Tuesday
07Oct2008
'Sleeping Beauty' Concept Art Commemorates 50th Anniversary DVD
Tuesday, October 7, 2008 at 11:45AM
The 50th anniversary
Sleeping Beauty DVD is available today from
Disney. It was never one of my absolute favorites growing up, but the studio
sent me a copy of the two-disc re-release and I popped it in this weekend.
I was surprised by how much flexibility there was with a
50-year-old movie in a format the filmmakers never envisioned. The picture's
been restored, it's in the widescreen format, which I'd never seen on TV,
obviously, and there are some never-before-seen features , including an
alternate opening and deleted songs.
So it's a pretty good pick-up, particularly if you're a
fan of the classic Disney cartoons. The remarkable thing about it to me was how
little it has aged. Perhaps that's the animation or the timeless story, but it
really holds up well half a century later. Not too many flicks from the late 50s
can say that.
So get it while you can, because as with all things
classic Disney, it won't be on the shelves for long.
While we're on the subject, my eye caught this batch of
terrific Sleeping Beauty concept art over at
Rotten
Tomatoes. They're all different versions of the wicked Maleficent,
who - along with Cruella DeVil - was one of the most hated women in the Disney
universe until Hilary Duff came along.
Colin Boyd | Permalink | in Animation, DVD, Disney | Print Article | Email Article | 2 Comments | Share Article
Reader Comments (2)
I dont think Disney has since topped themselves with a villain that is as cool and dark as Maleficent.
Interesting insight into the evolution of an antagonist. Maleficent has to be one of the all time most evil villains.
I just finished a take on Sleeping Beauty (with lots o' pics!) if you are interested:
http://fortresstakes.wordpress.com/2009/05/02/sleeping-beauty-1959/