In spectacular style, the film recounts the simple story of Princess Aurora, who is cursed by the evil fairy, Maleficent, to die at the age of 16 by pricking her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel. Despite the loving attempts of the three good but often bumbling fairies, Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather, to protect her by raising her, disguised as Briar Rose, in a forest cottage, the curse is fulfilled. The good fairies put everyone in the castle into a deep sleep until the spell can be broken. It is only with the aid of Prince Phillip that Maleficent, transformed into a towering, fire-breathing dragon, is destroyed, and the Sleeping Beauty is awakened by his kiss.
Based upon the Charles Perrault version of "Sleeping Beauty," the film had an overall stylistic look conceived by artist Eyvind Earle, today known for his paintings and Christmas card designs. With a budget that exceeded $6 million in 1959, this was Walt Disney's most lavish and expensive animated feature to date. Though not an initial box-office success, the film has proven to be a unique asset, with popular reissues in 1970, 1979, and 1986, and a release on home video also in 1986.
Supervising director Clyde Geronimi. Animators: Marc Davis, Hal Ambro, Hal King, Harvey Toombs, Ken O'Brien, Iwao Takamoto, and John Kennedy. Starring: the voices of Mary Costa (Aurora), Bill Shirley (Prince Phillip), Eleanor Audley (Maleficent), Verna Felton (Flora), Barbara Luddy (Merryweather), and Barbara Jo Allen (Fauna). In Technirama 70. 75 min. George Bruns' orchestral score, which was nominated for an Academy Award®, expertly blended famous themes from Tchaikovsky's ballet, while Sammy Fain, Jack Lawrence, Tom Adair, Winston Hibler, Erdman Penner, and Ted Sears wrote lyrics to such songs as "I Wonder" and "Once Upon a Dream."
