We are back with another Disney+ Battle. In this series, we take two classic Disney films and pit them against each other to see which is the better movie. While this is completely subjective, it’s still a lot of fun to compare and contrast some great films from Disney and Pixar. This week, we are comparing “Sleeping Beauty” and “The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad.” Let’s see which is the better Disney film.
1. PROTAGONIST
The main character of “Sleeping Beauty” is Aurora, a princess cursed by an evil fairy who is upset she wasn’t invited to the christening. Aurora pricks her finger and falls asleep until she is awakened by “true love’s kiss.” That’s it. There’s not much to her. There are two protagonists in “The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad” as there are two stories put together to make up the one film. Mr. Toad is the protagonist of the first half of the film which tells the story of “The Wind in the Willows.” Meanwhile, Ichabod Crane is the protagonist of the second half which tells the story of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” Both Mr. Toad and Ichabod Crane do more to advance their stories than Aurora does. Point to “The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad.”
Sleeping Beauty 0 | The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad 1
2. ANTAGONIST
This is the most unfair category of this battle. Maleficent is the villain of “Sleeping Beauty”, and she is a top 5 Disney villain of all time. She may be the best Disney villain of all time. While the bartender and the gang of weasels are certainly villainous during the Mr. Toad half of the film, and the Headless Horseman is very frightening during the Ichabod half of the film, neither can hold a candle to Maleficent. Point to “Sleeping Beauty.”
Sleeping Beauty 1 | The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad 1
3. SUPPORTING CHARACTERS
The most memorable supporting characters in “Sleeping Beauty” are, of course, the fairies; Flora, Fauna and Merryweather. Prince Philip, along with his father and Aurora’s father are also memorable, but the fairies sometimes feel like more important characters than Aurora. In “The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad,” while there are plenty of supporting characters, the memorable ones only come from the Mr. Toad portion of the film. The weasels, Mr. Horse, Mr. Badger, Mr. Rat and Mr. Mole are all fairly memorable. Of course, as memorable as they are, none are as memorable as the fairies. Point to “Sleeping Beauty.”
Sleeping Beauty 2 | The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad 1
4. MUSIC
This is the hardest category to judge so far. Neither is a massive standout musically. The scores of both films are good and certainly add to the films, but neither is so good that it stands above other great scores in Disney films. That being said, “Once Upon A Dream” is a song that is still well known amongst Disney fans today. Since it has the more memorable song, the point has to go to “Sleeping Beauty.”
Sleeping Beauty 3 | The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad 1
5. MEMORABLE MOMENTS
Now, we have the most subjective of all the categories. The memorable moments, to me, from “Sleeping Beauty” are the christening, Maleficent’s curse, the fight over the dress, Once Upon a Dream, Aurora pricking her finger, the prince being captured and finally the prince waking up Aurora. In contrast, the memorable parts, to me, of “The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad” are Mr. Toad’s ride in his car, his trial, his escape and Ichabod Crane’s flight from the Headless Horseman. When it’s all said and done, “Sleeping Beauty” is just the more memorable film. Point to “Sleeping Beauty.”
Sleeping Beauty 4 | The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad 1
Despite the fact that Aurora is one of the worst protagonists of the Disney canon, her film performed better in this battle. Disney did a great job of building up the supporting characters and the villain in her stead and making the film memorable. But I want to know which film you think is better: “Sleeping Beauty” or “The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad?”
Jeremy Brown
Jeremy has been a big Disney fan since he was a kid growing up during the Disney Renaissance. One day he hopes to go to every Disney Park in the world.
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