Fairies are first responders in Disney’s ‘Sleeping Beauty’
Let’s not say Aurora, title princess of “Sleeping Beauty,” just lays around. But so much of the plot goes on around her that she doesn’t have that much to do. She picks berries, she sings a little, she sobs a little, takes a nap and, in the end (spoiler alert), she gets her man.
Our Disney Plus review series looks at Disney’s animated films in the order in which they were released, and this week I realized that I had been underrating the three good fairies. Now I’m thinking about naming my next cat after Merryweather, not that Flora and Fauna are without merit. They not only save the day on the day Aurora is christened, they come to the rescue for 16 years and then play key roles in getting our two instant lovebirds together.
Way showier, of course, is Maleficent, the powerful evil fairy. She goes full-on drama queen after being snubbed for a party, plots revenge and eventually turns herself into a dragon.
“You know, sometimes, I don’t think she’s very happy,” Fauna says of Maleficent.
The basics: Maleficent crashes the christening for baby Aurora and, as payback for not being invited, puts a curse on the infant that will cause her death should she prick her finger on a spinning wheel before sunset on her 16th birthday. Maleficent is one specific curse giver. The royal counterattack is two-pronged: The king orders all the spinning wheels burned, and Aurora is sent to live in a cottage in the forest with the three fairies. It’s basically 14th-century witness protection program; her name is changed to Briar Rose, and her birthright is kept secret from her. Also, Merryweather is able to tweak the spell so that instead of death, a prick would make her just sleep, beautifully.
On the fateful 16th birthday, a lot happens. While out berry picking, Aurora Rose’s singing voice lures a man on horseback. They fall in love. There are a surprise birthday party and the revelation that she’s a princess, followed by a tearful return to her castle. Maleficent, who has been looking for her for 16 years, finds all this out via an eavesdropping raven. There’s another spell, a battle, a dragon transformation and a prick.
Oh, and the dude Briar Rose meets in the forest is actually Prince Phillip, who was, as a lad, at her christening, rocking his capelet. He was betrothed to her that day, an idea of their two dads.
What are the odds? As they say on Facebook, it’s complicated.
The legacy: “Sleeping Beauty” was the last princess-driven Disney pic until “The
Little Mermaid” popped up 30 years later. Maleficent is the baddest baddie of them all. Is it the horns or the way she says “Fools!”?
The flashbacks: In my head, the famed wake-up kiss was outdoors, but maybe I was in “Snow White” mode. In cinematic terms, those dancing brooms are direct “Fantasia” descendants.
Adult art of animation appreciation: The look is a different style with more color blocking. The backgrounds are detailed yet stagnant, and the action glides in front of that. Reviews from 1959 expressed unhappiness that “Sleeping Beauty” didn’t look like previous Disney flicks, but they also criticized the sharing of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” plot points. So, even in the ’50s, Disney fandom was hard to please.
Parental guidance/kid stuff: The climactic battle is intense, especially compared with the sedate tone of the first 75% of the movie. (It does end well for Maleficent.)
What brought me back to reality: There’s a dispute amongst two fairies about what color Aurora’s sweet 16 gown should be, and that became basically red state versus blue state moment.
Burning questions: Wow, Aurora/Briar Rose takes the good news that she’s a royal, really, really poorly. Granted, she just met a dreamy guy, one she may never see again, but what’s up with that? Also, why aren’t her parents more in on how her glorious return to the castle should play out?
Meanwhile, back in Orlando: “Sleeping Beauty” made the rounds at Central Florida’s movie houses, but began her tour, like so many Disney princesses before her, at the Beacham in downtown Orlando. A Sentinel photo caption later in the run notes: “Prince Charming is attacked by brood of monstrous morons who serve a witch.” Hmmm.
The theme park angles: Aurora meets Epcot visitors in France. The prince fights the dragon during the Festival of Fantasy parade in Magic Kingdom (thumbs way up for the choreography of the prince and the fire-breathing). You can regularly hear the movie’s “Once Upon a Dream” playing at Magic Kingdom’s Prince Charming Regal Carrousel, even though that’s a Cinderella attraction.
Elsewhere, Disneyland features Sleeping Beauty Castle (or as we say in Florida “that tiny little castle”) as its iconic centerpiece.
Up next: Disney kicks off the ’60s with “One Hundred and One Dalmatians” (1961).