Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Toon Talk: Beautiful Dreamer

Although it has been just five years since Disney last awakened her for a two-disc Special Edition DVD (click here to read my original Toon Talk review of that release), there is a lot to celebrate about the newly released Sleeping Beauty: 50th Anniversary Platinum Edition.

First, for those who currently own the previous release and are wondering if it is worth the upgrade, the answer is: most definitely.

Yes, the new release does have the expected carry-overs from the Special Edition (such as the Academy Award-winning short subject Grand Canyon and the supplemental shorts Four Artists Paint One Tree and The Peter Tchaikovsky Story, plus the trailers and galleries), there is certainly enough new material (including a spiffy new “making of” feature and a chatty audio commentary with John Lasseter, Andreas Deja and Leonard Maltin) to make the extra purchase more then worthwhile. And that’s not even mentioning yet another in-depth look at a beloved Disneyland attraction (more on that later).

Then of course, there is also the fact that this is the first Disney animated classic to be presented on home video in high def with the corresponding Blu-ray edition.That edition comes with its own set of bells and whistles, plus a standard DVD of the movie for those who haven’t upgraded their hardware yet. That includes me, so this review will focus on the standard Platinum Edition release.

Click here to continue reading this Toon Talk review at LaughingPlace.com.

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