My fascination with Sleeping Beauty has followed me around since I was a little girl, and I’ve always loved watching the animated classic. Of course, there’s much to discuss in the story and the themes deeply embedded within it, but for me and many others, it’s always been a timeless tale. The story is of French origin and dates back to 14th-century poetry (wild), though there are so many variations and adaptations that it’s hard to keep track. Nevertheless, there are four prevalent takes on the story still around today.
The ballet
I’ve known about the ballet since I was very young, given my dance background, but I didn’t have the opportunity to see it for myself until a few weeks ago. A few key differences: there are four acts, six fairies with one leader (known as the Lilac Fairy), and the evil Carabosse, who curses Aurora.
Aurora grows up with her family and, on her sixteenth birthday, pricks her finger on a rose handed to her by Carabosse in disguise, falling asleep.
Philip is introduced in the second half of the ballet and sees a vision of Aurora in the forest, which leads him to want to marry her. However, he has to fight Carabosse to get to her. He does, and the two fall instantaneously in love (because somehow Aurora was actually mentally present when he was having a vision of her?) and they get married. Oh, and Puss in Boots, a white cat, and more fantastical creatures make an appearance. The ballet is a trip, but honestly? When done well, it’s a really good story.
Sleeping Beauty (1959)
Disney released the movie at the end of the 1950s, and it was revolutionary for its time. (If you’ve seen the ballet, you’ll probably recognize a lot of the music from the score!) It’s one of the original Disney animated classics, depicting the traditional prince-and-princess, true love story so many generations grew up with. This movie is the adaptation most people reference when they think of Sleeping Beauty: the three fairies—Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather—raise Briar Rose (the princess Aurora) in the forest for 16 years. They bring her back to the palace, but the unwilling Aurora does not want to marry Philip because she met a stranger in the forest (who was actually Philip!), and she gets depressed, pricking her finger on the spinning wheel.
Maleficent’s curse comes to fruition, and the good fairies free Philip, whom Maleficent had captured, allowing him to save Aurora and the kingdom. Once Aurora wakes up after being asleep for a grand few hours, the two get married.
It’s typical romanticized Disney for you.
Maleficent & Maleficent: Mistress of Evil
Disney began a campaign to bring the animated classics back to the big screen in the 2010s, beginning with Cinderella, and later, Maleficent. The choice to call it Maleficent surprised fans: why would it not be called Sleeping Beauty? The story traditionally focuses on Aurora.
However, Disney took a different route: they decided to adapt Sleeping Beauty from the villain’s perspective. She is a favorite among Disney fans, after all.
The live-action film alleges that Maleficent and King Stefan, Aurora’s father, were friends once upon a time (and eventually lovers), but the two grew apart as Maleficent became more powerful and Stefan began to want to be more than a poor farm boy.
After an attack on the Moors, Maleficent’s home, Stefan pretends to warn Maleficent that the humans want to kill her and cuts off her wings in her sleep. Stefan becomes king of his home, while Maleficent takes over the Moors as empress, swearing revenge on him.
When Aurora is born, the story is the same as in the original film, except at the christening when Maleficent adds the caveat that she can awaken from her sleep with true love’s kiss, knowing that such a feat is impossible. Right?
The three pixies (the comic relief) take Aurora to the forest, and Maleficent follows and keeps a close eye on her, coming to love the child and doing a better job raising her than the pixies.
Aurora, however, finds out she’s cursed, and Maleficent is responsible, so she runs away to meet her father, only to actually be cursed after she pricks her finger (even though Maleficent races against time to stop it).
The irony of all this is that Maleficent wakes Aurora, not Philip, because of her true love for the princess as the fairy godmother and, essentially, parent.
A battle ensues when Maleficent is found in the castle, and Aurora frees Maleficent’s wings, which had been contained by Stefan for years, allowing her to gain the advantage and kill him. In the end, Aurora becomes Queen of the Moors, and the story ended there until Mistress of Evil was released.
In Mistress of Evil, Philip proposes to Aurora five years after the events of the original movie.
Their union makes Maleficent unhappy, and though Aurora and Philip try to get their parents to get along, the Queen of Ulstead, Philip’s kingdom, wants the death of all fairies and Moors for herself.
She angers and frames Maleficent at a family dinner and attempts to kill her, but Maleficent is rescued by another of her kind. She learns that she is a dark fae, and an extremely powerful one, as dark fae are descended from the legendary phoenix, and Maleficent happens to be the last direct descendant.
A war nearly ensues between Ulstead and the Moors, but Aurora, Philip, and Maleficent stop it. At the end of the film, Aurora and Philip are married, getting their happily ever after.
All these adaptations are incredible, and it’s fascinating to see how the story has evolved. Hopefully we get to see more of Aurora, Maleficent, and their story in the future!