Sleeping Beauty (1959 film)
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Sleeping Beauty is a 1959 animated feature produced by Walt Disney and originally released to theatres on January 29, 1959, by Buena Vista Distribution. The sixteenth animated feature in the Disney animated features canon, it was the last animated feature produced by Walt Disney to be based upon a fairy tale (after his death, the studio returned to the genre with 1989's The Little Mermaid). In addition, Sleeping Beauty was the first animated feature to be shot in Super Technirama 70, one of many large-format widescreen processes. Only one more animated film, The Black Cauldron, was ever shot in Super Technirama 70.
The film was directed by Les Clark, Eric Larson, and Wolfgang Reitherman, under the supervision of Clyde Geronimi. The film was based on the fairy tale Sleeping Beauty by Charles Perrault, with additional story work by Joe Rinaldi, Winston Hibler, Bill Peet, Ted Sears, Ralph Wright, and Milt Banta. The film's musical score and songs, featuring the work of the Berlin Symphony Orchestra, are adapted from the 1890 Sleeping Beauty ballet by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
Plot synopsis
Princess Aurora is named after the Roman goddess of the dawn "because she fills her father and mother's lives with sunshine." While still an infant, she is betrothed to the also-young Prince Phillip, son and heir to King Hubert's throne. At her christening, the good fairies Flora (dressed in pink, red, orange, and brown), Merryweather (in blue), and Fauna (in green) arrive to bless her. Flora gives her the gift of beauty, which is described in a song as "gold of sunshine in her hair" and "lips the shade of the red, red rose." Fauna gives her the gift of song. At this point, Maleficent, the film's villain and Mistress of All Evil, appears on the scene. Claiming to be upset at not being invited to Aurora's christening ceremony, she curses the princess to die when she touches a spinning wheel's spindle before the sun sets on her sixteenth birthday. Fortunately, Merryweather has not yet blessed Aurora, so she uses her blessing to weaken Maleficent's curse: Aurora will not die when she touches the spinning wheel, instead, she will fall asleep until she is awakened by true love's kiss. In addition, Aurora's father, King Stefan, orders all spinning wheels in the kingdom burned, but knowing Maleficent is extremely powerful and will stop at nothing to see her curse fulfilled, the three good fairies take Aurora to live with them in the woods, where they can keep her safe from any harm until she turns sixteen and the curse is made void. To fully protect her, they even change her name to Briar Rose.
Rose grows into a very beautiful young woman, with long golden yellow hair, rose-colored lips, lilac-colored eyes, and a marvellous singing voice. She, although very beautiful and sweet, does not care for her appearance but she hopes that someday "her song will go winging" to a handsome man. She is raised in a cottage in the forest by the three fairies, who she believes are her aunts. Meanwhile, the evil creatures employed by Maleficent admit to their mistress that they have not been able to find the princess, despite looking in every cradle they could find. Maleficent realises that they have been looking for a baby for 16 years and sends her "last hope," her pet raven Diablo, to look for Aurora. On the day of her sixteenth birthday, the three fairies choose to use magic to make Rose a gown and a cake. As Flora and Merryweather fight it out to have the dress their signature color, Maleficent's raven flies over the forest and spots the magical glitter fluttering in the air and reports back to Maleficent. While out picking berries, Rose sings to entertain her animal friends; her angelic voice gains the attention of Prince Phillip, who has grown into a handsome young man and is out riding his horse in the woods. When they meet, they instantly fall in love. Realizing that she has to return home, Aurora flees from Phillip without ever learning his name. Despite promising to meet him again, she is unable to return, as her "aunts" choose that time to reveal the truth of her birth to her and to tell her that she is betrothed to a prince named Phillip.
They leave the woods, and Aurora makes it into the palace. Unfortunately, Maleficent uses her magic to lure Aurora away from her chambers up into the tallest tower of the palace, where a spinning wheel awaits her. Fascinated by the wheel, she touches the spindle, pricking her finger. As had been foretold by the curse, Aurora is put under a sleeping spell. The good fairies place Aurora on a bed with a red rose in her hand, and cause a deep sleep to fall over the entire kingdom "until Rose awakens." While doing so, they realize, from King Hubert trying to tell King Stefan that his son is in love with a peasant-girl, that the young man Aurora had fallen in love with is Prince Phillip, but he has been captured and imprisoned by Maleficent to prevent him from kissing Aurora and waking her up. The three good fairies sneak into Maleficent's lair, The Forbidden Mountain, aid the prince in escaping and explain to him the story of Maleficent's curse. Armed with the magical Sword of Truth and The Shield of Virtue, Phillip battles Maleficent when the sorceress turns herself into a gigantic fire-breathing dragon. The sword, blessed by the fairies' magic, is plunged into the dragon's heart, killing her. Phillip climbs to Aurora's chamber, and removes the curse with a kiss. As the film ends, the prince and princess both happily learn that their betrothed and their beloved are one and the same. They dance a waltz as once again Flora and Merryweather squabble over the color of Aurora's dress.
Awards and nominations
Nominated (2)
Academy Awards
Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture (George Bruns)
Grammy Awards
Best Soundtrack Album, Original Cast - Motion Picture or Television
References:
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleeping_Beauty_(1959_film)
