# Sleeping Beauty is probably the weakest of the Disney animated films **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 21, 2008, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sleeping-beauty-is-probably-the-weakest-of-the-disney-animated-films/468819 "2008-10-21T00:07:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![freekalette](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/50afbb/32.png) [@freekalette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freekalette)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2008, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sleeping-beauty-is-probably-the-weakest-of-the-disney-animated-films/468819/21 "2008-10-21T02:01:32Z")
I’m flabbergasted at all the “meh”-ness towards Sleeping Beauty. Beautiful musical score and female vocals? Check. Lush, vivid backdrops? Check. The bad-assiest villainness ever? Check. Wow, just wow. FTR, the Black Cauldron and the Sword in the Stone are my next two favorites. I’m such a rebel, yeah. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2008, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sleeping-beauty-is-probably-the-weakest-of-the-disney-animated-films/468819/22 "2008-10-21T02:06:26Z")
> [@mobo85](#): > > Peggy Lee sued over royalties regarding _Lady and the Tramp_, but I don’t think there was any legal battle over _Sleeping Beauty_. Gah. Sorry–they all blend together after a bit… Ok, the singing mice are cute as hell. But that godmother-I wanted to punch her! And the stepsisters were lame, lame, lame. Why not make them pretty, but evil, instead of freakish looking? I prefer SB. And _Beauty and the Beast_, except for its weird “the love of a good woman will sooth any savage beast” meme. The less said about LM the better. I loved _Jungle Book_ (although it gave me my fear of snakes as a child). The less said about Hunchback the better, too. UGH. ---
**Author:** ![Gwyen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/858c86/32.png) [@Gwyen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gwyen)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2008, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sleeping-beauty-is-probably-the-weakest-of-the-disney-animated-films/468819/23 "2008-10-21T02:43:09Z")
I just came to say that SB is my favorite Disney movie… ☹ ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2008, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sleeping-beauty-is-probably-the-weakest-of-the-disney-animated-films/468819/24 "2008-10-21T02:45:53Z")
> [@Terrifel](#): > > What about that one with the cows? With Roseanne Barr? Was that any good? **Home on the Range**. Not bad, but basically undistinguished ( **Brother Bear** , OTOH, was quite good). Not a good way for Disney classic animation to go out. I do agree that **Sleeping Beauty** is very weak, but there were worse. **The Fox and the Hound** was sappy and dull, and **The Black Cauldron** was a mess. ---
**Author:** ![Stauderhorse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Stauderhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stauderhorse)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2008, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sleeping-beauty-is-probably-the-weakest-of-the-disney-animated-films/468819/25 "2008-10-21T04:52:10Z")
Never seen **Sleeping Beauty** , but I’ve got to give the “weakest movie” title to **Robin Hood**. Completely forgettable characters, plot, everything. I remember being really disappointed as a kid because I had thought it’d be awesome. **Sword in the Stone** was a close second; Disney movies that were solely about humans never held much interest for me. **Cinderella** was kind of cool in a retro way. I didn’t like **Hunchback of Notre Dame** either as a young one, but some of the scenes are actually pretty awesome. [Here’s](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyS3weMlxLA) a youtube video for one of the songs (called _Hellfire_); very creepy and cool. ---
**Author:** ![HerbalTea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f9ae1b/32.png) [@HerbalTea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HerbalTea)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2008, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sleeping-beauty-is-probably-the-weakest-of-the-disney-animated-films/468819/26 "2008-10-21T07:22:36Z")
I remember liking The Sword in the Stone and Sleeping Beauty as a kid. I liked The Hunchback of Notre Dame too, but that was before I read the book. Hellfire was pretty awesome though and Frollo is one of the most evil Disney villains in my opinion. My least favorites are Lady and the Tramp, Aristocats, and The Fox and the Hound. I’ve never actually watched Cinderella come to think of it. Was Robin Hood the one with the fox and the lisping snake? ---
**Author:** ![mr.jp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/48db29/32.png) [@mr.jp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr.jp)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2008, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sleeping-beauty-is-probably-the-weakest-of-the-disney-animated-films/468819/27 "2008-10-21T08:41:29Z")
> [@Sublight](#): > > If we’re going to discuss weak Disney films, I think it would help to look at the company’s three distinct eras: > > - The Walt Disney period, in which Walt himself was overseeing most of the projects. This ended with The Jungle Book (Walt began work on the film, but died during production, IIRC). > > - The post-Walt period, aka The Dark Ages, when Walt’s nephew Roy was calling many of the shots. This saw a marked decline (IMO) in quality, and included Robin Hood, The Aristocats, The Rescuers, The Fox and the Hound, and Bedknobs and Broomsticks, plus a lot of live-action films. > > - The Eisner period, which had a weak start with The Black Cauldron, but eventually hit its stride with The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin. It’s direct-to-video titles seem pretty craptacular, however. This is interesting. I actually think all the worst Disney movies are from the post-Walt period. Well, except Treasure Planet. Blargh. Are we still in the Eisner period? ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2008, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sleeping-beauty-is-probably-the-weakest-of-the-disney-animated-films/468819/28 "2008-10-21T09:13:49Z")
> [@mr.jp](#): > > Are we still in the Eisner period? Michael Eisner left Disney several years ago (almost by force). It’s now, effectively, the John Lasseter period. ---
**Author:** ![mr.jp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/48db29/32.png) [@mr.jp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr.jp)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2008, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sleeping-beauty-is-probably-the-weakest-of-the-disney-animated-films/468819/29 "2008-10-21T09:28:59Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > Michael Eisner left Disney several years ago (almost by force). It’s now, effectively, the John Lasseter period. Holy moly that’s an insane filmography! > **[John Lasseter](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Lasseter#Executive_Producer)** > > John Alan Lasseter (/ˈlæsətər/ LASS-ə-tər; born January 12, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and animator. He was previously the chief creative officer of Pixar Animation Studios, Walt Disney Animation Studios, and Disneytoon Studios, as well as the Principal Creative Advisor for Walt Disney Imagineering, and has served as the head of animation at Skydance Animation since 2019. > John Lasseter began his career as an animator with the Walt Disney Company. After being f... I foresee a new golden age for Disney. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2008, 9:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sleeping-beauty-is-probably-the-weakest-of-the-disney-animated-films/468819/30 "2008-10-21T09:36:35Z")
> [@mr.jp](#): > > Holy moly that’s an insane filmography! > [John Lasseter - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Lasseter#Executive_Producer) To be fair, most of those are short films he oversaw in a producer role at Pixar. But as a director, he’s won three Academy Awards and overseen some of Pixar’s finest, so Lasseter is indeed a good fellow to be running Disney’s animation department. ---
**Author:** ![RachelChristine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7ab992/32.png) [@RachelChristine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RachelChristine)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2008, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sleeping-beauty-is-probably-the-weakest-of-the-disney-animated-films/468819/31 "2008-10-21T11:01:11Z")
I read on IMDB (or maybe WP), that other than Dumbo, who can’t speak, Sleeping Beauty has the least lines of any title character in a Disney film. All of her lines occur in something like a 20 minute section in the middle of the movie. She never has another line after she the 38 (or 39?) minute mark – even after she wakes up. I love Prince Phillip. He actually seems to have a personality!! Most of the princes now do, but back in those older movies, they never did. (Heck, he’s even got a name! The princes from Cinderella and Snow White don’t even get that.) ---
**Author:** ![Stauderhorse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Stauderhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stauderhorse)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2008, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sleeping-beauty-is-probably-the-weakest-of-the-disney-animated-films/468819/32 "2008-10-21T12:30:19Z")
> [@HerbalTea](#): > > Was Robin Hood the one with the fox and the lisping snake? Yup, that was the one. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2008, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sleeping-beauty-is-probably-the-weakest-of-the-disney-animated-films/468819/33 "2008-10-21T12:36:41Z")
> [@Terrifel](#): > > What about that one with the cows? With Roseanne Barr? Was that any good? _Home on the Range_. Most famous for being the first movie we took our daughter to. She was 2 years old and absolutely _enraptured_. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2008, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sleeping-beauty-is-probably-the-weakest-of-the-disney-animated-films/468819/34 "2008-10-21T12:43:50Z")
Weakest Disney? Phht Even if you meant “weakest in his lifetime” it’s not close to the worst. Try watvching **The Reluctant Dragon** sometime. It was during the war, and they didn’t have many resources, and they needed the money. Big parts that ought to be animated weren’t even animated. Sleeping Beauty has many redeeming qualities. It’s the first one done in that modern “Bill Peet” style. “Poor music” – you realize that you’re talking about Tachaikovsky? They even did a special Disney TV show about the man when they released this movie. But mainly I like it because it’s the first Disney movie I ever saw. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2008, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sleeping-beauty-is-probably-the-weakest-of-the-disney-animated-films/468819/35 "2008-10-21T13:18:51Z")
Maleficent is certainly one of the most impressive villains, especially to the target audience of 3-6 year olds. And Prince Philip is head & shoulders above the other princes - he escapes from the dungeon, fights off the orcs, and **kills a dragon.** Sure, he had help from the fairies, but he still had to do the heavy lifting. What does Snow White’s Prince Charming do? - kiss a dead chick. What does Cinderella’s prince do? - mope around, dance with a hot chick, then lets her run off. I bet when Prince Philip became king, he conquered their countries within a year and made Snow White & Cinderella his concubines. ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2008, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sleeping-beauty-is-probably-the-weakest-of-the-disney-animated-films/468819/36 "2008-10-21T13:23:03Z")
> [@Gwyen](#): > > I just came to say that SB is my favorite Disney movie… ☹ Me too, me too! You’re not alone. 🙂 I adored Sleeping Beauty (I had it on Beta! :D). The animation was gorgeous, the music was fantastic and the imagery was awesome (lush colors contrasted with striking dark evil). Plus, Maleficent is the most badass awesome villainess (or villain), IMO. ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2008, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sleeping-beauty-is-probably-the-weakest-of-the-disney-animated-films/468819/37 "2008-10-21T13:45:02Z")
Here’s a complete list of all Disney Films. How many have you forgotten? [Walt Disney Animated Classics Official canon](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walt_Disney_Animated_Classics#Official_canon) ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2008, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sleeping-beauty-is-probably-the-weakest-of-the-disney-animated-films/468819/38 "2008-10-21T13:53:37Z")
The fairies do bug me a lot in SB. But I love the animation. It took a while for it to grow on me but I love it now. I don’t have a blu-ray play but I’ll probably buy the disk so I’ll have it. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2008, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sleeping-beauty-is-probably-the-weakest-of-the-disney-animated-films/468819/39 "2008-10-21T14:06:23Z")
> [@RachelChristine](#): > > I love Prince Phillip. He actually seems to have a personality!! Most of the princes now do, but back in those older movies, they never did. (Heck, he’s even got a name! The princes from Cinderella and Snow White don’t even get that.) Charming isn’t a name? 🙂 And I can’t believe people hate on Robin Hood. Roger Miller songs! I suppose, however, that those were the faces that launched a thousand furries. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2008, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sleeping-beauty-is-probably-the-weakest-of-the-disney-animated-films/468819/40 "2008-10-21T14:11:33Z")
> [@Stauderhorse](#): > > Never seen **Sleeping Beauty** , but I’ve got to give the “weakest movie” title to **Robin Hood**. Completely forgettable characters, plot, everything. I remember being really disappointed as a kid because I had thought it’d be awesome. My brother’s favourite movie for a time was **Robin Hood** , and as a result I’ve seen it about a million times. I feel so bad for it that there’s no love for it in this thread! Although, as the [Hamster Dance](http://www.webhamster.com/) song is just a sped-up portion of the song from the [opening credits](http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=eCJF5P36p4U) (from 1:36 to 1:52), the years 1999-2001 might have a legitimate beef with the movie. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sleeping-beauty-is-probably-the-weakest-of-the-disney-animated-films/468819.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sleeping-beauty-is-probably-the-weakest-of-the-disney-animated-films/468819.md?page=3)