RELEASE DATE: Thursday 29th January 1959
The 1950s saw Walt Disney extending the reach of his empire and building entirely new industries. He was quick to adapt into the world of television, which was fast becoming a global phenomenon. He also spent the bulk of the 1950s developing and building Disneyland. No longer just content to produce animated movies, the Walt Disney Company was now creating a number of live-action films as well, and by 1953 the company had begun distributing its own movies under the "Buena Vista" brand, no longer relying on RKO. In the early 1950s Walt had a golden era of animated movies with Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan and Lady & the Tramp. But as Walt's attention was being drawn elsewhere, there was one more classic that was constantly being worked on behind-the-scenes for eight years. It would finally see the light in January 1959 and would instantly become another timeless Disney classic.
Since Disney had created "princess" movies twice before (being Snow White and Cinderella) Walt was determined that this one needed to be different. While the classic Sleeping Beauty story shared similarities with the other two tales (especially the sleeping maiden being awoken with a kiss) the movie's creators would do everything in their power to make this one stand out as something new and exciting.
The main drawcard with Sleeping Beauty was its art style. It would look unlike anything Disney had produced before. Walt felt frustrated that he had amazing concept artists like Mary Blair working for him, but he'd never actually seen their artwork come directly to life on the screen. He was determined that was not going to happen with this picture, so he employed a very talented artist named Eyvind Earle to conceive and paint the film's backgrounds, and gave him complete creative control.
This caused some tension in the animation department, because Earle was very strict with what he wanted the film to look like, and spent days painting many of the backgrounds himself. The animators had a number of disagreements with him over the years, but Walt backed Earle 100% and told the animators to do what he said.
Earle's distinct style for the film was based on real Medieval and Gothic art styles, with highly detailed and lush backgrounds and an emphasis on tall vertical lines. Walt said he wanted the movie to look like a "beautiful moving tapestry." Since the film's style demanded that the backgrounds be completely in focus, one of the biggest challenges the animators faced was to make the characters stand out against all the amazing detail.
(Click the image to see all the detail in high-resolution)
Because of the 70mm print and the high level of detail in the paintings, everything had to be drawn, inked and painted on enormous sheets of paper (which animator Floyd Norman claims were "the size of a bedsheet") which made things difficult and more time-consuming, but since that was the direction the movie was taking, they had to suck it up and work with what they were given.
This caused some tension in the animation department, because Earle was very strict with what he wanted the film to look like, and spent days painting many of the backgrounds himself. The animators had a number of disagreements with him over the years, but Walt backed Earle 100% and told the animators to do what he said.
Earle's distinct style for the film was based on real Medieval and Gothic art styles, with highly detailed and lush backgrounds and an emphasis on tall vertical lines. Walt said he wanted the movie to look like a "beautiful moving tapestry." Since the film's style demanded that the backgrounds be completely in focus, one of the biggest challenges the animators faced was to make the characters stand out against all the amazing detail.
Because of the 70mm print and the high level of detail in the paintings, everything had to be drawn, inked and painted on enormous sheets of paper (which animator Floyd Norman claims were "the size of a bedsheet") which made things difficult and more time-consuming, but since that was the direction the movie was taking, they had to suck it up and work with what they were given.
With the lengthy development time and the huge expense for the movie to come to life, this would be the last time Disney would use the traditional "ink and paint" method of animation for his major motion pictures. The development of the Xerox process would make animation a lot cheaper, but it lost a lot of the rich detail and clean lines from the older films. So not only was Sleeping Beauty extraordinarily beautiful to look at, it marked the end of a very long era.
As with all of the classic Disney fairy tales, Sleeping Beauty begins with the opening of a book. We can already see the tapestries in the background, signalling what the style of this movie will be like. More than just an opening, the book motif stays in the film longer than usual, with a narrator reading the story and returning to the book pages a number of times after the initial opening.
The story begins in a kingdom ruled by King Stefan and his queen. After years of wanting a child, they are finally blessed with a little daughter, and on her Christening day the whole kingdom comes to pay their respects.
Among the visitors are the three good fairies: Flora, Fauna and Merryweather. Each of them bestows a magical gift on the child. Flora gives the gift of beauty and Fauna gives the gift of song. But then just as Merryweather is about to give her gift, the hall darkens and the evil fairy Maleficent appears.
Upset at not being invited, Maleficent casts a curse on the child, claiming that before her 16th birthday is over she shall prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and die. The best that Merryweather can do is "adjust" the curse, so that instead of dying the princess will simply fall into a deep sleep that can only be awoken by true love's kiss.
To ensure that Princess Aurora has the best chance of survival, the fairies disguise themselves as peasant women and take the child to live in a cottage in the forest until she is grown.
Years pass, and as Aurora's 16th birthday approaches Maleficent is furious that the girl has not been found. Realising that her reliance on imps and goblins is terribly misplaced, she tells her pet raven to find the girl before time runs out.
The story begins in a kingdom ruled by King Stefan and his queen. After years of wanting a child, they are finally blessed with a little daughter, and on her Christening day the whole kingdom comes to pay their respects.
Among the visitors are the three good fairies: Flora, Fauna and Merryweather. Each of them bestows a magical gift on the child. Flora gives the gift of beauty and Fauna gives the gift of song. But then just as Merryweather is about to give her gift, the hall darkens and the evil fairy Maleficent appears.
Upset at not being invited, Maleficent casts a curse on the child, claiming that before her 16th birthday is over she shall prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and die. The best that Merryweather can do is "adjust" the curse, so that instead of dying the princess will simply fall into a deep sleep that can only be awoken by true love's kiss.
To ensure that Princess Aurora has the best chance of survival, the fairies disguise themselves as peasant women and take the child to live in a cottage in the forest until she is grown.
Years pass, and as Aurora's 16th birthday approaches Maleficent is furious that the girl has not been found. Realising that her reliance on imps and goblins is terribly misplaced, she tells her pet raven to find the girl before time runs out.
Meanwhile Aurora, who the fairies had renamed "Briar Rose," has grown to be a beautiful young lady, completely oblivious to her real royal heritage.
Her adoptive aunts send her outside to pick berries while they prepare a big birthday party for her. The only problem is... even after 16 years, the fairies are useless without their magic wands. Fauna's attempts to bake a cake and Flora's dressmaking skills are terrible to say the least.
As Briar Rose wanders through the forest singing to her animal friends, she meets someone she did not expect to meet... Prince Phillip himself! (Little does she know that the two of them were betrothed when she was a baby!) Phillip doesn't reveal himself to be a prince, but after listening to Briar Rose's beautiful singing falls instantly in love with her.
In true Disney tradition, a couple of minutes is all it takes for complete strangers to admit their true love. Side note: Prince Phillip is named after the real-life Prince Philip Duke of Edinburg (although the Disney version has an extra "L" in his name) who had married Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II about a decade before Sleeping Beauty's release.
Back at the cottage, things have not gone well. The cake and the dress are disasters and a grumpy Merryweather breaks out the wands to use magic. They create a perfect cake and dress, but Merryweather and Fauna have a disagreement on what colour the dress should be, which results in a fierce battle of magic, effectively alerting Maleficent's raven to their whereabouts.
When Briar Rose returns home to tell her aunts about the lovely young man she just fell in love with, they inform her that she is a princess and her life as a forest peasant is over. Heartbroken, Briar Rose races to her bedroom in tears. (Note: This is the last time the princess speaks in the entire movie!)
Meanwhile, back at the royal castle, King Stefan and his friend King Hubert are waiting nervously for Aurora to return home so that their children can at last be married.
The star of this scene is, of course, Hubert's minstrel, who might have a bit of an alcohol problem...
It's another case of a Disney character stealing a scene without saying a single word. When Phillip returns to the castle he informs his horrified father that he has fallen in love with a peasant girl and he's not going to honour his betrothal. This doesn't go down well with Hubert, who realises it will be up to him to tell Stefan that Phillip has done a runner.
As sunset approaches, the fairies sneak Aurora back into the castle. Unfortunately they decide to leave her alone for a minute, and a mysterious ball of light hypnotises the princess and bids her to follow it up a secret passage.
In a high chamber, the prophecy is finally fulfilled. Aurora touches the spindle and falls into a death-like sleep. After 16 years of hiding, the good fairies have failed in their mission to keep Aurora safe.
Having taken care of the princess, Maleficent visits the cottage in the woods and captures Prince Phillip, locking him up and ensuring he won't be waking the sleeping beauty up anytime soon.
Finally realising that Prince Phillip and Aurora are already in love, the fairies go on a rescue mission to save Prince Phillip and bring him to the castle. Only problem is, he's being held in Maleficent's dungeon at the Forbidden Mountain. They need to stage the kingdom's greatest jailbreak and avoid Maleficent in the process. So that he can defend himself, they create a magic sword and shield for him.
Once Maleficent realises her prisoner has been released, she creates a forest of thorns around the castle. Unfortuantely for her, Phillip hacks through the thorns with his new sword and continues on. With no alternative left, Maleficent flies to the castle herself and transforms into an enormous dragon. A fierce battle ensues until Phillip uses the Sword of Truth to stab the dragon in the heart, thereby killing Maleficent and undoing her evil spells.
His next job is, of course, to awaken the princess! He races to her chamber and greets her with true love's kiss.
With everything back to normal again, Phillip and Aurora present themselves to the kingdom as a couple and (presumably) live happily ever after.
IRVYNE: The story is very traditionally told. It doesn't feel like a
whole lot of license was taken with the plot. There are a couple of
funny characters like the minstrel, and there's the fact that she only
sleeps for a few hours, instead of the 100 years in the original
story. But the telling is very traditional. It doesn't have
a massive "B" story like the mice in Cinderella, it's all centred on
the main plot. I almost feel like in this film, the story is secondary.
Gaping plot holes and leaps of faith for realism don't matter. It's
there to be appreciated as a work of art.
MALEFICENT: The story is really easy to follow. Any little kid can easily understand what's happening.
ANNA: I had to laugh when the fairies say, "He's being held at the Forbidden Mountain." "But we can't go there!" Aww, really??
HAKU:
Yeah, the names are very generic. "The Forbidden Mountain." "The Sword
of Truth." "The Shield of Virtue." I almost expected to see "The Bog of
Eternal Stench!"
IRVYNE: But when you think about it, there are many leaps of faith you need to take to suspend your disbelief in this story. At the start of the film the fairies discuss that their magic can't be used to attack or harm. It can only be used for kindness and making people happy. Fast-forward to the end of the movie, and we see Merryweather turning a raven into a statue (effectively killing him) and the fairies casting a magic spell on the sword so that it will kill Maleficent! If the sword had that power, why didn't they send Phillip up to kill Maleficent while they were still at the Forbidden Mountain? In fact, why not give King Stefan a magic killing sword as soon as Maleficent appeared at the Christening? Anyway. Looking too much into it, I know. That's seeing the story through an adult's eyes. Through children's eyes, it's wonderful.
MERRYWEATHER: I think it's a bit unfair that the queen doesn't get a name. She's only ever referred to as "the queen."
MALEFICENT: Maleficent is amazing.
ANNA: I like the way the trees in the woods are made to look 3D as the camera moves forwards.
As far as songs go, there are only a few, but each one is set directly to Tchaikovsky's score. The main "Sleeping Beauty Waltz" became, of course, "Once Upon A Dream," which has gone on to become a genuine Disney classic.
Continuing to push the technological envelope, Sleeping Beauty was recorded with brand new technology and presented in 6-channel stereophonic sound, making the orchestra seem even closer to the audience.
Sleeping Beauty is timeless. It is just as enjoyable to watch today as it was in 1959. Although it took a very long time to make and an extraordinary amount of money, it all paid off in the film's quality and lasting legacy.
Sadly, the film did not do particularly well at the box office. It did not even recoup the costs of its creation during its initial run. Only in the decades following has it developed the real following it deserves.
Sleeping Beauty is one of my favourite Disney movies. Aside from its thin plot and characterisations, the movie is beautiful to look at, glorious to listen to, and it's bursting with imagination and Disney magic.
That's my top favorite Disney classic!
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