Mary Costa Celebrates 50 Years of 'Sleeping Beauty'

Actress and singer Mary Costa is the original voice of Princess Aurora in Walt Disney's animated film Sleeping Beauty. She's here to talk about the two-disc 50th Anniversary Platinum Edition DVD and Blu-Ray release of the newly remastered film, which hits stores next Tuesday, October 7.

Sleeping Beauty turned French author Charles Perrault's 1697 fairy tale into a classic story. The Disney film follows the story of Princess Aurora, who is cursed by the witch Maleficent, who is resentful for not being invited to the princess' christening. With the help of her Three Good Fairies, Princess Aurora's curse is weakened: rather than dying, she will fall into a deep sleep if she touches a spinning wheel and will only be awoken by true love's kiss.

During a trip into the woods, she falls in love with a young man who is riding his horse. However, she realizes that she must return to the palace and never learns his name. On her way back, Maleficent tricks the princess into touching a spinning wheel and she falls asleep. Maleficent knows that Prince Phillip, the young man in the forest, is Princess Aurora's true love, and captures him. However, the Three Good Fairies free him and he, in turn, is able to wake the princess with his kiss.

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Costa was 22 when she landed the voice acting role of main character Princess Aurora in 1952. The film's 1959 release launched Costa into the international stage and was the catalyst for her successful career in opera. The New York Times declared Costa as "one of the most beautiful women to grace the operatic stage." She's sang in 44 operas in the United States and Europe, including Massenet's "Manon" at the Metropolitan Opera and "La Traviata" at the Royal Opera House in London.

"Of all the operatic roles I've performed," Costa stated in an interview, "'Sleeping Beauty' is special to me because it's the one that keeps me close to young people."

In 1963, Costa was personally asked by Jackie Kennedy to sing at US President John F. Kennedy's memorial service.