I have been waiting so long to get to this movie. One of my childhood favorites, I have some strong memories attached to this movie, more so than with most other Disney films. For this project, I’m focusing on the story itself, including dialogue, character development, any subplots, how a story presents itself, the speed at which it moves, if it slows down unnecessarily, etc.
Update: In February 2022, I started a video version of the DFP on Tiktok. You can find the video below. Thoughts expressed in the video may be different than what are expressed in the blog post, due to the time difference in posting.
A Brief Summary
When Princess Aurora is cursed during infancy due to poor party planning, the kingdom’s three good fairies (Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather) sneak the princess away to live out the next 16 years incognito. But despite their best efforts, the evil Maleficent finds the princess in time to fulfill the curse. Everyone in the castle is put to sleep as the fairies fly to the aid of Prince Phillip, Aurora’s true love. It is through Prince Phillip that Maleficent is defeated and Sleeping Beauty awakes by true love’s kiss. Includes a spinning wheel bonfire, a black crow and a drunken servant who looks like the ancestor of Ichabod Crane.
What works
- I really loved the opening narration for this, much more than the one in Cinderella. It felt more straight-forward and the mix of spoken word and song was right on point.
- I was surprised at how smoothly this film ran. I guess ‘surprise’ is not the best word here because this is one of the classic Disney films. What I mean to say is that based on timing, everything fell into place so seamlessly. Nothing felt slow or unnecessary, and with the final battle beginning close to 15 minutes from the end of the film, I also didn’t realize how quickly everything moved to the final scenes.
- You guys, Maleficent’s final plan for Aurora and Phillip is the greatest thing ever. I knew she told Phillip something when she had him locked in her dungeon, but I never fully paid attention to it. She was going to keep the poor sap alive (and his horse) for 100 years (!) before letting him go wake his age-less sleeping beauty. Am I glad the film ended the way it did? Sure, I love a good happy ending BUT I love a good villainous plan more and this has definitely made my top-10 list of evil plots.
- Speaking of Phillip, I have a bit more respect for him after watching this again. Even though he really doesn’t say that much more than Aurora over the course of the film (actually, she might have him beat for the number of words spoken), the man was trapped in a dungeon and said NOTHING. Even when Maleficent taunted him, he tried to break free from the chains but didn’t speak. As much as I love witty comebacks, I think silence was his friend in this case. He doesn’t whine or complain, no “Wait until my father hears about this!”, he just silently takes it until the good fairies show up to set him free.
What may or may not work
- Maleficent’s transformation into a dragon is one of my favorite scenes but her battle with Phillip as a dragon left something to be desired. She blew impressive amounts of fire around him and snapped at him quite a bit BUT that seemed to be it. I can imagine that as the script called for Phillip to win, he was given the upper hand. I’m just saying that as the Mistress of All Evil, she could have had a slightly better final battle.
Honorable Mentions
- Let’s chat about the good fairies for a moment. The whole reason EVERYONE is put to sleep, not just Aurora, is so that no one knows that they done screwed up. If anyone deserves a “BEST MESS CLEAN UP” award, it’s those three.
- Maleficent and Scar, both surrounded by idiots, both acknowledge it openly in their respective movies.
Side Questions
- Points to the King and Queen for their naivete. I mean, have such a large, publicized event and think that the Mistress of All Evil will just not notice? I mean, can they really get mad at her for being mad over not getting an invite?
- What did the king and queen tell everyone when Aurora left with the fairies? It’s not hard to believe that the curse was gossiped about, but what did they say about her disappearance?
- If this 16th birthday is Fauna’s last chance at making a birthday cake, what has she been doing for the past 15 birthdays?
- For that matter, who’s been providing Aurora/Briar Rose’s clothes, because Flora certainly can’t sew. My money’s on Merryweather for ALL the things.
What I learned from watching this film
- While Aurora is the titled sleeping beauty, she wasn’t the main focus of the film, screen time-wise, which I didn’t mind as much as I thought I would. It was much more interesting to see everyone else’s reactions, especially those who knew about the curse’s existence. Kind of like watching the clock run down, knowing that the ticking bomb was about to go off soon. The best part was that until she actually pricked her finger, everyone in the movie (except Maleficent) thought she was safe so really it was just the audience experiencing the ticking clock. Now, I’m a big fan (with exception) of adding tension to stories, so you better believe I was a happy camper throughout the film ESPECIALLY when the town crier shouted about everyone welcoming the princess.
If you’ve seen Sleeping Beauty, what are some of your thoughts? Share in the comments below!
Rewind to the beginning of the Disney Film Project
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