Sleeping Beauty (1959)

 

Yep, here's an another absolute Disney classic, but maybe not for the reason you would expect. See, storywise, this is one of the lesser installments. To be fair, that is mainly due to the fact that the original fairytale doesn't have a whole lot of story to begin with. And for the most part, our protagonist is in a magical coma. 

That is why the animators went for style and boy, does it have that in abundance.

In a kingdom, a princess is born and three fairies have come to grant the baby gifts. But the evil sorceress Maleficent (I refuse to call this badass bitch a fairy) disrupts the party by cursing the baby and stating that on her 16th birthday, the princess will prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and die. 

Am I the only one who finds these conditions oddly specific? I mean: really?

In order to safeguard princess Aurora, the three fairies Flora, Fauna and Merriweather decide to raise her far from the castle as a lowly peasant girl. They also vow not to use magic, as this would attract Maleficent's unwanted attention. And thus 16 years pass and not a single person in the entire kingdom makes the connection between a princess that disappeared 16 years ago and a beautiful 16-year-old living in the woods.

Also: her animated character looks more like a hot 18-year-old, but well... Stories, I guess.

Of course Aurora is discovered, because the fairies are quite frankly idiots and so she falls asleep. It is now up to prince Phillip to rescue her and first have a showdown with the wicked mistress of evil. 

Yeah, the story really is paperthin. 

But you know, you don't watch this for the story because if you pay attention you will notice that quite a lot of the designs and backgrounds are beautifully stylised, even more so than other contemporary cartoons. Just the opening scenes alone will show the full extent of the use of colours and shades. It is most impressive to look at. The character animations are also pretty darn good, even of there aren't that many characters around to start with. The songs are okay, but you will definitely remember 'Once Upon A Dream' as not only is it an earwig, but Disney itself has (and still does) used it on numerous occasions, in various guises. It pretty much became synonymous with their whole enterprise. 

But the one person that absolutely steals the show in every single shot, is Maleficent. Not only is she probably one of the most distinct and unique looking villains in the entire Disney pantheon, Eleanor Audley's voice fits her perfectly. It's the succulent marriage of wickedness and authority. Seriously: she sounds truly awe-inspiring. Makes me want to join her army or goblins at the drop of a hat. 

And when she turns into a dragon for the final showdown with Phillip, she is accompanied by some of the best animation Disney has ever pulled off. The scene doesn't last very long, but it sure is impressive. 

'Sleeping Beauty' might not be the best Disney feature out there, as it is lacking storywise and even songwise (except for one), but the visuals are spliffing and Maleficent is one of the coolest bad ladies there ever was.