Sleeping
Beauty: Diamond Edition
(1959/Disney Blu-ray w/DVD)
Picture:
A/B Sound: A-/B Extras: B Film: B
Returning
to Blu-ray in Disney
Diamond Edition
form is the 1959 classic, Sleeping
Beauty.
The film was previously released on Blu-ray for its 50th
Anniversary in 2008 as a Platinum
Edition.
So this begs the question, with a Disney catalog full of films never
released on Blu-ray, why re-release Sleeping
Beauty so
soon? The answer being for a couple reasons, one is to tie in with
the release of the live action smash hit Maleficent
and
to get the Blu-ray right?
This
is to say the 2008 Blu-ray release did have its issues, the picture
was just a hair off from perfect and the DTS-HD soundtrack was
seemingly subpar; due to either a misunderstanding of the original
three-track soundmaster or due to limitations of the time. It is
confusing how much additional work was done on Sleeping
Beauty since
the 2008 Blu-ray release; as restoration claims are similar to those
displayed with the Platinum
Edition.
Being a Diamond
Edition there
are certainly more extras here, but Disney being Disney it would be
unlikely that they would reissue the Platinum
in a
new casing and call it a Diamond.
The
film was discussed in fine detail in our previous review. For a
closer look into the ins and outs of Sleeping
Beauty
please refer to the link below:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/7696/Sleeping+Beauty+(1959/Disney+Platinum+Edi
As
for the upgrade to Diamond
status
and the technical features…
The
technical features on this new Platinum release are stunningly
upgraded; yes, I can save you the torture... they fixed the sound.
The picture (like the 2008 Blu-ray) is in the correct (intended)
aspect ratio of 2.55 X 1, allowing the full image to be displayed,
top to bottom and side to side. The 1080p, AVC encoded, MPEG-4
presentation is magnificent as it has fixed the few image hiccups
from the 2008 release and again displays a crisp, clean appearance
with solid, inky black levels and an accompanying bright color
palette. Information chronicling the restoration work for this film
states that it took years as artists went frame by frame to ensure
ultimate perfection; but seeing as how the film was just release (on
Blu-ray) in 2008 and looked very good then, I am not certain how much
has been done since. An educated guess would be that most
restoration work took place prior to the 2008 release, but it is not
exactly the same transfer here as the film appears a tad more
polished. The art is amazing and the original Technicolor shines
through with ease; displaying the masterful work of the original
artists.
The
sound again is a lossless 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio that utilized the
original 35mm 3 track soundmaster. This time around the track makes
better use of the full speaker range; whereas still a rather reserved
track, it does manage to use a fair bit of panning
effects/directionality, livens up for musical scores, and limited
bass. The reserved nature of the track does give the sound a
light/airy feel, leaving dialogue (whereas crisp and clean) a bit
less pronounced.
All
of this could be in my head and this could be the very same track
that Disney fed us for the 2008 release; but in this reviewer's
opinion is a solid upgrade with certain tweaking.
The
DVD is a clear downgrade.
The
extras include:
Audio
Commentary with Leonard Maltin (Disney Historian), Andreas Deja
(Disney Animator) and John Lasseter (of Pixar fame)
Picture
Perfect: The Making of Sleeping Beauty
Eyvind
Earle: The Man and his Art
The
Sound of Beauty: Restoring a Classic
Once
Upon a Parade
The
Art of Evil: Generations of Disney Villains
@DisneyAnimation:
Artists in Motion
Beauty-Oke:
Once Upon a Dream
Deleted
Scenes
Alternate
Scenes
For
Disney fans this upgrade of Sleeping
Beauty to
the Platinum
Edition is
a no brainer.
-
Michael P. Dougherty II
