
The story of Sleeping Beauty has been adapted many times, but the original fairy tale is often considered to be the version written by Charles Perrault, which was published in 1697. The Brothers Grimm included a variant of the story, titled Little Briar Rose, in the first volume of Children's and Household Tales, published in 1812. Giambattista Basile also wrote a version of the story, Sun, Moon, and Talia, though its publication date is unclear. The story has been adapted many times in film, including the popular 1959 Walt Disney animated musical film Sleeping Beauty, which celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2019.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of theatrical release | 29 January 1959 |
| Production company | Walt Disney Productions |
| Distributor | Buena Vista Film Distribution |
| Directors | Wilfred Jackson, Eyvind Earle, Eric Larson |
| Voice actors | Mary Costa |
| Music composer | George Bruns |
| Songwriters | Fain, Victor Young, Tchaikovsky |
| Characters | Princess Aurora/Briar Rose, Prince Phillip, Maleficent, King Stefan, King Hubert, Three Good Fairies |
| Original story | Sun, Moon, and Talia by Giambattista Basile |
| Running time | 75 minutes |
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What You'll Learn

The original fairy tale
The story of Sleeping Beauty has been adapted many times, but the original fairy tale is attributed to Perrault. In this version, the prince does not kiss the princess to wake her up, and the two fall in love before they know they are betrothed. The Brothers Grimm also included a variant of the story, called Little Briar Rose, in the first volume of Children's and Household Tales (published 1812). Their version ends when the prince arrives to wake the sleeping beauty, named Rosamund, with a kiss.
An earlier version of the tale is also found in Giambattista Basile's Sun, Moon, and Talia. In this version, Talia falls into a deep sleep after getting a splinter of flax in her finger. She is discovered by a wandering prince, who carries her to a bed and impregnates her. He then abandons her, and she later gives birth to twins while still unconscious. Some folklorists believe that the second part of the narrative, in which the princess and her children are introduced to another woman from the prince's life, was originally a separate tale.
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The Brothers Grimm version
The story begins with a king and queen who long to have a child. One day, while the queen is bathing, a frog emerges from the water and tells her that she will have a daughter within a year. As the frog foretold, the queen gives birth to a beautiful daughter, and the king ordains a great feast, inviting his relations, friends, acquaintances, and the wise women of the kingdom. There are thirteen wise women in the kingdom, but the king has only provided twelve golden plates for them to eat from, meaning one of them is left out.
The wise women bestow gifts of virtue, beauty, and wealth upon the princess, but the thirteenth wise woman, seeking revenge for not being invited, arrives uninvited and curses the princess. She declares that in her fifteenth year, the princess will prick herself with a spindle and die. The twelfth wise woman steps forward and softens the curse, saying that the princess will not die but will fall into a deep sleep for a hundred years. Despite the king's attempts to protect his daughter by ordering all spindles in the kingdom to be burned, the prophecy comes true, and the princess pricks her finger on a spindle.
The good young fairy touches everyone in the palace with her magic wand, causing them to fall asleep, including the king and queen. The fairy knows that the princess must sleep for a hundred years and will be frightened if she wakes up alone, so she puts everyone in the palace to sleep as well. The king and queen depart from the castle, ordering that no one should go near it. A thorn hedge begins to grow around the castle, and over the years, it becomes higher and higher until it covers the entire castle.
A hundred years later, a prince hears about the thorn hedge and the sleeping princess from an old man. He is told that many princes have tried to penetrate the hedge but have died a sorrowful death. Undeterred, the prince approaches the thorn hedge, which has transformed into beautiful flowers that allow him to pass through unharmed. He enters the castle and finds everyone inside asleep, including the princess. When he sees how beautiful she is, he bends over and gives her a kiss. The princess awakens and looks at him kindly.
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Giambattista Basile's version
Talia's father, a great lord, had consulted wise men and astrologers to predict her future after her birth. They concluded that Talia would be endangered by a splinter of flax, so her father forbade any flax, hemp, or similar materials from being brought into his house. Despite her father's efforts, years later, Talia saw an old woman spinning flax on a spindle and, having never seen a spindle before, asked the woman if she could try it herself. As soon as she began spinning, a splinter of flax got stuck under her fingernail, and she fell into a deep sleep.
A wandering prince discovered Talia in her palace and carried her to a bed. He fell in love with her at first sight, and they consummated their love. The prince then abandoned Talia, leaving her alone in her palace. Talia gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl, while still unconscious. One day, the baby girl, unable to find her mother's breast, began sucking on Talia's fingers, drawing out the flax splinter. Talia immediately awoke and held her beloved children to her breast.
The king, the father of Talia's children, returned to the palace, intending to go hunting. He found Talia awake and fell in love with her, but he was already married. One night, the king accidentally called out the names of Talia and their children in his sleep. The king's wife, upon learning of her husband's infidelity, ordered her daughter-in-law and grandchildren to be killed and served to her as a meal. However, the cook substituted a lamb for the princess, saving her and the children.
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Early film adaptations
The classic tale of Sleeping Beauty has been adapted into several movies over the years. The earliest known film adaptations of the story are all silent films, including La belle au Bois-Dormant (1902) and La Belle au bois dormant (1908), both French films directed by Lucien Nonguet, the latter co-directed with Albert Capellani. Other early silent film adaptations include the German films Dornröschen (1917) directed by Paul Leni, Dornröschen (1929) directed by Dorothy Douglas, and Dornröschen (1936) directed by Alf Zengerling.
The story of Sleeping Beauty was also adapted into a stop-motion short film, Dornröschen (1941), directed by Ferdinand Diehl, and an animated short parodying the original fairy tale, The Sleeping Princess (1939), produced by Walter Lantz Productions.
In 1959, Walt Disney released a classic animated film adaptation of Sleeping Beauty, which has since been re-released several times and spawned numerous related projects, including a direct-to-video animated film, Disney Princess Enchanted Tales: Follow Your Dreams (2007), and a live-action adaptation, Maleficent (2014), telling the story from the perspective of the antagonist, played by Angelina Jolie.
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Walt Disney's animated film
Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty is an animated film that was released in 1959. It is the 16th animated feature in the Disney Animated Canon and was produced by Walt Disney Productions. The film is based on the fairy tale of the same name and was first planned for production in 1950, with production beginning in 1953. The film underwent several rewrites and re-releases, with the latest re-release being in 2019 as an Anniversary Edition.
The story of Sleeping Beauty revolves around a princess who is cursed by a malevolent fairy to fall into a deep sleep that can only be broken by true love's kiss from a prince. The princess, Aurora, also known as Briar Rose, has a memorable performance by voice artist Mary Costa, who was personally cast by Walt Disney. Costa's ethereal voice and impromptu performance at a party led to her audition for the role, and she went on to become an acclaimed opera singer.
The film features a song score, including the main title song and its reprise, "Holiday", "It Happens I Have a Picture", "Sunbeams (Bestowal of Gifts)", "Where in the World", "Once Upon a Dream", and "Mirage (Follow Your Heart)". The musical score was composed by George Bruns, who adapted the melodies from the Sleeping Beauty Ballet composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1890.
The animation style of the film is described as beautiful, stylish, and vibrant. The film has received praise for its design, colours, and magical air, with one reviewer calling it "Disney's masterpiece". The film has a 90% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and an average rating of 8.3/10. It was nominated for several awards by the American Film Institute.
Sleeping Beauty is considered a timeless classic and a treasured part of Disney's legacy, with its enchanting story, magnificent music, and dazzling animated artistry.
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Frequently asked questions
The original Sleeping Beauty story is very old and has many variants. The oldest written version is Giambattista Basile's "Sun, Moon, and Talia", which was published in the 17th century.
Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty was released in 1959 and is celebrating its 60th anniversary.
Briar Rose/Princess Aurora is brought to the prince's castle as a baby, and she is twenty years old when she is brought to his kingdom as his wife.
Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant, a variant of the Sleeping Beauty Castle, opened in 1992.











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