Sleeping Beauty Review: Once Upon a Dream

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Since starting my Disney Decades journey, I have now moved on to the next decade of Disney dominance, the 1950 – 1970’s era. This period of Disney’s history has many iconic films that are still being shown to children now such classics as Cinderella, Peter Pan, 101 Dalmatians, Alice in Wonderland, and many more. 

This era produced hit after hit and many of these films hold up today with their quality and storytelling.  It was a tough decision to choose the film I was going to discuss. If you read my Bambi review, you would know I am doing a rewatch of one film from every Disney era in anticipation of Moana 2. 

When I am selecting my film, I am deciding based on a couple of factors which are; a film from that specific era and also a film that shows many of Disney’s timeless qualities. By that I mean Disney films that we see have elements that are still used in modern Disney animated films. So with all that said I chose Sleeping Beauty as the representative of this era.

Now to start I want to say that I much preferred this film to Bambi and even having just watched it, this is a film I could watch again without any issue. The biggest reason I enjoyed this film more is because of the story, that is to say, there actually is one. One of my critiques for Bambi is that there wasn’t really any story and while I enjoyed other aspects of that film I really wish there was a plot.

Now if you are unaware of the story of Sleeping Beauty, I will give you a brief summary.   Somewhere in Europe King Stefan and Queen Leah are welcoming their newborn daughter Aurora at a christening. The three good fairies, Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather are planning to bless the child with magical gifts.  

Flora and Fauna bless Aurora with both beauty and song. However, they are interrupted by the witch Maleficent who curses Aurora for not receiving an invitation to the christening. She curses her to prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel at the age of 16 and die. Luckily, the third fairy, Merryweather, still had her wish and was able to help Aurora by changing the curse so she would only fall asleep and could be awoken by true love’s kiss. 

King Stefan sends Aurora to live in the forest with the three fairies until after her 16th birthday.  16 years later on her birthday Aurora is picking berries in the forest and encounters a man who turns out to be Prince Philip, whom she was betrothed to as a baby. 

They do not exchange introductions but fall in love. Due to Aurora encountering someone the fairies decide to take her back early where she pricks her finger.  Prince Phillip ends up finding her and fights Maleficent to save her with a kiss.

 So, I mean it’s not exactly a complex story as that’s basically the whole thing in about 200 words. However, I appreciate the simplicity and how chance encounters were weaved in naturally. Other aspects I quite enjoyed were the fairies and Maleficent. The movie might be called Sleeping Beauty but it’s the fairies who actually do the most to progress the plot and save the day. The dynamic between the three and their constant bickering is certainly entertaining, and a lot of the humour comes from their interactions. 

Maleficent is one of if not the most iconic Disney villain from their animated catalogue. She has such a presence and steals every scene she is in. I am not usually one of those people who praises the villains but, in this case, it is definitely warranted. I mean she not only sets the whole plot in motion, but she gives us an action-packed third act that is as iconic as they come.

From her voice to her design, it is easy to see why she has been a fan favourite for decades. Also, she turns into a dragon which is super cool. Finally, the last positive I want to bring up is the animation. Almost every single image from the film could be a framed painting that you could hang on your wall. The style is so distinct and beautiful. The backgrounds pop and your eyes are drawn towards them. I don’t pretend to be an animation expert but even I was stunned by some of the images in this film and it’s not my first time seeing it.

In terms of negatives for this film, I do have a couple I want to address.  The first is that the side story of the two kings can be funny but really it is not as engaging as the rest of the film and I feel it doesn’t add enough to be warranted.  The second one I  want to bring up is an issue I have with many of the early Disney films and that is the endings wrap up so quickly. Within two minutes of the villain being defeated it is over.  Like at least let us breathe and take in the relief before rushing to the happy ending. 

Overall, I was really impressed with how well this film still holds up.  With a beautiful animation style,  an iconic villain, and a simple yet memorable plot I feel like this will continue to be one of the films that carries on through the generations.