I love Sleeping Beuty. Why? To quote Disney himself; Sleeping Beuty is so beautiful, you could stop at any point of the movie and hang it up as a painting.
Maybe not when Maleficent is maliciously hiding in a darkened fireplace, with the devilish intent to hypnotize Aurora against her will, in order to force her to prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel......but I get your point.
@@reginaldforthright805 Love "The Black Cauldron". The Horned King is so cool. Also the love story felt very "real" compared to a lot of Disney films. They both pretended to hate each other for ages much like teenagers actually do. Also, Gurgi is hilarious. 😂
Sleeping beauty was always my favorite as a child simply because it was just so beautiful. The music and art had such a grace to it that the other movies before didn’t have. Also maleficent is definitely one of disneys best villains. The plot is a little thin it could’ve used some more time developing the characters, but it doesn’t matter simply because of how beautiful the film turned out.
Those who see this as a beautiful film do not understand those who say it is not a cool film. The screenplay fits and jumps from start to finish, some in the audience find the unevenness too jarring.
Sleeping Beauty might be the most influential and imitated animated Disney film in the extensive canon. Certainly elements of it have seeped into The Little Mermaid ("before the sun sets on the third day"), Aladdin (the "marry for true love" theme, the final battles for both films), and most obviously Beauty and the Beast where they literally recycled the final dance sequence for the closing act. The plots of Tangled, Frozen, and Anastasia (Disney lite) - while based on existing narratives and stories in their own right - could clearly be read as variations of Sleeping Beauty. Enchanted parodies it more than any other film with the possible exception of Mermaid. But it was even parodied a mere four years after its release in 1963's Sword in the Stone, with Madam Mim's transformation into a purple dragon clearly referencing (or satirizing) the earlier film's famous climax. Perhaps most tellingly, there's a reason the award-winning documentary on the advent of the Disney Renaissance was titled "Waking Sleeping Beauty," rather than the seemingly more obvious "Waking Snow White."
As a major sleeping beauty fan of the movie its really is sad the movie is underated 🤨 aurora may not be the most active disney princess but there is so much to learn from her even within her little amount of screen time she is the legit definition of style and grace and class 💜 and one of my favorite DPs growing up
James Tyler You made some excellent points! I never thought about how much influence Sleeping Beauty had on latter Disney movies until I read your post. It’s such an underrated Disney movie.
Sleeping Beauty is singular among the Disney catalogue, but the Platinum-Age movies referenced none among Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, nor Cinderella directly. The spirit of the company is to provide an equivalent experience while adding content.
Sleeping Beauty is my favorite movie ever. I saw it 7times in 1959 and on every rerelease, then when they released it on video, I bought the VHS and then the DVD.
Of all the classic Disney fairytales, this one was always my favorite growing up. It moves slowly as a narrative but everything is so gorgeous to look at and the story is solid enough that I never minded. When I finally fought Malificent in the original Kingdom Hearts, I realized it was the battle I'd been wanting to fight since I was 10. The box office and initial critical reception also highlights an important point. I recently got into an argument under another TH-cam video with some nitwit who kept trying to convince me that box office, critical reception and being taught in film schools was some sort of "empirical evidence" rather than an indicator of how popular it currently was. I rejected that notion on the grounds of several films having their greatness acknowledged decades after the fact. This strikes me as being a prominent example of that.
Great points, I agree with your rejection of having those 3 elements be empirical evidence. Box office, critical reception and film school classes are strong ways to define the success of a film and can be used as guideposts, but the influence and standing of a film is often so much more complicated than that. A movie's impact on other filmmakers and audiences, especially when seen over years or decades, can show far greater insights than those.
I get why the good reviews mostly praise the animation. The main characters seem bland and forgettable, until you notice that Aurora and Phillip are not the main characters. The fairies are. The fairies affect the plot more, appear consistently thru the movie (unlike Phillip who barely appears in the first half and barely talks in the second; and Aurora who is a baby for the whole first act and blacks out in thr third). Even Flora is the one to enchant the sword and kill Maleficient, and they get the last line of dialogue in the movie.
I love that the main characters are three dumpy middle aged women, something which is so rare. As for Aurora and Phillip, their characters and relationship are supposed to be visual, Walt took alot of inspiration from "The Sleeping Beauty Ballet" and that is why whenever the two are on screen together they are mainly dancing (and singing but mainly dancing) as the characters are built around movement, that is why Aurora and Phillip move so elegantly and balletic and that's really all you need for their characters because as you say, they aren't the main characters
@@thegeek4145 Exactly. And they are good secondary characters. Amazing how a simple change of perspective (about who the main character was) turned this from one of my least favourite movies to one of my favourite ones.
i was just thinking about this. as a kid i always thought the princess was the main character. in actuality it’s the fairies. they are the backbone of the storyline. they walked so aurora and phillip could run 😭 idk if this is a stretch but i kinda consider phillip to be the protagonist in his own right in the second half of the film where he’s trying to save aurora. it’s the classic hero quest plot even if it’s short. you can plot the rising action, climax and resolution when he goes on his quest.
It's kind of like Triplets of Belleville or perhaps even Lord of the Rings. Triplets of Belleville centers around an elderly woman seeking to save her athletic grandson from the mob with the aid of three elderly women (hence the name triplets) who used to work in vaudeville. And they're the ones who take all the initiative rather than a young athletic man, who is almost completely passive throughout the film. Traditionally, the young man should be the hero, but instead it is the four pudgy elderly ladies who drive the story. Lord of the Ring's official protagonist is Frodo, but he is much more passive partly due to the burden the Ring bears on him. The more active character is Sam, who traditionally should be a sidekick. But because he is the one who takes more initiative, gets a lot of character development, and saves Frodo in more ways than one, many fans, including Christopher Lee who played Saruman, believe that Sam is the real hero of LotR. Also, even in the original Sleeping Beauty ballet and fairy tale, the fairies are the ones who drive the plot more than the Prince and the Princess, perhaps even more so than the Disney version. At least in the Disney version, Aurora meets Philip before falling to her curse, rather than after as in the original versions of the tale...
Disagree with you on Prince Phillip as he is better developed and had more action and personality than the previous two princes and even better than both King Stefan and Queen Leah as they too, have poor performances and development. Thing is that both of Aurora’s parents were not so major characters because all we know is that they wanted to make sure their daughter is safe. For starters, Hans Conried (the model reference) got the role of King Stefan taken away from him and Aurora didn’t have any development nor did Queen Leah (plus her voice was way off)
as a kid i loved the movie. i would act out the scenes and then fall asleep when aurora fell asleep 😭 i rewatched it again as an adult. it’s still my favorite film despite not having too much dialogue. the movements of the characters is enough. the art speaks for itself. it’s art that people won’t recognize the value until years later. ages like fine wine 🤍
Sleeping Beauty will always be one of my favorites. Philip is my favorite Prince. Even though he has few lines, his actions tell all. Aurora, besides her beauty and grace, is also selfless (Accepting her fate as a royal even if she's hurting) and has good orientation sense (Walking in the woods on her own) In Enchanted Tales, she knows the importance of reading before signing. In a printed story "Maleficent's Revange" She even offers to sacrifice herself sleeping forever, in exchange of saving Philip and the whole kingdom.
She's also mischievous to an extent, like when she trolled her animal friends into thinking she really met somebody. And honestly is probably something of a tomboy, because she spends enough time outdoors to know the woods well, retain calluses on her feet to walk barefoot on, become very familiar with the animals, I think she picks berries from a thornbush at one point without any problems? And never once does she even seem to think of her appearance at all, ever. She's loyal to her fairy-aunts despite them unending her life and strong-willed enough, mentally, to have pulled back from the spindle when they were shouting for her, even though she was under Maleficent's spell at the time, which in my opinion is no small feat and should not be as overlooked as it is. Nobody denies that she doesn't have a lot of screentime. But she _does_ have a personality, you just have to look for it. Of course, simple paying of attention is usually too much to ask of people nowadays...
This movie is so underrated. Many people think this movie is boring but I don’t find it boring at all. A lot of people thought this movie was a disappointment compared to Snow White & Cinderella but I thought this movie was an improvement over the other 2.
@@reginaldforthright805 Agreed. Cinderella is so overrated. So many people like Cinderella better than Sleeping Beauty & I honestly don’t understand why
Sleeping Beauty is the most "fairytale" of the Disney movies. It's got this foreboding quietness to the story and characters but this deep undeniable beauty in the environments and movements of the characters. It's my favorite Disney movie since it truly feels like a work of classical fairytales brought to life. Close behind I LOVE Lady and the Tramp, storewide, animation, backgrounds, drama it's perfect, but for quiet meditation Sleeping Beauty takes the cake. It feels like the feeling I get wondering through art museums looking at renaissance art or old cathedrals
The thing I feel never gets enough credit with this film is the song "once upon a dream". Such a beautiful song and one that sticks in your head for ages afterwards.
God, this is so well done. I've been obsessed with this film since childhood, particularly with its art and character design, and feel that it is absolutely Walt's masterpiece. It perfectly merges Romantic sensibilities with the fairytale aesthetics the company had become so well-known for at that point, from the use of Tchaikovsky's music to the emphasis on the natural world to the battle between utter good and complete evil at the climax. Only Beauty and the Beast has managed to capture the same melding of ideologies, in my opinion, and even then, in many ways, it still pales in comparison to this film. It's pure Disney magic condensed into one cinematic experience, and this video is a perfect tribute to how important a role the design of the film plays in creating this magic.
When I was a kid, sometimes my sister wouldnt sleep, so we grabbed some snacks and watched this movie in VHS. Mostly she would sleep at the middle part but we always watched the finale together. The way we rooted for the characters, cheered for them... I miss it sometimes.
Very well made video! Informative, entertaining, and you have a great speaking voice! I'm definitely subscribing and can't wait to see more. I just love this movie. It's so warm, romantic, lush, and gorgeous. The music, the animation, the characters, I could just eat this film up I love it so much. :)
I have never seen the film in widescreen. I only ever owned it on VHS, a VHS which was bought many years before I was born. This is a great essay, very informative. It reminds me of the behind the scenes featurette's at the end of the Sleeping Beauty and Little Mermaid VHS's.
I owned a lot of those clamshell Disney VHS taps as a kid and I have to say, while they were a big part of my childhood, it's wonderful to see a film like this in all it's glory. I love those old featurettes and watched a lot of them while prepping for this.
I'm looking at getting them on Blu Ray now. I'm a sucker for anamorphic, even more so for 70mm, so I'd love to see them both bringing an illustration like this to life.
Martin R. McGowan seeing it at 1080p is sooooo pretty. i downloaded it on my mac and my god the art is so crisp. it’s meant for HD. you can see the details and colors
It's been my favorite Disney film since I was a child, even though there wasn't enough time for the character development of Aurora and Philip. Yet, Philip is still my favorite prince since he did so much to save her without question; even though the faeries helped, he didnt hesitate and went head-on into danger. His loyalty and resolve never wavered. And I love Flora Fauna and Merryweather. Merryweather and the blue dress helped shape my love of blue as a child ❤ And as an artist now and even at 5yrs, this film caught my eye: exquisite, decadent, detailed, and stylized. Aurora is my favorite because of her essence, her calm and confident demeanor, her songs, the way she was drawn and her blue dress ❤️
+Matt Draper Very well explained and well done. Sleeping Beauty os one of my all-time favourite Disney classics. Despite being a box-office disappointment, Sleeping Beauty still and will forever remain a masterpiece.
Sleeping Beauty could be read as a gender reversed Howl’s Moving Castle. It’s often said that Howl’s moving Castle is an analogy- Sophie is getting to know Howl romantically, but has to move past inner layers of his psyche to truly be close to him. Each wall she has to knock down, room she has to clean, battle she has to win, represents her going through the trials and tribulations of their relationship together and knowing him better. You could easily make the same analogy with Sleeping Beauty- Prince Phillip has to push past Aurora’s walls, fight and win against her demons, and of course get to know the sacred parts of Aurora’s psyche (represented by the fairy God Mother’s, the good witches.)
The movie is amazing. I wish it had been just a little longer however to give Aurora more to do, at least a sad reprise of I wonder after she learns of her identity and walks to the castle to give perspective what she is thinking. But the fairies are the main characters nevertheless.
I really like this suggestion because it really speaks to the strengths Aurora has already shown (including her romantic, imaginative nature and her amazing singing voice) and how they could have been further explored rather than just putting her down as “passive.” She has a more subtle personality that was somewhat confined by the source material-it’s called “Sleeping Beauty,” of course she is going to be asleep for part of it!-but that doesn’t mean that she has nothing to offer as a heroine.
I agree. If that were to happen then the Kings sequence could have taken place very early in the story. It would allow Aurora to gain some screen time to develop her role as a character
I don't know if I truly understood my feelings for this movie as well as several Disney movies when I was younger. I remember being truly fascinated by Maleficent but not fully understanding why. I remember being so attracted to the colors and the music and the movements but not fully comprehending why. Now I am older and I finally know the answers. And damn do I love this movie (and my favorite villain).
According to a little research, Sleeping Beauty made $51.6 million in the United States and Canada and was only played in carefully selected movie theatres specially equipped to project the film in widescreen Technirama 70 and six-track-stereo sound so the movie did make more money than it cost to produce it but didn't make as much as other Disney movies because it wasn't put in as many theatres as other films from the studio
Sleeping beauty always stood out for me. I loved it from the first moment I watched it. I had no idea why I loved it so much, I mean, I knew it was beautiful but I didn't know why. I'm so happy to finally understand why it was so precious to me, as all the details you shared about the movie match exactly what called my attention. Thank you for your analysis.
The joke's on me! I thought "O ya, yet another superficial cartoon review." Well, was I wrong! Congratulations on every minute, every sentence of this brilliantly insightful post.
Maleficent is the most memorable Disney villain for me, haunting my whole childhood. But she was SO GOOD. The character design, her color palette, the voice acting, how she is animated. You can see very subtle facial expressions on her, giving her so much depth. Not just your run of the mill villain. And the fact that she would curse a newborn child to death just because she wasn't invited to her party feels like true evil for me. I miss seeing hand-drawn animations on screen :(
Wow, upon watching Sleeping Beauty, I was delighted with their background and music, they made me feel as if I was watching a real fairy tail. The opening scene of the opening book cannot be more accurate. The film truly inmerses you on the fairy tail unlike any other I've seen.
This is my favorite Disney movie, and probably close to my favorite animated movie ever. I wish animated films today looked like this. Of course Maleficent made this film for me as a kid and shes still the reason I love it as an adult. I hope nobody forgets the original Maleficent with the new live action Maleficent film.
Really good show here. There was a big influence on Disney from Kigh (Kay) Neilsen's works. Originally I think Disney wanted to do "The Little Mermaid" but ended up choosing to do Sleeping Beauty instead and this review probably sealed that he'd not make that movie in his lifetime. Would have been neat to see Little Mermaid done this style of course. But I guess its good they did it differently, coz imagine if Star Wars had started with "The Phantom Menace"...
In terms of astetichs this is probably the best Disney film ever made i mean sure the best characters are the supporting characters but Eyvind Earles artwork is 2nd to none and well worth the price of admission
I wouldn't include The Princess and the Frog in the Revival era. I think it started with Tangled instead, that was the first movie in a long time that succeded in the box office.
The unicorn tapestries dont account for earle’s style, which is far more modern and angular and similar to many other cartoons at the time - looney toons and upa. Some of the details such as the tree shapes and landscape features do reflect the Italian renaissance but with a modernized style, all these things were broadly influenced by the popularity of Picasso and cubism.
6:46 that middle unicorn tapestry is in the hogwarts castle at universal Orlando! I was just there yesterday lol. Course it’s a replica, but still I thought that was cool.
Few Disney movies, especially the older ones, reach the level to truly be called works of cinema. Growing up my parents were always in the "movies are garbage for your brain" camp so I didn't watch it until recently, and I stand by my once sentence review: Sleeping Beauty is a slept-on beauty. BTW I'm a film major now so frick you 2000s parenting rules.
This movie does have breathtaking animation, sophisticated characters like Prince Phillip (despite being silent in the second half), King Hubert (despite his white hair), Maleficent and the Fairies. While Aurora is one of the issues for the film, one of the biggest problems is both of her parents, King Stefan and Queen Leah as they too, have poor performances and development. The thing is that both of Aurora’s parents were not so major characters because all we know is that they wanted to make sure their daughter is safe. For starters, Hans Conried (the model reference) got the role of King Stefan taken away from him and Aurora didn’t have any development nor did Queen Leah (plus her voice was way off)
I got laughed at back when I was living in Camden at the library when I was singing and some kids was laughing and mocking me and one person posted the video on Facebook and wrote 15 mean comments instead of nice comments about me and I was embarrassed and upset about it no one likes my talent I like to sing a lot while listening to music and singing along and dancing too any positive advice for me about my situation please I need a new friend someone who’ll accept me for who I am and not judge me just because I’m different from other people please how can I find my happily ever after any advice for me am I considered a princess like princess Aurora my hair is naturally curly
Hmm. Maybe because The Picture song from the demo could have not been dragged on as the Skumps song was. Maybe it would have given more depth to the two fathers presenting the virtues of their kids.
I think it really all should have been from the POV of the good fairies - they're the real heroes. I think in them how have some of the strongest heroines in the early Disney cannon. But I don't think there was any feminist thinking there - I think the animators just realized at some point that they had three very interesting characters and ran with it.
I dunno man. I disagree with almost all your points. The animation style is too different so the characters stick out like a sore thumb. The characters in Snow White mesh with the background better. Walt Disney himself wanted to try to outdo Snow White with sleeping beauty. After the flop of sleeping beauty he realized he would never “make another Snow White” That may have been one of the reasons he was pushing so hard for Epcot. He felt he hit his limits in animation and wanted to be remembered by something else
@@monkey39128 That it possesses this deeply entrenched sense of entitlement. Literally all of the challenges faced by the Princess and Prince are overcome by the benevolent hand of the Fairy God Mothers.
It's too bad that Sleeping Beauty has a lackluster reception. It really was the Pinnacle of classic Disney animation. It's a masterpiece of animation, and I can only imagine what it would have done for animation and storytelling had it been successful. Sad.
I love Sleeping Beuty. Why? To quote Disney himself; Sleeping Beuty is so beautiful, you could stop at any point of the movie and hang it up as a painting.
![[DRIP] ‘Love, Maybe’ PREVIEW](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/U7hwHp95m1k/mqdefault.jpg)
I love Sleeping Beuty. Why? To quote Disney himself; Sleeping Beuty is so beautiful, you could stop at any point of the movie and hang it up as a painting.
Literally what I did. I printed one of the frames of the iconic dancing scene in the forest and hung it up in my sister's wall as a surprise present.
Maybe not when Maleficent is maliciously hiding in a darkened fireplace, with the devilish intent to hypnotize Aurora against her will, in order to force her to prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel......but I get your point.
@@ryanspencerlauderdale687 There are paintings that are scary. So even that scene is beautiful and worthy to hang on walls as a scene of drama.
Yes!
Couldn't have summed it up any better.
It's the best thing Disney have ever made. It's a Disney movie but it has so many serious moments that it could be a 50's Hollywood movie.
The only Disney film to top this is not actually about a princess, but a sentient little wooden puppet we all know and love.
@@TheLazyFusspot_3428 It's not one of my fav :/
@@CEIVE4EVER At least they're better than the remakes lol
For me the only ones to top it are black cauldron and beauty and the beast. My other favorites are sword in the stone and Alice in wonderland.
@@reginaldforthright805 Love "The Black Cauldron". The Horned King is so cool. Also the love story felt very "real" compared to a lot of Disney films. They both pretended to hate each other for ages much like teenagers actually do. Also, Gurgi is hilarious. 😂
Sleeping beauty was always my favorite as a child simply because it was just so beautiful. The music and art had such a grace to it that the other movies before didn’t have. Also maleficent is definitely one of disneys best villains. The plot is a little thin it could’ve used some more time developing the characters, but it doesn’t matter simply because of how beautiful the film turned out.
Those who see this as a beautiful film do not understand those who say it is not a cool film.
The screenplay fits and jumps from start to finish, some in the audience find the unevenness too jarring.
I had no idea Sleeping Beauty didn't do well when it was released! Crazy, because it truly is such a beautiful, timeless classic from Disney!
It did well it just went over budget
@@youtubewontletmetypeagoodu8128 Its certainly made more than its moneyback by now with re-releases, The Vault System and DVD, Blu-Ray and Next 4k
For me, as a kid, the dragon battle was what made this movie for me.
Cameron Robb-MacKay Ever play the original Kingdom Hearts? Fighting Maleficent in both forms in that game made it for me because of this movie.
It was definitely my favorite part as a kid. Honestly, I was never that interested in this film until I became an adult!
I LOVE Kingdom Hearts.
That's what started my HUGE love for dragons.
@@cabooseresurrected5183 Wtf same
Sleeping Beauty might be the most influential and imitated animated Disney film in the extensive canon. Certainly elements of it have seeped into The Little Mermaid ("before the sun sets on the third day"), Aladdin (the "marry for true love" theme, the final battles for both films), and most obviously Beauty and the Beast where they literally recycled the final dance sequence for the closing act. The plots of Tangled, Frozen, and Anastasia (Disney lite) - while based on existing narratives and stories in their own right - could clearly be read as variations of Sleeping Beauty. Enchanted parodies it more than any other film with the possible exception of Mermaid. But it was even parodied a mere four years after its release in 1963's Sword in the Stone, with Madam Mim's transformation into a purple dragon clearly referencing (or satirizing) the earlier film's famous climax. Perhaps most tellingly, there's a reason the award-winning documentary on the advent of the Disney Renaissance was titled "Waking Sleeping Beauty," rather than the seemingly more obvious "Waking Snow White."
As a major sleeping beauty fan of the movie its really is sad the movie is underated 🤨 aurora may not be the most active disney princess but there is so much to learn from her even within her little amount of screen time she is the legit definition of style and grace and class 💜 and one of my favorite DPs growing up
James Tyler You made some excellent points! I never thought about how much influence Sleeping Beauty had on latter Disney movies until I read your post. It’s such an underrated Disney movie.
Black Cauldroon' Princess Ellony design is also inspired by Aurora. Even her clothes and colors
Sleeping Beauty is singular among the Disney catalogue, but the Platinum-Age movies referenced none among Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, nor Cinderella directly.
The spirit of the company is to provide an equivalent experience while adding content.
Sleeping Beauty is my favorite movie ever. I saw it 7times in 1959 and on every rerelease, then when they released it on video, I bought the VHS and then the DVD.
Of all the classic Disney fairytales, this one was always my favorite growing up. It moves slowly as a narrative but everything is so gorgeous to look at and the story is solid enough that I never minded. When I finally fought Malificent in the original Kingdom Hearts, I realized it was the battle I'd been wanting to fight since I was 10.
The box office and initial critical reception also highlights an important point. I recently got into an argument under another TH-cam video with some nitwit who kept trying to convince me that box office, critical reception and being taught in film schools was some sort of "empirical evidence" rather than an indicator of how popular it currently was. I rejected that notion on the grounds of several films having their greatness acknowledged decades after the fact. This strikes me as being a prominent example of that.
Great points, I agree with your rejection of having those 3 elements be empirical evidence. Box office, critical reception and film school classes are strong ways to define the success of a film and can be used as guideposts, but the influence and standing of a film is often so much more complicated than that. A movie's impact on other filmmakers and audiences, especially when seen over years or decades, can show far greater insights than those.
Johnathon Haney I never found Sleeping Beauty to be all that slow. I personally think Cinderella is slower.
I get why the good reviews mostly praise the animation. The main characters seem bland and forgettable, until you notice that Aurora and Phillip are not the main characters. The fairies are.
The fairies affect the plot more, appear consistently thru the movie (unlike Phillip who barely appears in the first half and barely talks in the second; and Aurora who is a baby for the whole first act and blacks out in thr third). Even Flora is the one to enchant the sword and kill Maleficient, and they get the last line of dialogue in the movie.
I love that the main characters are three dumpy middle aged women, something which is so rare. As for Aurora and Phillip, their characters and relationship are supposed to be visual, Walt took alot of inspiration from "The Sleeping Beauty Ballet" and that is why whenever the two are on screen together they are mainly dancing (and singing but mainly dancing) as the characters are built around movement, that is why Aurora and Phillip move so elegantly and balletic and that's really all you need for their characters because as you say, they aren't the main characters
@@thegeek4145 Exactly. And they are good secondary characters.
Amazing how a simple change of perspective (about who the main character was) turned this from one of my least favourite movies to one of my favourite ones.
i was just thinking about this. as a kid i always thought the princess was the main character. in actuality it’s the fairies. they are the backbone of the storyline. they walked so aurora and phillip could run 😭
idk if this is a stretch but i kinda consider phillip to be the protagonist in his own right in the second half of the film where he’s trying to save aurora. it’s the classic hero quest plot even if it’s short. you can plot the rising action, climax and resolution when he goes on his quest.
It's kind of like Triplets of Belleville or perhaps even Lord of the Rings. Triplets of Belleville centers around an elderly woman seeking to save her athletic grandson from the mob with the aid of three elderly women (hence the name triplets) who used to work in vaudeville. And they're the ones who take all the initiative rather than a young athletic man, who is almost completely passive throughout the film. Traditionally, the young man should be the hero, but instead it is the four pudgy elderly ladies who drive the story. Lord of the Ring's official protagonist is Frodo, but he is much more passive partly due to the burden the Ring bears on him. The more active character is Sam, who traditionally should be a sidekick. But because he is the one who takes more initiative, gets a lot of character development, and saves Frodo in more ways than one, many fans, including Christopher Lee who played Saruman, believe that Sam is the real hero of LotR.
Also, even in the original Sleeping Beauty ballet and fairy tale, the fairies are the ones who drive the plot more than the Prince and the Princess, perhaps even more so than the Disney version. At least in the Disney version, Aurora meets Philip before falling to her curse, rather than after as in the original versions of the tale...
Disagree with you on Prince Phillip as he is better developed and had more action and personality than the previous two princes and even better than both King Stefan and Queen Leah as they too, have poor performances and development. Thing is that both of Aurora’s parents were not so major characters because all we know is that they wanted to make sure their daughter is safe. For starters, Hans Conried (the model reference) got the role of King Stefan taken away from him and Aurora didn’t have any development nor did Queen Leah (plus her voice was way off)
as a kid i loved the movie. i would act out the scenes and then fall asleep when aurora fell asleep 😭 i rewatched it again as an adult. it’s still my favorite film despite not having too much dialogue. the movements of the characters is enough. the art speaks for itself. it’s art that people won’t recognize the value until years later. ages like fine wine 🤍
Sleeping Beauty will always be one of my favorites.
Philip is my favorite Prince. Even though he has few lines, his actions tell all.
Aurora, besides her beauty and grace, is also selfless (Accepting her fate as a royal even if she's hurting) and has good orientation sense (Walking in the woods on her own)
In Enchanted Tales, she knows the importance of reading before signing.
In a printed story "Maleficent's Revange" She even offers to sacrifice herself sleeping forever, in exchange of saving Philip and the whole kingdom.
She's also mischievous to an extent, like when she trolled her animal friends into thinking she really met somebody. And honestly is probably something of a tomboy, because she spends enough time outdoors to know the woods well, retain calluses on her feet to walk barefoot on, become very familiar with the animals, I think she picks berries from a thornbush at one point without any problems? And never once does she even seem to think of her appearance at all, ever. She's loyal to her fairy-aunts despite them unending her life and strong-willed enough, mentally, to have pulled back from the spindle when they were shouting for her, even though she was under Maleficent's spell at the time, which in my opinion is no small feat and should not be as overlooked as it is.
Nobody denies that she doesn't have a lot of screentime. But she _does_ have a personality, you just have to look for it. Of course, simple paying of attention is usually too much to ask of people nowadays...
This movie is so underrated. Many people think this movie is boring but I don’t find it boring at all. A lot of people thought this movie was a disappointment compared to Snow White & Cinderella but I thought this movie was an improvement over the other 2.
Snow White and Sleeping Beauty are my favourites. Both are moving paintings.
I love this movie don't get me wrong, but I wish we got to know Aurora a bit better
Cinderella stinks. That one really is boring. Sleeping Beauty was a remarkable leap forward that people weren’t ready for.
@@reginaldforthright805 Agreed. Cinderella is so overrated. So many people like Cinderella better than Sleeping Beauty & I honestly don’t understand why
OH YES YES YES MY FAVORITE MOVIE EVER AND ITS SO MF UNDERRATED NOBODY APPRECIATES IT ENOUGH GOD BLESS U I LIKED AND SUBSCRIBED
So glad that you enjoyed it!
This movie has my most favorite Disney Villain- Maleficent.
Sleeping Beauty is the most "fairytale" of the Disney movies. It's got this foreboding quietness to the story and characters but this deep undeniable beauty in the environments and movements of the characters. It's my favorite Disney movie since it truly feels like a work of classical fairytales brought to life. Close behind I LOVE Lady and the Tramp, storewide, animation, backgrounds, drama it's perfect, but for quiet meditation Sleeping Beauty takes the cake. It feels like the feeling I get wondering through art museums looking at renaissance art or old cathedrals
I feel so warm inside when I hear the music for this film again.. such a classic! great video
Such a seriously gorgeous movie. Disney renaissance is my bae though.
Definitely love the Renaissance, too. So many fantastic films back to back.
The thing I feel never gets enough credit with this film is the song "once upon a dream". Such a beautiful song and one that sticks in your head for ages afterwards.
God, this is so well done. I've been obsessed with this film since childhood, particularly with its art and character design, and feel that it is absolutely Walt's masterpiece. It perfectly merges Romantic sensibilities with the fairytale aesthetics the company had become so well-known for at that point, from the use of Tchaikovsky's music to the emphasis on the natural world to the battle between utter good and complete evil at the climax. Only Beauty and the Beast has managed to capture the same melding of ideologies, in my opinion, and even then, in many ways, it still pales in comparison to this film. It's pure Disney magic condensed into one cinematic experience, and this video is a perfect tribute to how important a role the design of the film plays in creating this magic.
The amazing thing about Slepping Beauty is that you could pause any frame and hang it on your wall as a beautiful painting.
I was never a fan of Sleeping Beauty when I was a kid, now, one of my favorites ♥
An absolute triumph. You've done justice to a film I hold dear.
You're getting better and better Mr Draper. I can't wait for the next video. xx
Thank you, Wen! That means a lot and I hope you enjoy the next one, too.
Eyvind Earle is the unsung hero of this movie. His backgrounds were incredible.
When I was a kid, sometimes my sister wouldnt sleep, so we grabbed some snacks and watched this movie in VHS. Mostly she would sleep at the middle part but we always watched the finale together. The way we rooted for the characters, cheered for them... I miss it sometimes.
Sleeping beauty is an animated masterpiece
Very well made video! Informative, entertaining, and you have a great speaking voice! I'm definitely subscribing and can't wait to see more.
I just love this movie. It's so warm, romantic, lush, and gorgeous. The music, the animation, the characters, I could just eat this film up I love it so much. :)
I suddenly have the innate desire to watch Sleeping Beauty haha ;)
Glad I could help with that!
Matt, you make amazing videos. Truly fantastic .
Thank you! I really appreciate that.
I have never seen the film in widescreen. I only ever owned it on VHS, a VHS which was bought many years before I was born.
This is a great essay, very informative. It reminds me of the behind the scenes featurette's at the end of the Sleeping Beauty and Little Mermaid VHS's.
I owned a lot of those clamshell Disney VHS taps as a kid and I have to say, while they were a big part of my childhood, it's wonderful to see a film like this in all it's glory. I love those old featurettes and watched a lot of them while prepping for this.
I'm looking at getting them on Blu Ray now. I'm a sucker for anamorphic, even more so for 70mm, so I'd love to see them both bringing an illustration like this to life.
Martin R. McGowan seeing it at 1080p is sooooo pretty. i downloaded it on my mac and my god the art is so crisp. it’s meant for HD. you can see the details and colors
It's been my favorite Disney film since I was a child, even though there wasn't enough time for the character development of Aurora and Philip. Yet, Philip is still my favorite prince since he did so much to save her without question; even though the faeries helped, he didnt hesitate and went head-on into danger. His loyalty and resolve never wavered. And I love Flora Fauna and Merryweather.
Merryweather and the blue dress helped shape my love of blue as a child ❤
And as an artist now and even at 5yrs, this film caught my eye: exquisite, decadent, detailed, and stylized.
Aurora is my favorite because of her essence, her calm and confident demeanor, her songs, the way she was drawn and her blue dress ❤️
This was always my favorite Disney film as a kid
This movie always reminded me of Princess and the Frog... The animation is absolutely gorgeous, but the story just never really grabs me.
+Matt Draper Very well explained and well done. Sleeping Beauty os one of my all-time favourite Disney classics. Despite being a box-office disappointment, Sleeping Beauty still and will forever remain a masterpiece.
Solid editing on this - you're getting better.
Thanks!
Sleeping Beauty could be read as a gender reversed Howl’s Moving Castle. It’s often said that Howl’s moving Castle is an analogy- Sophie is getting to know Howl romantically, but has to move past inner layers of his psyche to truly be close to him. Each wall she has to knock down, room she has to clean, battle she has to win, represents her going through the trials and tribulations of their relationship together and knowing him better. You could easily make the same analogy with Sleeping Beauty- Prince Phillip has to push past Aurora’s walls, fight and win against her demons, and of course get to know the sacred parts of Aurora’s psyche (represented by the fairy God Mother’s, the good witches.)
The movie is amazing. I wish it had been just a little longer however to give Aurora more to do, at least a sad reprise of I wonder after she learns of her identity and walks to the castle to give perspective what she is thinking. But the fairies are the main characters nevertheless.
Yes that would have been a great addition and would have boosted her screentime!
I really like this suggestion because it really speaks to the strengths Aurora has already shown (including her romantic, imaginative nature and her amazing singing voice) and how they could have been further explored rather than just putting her down as “passive.” She has a more subtle personality that was somewhat confined by the source material-it’s called “Sleeping Beauty,” of course she is going to be asleep for part of it!-but that doesn’t mean that she has nothing to offer as a heroine.
I agree. If that were to happen then the Kings sequence could have taken place very early in the story. It would allow Aurora to gain some screen time to develop her role as a character
I don't know if I truly understood my feelings for this movie as well as several Disney movies when I was younger. I remember being truly fascinated by Maleficent but not fully understanding why. I remember being so attracted to the colors and the music and the movements but not fully comprehending why. Now I am older and I finally know the answers. And damn do I love this movie (and my favorite villain).
The most beautiful Disney film ever made.
I’ve always loved sleeping beauty.
According to a little research, Sleeping Beauty made $51.6 million in the United States and Canada and was only played in carefully selected movie theatres specially equipped to project the film in widescreen Technirama 70 and six-track-stereo sound so the movie did make more money than it cost to produce it but didn't make as much as other Disney movies because it wasn't put in as many theatres as other films from the studio
That forest dance is amazing. It is the scene that comes to mind when I think of this movie. #stunning
Brilliant video. Really enjoyed it.
Without a doubt, Sleeping Beauty is the best looking 2D animated Disney movie.
Sleeping beauty is a testament to silver age disney its one of the most beautifully done movie ever made. You should cover more Disney
Sleeping beauty always stood out for me. I loved it from the first moment I watched it. I had no idea why I loved it so much, I mean, I knew it was beautiful but I didn't know why. I'm so happy to finally understand why it was so precious to me, as all the details you shared about the movie match exactly what called my attention. Thank you for your analysis.
Beautifully done appreciation of this movie!
I just got through watching Sleeping 😴 Beauty 😍 on Disney Plus today and Happy Birthday to Prince Philip Blessings and Hugs 💖💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕
Next to Peter Pan, this was and remains my favorite Disney animated film. Well, of that classic era. Beauty and the Beast is my "modern" fave.
The joke's on me! I thought "O ya, yet another superficial cartoon review." Well, was I wrong! Congratulations on every minute, every sentence of this brilliantly insightful post.
Maleficent is the most memorable Disney villain for me, haunting my whole childhood. But she was SO GOOD. The character design, her color palette, the voice acting, how she is animated. You can see very subtle facial expressions on her, giving her so much depth. Not just your run of the mill villain. And the fact that she would curse a newborn child to death just because she wasn't invited to her party feels like true evil for me. I miss seeing hand-drawn animations on screen :(
That scene when her shadow appears in the fireplace gave me so many nightmares! Love this film though. Maleficent is fantastic.
Wow, upon watching Sleeping Beauty, I was delighted with their background and music, they made me feel as if I was watching a real fairy tail. The opening scene of the opening book cannot be more accurate. The film truly inmerses you on the fairy tail unlike any other I've seen.
Awesome video & content as ever Matt :) keep up the stellar work as ever man!.
Thank you very much!
This is my favorite Disney movie, and probably close to my favorite animated movie ever. I wish animated films today looked like this. Of course Maleficent made this film for me as a kid and shes still the reason I love it as an adult. I hope nobody forgets the original Maleficent with the new live action Maleficent film.
You know you're gonna have a good day when Matt uploads a new video. Truly amazing work dude.
This comment makes me EXTREMELY happy. Thank you!
The look of this film amazing.
Your videos are awesome! you need more views!!
Really good show here.
There was a big influence on Disney from Kigh (Kay) Neilsen's works.
Originally I think Disney wanted to do "The Little Mermaid" but ended up choosing to do Sleeping Beauty instead and this review probably sealed that he'd not make that movie in his lifetime. Would have been neat to see Little Mermaid done this style of course. But I guess its good they did it differently, coz imagine if Star Wars had started with "The Phantom Menace"...
I can't believe this movie didn't do well at the blockbusters, this is my favourite disney movie of all the princess stories
The backgrounds in this go so hard.
I ADORE Sleeping Beauty
The silver age is amazing
Absolutely, might be my favorite Disney era.
@@drachireidnoc6659 agreed
Mark my words this channel is going to get big
Thanks! We'll see!
In terms of astetichs this is probably the best Disney film ever made i mean sure the best characters are the supporting characters but Eyvind Earles artwork is 2nd to none and well worth the price of admission
Whoa whoa whoa, where’s the awesome jazzy exit music!?!
Excellent video very informative!!
Thank you!
I wouldn't include The Princess and the Frog in the Revival era. I think it started with Tangled instead, that was the first movie in a long time that succeded in the box office.
Great video analysis. This movie is visually stunning, and "Maleficent" the movie pales in comparison, with its massive CGI sensationalized effects.
The silver age wasn't the only classic Disney! The Renaissance was Disney's peak!
the renaissance is overrated. it's only constantly talked about cause millennials rule the internet
The two amazing scenes for me are the 3 fairy gifts & when maleficent becomes a dragon.
This film's Maleficent shits all over the crappy 2014 Angelina Jolie Maleficent.
When Mom took me to see Sleeping Beauty,I was 4. I sure was scared at the scene where the Prince was fighting the Dragon.
The unicorn tapestries dont account for earle’s style, which is far more modern and angular and similar to many other cartoons at the time - looney toons and upa. Some of the details such as the tree shapes and landscape features do reflect the Italian renaissance but with a modernized style, all these things were broadly influenced by the popularity of Picasso and cubism.
I think that "Alice in Wonderland", though diff. in tone, is also a pinnacle of the 'silver age' of Disney
my favorite
6:46 that middle unicorn tapestry is in the hogwarts castle at universal Orlando! I was just there yesterday lol. Course it’s a replica, but still I thought that was cool.
Few Disney movies, especially the older ones, reach the level to truly be called works of cinema. Growing up my parents were always in the "movies are garbage for your brain" camp so I didn't watch it until recently, and I stand by my once sentence review: Sleeping Beauty is a slept-on beauty. BTW I'm a film major now so frick you 2000s parenting rules.
Awesome backgrounds! What's the name of the artist again? and neat video!
Thank you! It's Eyvind Earle.
I love your videos
This is awesome. And I love the hint at the end when black spots begin to appear on a white back ground :D
Thank you! I knew what was coming next, so I thought I'd have a little fun with it. Coming next week!
This movie does have breathtaking animation, sophisticated characters like Prince Phillip (despite being silent in the second half), King Hubert (despite his white hair), Maleficent and the Fairies. While Aurora is one of the issues for the film, one of the biggest problems is both of her parents, King Stefan and Queen Leah as they too, have poor performances and development. The thing is that both of Aurora’s parents were not so major characters because all we know is that they wanted to make sure their daughter is safe. For starters, Hans Conried (the model reference) got the role of King Stefan taken away from him and Aurora didn’t have any development nor did Queen Leah (plus her voice was way off)
Snow White, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty are my 3 favorite Disney movies and Princesses.
I don’t get all the Cinderella hate. I love all 3 movies.
Maleficentastic
I think that was just a slump in movie attendance, because it's been released again & again since then, w/packed houses.
keep up the good work
Thank you!
Shouldn’t princess and frog be post-renaissance, as 2d is no longer made. Things shifted dramatically with Tangled.
I got laughed at back when I was living in Camden at the library when I was singing and some kids was laughing and mocking me and one person posted the video on Facebook and wrote 15 mean comments instead of nice comments about me and I was embarrassed and upset about it no one likes my talent I like to sing a lot while listening to music and singing along and dancing too any positive advice for me about my situation please I need a new friend someone who’ll accept me for who I am and not judge me just because I’m different from other people please how can I find my happily ever after any advice for me am I considered a princess like princess Aurora my hair is naturally curly
I don't care how valid the criticisms are. I don't care how empty this plot is. It's art and it's only goal is to push the limits of art.
It looks fantastic, but the story has problems. And that “Scumps” song is a drag on the story
Hmm. Maybe because The Picture song from the demo could have not been dragged on as the Skumps song was. Maybe it would have given more depth to the two fathers presenting the virtues of their kids.
I think it really all should have been from the POV of the good fairies - they're the real heroes. I think in them how have some of the strongest heroines in the early Disney cannon. But I don't think there was any feminist thinking there - I think the animators just realized at some point that they had three very interesting characters and ran with it.
I dunno man. I disagree with almost all your points.
The animation style is too different so the characters stick out like a sore thumb.
The characters in Snow White mesh with the background better.
Walt Disney himself wanted to try to outdo Snow White with sleeping beauty. After the flop of sleeping beauty he realized he would never “make another Snow White”
That may have been one of the reasons he was pushing so hard for Epcot. He felt he hit his limits in animation and wanted to be remembered by something else
I like only Golden, Silver and Renaissance. I hate the actual Disney.
00:08 - animation is not a genre
Maleficent is the main character.
Fight me.
Its one of the fairies. Probably the fat one.
I can appreciate everything about this film that there is to appreciate, and I do. But it's still the *whitest* thing I've ever seen in my life.
What do you mean by whitest?
@@monkey39128 That it possesses this deeply entrenched sense of entitlement. Literally all of the challenges faced by the Princess and Prince are overcome by the benevolent hand of the Fairy God Mothers.
It's too bad that Sleeping Beauty has a lackluster reception. It really was the Pinnacle of classic Disney animation. It's a masterpiece of animation, and I can only imagine what it would have done for animation and storytelling had it been successful. Sad.
I love Sleeping Beuty. Why? To quote Disney himself; Sleeping Beuty is so beautiful, you could stop at any point of the movie and hang it up as a painting.
Extremely informative video! Loved it!!