Sleeping Beauty (Diamond Edition): Blu-ray Review
The Movie:
Princess Aurora is cursed by the evil witch Maleficent – who declares that before Aurora reaches her 16th birthday she will die by pricking her finger on the spindle of a spinning-wheel.
Disney is bringing us the Diamond Edition of another classic story and I couldn’t be more excited. These releases have been nothing short of spectacular and the trend continues with Sleeping Beauty. The blu-ray transfer of this film looks so gorgeous and actually looks improved from the previous release. Like I’ve stated in the past, the biggest thing that I look forward to is sharing these films with my kids. Seeing their eyes light up when Princess Aurora comes on screen or the look of concern when Maleficent curses baby Aurora were moments that are priceless can only experience once. This story is one that we all remember and love growing up with but with the recent release of the film Maleficent I can’t help but keep thinking of that side of the story and having empathy for the character. Either way it gives interest to the story itself which is always a good thing. Seeing the classic animation in full 1080p may not be for everyone (some people just like the purity of the original version) but seeing these hand drawn characters glide across the screen was an absolute treat. The film is timeless and can be enjoyed MANY times over by so many generations and to me that says so much about Disney and their films. If you’re a Disney lover (who isn’t?) then this is a definite must to add to your film collection.
Special Features:
3 Deleted Scenes – These aren’t too bad. They are shown in storyboard form but you definitely get the feel of what they could’ve been.
The Art Of Evil: Generations Of Disney Villains – A really cool feature about the evolution of villains over throughout the years and the animators that brought them to life.
@DisneyAnimation: Artists In Motion – Brittney Lee (Visual Development Artist) constructs a really awesome paper Maleficent sculpture.
Once Upon A Parade – Sarah Hyland from Modern Family goes on a journey with a group of tourists and shows a bit about Disney World’s Festival of Fantasy parade.
Beauty-Oke – A sing-a-long for “Once Upon A Dream”
Classic Bonus Features:
Picture Perfect: The Making Of Sleeping Beauty – Sound restoration techs Randy Thornton and Terry Porter sit and talk a bit about the task of bringing the sound up to being crystal clear, some of the lost gems within the original audio and some before and after comparisons.
The Sound Of Beauty: Restoring A Classic – A really great feature that has interviews with Disney employees (former and current) as well as historians regarding the painstaking task of animating the classic film.
Eyvind Earle: A Man And His Art – This feature is about the awesome art director of the film. You can see just how much work he put in when you look at every background in the film that was painted or supervised by him. Everything about them look gorgeous.
