disc specifications

I’ve been collecting movies on home video for a long time. When Disney was charging $99 for the privilege of owning their classics on 12-inch platter laserdisc sets, I handed over my college cash without blinking an eye. Then with the promise of DVD, I bought my entire Disney library anew on 5-inch discs that didn’t need to be flipped, and that could deliver even better picture than laserdisc by avoiding the compromise of composite NTSC video… an improvement that was further extended by progressive-scan players, then scaling players, and then scaling players with HDMI.

But until the advent of high definition, no format could deliver what cinephile dreamers like me really wanted: the ability to reproduce in our own home, whenever we wanted, the stunning resolution and image transparency of real projected film with the affordability and convenience we had grown to enjoy with DVD. With the advantages of more storage and bandwidth than its now defunct rival HD format, many collectors dreamed of the day when Disney classics would finally emerge on Blu-ray Disc.

That day has arrived.

For their first hand-drawn animated classic to grace the Blu-ray Disc format, Disney Studios has selected one of their earliest widescreen animated features for that honor: Sleeping Beauty. There are a number of reasons why this title is the perfect showcase for a classic Disney animation Blu-ray Disc debut, but perhaps the most compelling has to do with the film’s aspect ratio. Sleeping Beauty was visually composed exclusively for widescreen and it shows. In fact, the original artwork was photographed at the 2.55:1 aspect ratio on the camera negative, although technical restrictions resulted in the initial theatrical release (even in 70 mm venues) being cropped to 2.35:1. Since that time all subsequent theatrical and home-video reissues have all being cropped or zoomed to varying degrees, but for this 50th anniversary release, each complete original uncropped frame has been transferred to high resolution digital for restoration allowing this Blu-ray Disc (and DVD) release to be the first time any audience has had the privilege of seeing the entire animated frame as it was originally conceived.

However, not every fan would have chosen Sleeping Beauty as the first classic animation to be released on BD. Among aficionados, some argue that Sleeping Beauty, while stylistically grandiose, lacks the compelling, emotional draw of many other features like Pinocchio, Bambi, and Snow White. I think it’s fair to say that among the classics, it comparatively lacks a sense of intimacy that may make it more difficult for some viewers to connect with emotionally. But such comparisons are specious as one ends up decrying what’s genuinely good just because somewhere there’s something even better, and Sleeping Beauty is good, very good. Besides, the true collector won’t rest until he or she has every animated Disney Classic on Blu-ray Disc; in that case, it’s just a matter of time before your personal favorite makes it onto your shelf.

Watching this extraordinary film on Blu-ray Disc made a couple of things clear about why some viewers might write it off prematurely. It’s become a cliché: the storyline of a wicked queen who wields her jealous powers of evil against an innocent princess; the quintessential dance number along the banks of a mirror-still stream; an angelic voice that beckons woodland creatures from their dens to cavort with a blond, blue-eyed maiden as she sets her romantic cares to song… we’ve seen it over and over and we’ve even seen it parodied in films like Shrek and Enchanted serving to illustrate just how iconic these themes have become.

I’m going to suggest you need to put this film in its historical context as it was this film that set many of those now-iconic images in motion. Sleeping Beauty isn’t a cliché; it’s the archetype that started the trend. Watching Sleeping Beauty reminds me of a joke I once heard: A man goes to see Shakespeare’s Macbeth. When he returns his friend asks him how he liked it. He answers “It was okay, but it was just one cliché after another.” Sleeping Beauty was breaking new ground by translating fairytale mythology into cinema. Sleeping Beauty isn’t a cliché. It’s interpretive genius.

The other thing I learned while watching Sleeping Beauty projected in 1080p on my 100-inch screen is that Sleeping Beauty was designed to be watched big. If you’re not watching it wide-angle (from at least a 1.75 screen-width or closer), you’re not seeing it. The intricate detail, the unrelenting attention to every aspect of the visual palette, the way in which the primary characters are dwarfed by their surrounding environment... The impact of this visual composition is completely lost when the film is viewed narrow field from greater than two screen widths away, and is utterly lost in standard definition. The film’s visual language is the story’s primary character; without its full impact, you’re not experiencing the film as Walt intended. If you haven’t seen Sleeping Beauty projected in the theater, then this will likely be your first real taste of what the filmmakers wanted you to see. If you want to have an experience that you won’t regret, leave your preconceptions of the film based on all your previous home video viewings behind and allow yourself to see this masterpiece for the very first time.

The Video: How Do The Discs Look?

The originally photographed 2.55:1 aspect ratio negatives have been lifted from the original celluloid and restored to astonishing purity by the world’s leading digital restoration experts. The resulting picture on this Blu-ray Disc, compressed with the AVC CODEC, is nothing short of a revelation. I’ll assert right now that the hyperbole you’ll see bandied about regarding this Blu-ray Disc release is not exaggeration.

All of the contrast pumping, grime, noise, dust, damage, and improper zooming and cropping issues seen in previous release prints and home video editions are eradicated. This release redefines the meaning of restoration given anything that Disney has done before. While some aficionados will resent the fact that all visible film grain has been removed, the offense is nearly mitigated by the fact that the large format elements were virtually grain-free to start with. Colors are perfectly stable, contrast is rock solid, and the most subtle of details shine through without having been airbrushed away by off-the-shelf DNR algorithms or obscured by gate weave. The picture simply looks perfect, and seeing animation in high-bit-rate 1080p on Blu-ray Disc reveals just how much of a compromise even the best standard-definition DVD inevitably is with its MPEG-2 mosquito noise, limited color palette, and loss of real detail. Watching the silky-smooth motion of the 1080p picture with stable background pans and no hint of compression noise of edge halos was like looking through the lens of the camera directly at the animated artwork.

As with similarly cleaned DVD releases of Disney Classics, the result is less film-like and more hand-painted-art-like. Personally, that’s quandary I can live with. Purists who desire to see a glaze of the film medium have my sympathy, but I encourage you to step beyond that opinion and allow yourself to look into the picture and be absorbed into the incredible hand-painted artwork that shines unobstructed on the screen.

One quick note is that the clarity of some scenes varies, and this should not be regarded as a defect in disc mastering but merely the resolution of the Blu-ray Disc revealing the subtle differences between shots, and at times the limits of different optical techniques used to capture the images. For instance, the vast majority of the film is shot flat without much use of the pioneering multi-plane camera. And most scenes that do use the multi-plane camera only use two or three layers to preserve a strong sense of clarity and focus. However, the opening scene of the film shows a street parade that combines at least five layers of painted cel work, and you can immediately see the lack of focus in all but the foreground layer that results. The next scene with the parade coming across the bridge towards the viewer does not use this layering technique and it's dramatically crisper and more detailed. You’re seeing differences between the various special effects techniques… differences that you might not have noticed until now (viewers of the original 70 mm prints would have seen these differences equally pronounced).

Just out of curiosity, I placed my old 2003 DVD edition in the disc tray for a few moments to compare the aspect ratio/framing issues and see if my memory hadn’t failed me regarding the problems with the older image. I was amazed to find that the older DVD release looks cramped and zoomed even without careful A/B comparisons… your eye can easily see that the edges (left, right, and even top, bottom) in many scenes. Seeing the full canvass, coupled with an image with stable contrast and color saturation and hue, is a revelation in this Blu-ray Disc.

I also checked the newly released standard definition edition DVD struck from the same master (downconverted of course) as the Blu-ray Disc. While it preserved the correct framing and contrast, the colors lost their silky character and the image lost its depth and dimensionality. And those of you not yet Blu-ray equipped who already have the previous 2-disc DVD edition take note: the new DVD picture is slightly softer and less detailed than the former disc. The pattern in the green velvet in the opening scene, for instance, showed a rich texture on the old disc but just looked flat green on the new DVD. Edge halos are also a problem on the new DVD as it was on the former DVD, so no real change there. Bottom line is that any self-respecting videophile needs to get on the Blu-ray bandwagon ASAP so you quit spending money of compromised versions of your favorite films; if you want to see this film the way that the creative talent intended there’s just one way: Blu-ray.

And this is a perfect time to mention that if you’re on the fence about upgrading to Blu-ray Disc, the Blu-ray edition includes the first disc from the DVD edition with the feature film! That’s right; you can buy the Blu-ray Disc set and watch the DVD on your current player even while you wait to buy a Blu-ray Disc player this holiday season when prices start to fall. Those of you already Blu-ray equipped with kids you need to keep quiet on long trips will enjoy having the standard definition DVD to take along for trips in the car. Could it get any better?

The Audio: How Do The Discs Sound?

As if the image wasn’t reason enough, the audio of this Blu-ray Disc delivers a level of performance unmatched even by the 6-channel mag tracks of the original 70 mm exhibition. This is because the original session recording stems were located and painstakingly restored and utilized for an entirely new mix performed in the digital domain. The original orchestral recording is immaculate in its quality, and the film’s score now breathes with a three-dimensional depth that causes the speakers to disappear thanks to a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track. I assume that the original recording session was captured in true stereo as the space and soundstage of the musical score doesn’t sound processed or synthesized. High frequencies are beautifully preserved and haven’t suffered the fate of other Home Theater Enhanced Disney mixes (such as Mary Poppins) which sound muffled and lifeless. Dialogue also captures a greater degree of realism than I could possibly have expected from a film of this vintage. In fact, the only real element that called attention to any lack of overall fidelity were the Foley effects which often sound canned with limited dynamics and clearly mono origins (the evil Queen’s staff striking the ground will demonstrate exactly what I mean). But their relative faults doesn’t hold the soundtrack back in any way, and with the natural extended musical dynamics finally preserved (along with some full bodied thunder claps that do sound like they were among the original sound effects), thank goodness the restoration team chose to preserve all original recorded elements including the Foley effects and didn't re-record anything to "improve" the sound. I couldn’t be happier.

Disney has made me wary of remixed tracks ever since I heard the sound of modern sound effects of exploding fireworks replacing those in the time-honored original sounds heard by generations. I’m thrilled to say that Disney’s newly restored and remixed soundtrack honors and fulfills the intent of the original mix to perfection. And while I’m disappointed that the alternate original 4.0 mix isn’t presented losslessly, the standard Dolby Digital presentation sounds very good and will quickly demonstrate the improvement of the newly restored/remixed audio over the limitations imposed by the multi-generation soundtrack. However, allow me to emphasize that Disney should have provided the original mix losslessly, regardless of the limits of the original recording as even old, frequency-limited and dynamically restricted soundtracks sound better left alone than they do with the additional compromise of lossy compression.

My one real other complaint is that the Blu-ray Disc does not offer any alternate language soundtracks nor any alternate-language subtitles (only English Captions). Spanish and French language and subtitle tracks are offered on the DVD. With the generous bandwidth of the Blu-ray Disc format, I’m unsure as to why Disney chose not to supply these important options.

Regarding the DVD, the Enhanced mix is offered in lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 along with the original mix in lossy Dolby Digital 4.0. The 5.1 mix sounds great by DVD standards, but it lacks the front-back soundstaging of the orchestral score as heard in the lossless DTS-HD Master track on the Blu-ray Disc. Again, if you’re a serious audiophile, get yourself the Blu-ray Disc version which contains a standard DVD version of the film to keep you happy until you purchase a Blu-ray Disc player (this holiday season prices should fall even lower than where they are today).

The Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

The two-Blu-ray Disc and DVD set (three discs if you count the bonus DVD containing the feature film in standard definition with the Blu-ray version) is loaded with real, substantive bonus materials that can keep any Disney fan locked in his or her living room for days. Except for the video commentary (Cine-Explore) feature and the Dragon Encounter, all of the bonus features on the Blu-ray appear to be available on the DVD as well (though none are in high definition on the DVD, obviously). Keep this in mind while reading my comments on the bonus features on the Blu-ray Disc set:

One of the most impressive features of the Blu-ray (and one that is not available on the DVD) is presented on disc one and runs simultaneously with the feature film: Cine-Explore. This feature is an adjunct to the audio commentary by film historian Leonard Maltin, supervising animator Andreas Deja, and Pixar’s John Lasseter. Engaging the Cine-Explore feature basically turns on the Picture-in-Picture video companion to the outstanding audio commentary (you can chose to listen to the commentary with or without the PiP video), and the cine-explore takes it to a whole new level. This PiP is not your typical pop-up window with a picture of commentary speaker talking in the corner of your screen. In the case of Sleeping Beauty the PiP window constantly moves around the frame to avoid obscuring key elements of the movie and changes its own content according to what’s being discussed. One moment it’s a video segment of the commentator. The next it’s showing original hand sketches and design work for one of the characters. The next it’s showing footage of voice actors as they block shots to help the animators with a scene. It’s fascinating, and even though I turned this feature on immediately after watching the movie, I was compelled to watch the entire film again with this feature enabled as it literally teemed with information that kept me glued to my seat. If there’s one feature you need to watch, it’s this one (even if that means upgrading to a profile 1.1 or higher player). There’s also a pop-up trivia track that seemed more kid-oriented and didn’t hold my attention… stick with the Cine-Explore.

Also on the first disc is the 30-minute Grand Canyon aerial-shot feature which played before Sleeping Beauty during its initial release in theatres. Get ready for this: it’s not only in 1080p high definition compressed with AVC, but also showcases a lossless DTS-HD Master 7.1 audio track just like the feature film (standard definition and Dolby Digital 5.1 on the DVD version). Yep. Presented in 2.39:1, Grand Canyon preserves all the natural film grain of the excellent-quality release print from which it was transferred. The film looks great for its age, and with the accompanying soundtrack had a fantasia-like quality while viewing.

The rest of the bonus material on Disc one is less impressive. The Dragon Encounter is a bizarre five minute CGI short that showcases Blu-ray's lossless 7.1 channel sound (AVC, DTS-HD Master 7.1 audio) and is only on the Blu-ray Disc, but the result is a bit cheesy (and really bad CGI). There are also a couple of music videos you should steer clear of at all costs, but what I did like along the musical lines was the ability to jump to the musical scenes in the movie and to display the song lyrics.

Disc one is also touted as being BD Live enabled, but I wasn’t able to remember my password (I already have a BD Live account from when I attended the BD Live demo back in June) to gain access to my account in time for this review. I’ve since discovered that the BD Live account and the Disney rewards are one and the same, so once I’m able to sample the BD Live features I’ll update this review accordingly and we’ll post a note of the change for our readers.

Disc Two has a range of items that are intended for demographics from diehard collectors to kids. Naturally, Games & Activities target young children and perhaps will help to keep kids quiet during long trips once Blu-ray Disc players become commonplace in portable form. But for serious fans, the real magic is in the Backstage Disney section, where you’re offered your choice of making-of featurettes, image galleries, deleted production material, and more. What’s even more impressive is that almost all these bonus items are offered in high definition.

The Original Disneyland Sleeping Beauty Walkthrough Attraction, is a GCI recreation of the theme park attraction that resided at Disneyland for many years. Fans will enjoy taking a look at what’s come before, and the ten minute featurette History of the Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough Attraction does an great job of discussing the attraction, what made it great, and why it was eventually removed. Not to be missed.

Picture Perfect: The Making of Sleeping Beauty (44 minutes, HD) is a newly created documentary that goes into fantastic detail about every over-arching aspect of production a fan could hope for. Eyvind Earle: The Man And His Art is a seven minutes featurette that focuses on this background painter who became art director for the entire film. Sequence 8 is a short look at the incredible labor involved in creating the finished work we know and love.

Fans will enjoy sampling the Alternate Opening with a different song and character than what was ultimately used. There are also three Deleted Songs: "It Happens I Have A Picture," "Riddle Diddle,” and "Go To Sleep". Storyboard Sequences are duplicated from the previous DVD release and are in standard definition, but still worth your time, as is the Live-Action Reference that shows the live-action study used by the artists for several key scenes.

One of my favorite features is The Sound of Beauty: Restoring a Classic (HD, lossless DTS-HD Master 7.1) that goes into fantastic detail about the newly created soundtrack for this 50th Anniversary release. And most surprising, we’ve got clips from Walt Disney’s television show presented in HD as well: The Peter Tchaikovsky Story (50 minutes) and Four Artists Paint One Tree (16 minutes). A host of image galleries is also present for those who have the time.

Final Thoughts

Just as they did with laserdisc and DVD, Disney is leading the way with Blu-ray Disc by pioneering restoration, mastering, and disc features beyond what any other studio has yet achieved. The reference picture, fully restored and for the first time revealing the complete 2.55:1 image of the original camera negative, along with the lossless remixed soundtrack that reveals every nuance of musical richness in the recently discovered original session tapes, are supplemented with outstanding bonus material that sets a new standard for what to expect from Disney Classics in this brave new world of high definition media. Given the soft detail and mild edge ringing on the DVD, I can’t really recommend the DVD version especially when the Blu-ray disc offers such outstanding transparency. Given that the Blu-ray Disc package includes the feature-DVD disc from the standard definition DVD edition, it’s the obvious choice as it allows consumers not yet Blu-equipped to add this stunning high definition disc to their library while having the regular DVD to watch in the meantime. More than any other home video release come before, this 50th Anniversary Blu-ray Disc Edition of Sleeping Beauty deserves your dollar. My highest recommendation.


Here’s a note about the apparent duplicate Buy Guide.  Our I.T. people are still hard at work on a large project and have not yet had the time to modify the underlying site database formatting code to accommodate the new 0-to-10 rating scales.  So until they do, for HD on disc, I’ll insert this note and a Buy Guide at the end of the review text and leave the conventional 0-to-5 Buy Guide blank.