Sleeping Beauty Diamond Edition Blu-ray and Digital HD now available plus FREE activities)

When I was a young girl a local theater near where I lived used to show a different Disney movie every week throughout the entire summer. My mom would take me each week for a matinee to see the Disney films in all their glory on the big screen. Many of the films were released long before I was born so it was a rare treat to see them on the giant theater screen.

I still remember the first time I saw Sleeping Beauty. It was at that movie theater on the big screen. I was mesmerized by the entire film until it came to the big scene where Prince Phillip fights the dragon. For some odd reason that whole scene frightened me. The dragon was really scary to me. Oddly enough I grew up to enjoy horror and sci-fi movies and I happen to think dragons are cool. LOL!

Disney’s timeless classic, Sleeping Beauty, is now available as a Diamond Edition on Blu-ray and Digital HD. Now you can enjoy this classic over and over again in high definition with stunning colors and a crystal clear soundtrack.

Sleeping Beauty tells the wondrous tale of a princess cursed by an evil fairy, protected by three loving fairies and, ultimately, saved by “true love’s kiss.” Featuring the voice talents of renowned opera singer Mary Costa as Sleeping Beauty and Disney stalwart Eleanor Audley as the evil fairy, Maleficent, the film’s vibrant visuals were created by a team that included Milt Kahl and Ollie Johnston, two of Disney’s legendary Nine Old Men and an Academy Award®-nominated score, 1959, adapted from the incandescent music of Peter Tchaikovsky. “Sleeping Beauty” is the sixteenth animated feature in the Disney animated features canon and was the last animated feature produced by Walt Disney to be based upon a fairy tale. It is the tenth film released as part of Disney’s prestigious Blu-ray Diamond Collection.

Watching the new Sleeping Beauty Diamond Edition transported me back in time to the first time I saw the film with my mom. Even though I have seen the film before I felt like I was watching it for the first time. I was in awe of this amazing film from beginning to end.

My husband and my children have never seen the film. My teenage son had no interest and my teen daughter watched it for a while until she left to go out with friends. It was mostly my husband and I and he enjoyed it just as much as I did. He wasn’t even very familiar with the story of Sleeping Beauty so it was fun to have him learn about the classic fairy tale too.

I was very surprised by the number of bonus features that came with the Diamond Edition. There are A LOT.

What I enjoyed about the bonus features is that I learned a lot more about this beloved film.

The bonus features include:

‘Once Upon A Parade’ (Starring Sarah Hyland) – Behind every attraction, event and parade at the Magic Kingdom is a unique story. Join Sarah Hyland from ABC’s “Modern Family” as she tells us the tale of Walt Disney World’s new Festival Of Fantasy Parade. This magical “in world” short film goes behind the scenes of the new parade and shows how the residents and characters of Fantasyland created this parade to tell their stories.

Art of Evil: Generations Of Disney Villains – This legacy piece spotlights Disney’s favorite villain animator, Marc Davis and his infamous creations of characters such as Maleficent and Cruella. Throughout the piece, we will talk to modern day animators like Andreas Deja and also the new generation of Animators (Lino DiSalvo Animation Director of FROZEN) on how Marc’s designs and characters influenced what they do today.

@DisneyAnimation: ARTISTS IN MOTION (Extended Edition) – Join Walt Disney Animation Visual Development artist Brittney Lee as she goes through the process of creating a three dimensional sculpture of Maleficent, completely out of paper. In this extended edition, go deeper into Britney’s process.

Never Before Seen Deleted Scenes:

• The Fair (With Deleted Character – The Vulture) – In this version of the story, the fairies do not take the Princess to live with them in the forest. Convinced that King Stefan’s order to burn all the spinning wheels in the kingdom will not prevent Maleficent’s curse, the good fairies put a magic circle around the castle and cast a spell: “No evil thing that walks or flies or creeps or crawls can ever pass these castle walls.”
• The Curse is Fulfilled – The three good fairies have just returned Aurora to the castle and give her a crown. They leave the room to give Aurora some time alone…but Maleficent pays her a visit.
• Arrival Of Maleficent (Alternate Scene) – Maleficent arrives uninvited to the christening of the Princess Aurora.
• BEAUTY-OKE “Once Upon A Dream” – Sing along to this kinetic text video of Aurora’s signature song.

Classic DVD Bonus Features Include:

The Sound Of Beauty: Restoring A Classic – This featurette covers the creation of the 7.1 mix of the score of Sleeping Beauty that was done for Blu-ray, using the source tapes from the original recording sessions resulting in an audio experience of superior quality with greater detail and fidelity that you have ever heard before.

Picture Perfect: The Making Of Sleeping Beauty – Discover the behind-the-scenes magic that transformed a beloved fairy tale into a cinematic work of art. Legendary Animators, actors and film historians reveal the secrets behind Disney’s masterpiece.

Eyvind Earle: A Man And His Art – Early in his career, renowned American Artist Eyvind Earle worked as a background painter at the Walt Disney Studio. Walt Disney liked his work so much that he entrusted him with the assignment to be the Art Director for Sleeping Beauty. This was the first time that one artist was given the responsibility for the entire look on one of Disney’s animated features. This piece follows Earle’s development as an artist and his years at the Studio.

Watching the bonus features always make me appreciate the film even more, especially when you find out about all that went on behind the scenes to bring the film to life.

Look for Sleeping Beauty Diamond Edition where ever movies are sold.

You can also “like” the film on Facebook (www.Facebook.com/DisneySleepingBeauty), follow DisneyPictures on Twitter (@DisneyPictures) and check out videos at http://www.youtube.com/DisneyMovies. The official movie hashtag is #SleepingBeauty.

I have a lot of great FREE printables and activities you can save, download, print out and enjoy with your family. Simply click on the images (below) to save and download the material.

*I received a free screener copy in order to do this review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own and not influenced in any way.

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