Characters of Sleeping Beauty
This page provides a short bio of the major (and some minor) characters that make up Disney's Sleeping Beauty
Princess Aurora (or Briar Rose, as she was known while in hiding) is the only child of King Stefan and his Queen. Aurora was blessed with beauty and song at her christening, but she was also cursed to die before the age of 16 by a prick from a spinning wheel's spindle. Consequently, Aurora is raised deep in the forest by the three good fairies to avoid the fulfillment of the curse. Aurora grows into the most beautiful of maidens with long, pale, golden blonde hair and deep blue eyes. Largely designed by Tom Oreb, (and animated by Marc Davis) her physicality is based off of the delicate features of Audrey Hepburn. It is stated that Audrey Hepburn's slim, willowy form was perfect for Sleeping Beauty's main character as it suited the vertical design of film's backgrounds perfectly. Aurora's sweet, ethereal voice was provided by Mary Costa, who did both the speaking and singing parts for the princess. Aurora is a gentle, shy girl of 16 whose beauty is only rivaled by her kind heart. Her gentleness won her the trust and friendship of the forest animals, who replaced the friends she would undoubtedly have had her situation been different. She also demonstrates a certain level of strength when she places her royal duty before her heart's desire, although she is absolutely heartbroken. She handles the trauma of her revealed royal birth and her re-introduction to society with grace and dignity. She is betrothed to Prince Phillip of the neighboring kingdom.
Prince Phillip is the only child of King Hubert. He is betrothed to Princess Aurora and actually meets her for the first time at her christening (he appears to be about 5 years of age at this time.) He is a very handsome, young man of about 21 years of age with light sandy hair and soft brown eyes. He is tall and romantic, just as he appeared in Aurora's "once upon a dream". Animated by Milt Kahl, Phillip comes across as a very warm, personable gentleman. He demonstrates a rather good-natured, laid-back attitude especially when confronting his father with he determination to "marry the girl he loves". He is certainly brave and steadfast. His talking and singing voice was provided by Bill Shirley who, interestingly, did the voice-over for the singing parts for Jeremy Brett, Audrey Hepburn's suitor in "My Fair Lady". His deep love for Aurora is put to the test when Maleficent conjures up all the powers of evil to try and defeat him. His battle with the Maleficent-turned-dragon is one of the best scenes in this movie. And, although he was aided throughout his battle by the three good fairies, his courage and determination is never questionable. It takes some gumption to charge a fire-breathing dragon, after all.
Maleficent is the evil sorceress who cursed Aurora. Maleficent has been called one of the greatest Disney villains of all time and with good reason. She is certainly the one character that people seem to remember vividly, even after viewing the film decades before. She was designed and animated by Marc Davis who was inspired by a female figure found in a medieval Czechoslovakian painting. Her tall, thin form is cloaked in black and purple robes whose wide sleeves are dagged in a flame- like fashion. Davis designed her horned headdress and collar to resemble goats' horns and bat wings, respectively. With her moonlit pallor, luminous, iris-less eyes, and sharp, angular features, she is frightening to look upon but oddly beautiful. Maleficent is extremely powerful. One can assume that the neighboring kingdoms lived in fear of this woman, hoping to avoid her wrath. It is not surprising then, that King Stefan felt the need to leave her out of the festivities. Such an evil presence would certainly dampen the mood. Although his decision to do so cost him and his kingdom years of loss and sorrow. Maleficent is a wonderful speechmaker. This trait owing to her composed nature and the wonderful vocal talents of Eleanor Audley, who was hand picked by Walt Disney to provide her dialogue. Maleficent's powers are pushed to its ultimate height when she must destroy the one person who can save Aurora. Her transformation to the fire-breathing dragon is literally awesome in its execution and design. Ken Anderson must be given credit for the Maleficent-turned-dragon as this was, as Davis puts it, "his province". Her defeat at the hands of Phillip drove home the film's underlying message of good overcoming evil.
Flora is one of the three good fairies of the land. Clad in shades of pink, red and orange, Flora is the self-appointed leader of the three fairies. She is portrayed as a bossy, do-gooder but with an undeniable warmth. One can assume that of the three, she has the strongest maternal instincts. It was her idea to take the royal child out of the castle and into the protection of the forest. Unfortunately her plans fail and she must then take the actions necessary to rectify the situation. It was she who ultimately led the other two fairies to Maleficent's domain in the Forbidden Mountains to rescue Prince Phillip, and it was she who armed Phillip with the Shield of Virtue and Sword of Truth. These magical weapons aided in the destruction of Maleficent. It was also Flora who insisted that Aurora's gown be pink, claiming "pink is her color", which resulted in a couple of humorous scenes in the movie. Flora, voiced by Verna Felton, bestowed the gift of rare beauty to the infant Aurora, comparing her to the rose. This stemmed from the idea that originally the fairies were to be closely tied to the elements. Flora, as her name indicates, would be the administer of the plants and flowers. Makes you wonder who came up with Aurora's alias, Briar Rose ....hmmmm?
Fauna, dressed in various shades of green, is the gentler of the three fairies. Voiced by Barbara Jo Allen, she is
timid and
sweet and has a certain flightiness about her. She often reminds me of an old, kindly aunt who would never be heard saying
anything negative, no matter the situation. Even such topics as Maleficent's malice can't force Fauna into speaking ill.
After all, it was Fauna who insisted that Maleficent "can't be all that bad". An eternal optimist, she even suggests the
possibility of reasoning with Maleficent. Merryweather promptly reminds her that this is not an option. Fauna bestows
upon the princess the gift of song and compares Aurora to the
nightingale. Owing to her name, Fauna, it is not surprising that she associates her gift to the innate melodies of the
birds. Although Fauna is rather passive, she can always be found in the thick of the action, aiding in any way she can.
Merryweather, found dressed in blue - her favorite color, has been described as pugnacious. And pugnacious she is, which makes her the more interesting and popular of the three fairies. She is eager to take on Maleficent, and would probably to so on her own if it weren't for the interference by Flora. Her feistiness and determination is nicely balanced by her unquestionable goodness and love for Aurora. Barbara Luddy, who provided the voice of Merryweather, lent a touch of cheerfulness and kindness to her character. With dark hair and bright blue eyes, Merryweather is portrayed in a more youthful light than her more elderly 'sisters'. She definitely has spirit and often butts heads with Flora. Merryweather's gift giving is rudely interrupted by the fiery entrance of Maleficent. It is said that Merryweather was about to bestow the gift of happiness to the princess, but is forced to alter Maleficent's curse instead. It is she who allows Aurora to sleep rather than die, only to be awakened by the kiss of her one true love.
King Stefan is Aurora's father. He is tall, thin and stately with black hair and flowing robes. Taylor Holmes' vocal talents lend Stefan a certain amount of dignity (although Stefan's screen presence does create a few laughs). His subjects are overjoyed by the newest addition to the royal family, and their devotion can only be the result of their trust and love of a good monarch. Doubtless Stefan is an excellent monarch and his kingdom appears to be prospering. But, when is comes to dealing with the magical elements of the realm, he is lost. His mortality is his greatest weakness and is evident in his reaction to Maleficent's curse when he orders the burning of all the spinning wheels. His order is carried out, but only the three fairies know that this is trivial. Eventually he is faced with a painful decision that no parent should be forced to make ... to allow his only child to be spirited away and raised in hiding. Stefan's agreement to this plan not only demonstrates his unselfish love for his daughter, but also for his people who shouldn't be without a future queen.
King Stefan's Queen (and Aurora's mother) is never given a name in the film. She is often referred to as Queen Beatrice in the French retelling of Disney's version of the tale and Queen Leah in the American retelling by A. L. Singer. Tall, elegant and fair-haired, she is very much like her daughter in appearance. Although her speaking lines are very minimal in the film (voice credits were never given) and her screen time short, she is a very sympathetic character. In the short time she is present, she is alluded to being caring and loving. She appears to be greatly devoted to her husband as is seen when she looks to him after their child is cursed and, again, at the end when Stefan is looking on as their daughter and future son-in-law dance together. She would have been a loving, doting mother for sure, had the chance only been given to her.
King Hubert (voiced by Bill Thompson) is Prince Phillip's father and best friend to King Stefan. His kingdom borders that of King Stefan's and you can only imagine these two close friends discussing the possibility of a united kingdom. When Stefan's Queen gives birth to their daughter, the kings are overjoyed that their dream of a united realm will one day become a reality. The two kings announce the betrothal of their royal children at Aurora's christening. Hubert is a short man with an even shorter temper. He brings a lot of comic relief to the film in his explosive reactions and misunderstandings. Although his nature is a bit volatile, he is obviously a good man. His pale appearance and rather round figure indicates that this monarch enjoys consuming his food rather than hunting for it. He is obviously enjoying a peaceful rule, which can reveal a bit about his character. Hubert is more eager to get things rolling (in terms of the joining of their kingdoms), so he is certainly no slacker. Hubert gets things done.
The Lackey is there for pure enjoyment. He is a minor character whose purpose is to serve the two kings wine and, a bit later, plans for a new castle. Sporting a tabard bearing a coat of arms, he is obviously in the service to one of the kings. His lute, which is played in between serving the kings, also serves as a tray and receptacle for the pilfering of the kings' wine. He eventually becomes a bit too intoxicated and is found out by the kings as he passes out under the table. Prince Phillip's arrival saves this naughty servant from the impending disciplining that the kings would undoubtedly have administered.
Prince Phillip's noble, white steed, Samson, provides a bit of comedy himself. He appears to be a minor character, but his role in the film is important. He, after all, carries our hero through the forest (albeit, a bit grudgingly) which allowed Phillip to meet the girl who would become his Sleeping Beauty. He also shows courage when Phillip steers him on to charge the Dragon. Samson is not only a faithful confidant of Phillip's, but also a brave and strong warhorse, as well. Disney has a way of animating horses and the facial expressions on this one is worth a close watch.
Maleficent's goon army is a motley group of incompetent grotesques. Their design came from the grotesques that is often seen in gothic architecture and medieval illumination. These goons are evil but so stupid, that Maleficent is eventually forced to send out her trusted raven to complete their search of the missing princess. One has to wonder why it took Maleficent nearly 16 years to finally notice they had been searching for a baby all this time. You have to feel a bit sorry for the idiots, they do take a lot of abuse from Maleficent.
Maleficent's faithful familiar is a raven (sometimes referred to as Diablo, although this name is never used in the film, its credits, nor in any of the numerous books that I own based on the film). The raven is instrumental in Maleficent's success in getting her princess. It was the raven who found the princess' hiding place in the forest by the telltale magic illuminating the landscape. It was also the raven who informed his mistress of Phillip's threat to the life of the curse. This enabled Maleficent to position herself perfectly to fulfill the curse and capture Phillip. Unfortunately, the raven gets a bit over-zealous in his duty to Maleficent and, while alerting her of Phillip's escape, manages to anger Merryweather. This results in the raven becoming a nice permanent fixture amongst the stone gargoyles.