Sleeping Beauty

Right now you can watch Sleeping Beauty in Australia on Disney Plus and ABC iview, and in the US on Disney Plus — and it goes further with its ideas than most genre entertainment bothers to. It says what it needs to say in one sitting, no filler. With 5,510 viewer ratings on TMDB, this is not a title flying under the radar. Watch it for Mary Costa — the performance elevates material that could easily tip into self-seriousness. Put it on tonight on Disney Plus and see for yourself.

Part of the current wave of titles people are actually watching, Sleeping Beauty earns its spot. Sleeping Beauty treats its concept seriously enough to follow it all the way through. Cursed to die by the evil fairy Maleficent when she was a baby, Princess Aurora is sent into hiding under protection from three good fairies. As she grows up far away, Maleficent becomes increasingly determined to seal the princess's fate. Mary Costa and Bill Shirley lead a cast that never lets the concept overwhelm the characters. Sleeping Beauty came out in 1959. What separates Sleeping Beauty from lesser genre entertainment is a willingness to let the concept cost the characters something. It delivers reliably on what it promises, which is more than most of its competition manages.

Sleeping Beauty is satisfying on multiple levels — something to watch and something to think about after. It has built its own audience without needing a direct comparison. A contained runtime means every scene is doing real work. Mary Costa's performance is the anchor the more ambitious moments need. The world-building pays off in ways you will not anticipate on a first watch.