User blog:ARTaylor/60 Years of Sleeping Beauty

Today is the sixtieth anniversary of the premiere of Sleeping Beauty. Based on the Charles Perrault version of the classic tale dating back to the 1300s, the animated film is the sixteenth by Walt Disney Animation Studios. The film follows the adventures of Princess Aurora who is cursed by the wicked Maleficent to be put into an eternal sleep while three fairies, the kingdom, and her love Prince Phillip try to save her.

The film was the first animated feature to be photographed in the Super Technirama 70 widescreen process. It was also the second full-length animated film to be filmed in anamorphic widescreen. At the time, the film was the most expensive film The Walt Disney Company had ever produced, more than twice that of any other feature. Unfortunately, the film was not successful at the box office during its initial run. This caused the company's first annual loss in a decade resulting in massive lay-offs in the animation company. However, when the film was rereleased numerous times. The added box office totals made it the second highest grossing film of 1959 and, adjusted for inflation, makes it one of the top forty grossing films ever.

At the time of its release, the reception was mixed but generally positive. Since then it has become seen as one of the greatest animated features ever made. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences picked the film along with several other classic films as one of the finest examples of the 70mm film format. The castle used in the film was used as the model for the central feature in Disneyland in California and has become Disney's primary logo. Aurora has become one of the most iconic Disney Princesses. Maleficent is one of the company's most iconic villains being featured in video games, animated series, and theme park attractions.