Sleeping Beauty: Diamond Edition Blu-ray Movie Review

“Sleeping Beauty: Diamond Edition” (Blu-ray) – Reviewed by Stephen Hornbrook

Synopsis

Beauty, wonder and adventure spin together in a grand legend that transcends time as Maleficent, one of animation’s most spectacular villains, sends the kingdom’s beloved Princess Aurora into an enchanted sleep. In a majestic story that awakens all your senses, Good Fairies arm brave Prince Phillip to defeat a fearsome fire-breathing dragon and rescue Aurora. But success in battle may not be enough, for the only way to awaken the Princess is with True Love’s kiss.

Commentary

This is slim version of the previously released 50th anniversary Platinum Edition. For most people, this Diamond Edition will probably do just fine, but if you are a die-hard animation fan then, yes there were a lot more extras on the Platinum Edition. The timing of this release coincides with the release of Maleficent, the Angelina Jolie take on the classic Sleeping Beauty tale. The movie is a prime example of a classic fairy tale. It features kings, a prince and princess falling in love, an evil witch and of course, fairies. It balls up the superficial idea that two pretty people being attracted to eachother equals true love and this is at its core a true fairy tale. Still, 50 plus years later, it is a lovely animated fantasy, with beautiful hand-drawn art and sweeping musical score. It’s a Disney classic and if you don’t need the bulk of extras on the Platinum Edition, this Diamond Edition is a fine release. Go forth and enjoy!

Technical

On the audio and visual side, this disc features the same transfer and soundtrack as the previous Platinum Edition. No worries here about missing out on a newly remastered, better looking Blu-ray. That being said, the work done on the transfer is impeccable. Colors are rich and vivid without being over pumped and contrast looks great for an animated film of its age. The wonderful hand-drawn art reveals all its detail in this Blu-ray transfer.

Included on this disc are both the original 4.0 soundtrack and the newly, from the Platinum Edition, 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track. I am no purist so I much preferred the new 7.1 track. It is enveloping, full bodied, and more than impressive for a movie over 50 years old.

Extras

“Once Upon A Parade,” in which “Modern Family” star Sarah Hyland tells us the tale of Walt Disney World’s new Festival Of Fantasy Parade, “Art of Evil: Generations Of Disney Villains,” a legacy piece spotlighting Disney’s favorite villain animator and Maleficent creator Marc Davis, and “@DisneyAnimation: Artists in Motion,” in which Walt Disney Animation Visual Development artist Brittney Lee goes through the process of creating a three dimensional sculpture of Maleficent, completely out of paper.

Additional all-new bonus features include never-before-seen deleted scenes “The Fair” (with Deleted Character The Vulture,) “The Curse is Fulfilled” and “Arrival Of Maleficent,” plus the Beauty-Oke sing-along to “Once Upon A Dream.” The Blu-ray Superset also includes classic DVD bonus features

Clips

Trailer