Herbie Murray
Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty is an animated musical fantasy film released in 1959. It is based on Charles Perrault's 1697 fairy tale about a princess cursed by an evil fairy to fall into a deep sleep and only be awakened by true love's kiss. The film follows Princess Aurora, who, on her 16th birthday, pricks her finger on a spinning wheel and falls into a deep sleep. With a production time of nearly a decade and a cost of $6 million, Sleeping Beauty was Disney's most expensive animated feature at the time. The film has since become a classic, with its beautiful animation, memorable characters, and enchanting story.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Year of release | 1959 |
| Date of release | 29 January 1959 |
| Production company | Walt Disney Productions |
| Distributor | Buena Vista Film Distribution |
| Director | Wilfred Jackson (replaced by Eric Larson, then Clyde Geronimi, Wolfgang Reitherman, and Les Clark) |
| Voice actors | Mary Costa, Bill Shirley, Eleanor Audley, Verna Felton, Barbara Luddy, Barbara Jo Allen, Taylor Holmes, Bill Thompson, and others |
| Original story | Charles Perrault's 1697 fairy tale |
| Main characters | Princess Aurora, Maleficent, Flora, Merryweather, Fauna, Prince Phillip, King Stefan, King Hubert |
| Genre | Animated musical fantasy |
| Runtime | 75 minutes |
| Rating | 7.2/10 |
| Awards | Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Scoring of a Musical Picture at the 32nd Academy Awards |
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What You'll Learn
The 1959 film's development and production
The 1959 Disney film Sleeping Beauty was first considered by Walt Disney for an animated adaptation in 1938. Preliminary artwork was submitted by Joe Grant, but the project did not progress beyond this stage. Over a decade later, in 1950, Disney registered Sleeping Beauty as a planned production title with the Motion Picture Association of America, following a positive response to Cinderella from a preview audience.
Disney wanted Sleeping Beauty to be the pinnacle of his studio's achievements in animation, and he was willing to devote all the necessary resources to achieve this. Recognising the challenge of producing a film that would not be too similar to his previous fairy-tale films, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) and Cinderella (1950), he repeatedly told his staff that Sleeping Beauty had to be different.
In December 1952, Kay Nielsen created the first styling sketches for the film, suggesting an "ethereal depiction of the Middle Ages". Although Disney and the film's production designer, Ken Anderson, were impressed with Nielsen's artwork, they felt that his pastel paintings would be difficult to translate into animation. John Hench was tasked with interpreting Nielsen's artwork with opaque cel paint, but Nielsen left the studio by April 1953. The film's tapestry-like style was inspired by Hench's visit to the Cloisters, where he saw the Unicorn Tapestries series.
In 1952, Walt Disney planned to release Sleeping Beauty in 1955, but the film experienced substantial delays. By April 1954, the release date had been pushed back to February 1957, and it was later postponed again to Christmas 1957. It eventually premiered in January 1959. Production began in July 1953, when supervising director Wilfred Jackson started to create a pilot scene in which Aurora and Phillip meet in the forest. Jackson recorded dialogue and assembled a story reel, but Disney was dissatisfied with the result, and Jackson had to extensively rewrite the scene over the next few months. In December 1953, Jackson suffered a heart attack and was replaced by Eric Larson.
Sleeping Beauty was Disney's most expensive animated feature at the time, with a production budget of $6 million (equivalent to $64,719,178 in 2024). It was the first Disney film in which background paintings defined its art direction. Eyvind Earle, who was inspired by pre-Renaissance European art, served as both the film's colour stylist and artistic director, giving him unprecedented control over its visual appearance. Disney challenged the more than 300 artists and technicians working on the film to make each frame an independent work of art.
The musical score for Sleeping Beauty was composed by George Bruns, based on Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's 1889/1890 ballet. It was the first animated film to use the Super Technirama 70 widescreen process, and the first Disney film to be shown in stereo.
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The original fairy tale
On her fifteenth birthday, the princess goes exploring in the forest and comes across an old woman spinning with a spindle. Curious, the princess reaches for the spindle and pricks her finger, fulfilling the prophecy. The princess falls into a deep sleep, and everyone in the castle falls asleep as well. The king and queen depart from the castle, and a thick hedge of thorns grows around it, hiding it from view. Over time, the story of the beautiful sleeping princess spreads throughout the land, and many kings' sons try to force their way through the hedge, only to become entangled in the thorns and die.
Finally, a prince arrives and finds the hedge transformed into beautiful large flowers that part to let him pass. He makes his way through the castle, finding everyone asleep, until he reaches the tower where the princess lies. When he sees her, he is captivated by her beauty, and they fall in love at first sight. He awakens her with a kiss, and she returns to life, along with everyone else in the castle.
The fairy tale has had many adaptations and influences throughout history. Early contributions to the tale include the medieval courtly romance "Perceforest" (c. 1337-1344), in which a similar sleeping enchantment occurs. The tale was first published by Italian poet Giambattista Basile (1575-1632), who included the wicked fairy and the prophecy of the princess pricking her finger. Basile's version differs in that the princess pricks her finger on a piece of flax, while in the Brothers Grimm and Perrault's versions, the item is a spindle.
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The film's animation
Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty is an animated musical fantasy film released in 1959. It is based on Charles Perrault's 1697 fairy tale of the same name. The film follows Princess Aurora, who is cursed by the evil fairy Maleficent to die by pricking her finger on a spinning wheel on her 16th birthday. The film took nearly a decade and $6 million to produce, making it Disney's most expensive animated feature at the time.
The animation in Sleeping Beauty is known for its beauty and style, with rich, vibrant colours. Disney wanted the film to have a unified look, so he made Eyvind Earle both the film's colour stylist and artistic director. This gave Earle unprecedented control over the film's visual appearance. Sleeping Beauty was the first Disney film in which background paintings defined its art direction. Earle drew inspiration from various sources, including Gothic cathedrals, medieval tapestries, and Persian miniatures.
The animation in Sleeping Beauty was also influenced by live-action models. For example, the character of Princess Aurora was modelled on actress Helene Stanley, while Prince Phillip was modelled on Ed Kemmer from Space Patrol. The animators studied the movements and mannerisms of these live-action models to create the characters' movements in the film.
Sleeping Beauty is known for its elaborate and intricate animation. Walt Disney challenged the artists and technicians to make each frame an independent work of art. The assistant animators had to work carefully, paying attention to even the smallest details, such as the thickness of the pencil lines. It took one full day to create just one cleaned-up animation drawing of the character Briar Rose.
The film's musical score also influenced the animation. Sequence director Woolie Reitherman said, "Walt wanted to match the eloquence of the music with the same visual perfection". The score was adapted from the Sleeping Beauty Ballet composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1890. Composer George Bruns went through the ballet's score note by note to find the right themes for each scene and song in the film.
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The film's characters
The release of Sleeping Beauty, a Disney classic, took place in 1959. The story revolves around the life of Princess Aurora, also known as Briar Rose, and her curse, which causes her to fall into a deep sleep on her 16th birthday. While the film is titled Sleeping Beauty, Aurora is not the only important character. A host of other fascinating individuals surround her, each with their own unique role and contribution to the story.
Princess Aurora, the daughter of King Stefan and Queen Leila, is the main protagonist of the story. She is a gentle, graceful, and loving young woman. Aurora grows up in the care of three good fairies, Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather, who raise her as their own in a cottage in the forest, where she is known as Briar Rose. Unaware of her royal lineage, Aurora lives a simple life, singing, dancing, and spending time with her animal friends. On her 16th birthday, she meets her true love, Prince Phillip, and discovers her true identity, only to fall under Maleficent's curse soon after.
The three good fairies, Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather, are the magical guardians of Princess Aurora. They are responsible, loving, and protective of Aurora, using their magic to guide and teach her as she grows up. Flora, the red fairy, is energetic and passionate, often arguing with Merryweather about Aurora's dress color. Fauna, the green fairy, is gentle and motherly, always looking after Aurora's well-being. Merryweather, the blue fairy, is the most cautious and serious of the three, known for her wise and sometimes pessimistic outlook. The three fairies work together to raise and protect Aurora, even if their methods sometimes differ.
Prince Phillip, the son of King Hubert, is Aurora's true love. He is brave, noble, and compassionate. Phillip first meets Aurora in the forest, unaware that she is a princess, and the two instantly fall in love. He is then captured by Maleficent, who plans to use him to lure Aurora to her doom. However, with the help of the three good fairies, Phillip escapes and sets out to save his love, facing Maleficent and her minions to break the curse.
Maleficent, the self-proclaimed "Mistress of All Evil," is the film's antagonist. She is a powerful fairy with a dark and mysterious past. Maleficent curses Aurora as a newborn baby out of revenge for not being invited to the christening. Her goal is to prove that she is more powerful than the three good fairies and to cause pain and suffering. With her dark magic, she transforms into a dragon to battle Prince Phillip, showcasing her power and determination to see her curse through.
Lastly, King Stefan and Queen Leila, Aurora's parents, are also important characters. King Stefan is a wise and just ruler who, along with his wife, is overprotective of their daughter due to Maleficent's threat. They are grief-stricken when Aurora is cursed and do everything in their power to protect her, even if it means keeping her away from her true love, Prince Phillip.
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The film's legacy
Disney's *Sleeping Beauty* is a classic animation that has left an enduring legacy in the world of film and beyond. Released in 1959, the movie is an adaptation of the fairy tale by Charles Perrault and the Brothers Grimm, and it captivated audiences with its stunning visuals, memorable characters, and iconic soundtrack.
The film's artistic style is one of its most celebrated aspects, with its unique look achieved through a special xerography process that allowed for more intricate and detailed animation. This style, with its bold lines and rich colors, has become synonymous with *Sleeping Beauty* and influenced future animated films. The character designs, in particular, with their elegant and flowing lines, have become iconic, and the film's art has been celebrated and referenced in various forms of media.
The movie also boasts one of Disney's most famous villainesses, Maleficent, who has become an iconic figure in popular culture. With her distinctive appearance, magical powers, and memorable scenes, she has become a fan favorite, inspiring merchandise, attractions at Disney theme parks, and even a live-action film centered around her character. The success and impact of this villainous character have had a lasting influence on the creation of future Disney antagonists.
The music of *Sleeping Beauty* has also left an indelible mark on popular culture. The film's soundtrack, composed by George Bruns, includes the famous "Once Upon a Dream" and the powerful "Maleficent's Theme." The former, in particular, has become a Disney standard, covered by numerous artists and used in subsequent Disney productions, including the live-action remake of *Sleeping Beauty* itself.
Finally, the film's impact can be seen in its influence on future animated features. Its success demonstrated the potential for more complex and artistically ambitious animated films, and its unique style inspired a new wave of animation that pushed the boundaries of what was possible. The movie's themes and characters have also been referenced and paid homage to in various subsequent films, showing the lasting impression it has left on the industry.
Overall, Disney's *Sleeping Beauty* remains a beloved classic that has stood the test of time, continuing to enchant new generations of audiences and inspiring creativity in various forms. Its impact can be seen across media, from animation to music, and its legacy is a testament to the power and endurance of this classic fairy tale.
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Frequently asked questions
The movie was released in 1959, so it is 64 years old.
Princess Aurora is 16 years old in the movie.
The movie is 75 minutes long.
Mary Costa is the voice of Princess Aurora in the movie.
The villain in the movie is Maleficent, the evil fairy who curses Princess Aurora.
