Yes, My [Future] Kids Will Watch Sleeping Beauty

Sleeping Beauty is an interesting Disney Princess movie because it's so well known for just about everything except its titular princess. Aurora I think falls by the wayside with a lot of people because she is, in fact, the princess with the shortest amount of screen time (18 minutes to be exact) and, because of that, the smallest number of lines (18 spoken lines). The film is extremely well known for having one of the greatest Disney villains of all time in the form of Maleficent, one of the most beloved love songs in the form of Once Upon A Dream, and one of the most iconic outfits thanks to Flora and Merryweather's truly epic fight over whether or not Aurora's dress should be pink or blue.

I know there are those out there who have a big problem with the main solution to the movie in which Prince Phillip comes in and gives the sleeping Princess Aurora true love's first kiss...without her consent. (*GASP*) I will be addressing this a little further down, because while that's technically true, I will 100% allow any kids I have to watch this movie.

Sleeping Beauty, based off of the French folk tale attributed to Charles Perault and the 1890 ballet written by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, was released into theaters on January 29th, 1959 - almost 9 years after its princess predecessor Cinderella and 22 years after the OG Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. With a budget of $6 million, it ended up making $51.6 million in the box office, which was not exactly what Disney was hoping for. The mixed reception ended up shutting the figurative book on Disney adapting fairy tales for 30 years, the next true fairy tale adaptation being our next princess on the list, Ariel and The Little Mermaid.

I want to take a brief moment to talk about the film itself first, because in my opinion Sleeping Beauty is one of the most truly beautifully animated films Disney has ever done. The animation is absolutely stunning, and really sets it apart from the other movies Disney had released up to this point. The angles are a lot sharper, the colors so much brighter, but it still gives off that classic Disney feel.

Now to gush on Aurora for a bit. Even though she gets robbed of screen time in her own damn movie, I really enjoy her as a character a lot. You can tell what a sweet heart she has from the very minute you see her as a teenager for the first time in the Woodcutter's Cottage. She totally knows her "aunts" (the Three Good Fairies) are feeding her a line of straight BS to get her out of the house so they can plan her a surprise party, but does she roll her eyes and make it difficult for them for one second like a "normal" sixteen year old would? Absolutely not. In fact, when the Fairies are talking as they prepare the party, they mention that they've had Aurora for "sixteen wonderful years," implying that she's never been a problem for one second of her little life. She's also so kind to the woodland animals - the scene where they're coming to greet her as she goes to pick berries is so sweet, especially with her having the owl in her basket.

Romance-wise, I LOVE Prince Phillip. He's actually my second favorite Disney prince after Naveen from The Princess and the Frog because he's so not the proper prince that we'd seen so far from Snow White's Prince Florian and Cinderella's Prince Charming (even though Charming does have that pointed yawn while making direct eye contact with his dad at the ball that's pretty amazing). The way Phillip interacts with his horse Samson (who is amazing in his own right) is so great, and his relationship with his father King Hubert is so carefree and relaxed, I just think that Phillip is the best type of bro gentleman. As for what I mentioned towards the beginning of this post, if you are one of the ones who doesn't like this movie because of the consent issue, that's fine and I am not here to judge you. However, when it's been noted since her birth that the only way to save Aurora's life after she pricks her finger and falls into this comatose state is to give her true love's first kiss, that's just what needs to happen. Now if Phillip were this gross rando who just happened upon Aurora and thought, "Heeeeey, she's super hot, let me get in on this," I would also have a problem with that storyline because ew. Also, if she'd never seen the guy before, I'd be willing to bet that kiss wouldn't have worked because, you know, true love. If you've seen the movie, you know that's not the case - they'd already met in the forest...that day...and fallen in love....(queue Elsa and her facepalm) so they weren't exactly strangers. Phillip had every intention of marrying Aurora even without knowing she was the princess he was betrothed to (GOOD FOR HIM BY THE WAY for not thinking less of her when he thought she was just a peasant girl), and Aurora was totally into him and ready to run away with him that night after her birthday party. Classic teen drama really when you think about it. Anyway, TL;DR: Phillip isn't a creep, true love's kiss cures anything and everything in fairy tales, and I'm all for consent so please don't @ me.

Ok, music time. I love this entire soundtrack because you can tell how much composer George Bruns was influenced by Tchaikovsky's ballet. The score is gorgeous, and the songs are unique to the movie compared to the other songs in other Disney films up to this point. I've chosen my three favorite songs below to highlight.

Do You Hear That/I Wonder by Mary Costa (written by S. Fain, J. Lawrence)

I wish the soundtrack included the full vocalization of Costa as Aurora in the Do You Hear That sequence. That scene in the movie where she's just singing to herself as she enters the forest to pick berries gives me goosebumps - to quote Phillip after hearing it himself, it's almost "too beautiful to be real." Costa had a great range that's really showcased in this number as well, able to easily reach those soaring high notes and the full-sounding low notes as well.

I wonder, I wonder/I wonder why each little bird has a someone/To sing to, sweet things to/A gay little love melody/I wonder, I wonder/If my heart keeps singing, will my song go winging/To someone who'll find me/And bring back a love song to me

An Unusual Prince/Once Upon a Dream by Mary Costa, Bill Shirley, & Sleeping Beauty Chorus (written boy S. Fain, J. Lawrence)

If you asked a more casual Disney fan than I what songs they know from Sleeping Beauty, I'd be willing to bet this would be the only song they'd be able to think of. Definitely no hard feelings, though - this is a beautiful love song between Aurora and Phillip.

I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream/I know you, the gleam in your eyes is so familiar a gleam/And I know it's true that visions are seldom what they seem/But if I know you, I know what you'll do/You'll love me at once, the way you did once upon a dream

Skumps (Drinking Song)/The Royal Argument by Taylor Holmes and Bill Thompson (written by S. Fain, J. Lawrence)

Ya'll, hands down my favorite scene in the whole damn movie is forever bros King Stefan and King Hubert getting drunk and fighting with everything on the dinner table while waiting on the Good Fairies to bring Aurora back to the castle. It's so freaking funny, and this song is just so ridiculous that I can't help but smile every time I hear it, kind of like the Washing Song from Snow White. Bonus points for the bard that gets completely lit without either king realizing it and totally shreds on his lute until he pops all the strings.

Skumps! Skumps! A toast to this night/The outlook is rosy, the future is bright/Our children will marry, our kingdoms unite/Skumps! Skumps! Skumps!/Skumps! Skumps! A toast to the home/One grander by far than a palace in Rome/Ah, let me fill up your glass, that glass was all foam/Skumps! Skumps! Skumps!

As always, if you haven't watched Sleeping Beauty since childhood, I highly recommend it. It's visually stunning, the soundtrack is a true artistic masterpiece, and the characters are fun and relatable - to be honest some days I'm Maleficent and some days I'm Merryweather. See ya'll next week!