4/5 Where has this been?
  by E. Fisch (Los Angeles, CA)
Where has this been? It's been out for five years and I never knew it existed. It great, very entertaining and well performed. However, I'm surprised that the show is cut considering how identified Carol Burnett is with this show. I saw a UCLA production a few years back that was directed by Ms. Burnett that was extremely faithful to the original so I'm surprised she agreed to the changes. Maybe this was due to the Disney release which basically cut some of the racier (and funnier)stuff. Oh well, missed opportunities. What left is pretty faithful, beautifully produced, and has some excellent performances. Buy it and have some fun. However, see a stage performance if you want to see the whole thing.

5/5 An Easily Overlooked Delight!
  by Monty Moonlight (TX)
Disney brings the 1959 off-Broadway-to-Broadway hit retelling of The Princess and the Pea back to the small screen with their 2005 feature adaptation of "Once Upon a Mattress", and if you're a fan of musical fairytales at all, you should be fully delighted by it! Carol Burnett is back in the cast too, only now she takes up the role of controlling Queen Aggravain, who refuses to accept any princesses vying for her son's hand as worthy to marry the not-getting-any-younger prince. Denis O'Hare plays Prince Dauntless to manchild perfection here, evoking thoughts of the great Ken Berry, while modern comedy queen Tracey Ullman aptly takes up the role living legend Burnett originated, the ungraceful but winning Princess Winnifred. Also on hand in this well-cast version are charming Tom Smothers as the silent King Sextimus, cursed to be mute until "the mouse devours the hawk", Michael Boatman as the Jester who speaks for him, Edward Hibbert as the Wizard who assists the Queen in her schemes, and Matthew Morrison as Sir Harry and the beautiful Zooey Deschanel as Lady Larkin, a couple who must help the prince finally wed so that they may get married themselves. You see, there is a law in the land that no one can marry until the prince does, even though the Queen seems dead-set against that, and this is especially bad for Lady Larkin, who now finds herself a mother-to-be.

And that last plot point illustrates that there is a tad bit of raciness to this story for something carrying the Disney moniker, let alone a musical fairytale as such. Nevertheless, it isn't overplayed, in my opinion (you might have to be a Disney fanatic like myself to achieve any initial shock by it at all), and in truth, as much as I adore Zooey and her singing voice (she and her voice are as lovely as can be in this one), she and Morrison seem to fall into the background a bit upon initial viewings, surrounded by such bold, comedic personalities in the other roles. This film is definitely for fans of Burnett, Ullman, and O'Hare, who are a treat throughout. The songs are all very enjoyable too, and while they are not instantly memorable, some repeat viewings will surely cause some to stick for you, and this IS a film one can watch over and over. It's not one of the most oft performed shows in the country for nothin'! So, if you are a fan of musicals, fairytales, or anyone in this cast, and especially if you grew up on those old Cannon Movie Tales from the '80's Disney Channel as I did, you really should pick this one up! I don't think you'll regret it! Bonus features on this enhanced widescreen DVD include a nice Making-Of featurette with some insight into the play's history, some Behind the Scenes outtake footage, and a couple of rehearsal to film comparisons of the musical numbers "Shy" and "In a Little While". Now, I have read some complaints about songs from the original play not being included in this TV incarnation, so there is the downside that will appear for some longtime fans, but if you are new to the show, it won't be a problem and you'll be in for a well-paced, entertaining fairytale treat that so many of us missed on its quiet TV and DVD debuts!

5/5 movie dvd
  by Paul M. Simpson, Jr.
Going to Amazon sure beats going to any local stores. I can wait a few days for the good prices.

2/5 ONCE UPON A MATRESS - DVD
  by Phillip Hart (Sunshine NSW Australia)
Once Upon a Mattress

Very focussed on making Carol Burnett (The Queen) the star, when the PRINCESS is the star of the show in the original stage production. However, good acting, great scenery and costumes - pity some of the original funny dialogue from the other characters and some songs were cut to make Ms. Burnett look good!

Disappointing

5/5 Once Upon A Mattress
  by MSL (Bellevue, Wa United States)
Excellent theatric style performance. Allows drama students the opportunity to view theater style action while watching a film. The story is the same which is nice and easy to follow. Fun to see Carol Burnett in the role as the Queen vs the princess. I prefer her original work as the princess as that was her catalyst to fame. Tracy Ullman was outstanding and I didn't see enough of Tommy Smothers.