingdom, causing them to sleep until the spell on their princess is broken. After overhearing a sleepy conversation between the two kings, they realize that Phillip is the man Aurora loves. They rush to find him, but Maleficent has abducted him. She shows Phillip the sleeping Princess Aurora, and says she will lock him away until he is an old man on the verge of death. Only then will she release him to meet his love, who will not have aged a single day.

The fairies rescue Phillip, arming him with the magical Sword of Truth and Shield of Virtue. An enraged Maleficent surrounds the castle with thorns but fails to stop Phillip. She confronts him directly, transforming into an enormous black dragon. They battle, and Phillip throws the sword, blessed by the fairies, directly into Maleficent's heart, killing her.

Phillip awakens Aurora with a kiss, breaking the spell and waking the kingdom. The royal couple descends to the ballroom, where Aurora is reunited with her parents. Flora and Merryweather resume their dispute over Aurora's gown while the happy couple dance, living happily ever after.… Expand

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JordanLaytonMay 4, 2020

Sleeping Beauty is an animated film that Disney released in 1959. I'm happy to say that I found more than expected to enjoy about this movie. Most of what I held on to throughout the short run time were little aspects of the film that seem toSleeping Beauty is an animated film that Disney released in 1959. I'm happy to say that I found more than expected to enjoy about this movie. Most of what I held on to throughout the short run time were little aspects of the film that seem to have been lost to time, for better or worse. One example of this is the delicate application of short choral flares that punctuate key moments in Aurora'a life. I haven't seem many films from this era, but this one was my first exposure to this style and I was charmed. The animation surprised me as well at points in this film. Techniques used to show the magic of Maleficent and the fairies all worked, even when the effects seemed to be drawn on top of existing animation in a different art style. On a similar note, I actually didn't mind the backgrounds being drawn in a different style than the characters. That choice (likely made out of necessity) combined with the multi-plane camera technique makes the characters pop and provides a feeling of depth that I don't think you get out of other animated films that followed this one. Speaking of depth, the characters and plot of this movie lack it. This is an archetypal story and in terms of characters, on all accounts, what you see is what you get. Not a huge complaint - I didn't exactly go in expecting fully formed characters. But still worth mentioning as slight shortcoming.… Expand

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Gamzguy17Aug 21, 2021

It begins promising enough by establishing its beautiful animation and its damning (and surprisingly interesting) villain Maleficent and it ends with an epic, albeit short climax. As classic of a fairy tail as this film tries to be, itsIt begins promising enough by establishing its beautiful animation and its damning (and surprisingly interesting) villain Maleficent and it ends with an epic, albeit short climax. As classic of a fairy tail as this film tries to be, its prince and princess are about as engaging as two wooden planks and it should have been re-titled as "The Three Good Fairies" because this film is really THEIR film. As a result, the entire middle act of this film is both dry and boring, but the aforementioned animation and Maleficent, along with the likeable three good fairies, are all just enough to make "Sleeping Beauty" a film you only need to see once.… Expand

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