Posted: Sun Sep 21, 2008 7:03 am
At Movie Zoo!
.When I was a kid my first introduction to the story was the Disney film version. Earlier someone had mentioned how the film would win over children with its perceived "cold" nature. As a kid I just liked how vibrant and enchanting both the animation and the music was. "Once upon a dream" literally haunted me because of how beautiful it was. I had seen Disney films before SB, but the songs never attached to me as well as SB did. I was so hooked on that song that one time I saw a Tom and Jerry short in which they flood the kitchen floor, then they open the refrigerator door and freeze the floor so it becomes an ice rink. When Jerry started skating they played the original ballet score from "Sleeping Beauty". I immediately recognized it from the movie and fell entranced by it once more. So I feel that while the characters are not as lively as the ones that came before or after it there's something truly enchanting about the film.
But anyways, here's the REAL story I wanted to tell you.
When I was in 2nd or 3rd grade my class went on a field trip to see a theater play. It was my first field trip ever and was very excited. Can you guess which play we went to see?
Yep, it was "Sleeping Beauty". Though this version wasn't based on the original fairy tale. The played was based on Disney's version!
My memory is hazy so I can't recall the exact details but the play followed the film's plot to a near T.
First off, it featured the three good fairies, which I believe were never in the original tale. And they looked exactly like the fairies in the film! Then, they had many of the film's music and events intact. Since this was a small theater play, though, most of the film's big fantasy events were replaced or altered.
For example, in the movie Flora and Merryweather fight over the color of Aurora's dress. In the play that I saw they fight over the color of the birthday cake! And it was a neat effect because the cake was white, and there were two spotlights on in, one red and one blue. So whenever one of the fairies said "Make it blue!" the light would turn on and the cake would be blue!
Aurora's animal friends were presented on stage via puppets, which I thought was neat.
Finally, Prince Philip's battle with Maleficent was very different as they didn't have the skills to pull off a dragon battle, so what they did was this. Philip now fights these shadow creatures summoned by Maleficent. Then, they used strobe light to create an other wordly effect for the battle. Finally, they used green smoke to signal Maleficent's defeat.
It was a joyous time at the theater, strengthened even further by my love of the movie
.On another Sleeping Beauty note, last year I read a short story for college called "Sleeping Beauty". The story was about a woman who due to her family's social standing she was forced to get married and denied the right of living her own life. So later on when the woman has an affair with her dance teacher her husband hits her so, so hard that she falls into a deep coma, hence the title "Sleeping Beauty".
actually that paper sounds interesting.
that play sounds amazing! too bad i'll never be able to see it 
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