October 2019
will mark the premier of “Maleficent: The Mistress of all Evil”, which
will be a sequel to the 2014 spin-off movie “Maleficent”. That film was
a semi-remake of Disney’s animated 1959 classic “Sleeping Beauty”, but
with the titular villain in the leading role as opposed to the princess.
Speaking personally, I had no desire to see “Maleficent”, I don’t plan
on ever watching it, and I certainly don’t care to see its theatrical sequel
either. It did still leave me wondering why Disney didn’t just remake “Sleeping
Beauty” in live action the same way they eventually did with both “Cinderella”
and “Beauty and the Beast”.
Was it an attempt to try something new while
also tying in with a familiar Disney product, or was the original just not good
enough in the eyes of the studio? Either way, it’s got me rekindling the flames
of nostalgia for the original, and what better time to talk about it then prior
to the release of its second live action spin-off. “Sleeping Beauty” was the
studios 16th animated feature film, and for me, I always viewed it
as the cap to a figurative trilogy that began with Disney’s animated 1937
classic “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”, and continued with 1950’s “Cinderella”.
These were the original three Princess tales brought to us from Walt Disney
himself, and while more animated princess would populate the studio’s animated
works, these would remain the three classic girls that started it all. Back
when I was just a little boy, I surprisingly found myself drawn to these three
animated films more so then the other films of the studio … and I remember “Sleeping
Beauty” was my absolute favorite to watch as a kid.
Our enchanted tale begins with the birth of
a Princess, and a wicked witch who prophesied that her death was to take shape in sixteen years. Fearing for her daughter’s life, the king and queen of the land
entrust their little girl’s life to the caring hands of three
fairy-godmothers.
Years later, the princess grows up, and falls in love with a
handsome stranger, unaware that he’s the very prince she’s been betrothed to
from birth. Just as a magical ending seems on the horizon, the evil Maleficent
makes her move by putting the fair princess in a death-like sleep, along with
the whole Kingdome. She then locks the prince away in her dungeon, where she plans to keep
him for several years until he becomes a withered old man. Upon which she’ll
release him to be reunited with his love, as a miserable old figure. In short,
the strength of the film comes from the experience, while the narrative
structure is admittedly very weak. Rather then tell a flowing story, with
character arc’s or morals, the film is primarily built on individual scenes.
Like … here’s the scene when our two leads fall in love upon meeting for the
first time … here’s the scene with the fairy’s goofy antics … and here’s the
scene when the villain takes command, and it’s all kind of one-note. However,
the film isn’t about channeling emotions through a gripping narrative, it’s all
about the emotions felt through the things we experience as the film
unfolds.
There’s no sense beating around the bush,
so let’s just jump right in to the main attraction of the movie … the villain. Maleficents
popularity has basically led her to be the flagship villain of the animated Disney
franchise. I think every countdown of classic Disney villains would feature Maleficent
securely ranked among the top three absolute best … and for good reason. While
previous animated bad guys could stand out as highlights, Maleficent marked the
first time a villain completely stole the show, and actually stood out as my
favorite character in the whole film.
Something I didn’t even notice as a kid
was that her screen-time was very limited, and she didn’t dominate the scenery
until the third act. It’s a perfect case of a villain never overstaying their
welcome, yet still leaving a memorable impression. She has such a cool design,
with a long purple and black cloak, a long cape that resembles flames, bat-like
wings coming from the neck, a green face, and devil horns. Even her name is
awesome, so it's definitely an A+ with the presentation. Another strong element
in play is that Maleficent combines both quiet, sophisticated evil with
monstrously dominate evil. In other words, she can attack you both mentally and
physically, which is the perfect combination for a classic villain. Of course,
I have to mention that Walt Disney himself insisted that no other actress voice
Maleficent other than Eleanor Audley, who had previously voiced the evil step-mother from “Cinderella”. It was absolutely the right call as the
actress knows how to highlight both the subtlety and over the top elements of
the character. Her wicked laugh is the stuff of legend … like one of the all-time most
identifiable evil laughs.
With all my initial praise given to the
villain, I certainly don’t want to undermine my feelings for The Fairy Godmothers,
as they too have a secure spot among my favorite Disney characters. While the
film was initially in production, their only character traits were the
individual red, green and blue colors in their designs. Thankfully, the writers
decided to give them some added dimension, like individual personalities that
would bounce off each-other, and make them just … all around delightful
characters to have on screen. Despite being infectiously lovable, I’d go even
further to call them the main heroes for the movie. These are the characters who
come up with all the plans, share the most emotional moments, take the most
action, have the most layered arc, and likewise share the lengthiest amount of
screen time of any other characters in the film. While still marketed as
supporting players, I still view them as the main leads, and I think it makes
for a refreshing change to see three middle-aged women as the stars of a
children’s animated picture.
Now, let’s talk about our leading female
protagonist, … oh boy, this is one issue with the film that’s only gotten worse
with age.
Despite being my childhood favorite Princess themed Disney movie,
this has always been my least favorite leading girl. Just to spot-light how
boring and one-note this Princess is, people in general never refer to the
character by her name … which is Princess Aurora, who’s also colorfully
nicknamed Rose by her guardians. Still to this very day, everyone I know refers
to her as Sleeping Beauty, even though that’s only the movies title, and has
nothing to do with the characters name. Yeah … despite the popularity of “The
Little Mermaid”, audiences still refer to that films Princess by her name …
Ariel, as opposed to referring to her as the title of the movie. There really
isn’t anything about Princess Aurora (or Sleeping Beauty) that makes her stand
out, and the movie never gives me a reason to care for her. Say what you will
about either Snow White or Cinderella, those movies at least got me to care
about them on some level. I wanted to see Cinderella make a life for herself
outside of that horrible house, and I was emotionally torn-up after Snow White
bit that poisoned apple. In the wake of Princess Aurora pricking her finger and
falling into a sleep like death … I never once felt a single thing for her. She
didn’t have much of a personality, and even her design was kind of generic …
although, I will say that I’ve always preferred her blue dress look over the
pink attire.
The heroic Prince Philip is about as
boring, but to be fair, he’s actually an improvement over the prince characters
featured in the earlier two Disney Princess films. Those two didn’t even have
names (none that I can remember anyway), nor did they speak more then two
lines, and were mostly just reduced to silent cameos. So, Prince Philip was at
least an attempt to add some dimension to the stereotype, but he still doesn’t
leave much of an impression. One detail that always bugged me was that, neither
the Prince or Princess have any speaking lines after the middle part of the
film. They are both consistently silent through the third act, and it makes
them both feel like extras in their own movie. The one redeeming factor to
these two is their shared song number … “Once
Upon a Dream”. Despite being a product of it’s time, this song still
holds up on its own, and in my view is the most memorable romantic song from
any of the original three Disney princess movies. Seriously, whenever I try to
remember a romantic title from either of these three films, “Once Upon a
Dream” is the first and only one that ever seems to come to mind.
Outside of “Once Upon a Dream”, there
really aren’t any song numbers that stand out. There are quires with lyrics
herd throughout the film, but no other real songs. Regardless, the instrumental
music heard through the film is outstanding, and it was lifted right from the
famous ballet of the same name. In fact, this ballet music was Walt Disney’s
biggest influence on making the movie, and it’s felt all through out. It was George
Brun's who composed the music, and his work on “Sleeping Beauty” won him
the Academy Award for best film score of the year.
Despite the movie’s weak
narrative, the technical experience of the picture remains one of Disney’s
strongest after all these years. Before I started writing this review, I made
the conscious choice to watch this movie again on an old VHS tape, just to see
how the animation looked without the polished Blue-Ray enhancements. I’m happy
to say that for an animated picture from 1959, it’s still one of Disney’s
absolute best-looking films to date. The designs, colors, backgrounds, artistry … it just pops. The animators were inspired by tapestry work, or paintings you’d see in a medieval castle, and it’s what characterized the
overall look of the film. Future animated Disney movies like “Pocahontas”
clearly drew a lot of influence from this film. I also love the design of Maleficents
castle grounds, as it feels reminiscent of “Night on Bald Mountain”, and
maybe even an influence on the art work seen in “The Black Cauldron”.
Another ace up “Sleeping Beauty’s”
sleeve is that, in my opinion, it has some of the best atmosphere of any
animated Disney project.
Right from the start, I just feel like I’m breathing
in the films magical air, which further adds to some stand-out moments. One of
my favorite individual scenes from any Disney picture is when the three fairy godmothers bless the baby with their gifts of
beauty, song and hope. While the artistry on display is really something to
admire for the time, what I really love is that the scene is presented with a
sense of euphoria, almost like something you’d experience in a dream or
meditative haze. Another small highlight I have to mention is the one cooking
scene. It’s hard to explain, but there’s something instantly appealing about
seeing ordinary house hold objects magically coming to life in an animated
Disney picture. It’s something that’s so commonly present in other Disney
works, to the point where it feels like a staple in their animated projects. If
there was any one scene I always felt should have been axed from the film, it
would be that needlessly long detour with the two kings, and their bickering
plans for their children’s royal engagement. Oh, that scene always grinds the
film to a halt, and I distinctly remember as kid, I’d always fast-forward
through that.
The last highlight I have to address is
that, after all these years, “Sleeping Beauty” still features my
absolute favorite final battle of any animated Disney picture. It’s kind of
ironic that an early 1950’s, princess-themed Disney movie would feature my
favorite climax, but that’s why it’s so special. One of the most classic
staples of the fairy-tale genera is seeing a prince ride off to rescue a
princess, who’s locked in a tower, guarded by a fire breathing Dragon.
It may seem hard to believe, but “Sleeping
Beauty” was actually one of the studio’s biggest gambles, as well as one of
their lengthiest productions that took nearly ten years to finalize. The payoff
was worth all the effort, as “Sleeping Beauty” turned out the second
highest grossing film of 1959 behind “Ben-Her”, which is some good
company to be in.
Over the years, it’s remained an animated classic, although
in the shadows of its two fairy-tale predecessors. Personally, I feel the
film is brought down by its rocky narrative structure, as well as featuring two of
the weakest leading princess and prince characters. Had those two elements been
touched up on, then the film would rank higher among my favorites of the
studio’s collective works. Still, the remaining strengths of the film, like the
animation, the villain, the music, the fairies, the magical atmosphere, and the
final battle all have secure spots among my favorite elements of any animated
Disney picture … so it’s kind of challenging to rate this film. In the end, all
I can say is … I loved this movie when I was a kid, I’ve loved sharing this
movie with my kids, and I think it holds up as a gem among Disney’s animated
works. If I had it my way, I’d say … ignore those two live action spin-offs (unless
you really want to see them … entirely up to you), and just stick with the
original classic.
Thanks for reading my review of the 1959 animated classic “Sleeping Beauty” … and continue to enjoy the movies you Love!
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