“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.”
Disney’s newest Diamond Edition release is out today! The Sleeping Beauty Diamond Edition boasts a beautifully restored picture and sound and includes Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital Copy. I was so impressed with this digital restoration. The animation is sharp, the colours are bright, and the sound is clear as a bell. If I didn’t know better, I would not have thought this movie was made 55 years ago.
I know the story of course, and I’m very familiar with the classic song “Once Upon a Dream” courtesy of my childhood Disney cassettes, but I don’t know if I’ve ever actually watched the entire movie. So I was really looking forward to watching this with my girls. Two-year-old Kay was not as interested as I had hoped and ended up wandering in and out of the room, but at four years old Tee was totally engrossed throughout the entire movie. She did find the scenes with Maleficent’s Goon minions a bit scary though, and she scooted a little closer to me when Maleficent turned into the dragon.
To be honest, I prefer my heroines with a little more personality (which Disney has done a lot better on in more recent releases), but Maleficent is truly wonderful as the villain. I also have a soft spot for the the good fairies Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather. Overall, this is a piece of classic Disney history, and the Sleeping Beauty Diamond Edition is a much-loved addition to our Disney-loving household!
Bonus Features
- 3 never-before-seen deleted scenes: “The Curse is Fulfilled”, “The Arrival of Maleficent”, and “The Fair” (with deleted character The Vulture)
- “Once Upon A Parade” – Join Sarah Hyland form ABC’s Modern Family as she tells us the tale of Walt Disney’s new Festival of Fantasy Parade.
- “The Art of Evil: Generations Of Disney Villains” – Legacy piece spotlighting Disney’s favorite villain animator and Maleficent creator, Marc Davis.
- “@DisneyAnimation: Artists in Motion” – Watch how Walt Disney Animation Visual Development artist Brittney Lee goes through the process of creating a 3D sculpture of Maleficent, completely out of paper.
- Beauty-Oke sing-along to “Once Upon A Dream”
- “The Sound of Beauty: Restoring a Classic”
- “Picture Perfect: The Making of Sleeping Beauty“
- “Eyvind Earle: A Man and His Art”
Sleeping Beauty Printables and Craft Projects
Check out these fun Sleeping Beauty coloring pages and crafts to make with the kids!
Disclosure: I received a sample item for review. All opinions expressed are completely honest and my own, based on my personal experience. Your experience may differ. This post contains affiliate links. This West Coast Mommy is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
I have always wanted to add this to my collection.
I love the Disney films and I would love to start a new collection for my little grand daughter. Thank you for the print outs! 🙂
This is my favorite Disney movie since I was a little girl. 😀
I would love to own this and be able to check out the bonus features and see how I like it restored. I tend to like my originals.