“Before the sun sets on her sixteenth birthday, she will prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel, and fall into a sleep like death!” Can you name the Disney villain who said this? Can you name the Disney princess who suffers this fate? Of course it is the evil Maleficent and sweet Princess Aurora. In Disney’s latest release, Sleeping Beauty Diamond Edition Blu-ray and DVD, you can see how this curse came to be. This is the ultimate fairy tale with a beautiful princess, a handsome prince, an evil curse brought on by the most powerful villain, and of course some helpful fairies. Originally released by Disney in 1959, Sleeping Beauty is awakening for a new generation of fans. With the popularity of Disney’s Maleficent starring Angelina Jolie, the story of Aurora and the sleeping curse has sparked a new interest in the classic Disney animated version of the story. Fans will not be disappointed with the Blu-ray, DVD, or digital copy that all come in the Sleeping Beauty Diamond Edition. There are tons of bonus features too like deleted scenes from the classic film, interviews with artists from the past and present, a look at the new Festival of Fantasy Parade at WDW with Sarah Hyland, and my favorite bonus, The Art of Evil:Generations of Disney villains. I think it is so interesting to see how the villains today, like Prince Hans from Frozen ,were inspired by the villains Disney made famous over 50 years ago.(I will admit I am still scared of the witch from Snow White–so creepy!) I am also a huge fan of Disney Animation: Artists in Motion. In this clip, Visual Development artist Brittney Lee goes through the process of creating a three dimensional sculpture of Maleficent, completely out of paper. It is incredible! Disney’s Sleeping Beauty Diamond Edition is a must for those who love Disney animation, who love princesses, who love villains, or who just want to be entertained by a classic fairy tale. The entire family can spend some quality time together as they are transported to a magical kingdom where dreams really do come true.
