Sleeping Beauty (1959)

Director:

Clyde Geronimi

Writers:

Erdman Penner (story)
Charles Perrault (story)
(more)

Release Date:

6 February 1959 (Brazil)

Genre:

Animation | Family | Fantasy | Musical | Romance

Tagline:

Now the magic moment! Full-length feature fantasy - Beautiful beyond belief

Plot:

A snubbed malevolent fairy casts a curse on a princess that only a prince can break, with the help of three good fairies.

Plot Keywords:

Prince | Fairy | Princess | King | Birthday

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 nominations

Cast

Mary Costa	...	Princess Aurora (voice)
Bill Shirley	...	Prince Phillip (voice)
Eleanor Audley	...	Maleficent (voice)
Verna Felton	...	Flora / Leah (voice)
Barbara Luddy	...	Merryweather (voice)
Barbara Jo Allen	...	Fauna (voice)
Taylor Holmes	...	Stefan (voice)
Bill Thompson	...	Hubert (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Bill Amsbery	...	Maleficent's Goon (voice) (uncredited)
Candy Candido	...	Maleficent's Goon (voice) (uncredited)
Pinto Colvig	...	Maleficent's Goon (voice) (uncredited)
Dal McKennon	...	Owl (voice) (uncredited)
Marvin Miller	...	Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Thurl Ravenscroft	...	Singer (voice) (uncredited)

Directed by
Clyde Geronimi		(supervising)

Writing credits
Erdman Penner		(story adaptation)
Charles Perrault		(story "Sleeping Beauty")
Joe Rinaldi		(additional story) &
Winston Hibler		(additional story) &
Bill Peet		(additional story) &
Ted Sears		(additional story) &
Ralph Wright		(additional story) &
Milt Banta		(additional story)

Film Editing by
Roy M. Brewer Jr.
Donald Halliday

Production Design by
Ken Anderson
Don DaGradi

Production Management
Ken Peterson	....	production supervisor

Sound Department
Robert O. Cook	....	sound supervisor

Visual Effects by
Jack Boyd	....	effects animator
Jack Buckley	....	effects animator
Ub Iwerks	....	special processes
Eustace Lycett	....	special processes
Dan MacManus	....	effects animator
Joshua Meador	....	effects animator
Bob Abrams	....	effects animator (uncredited)
Abra Grupp	....	digital paint artist (restored version) (uncredited)
Dorse A. Lanpher	....	assistant effects animator (uncredited)

Animation Department
Hal Ambro	....	character animator
Dick Anthony	....	background artist
Ray Aragon	....	layout artist
Frank Armitage	....	background artist
Bob Carlson	....	character animator
Eric Cleworth	....	character animator
Tom Codrick	....	layout artist
Basil Davidovich	....	layout artist
Marc Davis	....	directing animator
Al Dempster	....	background artist
Eyvind Earle	....	color stylist
Blaine Gibson	....	character animator
Don Griffith	....	layout artist
Victor Haboush	....	layout artist
Joe Hale	....	layout artist
Jack Huber	....	layout artist
Ralph Hulett	....	background artist
Ken Hultgren	....	character animator
Ollie Johnston	....	directing animator
Homer Jonas	....	layout artist
Milt Kahl	....	directing animator: "Prince Philip", "King Hubert"
John Kennedy	....	character animator
Hal King	....	character animator
Fred Kopietz	....	character animator
Bill Layne	....	background artist
John Lounsbery	....	directing animator
Don Lusk	....	character animator
Fil Mottola	....	background artist
George Nicholas	....	character animator
Ernie Nordli	....	layout artist (as Erni Nordli)
Ken O'Brien	....	character animator
Tom Oreb	....	character stylist
Walt Peregoy	....	background artist
Anthony Rizzo	....	background artist
John Sibley	....	character animator
McLaren Stewart	....	layout artist
Henry Tanous	....	character animator
Frank Thomas	....	directing animator
Richard H. Thomas	....	background artist
Harvey Toombs	....	character animator
Thelma Witmer	....	background artist
Robert W. Youngquist	....	character animator (as Bob Youngquist)
Don Bluth	....	assistant animator (uncredited)
Chuck Jones	....	layout artist (uncredited)
Gary Mooney	....	assistant animator (uncredited)
Floyd Norman	....	clean-up artist (uncredited)
Floyd Norman	....	inbetween artist (uncredited)
Phil Roman	....	assistant animator (uncredited)

Casting Department
Ken Peterson	....	casting: animation artists (uncredited)

Music Department
George Bruns	....	music adaptor
Evelyn Kennedy	....	music editor
John Rarig	....	choral arranger
Edmundo Santos	....	lyrics: Spanish version (uncredited)
Frederick Stark	....	conductor (uncredited)

Other crew
Les Clark	....	sequence director
Walt Disney	....	presenter
Eric Larson	....	sequence director
Wolfgang Reitherman	....	sequence director
Eleanor Audley	....	live action model: Maleficent (uncredited)
Frances Bavier	....	live action model: Fairy (uncredited)
Madge Blake	....	live action model: Fairy (uncredited)
Spring Byington	....	live action model: Fairy (uncredited)
Jane Fowler	....	live action model: Maleficent (uncredited)
Ed Kemmer	....	live action model: Prince Phillip (uncredited)
Helene Stanley	....	live action model: Princess Aurora (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Walt Disney Productions

Distributors

• Buena Vista Film Distribution Company (1959) (worldwide) (theatrical)
• Buena Vista Film Distribution Company (1979) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Buena Vista International (1995) (Austria) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Buena Vista International (1995) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Finnkino (1995) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Gaumont Buena Vista International (GBVI) (1995) (France) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Greater Union Organisation (GUO) (1987) (Australia) (theatrical) (re-release)
• J. Arthur Rank Film (1959) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1959) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Prooptiki (1995) (Greece) (theatrical) (re-release)
• RKO (1960) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Suomi-Filmi (1959) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Walt Disney Productions (1971) (France) (theatrical) (re-release)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1998) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Audio Visual Enterprises (1995) (Greece) (VHS)
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment (BVHE) (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment (2002) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment (????) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment (2004) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Disney Channel (1987) (USA) (TV)
• Gativideo (19??) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Gativideo (2008) (Argentina) (DVD) (platinum edition)
• Walt Disney Home Video (????) (worldwide) (VHS)
• Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment (2008) (Germany) (DVD)
• Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment (2008) (Finland) (DVD)
• Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment (2008) (UK) (DVD)
• Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment (2008) (UK) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD) (Blu-Ray Disc)
• Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment (2008) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-Ray Disc)

Other Companies

• Berlin Symphony Orchestra  score recorded by (uncredited)
• Cinesite  restoration work
• Panavision  process lenses

Also Known As:

Runtime:

75 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.55 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo (original release)

Certification:

West Germany:o.Al. | Iceland:L | Portugal:M/6 | South Korea:All | USA:G (re-rating) (1970) | Canada:G (video rating) | USA:Approved (certificate #19062) (original rating) | Finland:K-3 (2008) (DVD release) | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Chile:TE | Finland:K-8 (1959) | Peru:PT | Spain:T | Sweden:7 (re-release) | Sweden:Btl | UK:U | Brazil:Livre

Company:

Walt Disney Productions

Trivia:

Much of the musical score is based on Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's ballet "Sleeping Beauty". The musical score throughout the film was recorded by the Berlin Symphony Orchestra.

Goofs:

Plot holes: The spinning wheel that put Aurora to sleep was not real, but a shadow of one. Technically, because of that, it shouldn't have activated the curse, due to its false properties.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Narrator:In a faraway land, long ago, there lived a King and his fair Queen. Many years they had longed for a child, and finally their wish was granted. A daughter was born, and they called her Aurora. Yes, they named her after the dawn, for she filled their lives with sunshine. Then a great holiday was proclaimed throughout the land, so that all of high or low estate could pay homage to the infant Princess. And our story begins on that most joyful day...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Disneyland: Secrets, Stories, & Magic (2007) (V)

Soundtrack:

Sleeping Beauty

One of Disney's best

Simplest possible explanation of what cements Sleeping Beauty's place as an immortal classic: Maleficent.

Sleeping Beauty was never one of my favorite Disney movies, my parents having lost the tape really early. Since maybe ten years I haven't seen the movie, but now, after seeing it again, I have to admit, it's a masterpiece. I don't understand why it was so berated on first release. Where the critics expecting Snow White? 'Cause this is no Snow White. It's much better.

A long, long time ago, in a kingdom far, far away, King Stefan and the Queen have a daughter, Aurora, so-called because she brought sunshine to their lives. There is a great celebration, and the neighboring kingdom's Prince Phillip is betrothed to Aurora. The three Good Fairies, Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather, are invited. Flora and Fauna bestow gifts of beauty and song upon Aurora. Before Merryweather can cast her spell, the uninvited Maleficent--the Mistress of All Evil--arrives, furious at not being invited. She curses Aurora, predicting that at the age of sixteen the princess will prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning-wheel and die. Merryweather counteracts this by making Aurora go into a deep sleep were she ever to prick her finger, to be reawakened by true love's first kiss. To keep her safe, the fairies take her into the forest, no longer using magic, and calling Aurora Briar Rose. The princess knows nothing of her heritage, and meets no other humans, except for a man "Once Upon A Dream".

One of the greatest things about the movie is the style. The contrast between characters and surroundings (except for Maleficent) is stark. The backgrounds and layouts are colorful, stylized, round and angular at the same time. The characters, however, aim for total realism, except for the minor ones, who are clearly cartoon characters. The animation is beautiful. The movements smooth, the artistry unbelievably high quality. If there was no other likable thing about the movie, the animation would go a long way to saving it.

The story of Sleeping Beauty is, of course, set in stone. Despite everyone's complete familiarity with the fairy tale, the movie manages to enliven it and make it gripping, even though everyone has heard it a thousand times. A most definite improvement in the story is the scene in which Aurora pricks her finger. In the original the spinning-wheel was owned by an innocent old peasant, who just happened to own the last wheel in the land, unnoticed by the rest of the world. In the movie Maleficent hypnotizes Aurora, and commands her to prick her finger. In addition to the atmosphere of foreboding already present in the story, the movie adds genuine suspense, largely owing to the brilliant presence of the wicked fairy.

The characterization is very different from other Disney movies in some ways, but very like others. Usually in Disney's princess movies, the princess herself is something of a cypher, a passive element. This is true for Sleeping Beauty (she has no control over the three basic actions in the movie). The prince usually has an even more minute part, although the story would be nothing without him. Not so this movie. Here Phillip is a much more active character, a hero who battles dragons and witches, who goes through all sorts of hazards. In Snow White all the unnamed prince does is show up and kiss our heroine, in Cinderella Charming risks nothing and is nothing but a prop. But the ultimate character is, of course, Maleficent. Supervised by Disney's women's animator-in-chief, Marc Davis, hers has to be one of the great performances in animation. She is brilliantly drawn, amazingly voiced, and the dragon she transforms into is not just a dragon: it is HER particular dragon (a method taken to greater lengths in The Sword in the Stone). She is magnificent. The three fairies are quarrelsome all right, but they are caricatures that convey particularly clearly their good-naturalness.

Sleeping Beauty is one of those irreplaceable masterpieces. It is a magnificent retelling of a classic fairy tale, with no undue distortion of the source material. Come to think of it, the story EXISTS to be made into a movie; it's just perfect. And near-perfection is what Disney achieved.

9.5/10