George Bruns' first effort under the
Walt Disney aegis adapts the
Tchaikovsky ballet
Sleeping Beauty, and the result remains one of the most enchanting and mature scores ever created within the House of Mouse. While themes like "Forbidden Mountain" and "Battle with the Forces of Evil" derive in full from
Tchaikovsky,
Bruns proves himself a wonderfully lyrical composer as well. "The Gifts of Beauty and Song" is as luminous as its title portends, but even more impressive is the wickedness that underscores the striking "Maleficient Appears." While
Sleeping Beauty failed to generate a definitive theme à la "When You Wish Upon a Star" or "Someday My Prince Will Come," on the whole it's a richer and more complete work than most soundtracks from Disney's animated heyday, and thus truly for kids of all ages. [
Sleeping Beauty was reissued on CD in 2014.] ~ Jason Ankeny