Five Reasons to Re-watch Sleeping Beauty

Disney’s SLEEPING BEAUTY DIAMOND EDITION came out this week, and I’ve been thinking about what an impact this movie made on me as a girl. It’s a great story, because even as a kid you know that her happy but hidden life with those fairies couldn’t continue when there was a curse on her head. And of course, way before Angelina Jolie played the role, Maleficent was a fascinating and creepy villain. Didn’t we all want to know just what made her so angry at baby Aurora? Here are five quick reasons to rewatch the Disney classic.

Watch the trailer for the DVD:

1. A new appreciation of Maleficent, after seeing Angelina Jolie rock the infamous Disney villain. Maleficent truly is a scary, scary character. She pops up and curses Aurora without giving a real explanation why. Oh, and of course her pet raven Diablo is also rather creepy.

2. The music, including “Once Upon a Dream,” one of the most beautiful Disney themes ever.

3. The three good fairies — Flora, Fauna and Merryweather — are hysterical. They are super silly and adorable little old fairies who quibble and fight ala the Golden Girls. So cute.

4. The similarities between SLEEPING BEAUTY and SNOW WHITE — even though Walt Disney didn’t want the two Princess stories to seem overly similar, the truth is that both follow a similar arc: a guileless, beautiful princess is cursed by an evil witch, sent into a dreamless sleep and must be woken up by true love’s kiss. What’s even more interesting about Sleeping Beauty is that she really doesn’t have many lines — she says the least of any Disney main character except for Dumbo (who doesn’t at all).

5. Bonus activities and kits, like these fun crafts to try with your kids.

Or, this slumber party kit, for girls who who love “Sleeping Beauty”:

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By Sandie|2014-10-09T20:27:17-04:00October 9th, 2014|Entertainment, Movies|

About the Author: Sandie

Sandie Angulo Chen has been writing about pop-culture and parenting for more than 10 years. A member of the Washington Area Film Critics' Association, she’s currently a senior movie reviewer for Common Sense Media, a non-profit organization that provides parents with comprehensive reviews to help them raise media-savvy children in a media-rich world. Formerly a writer at Entertainment Weekly.com and a content editor at Aol's Moviefone.com, she contributes regularly to Aol's Inside Movies and TV Squad blogs, as well as Variety. When she's not running after her three kiddos or screening movies and TV shows, she enjoys criss-crossing the DC area in search of memorable museum exhibits and standout restaurants. You can find her schlepping around Silver Spring or at her personal blog, Urban Mama.