Second post
Sleeping Beauty aka Aurora/Brier Rose
Alright, onto Post 3!
Sleeping Beauty was released nine years after Cinderella in 1959. She was voiced by Mary Costa. In the original tale there were really TWELVE good fairies who bestowed gifts on the child, and the thirteenth fairy comes in a curses the little girl before the twelfth can. Also, after being cast into a deep sleep, Aurora had to wait a century before a worthy hero showed up to save her. The Disney movie gives a nod to the story when the villain, Maleficent, tells Prince Phillip of her planned fate for him. She says he will spend a hundred years in her dungeon and will be allowed to rescue the princess in his old age. Thanks to the three fairies, his fate is changed. Surprisingly, Disney remained true to the Grimm tale in most other respects.
Personality Rating:
Recalling our scale of 1-10 (one being 'I can't stand this grating female' and ten being 'I WISH I COULD BE HER!'), Aurora gets like, a 7. She's fantastic. She's spunky, talented, yet vulnerable enough to be realistic and likable. While she relies heavily on others (the three fairies and Prince Phillip), she's still a strong and admirable girl.
Movie Overall:
I always loved this movie. I loved how romantic the unfamiliar world was, and I loved the three fairies. The plot is fairly watertight, considering it followed the fairy tale pretty faithfully, and it's entertainment value is higher even than Cinderella or Snow White. Mary Costa (now 82) was an amazing singer, and lent her incredible talents well to the third Disney Princess.
Supporting Characters:
Flora, Fauna and Merryweather are just epic. They can shrink down small enough to fit through keyholes, and they have little magic wands that they can get into all kinds of mischief with. The two kings, Stefan and Hubert, of the kingdoms in which Aurora and Prince Phillip are heirs, are absolutely hysterical. Of course, there are quite a few animals who follow Aurora around adoringly, but they don't speak, aside from the owl who only says, "WHO?".
Villian:
Maleficent is terrifying. She's a demonic green woman who has horns built into her headdress. She commands an army of grotesque, monstrous drones. She uses the fact she was not invited to the baby's christening as an excuse to curse her, but Maleficent is no petty grudge-holder. She's an evil force to be reckoned with, and calls on all sorts of forces of darkness to wreak misery and tragedy on the kingdom.
Prince:
AH-HA! The first Disney Prince to receive the honor of having his own name, his own personality, and multiple lines of plot-progressing dialogue! Yes! Disney started the Named Prince prodigy off to a fantastic start. Phillip is a romantic, heroic fellow who allows himself to be captivated by beauty. He also has a fantastic hat, which automatically gets him big points. The whole scene where Phillip spontaneously sings Once Upon a Dream is very well-done, and I love the honesty and innocence portrayed in Phillip and Aurora's relationship.
Best Song:
Favorite Line:
"It looks awful!"
"That's because it's on you, Dear."
* This post and all similar posts may be classified as pointless ramblings. I feel very strongly about Disney Princesses in general, and as this is my blog, I would like to share those strong feelings. Feel free to ignore them, or even deign to agree with me
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