Sleeping Beauty

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Sleeping Beauty

G

Released Jan 29, 1959

1h 15m

Kids & Family

Fantasy

Animation

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Popcornmeter

90%

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48 Reviews

80%

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250,000+ Ratings

Filled with jealousy, the evil witch Maleficent (Eleanor Audley) curses Princess Aurora (Mary Costa) to die on her 16th birthday. Thanks to Aurora's guardian fairies (Verna Felton, Barbara Jo Allen, Barbara Luddy), she only falls into a deep sleep that can be ended with a kiss from her betrothed, Prince Phillip (Bill Shirley). To prevent Phillip from rescuing Aurora, Maleficent kidnaps and imprisons him. The good fairies are the last hope to free Phillip so that he can awaken Aurora.

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Critics Consensus

This Disney dreamscape contains moments of grandeur, with its lush colors, magical air, one of the most menacing villains in the Disney canon.

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Sara Michelle Fetters

MovieFreak.com

Sleeping Beauty is a masterpiece. In my opinion, it’s not just the best animated film to ever come out of Walt Disney Studios, but it is also the finest animated motion picture I’ve ever seen, period.

Rated: 4/4

Feb 22, 2024

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Kate Cameron

New York Daily News

It is a picture that will charm the young and tickle adults, since the old fairy tale has been transferred to the screen by a Disney who kept his tongue in his cheek throughout the film's animation.

Rated: 4/4

Jan 28, 2016

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Noel Murray

The Dissolve

At once modernist and classical, Disney's Sleeping Beauty takes characters who look like paper cutouts from magazine cartoons and sets them against backdrops that look like expensive wallpaper patterns.

Rated: 4/5

Oct 6, 2014

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Carson Timar

ButteredPopcorn

Often wide in scope with lovely shot composition and cinematography, Sleeping Beauty is at times a truly artistic endeavor.

Jan 1, 2024

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Eve Tushnet

Patheos

Maleficent is a ferocious creation...

Jul 23, 2021

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Bob Halliday

Salt Lake Tribune

Sleeping Beauty is romance and pageantry, humor and pathos. It's excitement and conflict, magic and counter-magic. It's fun.

May 12, 2021

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matthias s

"Sleeping Beauty" holds a special place in my heart, mainly because my mom used to read this version of the book to me every night. The typical Disney charm is undeniable, with the evil Maleficent being the real star of the show—she’s pure evil in the best way possible. The fairies' interactions are super fun, and honestly, I could watch them bicker all day. The animation and cinematography are pure art, especially the backgrounds; they’re just so visually stunning. It’s my second time watching this film, and I’m still left with a bit of an “eh” feeling about Aurora and the Prince. They’re probably my least favorite characters, and I just don’t vibe with them as much. Despite that, it’s still an enjoyable watch and a solid fairytale. Maybe not a personal favorite, but it’s got enough magic to keep me entertained.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/10/25

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Luke R

Such a great childhood! The Maleficent Dragon is so cool!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/08/25

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Rami A

A lot of these old Disney Princess movies follow a similar pattern and that has hurt these films in the long run. They're not necessarily bad movies, in fact, they still hold a lot of charm and love to them. Their only problems are predictability, lack of development of the prince, and heavy focus on the side characters rather than the main characters.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/25/25

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Audience Member

An absolutely stunning, captivating picture with gorgeous music and engaging characters, Sleeping Beauty is criminally underrated and was unfortunately buried by the huge (and might I say unnecessary) success of Cinderella. I am 15 and when Once Upon a Dream started playing, I had chills and tears began running down my face. With an amazing final battle scene and visuals that rival Fantasia's, Sleeping Beauty deserves so, so much more recognition.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/30/24

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Garrett B

The animation, the background, the musical score, everything about Sleeping Beauty is just magical

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/09/24

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Nick S

It's much more epic than previous Disney movies. Haunting soundtrack, one of the most iconic villains... this is a true Disney classic.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/14/24

Full Review

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Clyde Geronimi

Director

Mary Costa

Princess Aurora

Bill Shirley

Prince Phillip

Eleanor Audley

Maleficent

Verna Felton

Flora

Barbara Luddy

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Sleeping Beauty: Trailer 2

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Sleeping Beauty: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Filled with jealousy, the evil witch Maleficent (Eleanor Audley) curses Princess Aurora (Mary Costa) to die on her 16th birthday. Thanks to Aurora's guardian fairies (Verna Felton, Barbara Jo Allen, Barbara Luddy), she only falls into a deep sleep that can be ended with a kiss from her betrothed, Prince Phillip (Bill Shirley). To prevent Phillip from rescuing Aurora, Maleficent kidnaps and imprisons him. The good fairies are the last hope to free Phillip so that he can awaken Aurora.

Director: Clyde Geronimi
Producer: Walt Disney
Screenwriter: Charles Perrault, Erdman Penner, Joe Rinaldi, Winston Hibler, Bill Peet, Ted Sears, Ralph Wright, Milt Banta
Distributor: Buena Vista Pictures
Production Co: Walt Disney Pictures
Rating: G
Genre: Kids & Family, Fantasy, Animation
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 29, 1959, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 24, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA): $11.6M
Runtime: 1h 15m
Sound Mix: Magnetic Stereo 6 Track

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