Sleeping Beauty (Two-Disc Platinum Edition + Standard DVD and BD Live) [Blu-ray]
Starring: Mary Costa, Bill Shirley, Eleanor Audley, Verna Felton, Barbara LuddyDirector: Clyde Geronimi
Studio: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
MPAA Rating: G (General Audience)
Format: Anamorphic, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Subtitled
Audio: Dolby Digital 6.1 EX, Dolby Digital 6.1 EX, Dolby Digital 6.1 EX, Dolby Digital 6.1 EX
Running Time: 75 minutes
DVD Release: October 7th 2008
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DVD Review
Awaken your senses to the majesty of SLEEPING BEAUTY Walt Disney's ultimate fairy tale. See more than you've ever seen before through the magic of state of the art technology and experience this groundbreaking film restored beyond its original brilliance in the way Walt envisioned it pristine beautiful utterly breathtaking. From the grand celebration of Princess Aurora's birth to the fateful day when she pricks her finger on a spinning wheel and falls under Malificent's evil curse to Prince Philip's courageous battle against a fire-breathing dragon the stunning artistry and spine-tingling sounds will transform your home into a fantastic world. The adventures continue as you are immersed into a wonderful world of bonus features.
BONUS FEATURES
In the original story, Princess Aurora sleeps for 100 years before being awakened by a prince's kiss. In the Disney version, Prince Philip comes to her rescue much sooner.
George Brun's orchestral score, which was nominated for an Academy Award, expertly blended famous themes from Tchaikovsky's ballet.
With a budget that exceeded $6 million in 1959, this was Walt Disney's most lavish and expensive animated feature to date.
Determined to make the characters as realistic as possible, Disney had a live action film shot with actors posing as Sleeping Beauty, the Prince, and Maleficent, for the animators to use.
New York Times critic Bosley Crowther called the fight between Prince Philip and Maleficent the noisiest and scariest go-round he (Disney) has ever put into one of his films.
Live Menus Featuring A Real Time Castle Environment
All-New Making Of SLEEPING BEAUTY Featurette
Deleted Songs
And More!
DISNEY BD LIVE innovative features premiering on Sleeping Beauty include Chat and Create Custom Video Messages With yoru Friends As You Watch The Film, Shop For Add-Ons and Downloads, Maleficent's Challenge Game, Living Menus Real Time Castle Environment Changes Based on Your Location System Requirements:Running Time: 75 minutes Format: BLU-RAY DISC Genre: CHILDREN/FAMILY Rating: G UPC: 786936746228 Manufacturer No: 05560800
User Reviews
Eyvind Earle's Masterpiece - Rating: 5/5
Visually this is a stunning treat because of the styling of artist Eyvind Earle who created the look of the movie. The geometric landscapes are beautifully detailed and unique in the Disney canon so for Earle fans this is it. The Princess looks lovely and Once Upon A Dream is a classic.
Most beautiful animated film ever! - Rating: 5/5
This may not be Disney's best film, but it is the most gorgeous animation of any animated film I have seen. The art direction is just stunning. The movie is still charming after all these years.
Remains a true classic - Rating: 5/5
Should I need to explain how important Sleeping Beauty is as an animated film, or what it's about? Probably not. Sadly, the movie gets passed over in favor of its more appealing Disney brethren, and few of today's generation (especially males) have seen it. Heard of it? Sure. It's a classic, after all. With this latest DVD release, Disney is hoping to provide the children, teens, and adults of today with another reminder of one of its most forgotten-but most memorable-classics.
First hitting theaters in 1959 after nearly a decade of work during the last ten years of Walt Disney's life, Sleeping Beauty was a different looking animated movie, and the first animated feature to be completed in a super-wide scope for theaters. I bet you didn't know Sleeping Beauty was the first movie to be both presented in Technirama widescreen format and shot in 70mm. (A fact which comes across splendidly in this new remastering.)
While the technology behind it may have been breaking ground, the story of Sleeping Beauty ultimately is just more of the "same ol' Disney!" thing. Taking one part Grimm's fairy tale, and one part Disney rewrite, Sleeping Beauty, as you likely know, revolves around a princess named Aurora, who is cursed at her christening by the evil witch Maleficent to die before she turns 16. Rather than let the young girl grow up to die, three fairies named Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather raise the girl under the alias Briar Rose in the woods.
I bet you could guess what happens next even if you've never seen it. Basically, Aurora is discovered by a charming prince with a white steed, and the evil pet bird of Maleficent. Evil spell, sleep, wake up with a kiss, fight a dragon-you know the rest.
The movie is a classic, you get that. What really makes this Platinum re-release of the DVD shine (remember it was released briefly in 2003 in a then-Special Edition) is the brilliant restoration and upgrade job they did with the art. When the 2003 version came out, I was amazed they were releasing Sleepin gBEauty in a 2.55:1 image; this release goes beyond that. Even if you've seen Sleeping Beauty dozens of times, this is like watching the movie anew. You'll see new things on the edges of the screen which add to scenes, and you'll see more detail of the brillian tartowkr. In short, they took an archaic release, upgraded it once, then kicked it up a notch and did it again.
The color palettes were also edited for better clarity and crispness. Overall, I like the changes and modernizing of the colors with the digital enhancement. There are some instances where the new changes don't even remotely resemble the original (such as when Aurora sees the green flames of the spinning wheel). In the newly colored scene, there's really no green ambient lighting at all until she's up against the fire. It's one of the few questionable changes, but overall the re-coloring is splendid and combined with the wider image, it's a visual treat.
Not only is the video improved, but the audio is as well. 5.1 sound, better upgraded clarity, and to top it all off original theatrical audio for those who refuse to watch classic releases tampered with.
If the better audio and video weren't enough, the extras trump what we got in the 2003 edition. Commentary tracks, historical documentaries on several of the minds behind individual aspects of the art/story, an alternate storyboard opening, deleted songs, a virtual tour of Sleeping Beauty's castle, and a 45 minute Making Of featurette highlight the brand new additions to the DVD. Along with those new additions, the Platinum Edition also features the best leftovers from the Special Edition, including storyboard sequences, live-action references, art galleries, trailer galleries, and a feature on four Disney artists crafting a tree.
Unlike many Disney re-re-releases, Sleeping Beauty: Platinum Edition is a grand slam. With an upgraded video transfer, much improved audio tracks, and a plethora of new and classic features, this is by far the best version of Sleeping Beauty ever released. Whether you picked up the 2003 edition or not, if you're a fan of Disney's classic movies, this is a must-buy. If you're on the fence, pick it up and hold on to it, because once it goes out of print and "re-enters the Vault" who knows how long it will be until you get a second chance.
Quality quite good - Rating: 4/5
This is a very low priced item, so I an't really complain. The VHS cassette is watchable (a little bit wavy at the top). But overall it is ok. The movie is very good.
Sleeping Beauty Blu-Ray - Rating: 5/5
Disney Animation is a work of art. And with the restoration to Blu-Ray everything is nice, shiny & brilliant. An outstanding story that is timeless to children of all ages. Look forward to each Disney Vintage Blu-Ray release.
