‘Sleeping Beauty’ Diamond Edition Officially Announced: Details and Cover Art!

Read our review of the Sleeping Beauty Diamond Edition here.

To purchase the Diamond Edition Blu-ray or DVD, click here.

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Disney has officially announced that Walt Disney’s most epic fairytale, Sleeping Beauty, will be released this October on a new Diamond Edition Blu-ray and DVD. The 1959 classic will be available in at least two editions: A Blu-ray+DVD+Digtal HD combo, and a standalone DVD edition.

Check out the beautiful cover artwork below! It’s great to see Disney breaking from tradition and giving the movie a more modern font, as well as more prominence to the villain, Maleficent (her new movie may or may not have something to do with it).

Below is a list of all the new bonus features on the new release:

BLU-RAY BONUS:

• Once Upon A Parade (Starring Sarah Hyland): Behind every attraction, event and parade at the Magic Kingdom is a unique story. Join Sarah Hyland from ABC’s “Modern Family” as she tells us the tale of Walt Disney World’s new Festival Of Fantasy Parade. This magical “in world” short film goes behind the scenes of the new parade and shows how the residents and characters of Fantasyland created this parade to tell their stories.

• Art of Evil: Generations Of Disney Villains: This legacy piece spotlights Disney’s favorite villain animator, Marc Davis and his infamous creations of characters such as Maleficent and Cruella. Throughout the piece, we will talk to modern day animators like Andreas Deja and also the new generation of Animators (Lino DiSalvo Animation Director of FROZEN) on how Marc’s designs and characters influenced what they do today.

• @DisneyAnimation: ARTISTS IN MOTION (Extended Edition) – Join Walt Disney Animation Visual Development artist Brittney Lee as she goes through the process of creating a three dimensional sculpture of Maleficent, completely out of paper. In this extended edition, go deeper into Britney’s process.

• Never Before Seen Deleted Scenes:
  • The Fair (With Deleted Character – The Vulture) – In this version of the story, the fairies do not take the Princess to live with them in the forest. Convinced that King Stefan’s order to burn all the spinning wheels in the kingdom will not prevent Maleficent’s curse, the good fairies put a magic circle around the castle and cast a spell: “No evil thing that walks or flies or creeps or crawls can ever pass these castle walls.
  • “The Curse is Fulfilled – The three good fairies have just returned Aurora to the castle and give her a crown. They leave the room to give Aurora some time alone…but Maleficent pays her a visit.
  • Arrival Of Maleficent (Alternate Scene) – Maleficent arrives uninvited to the christening of the Princess Aurora.

• BEAUTY-OKE “Once Upon A Dream” – Sing along to this kinetic text video of Aurora’s signature song.

• Classic Bonus Features
  • The Sound Of Beauty: Restoring A Classic: This featurette covers the creation of the 7.1 mix of the score of Sleeping Beauty that was done for Blu-ray, using the source tapes from the original recording sessions resulting in an audio experience of superior quality with greater detail and fidelity that you have ever heard before.
  • Picture Perfect: The Making Of Sleeping Beauty: Discover the behind-the-scenes magic that transformed a beloved fairy tale into a cinematic work of art. Legendary Animators, actors and film historians reveal the secrets behind Disney’s masterpiece.
  • Eyvind Earle: A Man And His Art: Early in his career, renowned American Artist Eyvind Earle worked as a background painter at the Walt Disney Studio. Walt Disney liked his work so much that he entrusted him with the assignment to be the Art Director for Sleeping Beauty. This was the first time that one artist was given the responsibility for the entire look on one of Disney’s animated features. This piece follows Earle’s development as an artist and his years at the Studio.
  • Audio Commentary by John Lasseter, Andreas Deja and Leonard Maltin

Disney’s Diamond Collection is reserved for the very best and most beloved Disney animated classics. After a brief release back in 2009 under the ‘Platinum Edition’ series, Sleeping Beauty is making a triumphant return for a limited time. The re-release makes sense, as Disney’s Sleeping Beauty spin-off, Maleficent (starring Angelina Jolie) will also hit home video around that time.

Sleeping Beauty was Walt Disney’s last fairytale. It is also considered to be his very best. The grandiose and majesty of the movie is unparalleled and it stands as one of the greatest animated features ever made.

Pre-order the Sleeping Beauty Diamond Edition Blu-ray on Amazon.

Sleeping Beauty Diamond Edition will release October 7, 2014. Are you excited to pick it up?