Sleeping Beauty: Diamond Edition Blu-ray Review

Sleeping Beauty tells the wondrous tale of a princess cursed by an evil fairy, protected by three loving fairies and, ultimately, saved by “true love’s kiss.” Featuring the voice talents of renowned opera singer Mary Costa as Sleeping Beauty and Disney stalwart Eleanor Audley as the evil fairy, Maleficent, the film’s vibrant visuals were created by a team that included Milt Kahl and Ollie Johnston, two of Disney’s legendary Nine Old Men and an Academy Award®-nominated score, 1959, adapted from the incandescent music of Peter Tchaikovsky. Sleeping Beauty is the sixteenth animated feature in the Disney animated features canon and was the last animated feature produced by Walt Disney to be based upon a fairy tale. It is the tenth film released as part of Disney’s prestigious Blu-ray Diamond Collection

The magical kiss!Courtesy of Disney

The Bottom Line

Potentially one of Disney's most beautifully early animated films, Sleeping Beauty is just as visually striking as when it was first released - maybe even more so with the help of new technology to restore colors and brighten visuals. With the release of the live-action film Maleficent this year, starring Elle Fanning and Angelina Jolie, there's been renewed interest in this classic tale, so the timing is perfect for a re-release of Disney's original version of the story. One of the reasons Sleeping Beauty is so memorable is because it was one of the first films where Walt Disney handed over the art direction to someone new - Eyvind Earle, a famous American artist who Walt admired, and one of the most interesting special features on the Blu-ray and DVD is  "Eyvind Earle: A Man And His Art," which gives a glimpse into his incredible artwork and vision for the film.

Three loving fairiesCourtesy of Disney

The Diamond Edition also includes some never-before-seen deleted scenes, in one version of the story Aurora doens't live with the fairies in the woods, but instead they place a protective spell around the castle. Another highlight from the Blu-ray bonus materials is the in-depth look at some of our fave villains in  "Art of Evil: Generations Of Disney Villains", it doesn't matter what you think of her, Maleficent is a pretty amazing character and this bonus feature goes into how the best Disney villains have been crafted.

Sleeping Beauty is a classic and strikingly gorgeous film, so if it hasn't made it's way onto your movie collection yet, the Diamon Edition is a perfect addition to your family's movie shelf.

Evil Maleficent Courtesy of Disney

Blu-ray Bonus Materials:

• ‘Once Upon A Parade’ (Starring Sarah Hyland) - Behind every attraction, event and parade at the Magic Kingdom is a unique story.  Join Sarah Hyland from ABC’s “Modern Family” as she tells us the tale of Walt Disney World’s new Festival Of Fantasy Parade.  This magical “in world” short film goes behind the scenes of the new parade and shows how the residents and characters of Fantasyland created this parade to tell their stories.

• Art of Evil: Generations Of Disney Villains – This legacy piece spotlights Disney’s favorite villain animator, Marc Davis and his infamous creations of characters such as Maleficent and Cruella.  Throughout the piece, we will talk to modern day animators like Andreas Deja and also the new generation of Animators (Lino DiSalvo Animation Director of FROZEN) on how Marc’s designs and characters influenced what they do today.

• @DisneyAnimation: ARTISTS IN MOTION (Extended Edition) - Join Walt Disney Animation Visual Development artist Brittney Lee as she goes through the process of creating a three dimensional sculpture of Maleficent, completely out of paper. In this extended edition, go deeper into Britney’s process

• Never Before Seen Deleted Scenes:
  • The Fair (With Deleted Character – The Vulture) – In this version of the story, the fairies do not take the Princess to live with them in the forest.  Convinced that King Stefan's order to burn all the spinning wheels in the kingdom will not prevent Maleficent's curse, the good fairies put a magic circle around the castle and cast a spell:  "No evil thing that walks or flies or creeps or crawls can ever pass these castle walls."
  • The Curse is Fulfilled - The three good fairies have just returned Aurora to the castle and give her a crown.  They leave the room to give Aurora some time alone…but Maleficent pays her a visit.
  • Arrival Of Maleficent (Alternate Scene) – Maleficent arrives uninvited to the christening of the Princess Aurora.

• BEAUTY-OKE “Once Upon A Dream” - Sing along to this kinetic text video of Aurora’s signature song.

Courtesy of Disney

• Classic DVD Bonus Features Include:
  • The Sound Of Beauty: Restoring A Classic - This featurette covers the creation of the 7.1 mix of the score of Sleeping Beauty that was done for Blu-ray, using the source tapes from the original recording sessions resulting in an audio experience of superior quality with greater detail and fidelity that you have ever heard before.
  • Picture Perfect: The Making Of Sleeping Beauty - Discover the behind-the-scenes magic that transformed a beloved fairy tale into a cinematic work of art. Legendary Animators, actors and film historians reveal the secrets behind Disney’s masterpiece.
  • Eyvind Earle: A Man And His Art - Early in his career, renowned American Artist Eyvind Earle worked as a background painter at the Walt Disney Studio. Walt Disney liked his work so much that he entrusted him with the assignment to be the Art Director for Sleeping Beauty. This was the first time that one artist was given the responsibility for the entire look on one of Disney’s animated features. This piece follows Earle’s development as an artist and his years at the Studio.
  • Audio Commentary by John Lasseter, Andreas Deja and Leonard Maltin

Sleeping Beauty: Diamond Edition Blu-ray Rating:

Sleeping Beauty: Diamond Edition Blu-ray Cover

Sleeping Beauty: Diamond Edition is now available!