Sleeping Beauty
Director: Clyde Geronimi
Cast: Mary Costa, Eleanor Audley, Verna Felton, Barbara Jo Allen, Barbara Luddy, Bill Shirley, Taylor Holmes, Bill Thompson.
Inspired by Tchaikovsky’s ballet and Perrault’s fairy tale, Disney’s Sleeping Beauty tells the story of a beautiful princess who must be awakened by true love’s kiss after an evil fairy’s curse causes her to fall into an eternal slumber.
There is a certain irony to the romance shared between Princess Aurora and Prince Phillip that makes them unique from other Disney couples. They are probably the only Disney couple up to this point who have been brought together first by an arranged marriage rather than true love, but yet their romance is born not out of duty to their respective kingdoms, but indeed out of love.
When Aurora is born, the King and Queen announce that she and Prince Phillip will marry to unite her father’s kingdom with that of Phillip’s father, King Hubert. When fate allows Phillip and Aurora meet in the forest and fall in love, they are both unaware of whom the other is; in fact, she thinks it is a romantic dream. When the good fairies tell Aurora that she is already betrothed and she must never see her handsome stranger again, she is heartbroken because she doesn’t know at this point that her intended is in fact the mysterious stranger she met in the forest. When Phillip finds the beautiful princess sleeping in her tower after he slays Maleficent, his kiss awakens her from her cursed slumber and she is reunited with her true love.
The fairies play a significant role in the film, not only in protecting Aurora, but in aiding Prince Phillip as well. In the beginning, it is Merryweather’s gift that saves the infant princess from Maleficent’s curse. It is also the fairies who secretly hide the infant princess in the forest and name her Briar Rose to protect her from Maleficent’s wrath. When Aurora falls prey to Maleficent’s dark magic, the fairies put the entire kingdom to sleep to spare the King and Queen from discovering that their beloved daughter has fallen under Maleficent’s spell. When Phillip is captured by Maleficent, it is the fairies who rescue him from the dungeon of her castle. When Maleficent transforms herself into a dragon, the fairies’ magic helps Phillip defeat Maleficent and break her spell and the fairies guide Prince Phillip to the tower where Aurora sleeps so that his kiss can break the spell.
“Sleeping Beauty” is one of Disney’s most beautiful animated films. The animation is absolutely stunning, the characters – especially the fairies and Maleficent - are vibrant, and the music – which is also taken from Tchaikovsky’s play – marries beautifully with the story. I would highly recommend this film to anyone who loves Disney at its best.
© 2013 – 2017 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved.
Director: Clyde Geronimi
Cast: Mary Costa, Eleanor Audley, Verna Felton, Barbara Jo Allen, Barbara Luddy, Bill Shirley, Taylor Holmes, Bill Thompson.
Inspired by Tchaikovsky’s ballet and Perrault’s fairy tale, Disney’s Sleeping Beauty tells the story of a beautiful princess who must be awakened by true love’s kiss after an evil fairy’s curse causes her to fall into an eternal slumber.
There is a certain irony to the romance shared between Princess Aurora and Prince Phillip that makes them unique from other Disney couples. They are probably the only Disney couple up to this point who have been brought together first by an arranged marriage rather than true love, but yet their romance is born not out of duty to their respective kingdoms, but indeed out of love.
When Aurora is born, the King and Queen announce that she and Prince Phillip will marry to unite her father’s kingdom with that of Phillip’s father, King Hubert. When fate allows Phillip and Aurora meet in the forest and fall in love, they are both unaware of whom the other is; in fact, she thinks it is a romantic dream. When the good fairies tell Aurora that she is already betrothed and she must never see her handsome stranger again, she is heartbroken because she doesn’t know at this point that her intended is in fact the mysterious stranger she met in the forest. When Phillip finds the beautiful princess sleeping in her tower after he slays Maleficent, his kiss awakens her from her cursed slumber and she is reunited with her true love.
The fairies play a significant role in the film, not only in protecting Aurora, but in aiding Prince Phillip as well. In the beginning, it is Merryweather’s gift that saves the infant princess from Maleficent’s curse. It is also the fairies who secretly hide the infant princess in the forest and name her Briar Rose to protect her from Maleficent’s wrath. When Aurora falls prey to Maleficent’s dark magic, the fairies put the entire kingdom to sleep to spare the King and Queen from discovering that their beloved daughter has fallen under Maleficent’s spell. When Phillip is captured by Maleficent, it is the fairies who rescue him from the dungeon of her castle. When Maleficent transforms herself into a dragon, the fairies’ magic helps Phillip defeat Maleficent and break her spell and the fairies guide Prince Phillip to the tower where Aurora sleeps so that his kiss can break the spell.
“Sleeping Beauty” is one of Disney’s most beautiful animated films. The animation is absolutely stunning, the characters – especially the fairies and Maleficent - are vibrant, and the music – which is also taken from Tchaikovsky’s play – marries beautifully with the story. I would highly recommend this film to anyone who loves Disney at its best.
© 2013 – 2017 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved.