Well, that was fun. :)
In fact, I’d say that this was the best film I’ve had to watch for this blog so far. It combines the elements that worked in Snow White and Cinderella while introducing elements of its own. For example, Maleficent is the perfect mix of the Evil Queen and Lady Tremaine. She expertly wields both the elegant subtlety of the latter with the power and instability of the former. I can understand why a lot of the film’s popularity comes from her.
Like I’ve said before, the film works a lot better when you realize that the Good Fairies are the real protagonists. Fauna didn’t really have much to do, but Flora and Merryweather played off each other very well and even seemed to have their own character arcs.
And, of course, the artwork and animation must be seen to be believed. Some of the shots in the forest are incredible, and even Maleficent’s ruined castle is beautiful in its own way. Most backgrounds in animation take about a day to complete. The backgrounds here took approximately a week. Does it show? Heck yeah.
Two other things I liked were the use of the chorus and the use of rhyming. This movie feels like the first one in which the filmmakers really knew what to do with either of them. The chorus’s presence was practically negligible in Snow White and minimal in Cinderella. Here, they’re used to punctuate important moments. In both this and Cinderella, it seems as though rhymes are used to denote magic. The Fairy Godmother spoke almost entirely in rhyme, and it was one of the most obnoxious things in the film. The rhymes here are essentially poetry and used only when characters cast spells, and I think it contributes to the unique atmosphere of the movie.
But it all comes back to the eponymous character herself. No, there isn’t much to her. Yes, she isn’t really the protagonist. And you know what? I’m okay with that.
In my mind, there are two reasons why it’s fine that Aurora is the way she is. I’ve already said the first; she isn’t the protagonist. Did you notice that she never even spoke after the scene where she learns who she really is? Her role in this story is so the fairies and Maleficent have something to fight over.
And that brings me to my second point. When you get right down to it, Sleeping Beauty is a film about good vs. evil and proudly flaunts this fact. Our heroines are known as the Good Fairies, and our villainess is known as the Mistress of All Evil, with the powers of Hell at her command. They’re characters, but they’re also symbols. This also applies to Aurora. Sweet, innocent Aurora symbolizes all that is good, and that’s why Maleficent, the symbol of evil, wants to kill her. It’s also why the fairies, the protectors of good, must save her. Going by this interpretation, Aurora’s characterization (or lack thereof) was just what the film needed. And it’s fine if you don’t agree with that; there’s plenty more to love in this gem.
It would seem, my friends, that we have reached a milestone. With the completion of Sleeping Beauty, we’ve finished the trilogy of Classic Disney Princess movies! That means it’s time for us to go for a little time warp. Doing the Time Warp is optional. Bringing your diving gear is not. ;)
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