Sleeping Beauty (1959)
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A princess must overcome a dark curse and a powerful sorceress to find her true love.
The story
In 14th-century Europe, Princess Aurora is born and betrothed to Prince Phillip to unite two kingdoms. However, at her christening, the evil fairy Maleficent places a curse on the girl, decreeing that she will die on her sixteenth birthday by pricking her finger on a spinning wheel. Three good fairies manage to soften the curse so that Aurora will instead fall into a deep sleep until awakened by true love's kiss. To protect her, the royal family and the fairies hide her in a secluded forest. On her birthday, Aurora meets a mysterious young man in the woods, unaware of the danger lurking as the deadline of the curse approaches.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 14th-century Europe, Princess Aurora is betrothed to Prince Phillip. At her christening, the evil fairy Maleficent curses her to die on her 16th birthday by pricking her finger on a spinning wheel. The three good fairies, Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather, soften the curse so she falls into a deep sleep instead. The kingdom hides Aurora in a forest cottage where she is raised as Briar Rose. On her 16th birthday, she meets Prince Phillip in the woods; they fall in love without knowing each other's identities. Maleficent eventually lures Aurora to a tower where she pricks her finger and falls into a deep sleep, and the fairies put the kingdom to sleep to protect her. Maleficent captures Phillip on the Forbidden Mountain, intending to keep him until he is old. The fairies rescue him, and he travels to the castle, breaking through a forest of thorns. He faces Maleficent, who transforms into a fire-breathing dragon. Phillip defeats her with a magical sword and finds Aurora, awakening her with a kiss. The kiss breaks the spell, waking the kingdom and allowing the pair to reunite with their families.
- First release year
- 1959
- Runtime (minutes)
- 75
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Clyde Geronimi; Eric Larson; Wolfgang Reitherman; Les Clark
- Writers
- Erdman Penner · story; Joe Rinaldi · story; Winston Hibler · story; Bill Peet · story; Ted Sears · story; Ralph Wright · story; Milt Banta · story
- Cast and characters
- Mary Costa · Princess Aurora; Bill Shirley · Prince Phillip; Eleanor Audley · Maleficent; Verna Felton · Flora; Barbara Luddy · Merryweather; Barbara Jo Allen · Fauna; Taylor Holmes · King Stefan; Bill Thompson · King Hubert
- Genres
- animated; musical; fantasy
- Themes
- True Love; Good vs. Evil; Fate
- Tone and mood
- Fairytale; Romantic; Epic
- Setting
- 14th-century Europe
- Premise and plot tags
- Princess; Curse; Magic; Dragon; Kingdom
- Source material / true-story basis
- Charles Perrault's 1697 fairy tale
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics upon release, with praise for its art direction, score, and voice acting, but criticism regarding its plot and character development. It was initially a box-office bomb but has since become one of Disney's most artistically acclaimed features.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 85 · scale: 100 · review count: 12
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Scoring of a Musical Picture · 32nd Academy Awards · Nomination
- Production trivia
- It was the first animated film to use the Super Technirama 70 widescreen process.; It was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2019.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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