Aurora (Disney)
Encyclopedia
Princess Aurora is a fictional character
and the title character from Disney
's 1959 animated film Sleeping Beauty
(which she is sometimes referred to as), as well as an official Disney Princess.The Disney version of the character was based on the French version of the tale by Charles Perrault, written in 1634 in Histoires ou Contes du Temps Passé. She is also known as Briar Rose.
. Aurora's lead animator, Marc Davis worked with Oreb to sharpen her features and clothes so that they would blend with the backgrounds' angular shapes.
As done with other Disney films, Walt Disney hired an actress to perform live-action scenes as a reference for the animation process. Actress Helene Stanley performed the live-action reference for Princess Aurora. She did the same kind of work for the characters of Cinderella
and Anita in One Hundred and One Dalmatians
.
According to Christopher Finch, author of The Art of Walt Disney:
Meanwhile the three good fairies are preparing for her birthday and to surprise her with the news that she is a princess. But when Briar Rose returns with the news of meeting a strange but enchanting man, the fairies must tell her she can never see him again. The three fairies tell her about the future that is set for her and that night they take her back to the castle. Aurora is saddened that she will never see the man from the forest and asks to be left alone. The three fairies oblige. Aurora suddenly sees a floating spark of light cast by Maleficent and, in a trance, follows the spark to a spinning wheel. All the three good fairies try to stop her, but Maleficent's spell is too strong and Aurora touches the spindle, pricking her finger. She has been put in a bed by the fairies where she can sleep peacefully. To prevent further hurt in the kingdom, the fairies put the whole kingdom to sleep. They discover that Prince Phillip is the man in the forest and he's walking in to a trap, and they help him confront Maleficent. After Prince Phillip fights and seemingly kills Maleficent, who transformed into a dragon, he moves upstairs to Aurora's bedroom and kisses her; she wakes up from the spell and smiles. They dance at the ball announcing her betrothal.
series as one of the seven Princesses of Heart (maidens who lack darkness in their hearts). In the first Kingdom Hearts game, she is the first Princess of Heart to be kidnapped by Maleficent. Soon after being kidnapped, her world, the Enchanted Dominion, is destroyed by the Heartless. She is held hostage at Hollow Bastion along with the other princesses through most of the game. Eventually, Riku (while being possessed by Xehanort's Heartless) uses her heart (along with the hearts of Cinderella, Snow White, Belle, Alice and Jasmine) to create the Keyblade of People's Hearts, a mysterious weapon which can unlock the darkness in people's hearts. Eventually, after the main protagonist Sora
sacrifices himself to awaken Kairi (the seventh princess), the Keyblade of People's Hearts is destroyed and Aurora's heart flies back to her body, but not before the Princesses' Hearts leave darkness flowing out of the Keyhole of Hollow Bastion. Aurora and the other princesses remain in Hollow Bastion, using the light in their hearts to hold the darkness back until the keyhole is sealed. At the end of the game, Sora, Donald Duck
and Goofy
defeat Xehanort's Heartless, the Enchanted Dominion is restored, and Aurora returns to her home.
She is briefly mentioned in Kingdom Hearts II
, where her name is part of the password for Ansem's computer.
She also appears in the prequel Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, in her homeworld, the Enchanted Dominion. Like in the film, she was cursed by Maleficent at a young age. Soon after the curse in fulfilled, Maleficent hypnotises Terra
into using his Keyblade to extract her heart from her body, so Maleficent may use its powers for her own evil purposes. Later, Ventus
, Flora, Fauna and Merryweather sneak into Maleficent's lair and free Aurora's heart, which flies back to her body. After Maleficent is defeated by Prince Phillip and Aqua
, she is awakened by Phillip with a kiss. During the games credits, she is seen dancing with Phillip while Flora and Merryweather continue to argue over the color of her dress.
. It is produced by Kōdansha that debuted in Nakayoshi in April 2005, which revolves around a sweet young girl named Kilala and the stubborn Prince Rei as they try to find Kilala's kidnapped friend with the help of the six Disney Princesses, who are Aurora and Snow White
, Cinderella
, Ariel, Belle, and Jasmine
.
. There is also a Sleeping Beauty castle in Hong Kong Disneyland
and in Disneyland Paris, called Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant
(French for previously mentioned title). Park visitors are able to walk through the castle and view several dioramas depicting scenes from the Disney film Sleeping Beauty
. The original dioramas were designed in the style of Eyvind Earle
, production designer for the film. In 2012, Aurora and the other Disney Princesses will have a new meet and greet attraction called Princess Fairytale Hall at the Magic Kingdom
in Disney World.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
and the title character from Disney
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
's 1959 animated film Sleeping Beauty
Sleeping Beauty (1959 film)
Sleeping Beauty is a 1959 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and based on the fairy tale "La Belle au bois dormant" by Charles Perrault...
(which she is sometimes referred to as), as well as an official Disney Princess.The Disney version of the character was based on the French version of the tale by Charles Perrault, written in 1634 in Histoires ou Contes du Temps Passé. She is also known as Briar Rose.
Development
The original character design of Aurora was done by Tom Oreb, who modeled the princess after the elegant, slender features of actress Audrey HepburnAudrey Hepburn
Audrey Hepburn was a British actress and humanitarian. Although modest about her acting ability, Hepburn remains one of the world's most famous actresses of all time, remembered as a film and fashion icon of the twentieth century...
. Aurora's lead animator, Marc Davis worked with Oreb to sharpen her features and clothes so that they would blend with the backgrounds' angular shapes.
As done with other Disney films, Walt Disney hired an actress to perform live-action scenes as a reference for the animation process. Actress Helene Stanley performed the live-action reference for Princess Aurora. She did the same kind of work for the characters of Cinderella
Cinderella (Disney character)
Cinderella is a fictional character and is the main protagonist from Disney's twelfth animated film Cinderella and its two sequels. In the original film she is voiced by the late Ilene Woods...
and Anita in One Hundred and One Dalmatians
One Hundred and One Dalmatians
One Hundred and One Dalmatians, often abbreviated as 101 Dalmatians, is a 1961 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and based on the novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians by Dodie Smith...
.
According to Christopher Finch, author of The Art of Walt Disney:
Sleeping Beauty
Princess Aurora was born from King Stefan and his wife, Queen Leah. At her christening, she was given gifts by two of the three fairies that showed up. Following this, the bad fairy named Maleficent showed up, angry at not being invited, and put a curse on Aurora stating that at the age of sixteen, she would prick her finger on the spindle from the spinning wheel and die. Luckily the third good fairy, named Merryweather, had not presented a gift yet and is able to change the curse to sleep instead of death. Concerned, the three good fairies take Aurora to a secluded cottage in the wood and change her name to Briar Rose. When Aurora grows to be a teenager, she is dancing and singing in the forest when she meets a handsome man who happened to hear her singing. Briar Rose does not realize he is Prince Phillip, and they agree to meet again that evening.Meanwhile the three good fairies are preparing for her birthday and to surprise her with the news that she is a princess. But when Briar Rose returns with the news of meeting a strange but enchanting man, the fairies must tell her she can never see him again. The three fairies tell her about the future that is set for her and that night they take her back to the castle. Aurora is saddened that she will never see the man from the forest and asks to be left alone. The three fairies oblige. Aurora suddenly sees a floating spark of light cast by Maleficent and, in a trance, follows the spark to a spinning wheel. All the three good fairies try to stop her, but Maleficent's spell is too strong and Aurora touches the spindle, pricking her finger. She has been put in a bed by the fairies where she can sleep peacefully. To prevent further hurt in the kingdom, the fairies put the whole kingdom to sleep. They discover that Prince Phillip is the man in the forest and he's walking in to a trap, and they help him confront Maleficent. After Prince Phillip fights and seemingly kills Maleficent, who transformed into a dragon, he moves upstairs to Aurora's bedroom and kisses her; she wakes up from the spell and smiles. They dance at the ball announcing her betrothal.
Disney Princess Enchanted Tales: Follow Your Dreams
In the beginning of the movie, Princess Aurora introduces herself. This is very important, since little can be known about Aurora's personality from Sleeping Beauty. After she asks a question, she guides the viewer to the scene where she is told by her father, King Stefan and her mother, Leah, that being a princess is so easy. Then after both her parents and Prince Phillip leave, she has some duties to do when as a princess. During the "Keys To The Kingdom" musical number, she orders her servants to cook food, plant tulips, lilies, and orange trees, cut topiary, and paint the trellis pink. She has been taken to the table in a chair where she can wait for her guests to come for the party. Later on, the clumsy Duke helps her sign the forms and reviews what she has found. There is a speech sheet with a golden medal on it King Hubert has forgotten to take. She instantly sends it to the three good fairies and is told by Merryweather that she has to use her wand for magic. When she uses it to make the brown cows appear, one of them headbutts the Duke. She then manages to sell cows to the farmer who meets her and the other peasants who wait for too long. After Prince Phillip, King Hubert, her parents and the Good fairies return, they all attend a banquet together and she talks about how she enjoyed her own duties. After the movie Aurora thanks the viewer for watching her story and gives a goodbye wave.Kingdom Hearts
appears in the Kingdom HeartsKingdom Hearts
is an action role-playing game developed and published by Square in 2002 for the PlayStation 2 video game console. The first game in the Kingdom Hearts series, it is the result of a collaboration between Square Enix and The Walt Disney Company. The game combines characters and settings from Disney...
series as one of the seven Princesses of Heart (maidens who lack darkness in their hearts). In the first Kingdom Hearts game, she is the first Princess of Heart to be kidnapped by Maleficent. Soon after being kidnapped, her world, the Enchanted Dominion, is destroyed by the Heartless. She is held hostage at Hollow Bastion along with the other princesses through most of the game. Eventually, Riku (while being possessed by Xehanort's Heartless) uses her heart (along with the hearts of Cinderella, Snow White, Belle, Alice and Jasmine) to create the Keyblade of People's Hearts, a mysterious weapon which can unlock the darkness in people's hearts. Eventually, after the main protagonist Sora
Sora (Kingdom Hearts)
is a fictional character and the main protagonist of Square Enix's best-selling Kingdom Hearts series. Introduced in the series' first game in 2002, Sora is a cheerful teenager who originates from Destiny Islands and has been best friends with Riku and Kairi since early childhood. When they plan to...
sacrifices himself to awaken Kairi (the seventh princess), the Keyblade of People's Hearts is destroyed and Aurora's heart flies back to her body, but not before the Princesses' Hearts leave darkness flowing out of the Keyhole of Hollow Bastion. Aurora and the other princesses remain in Hollow Bastion, using the light in their hearts to hold the darkness back until the keyhole is sealed. At the end of the game, Sora, Donald Duck
Donald Duck
Donald Fauntleroy Duck is a cartoon character created in 1934 at Walt Disney Productions and licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Donald is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor suit with a cap and a black or red bow tie. Donald is most...
and Goofy
Goofy
Goofy is a cartoon character created in 1932 at Walt Disney Productions. Goofy is a tall, anthropomorphic dog, and typically wears a turtle neck and vest, with pants, shoes, white gloves, and a tall hat originally designed as a rumpled fedora. Goofy is a close friend of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck...
defeat Xehanort's Heartless, the Enchanted Dominion is restored, and Aurora returns to her home.
She is briefly mentioned in Kingdom Hearts II
Kingdom Hearts II
is an action role-playing game developed by Square Enix and published by Buena Vista Games and Square Enix in 2005 for the Sony PlayStation 2 video game console...
, where her name is part of the password for Ansem's computer.
She also appears in the prequel Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, in her homeworld, the Enchanted Dominion. Like in the film, she was cursed by Maleficent at a young age. Soon after the curse in fulfilled, Maleficent hypnotises Terra
Terra (Kingdom Hearts)
is a fictional character from Square Enix's video game franchise Kingdom Hearts. He was introduced in the 2010 video game prequel Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep as one of the three main characters...
into using his Keyblade to extract her heart from her body, so Maleficent may use its powers for her own evil purposes. Later, Ventus
Ventus (Kingdom Hearts)
, commonly nicknamed , is a fictional character from Square Enix's video game franchise Kingdom Hearts. Having first made cameos in Kingdom Hearts II and other related titles, Ventus was introduced in the 2010 prequel Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep as one of the three main characters...
, Flora, Fauna and Merryweather sneak into Maleficent's lair and free Aurora's heart, which flies back to her body. After Maleficent is defeated by Prince Phillip and Aqua
Aqua (Kingdom Hearts)
is a fictional character from Square Enix's video game franchise Kingdom Hearts. Having first made cameo appearances in the game Kingdom Hearts II, Aqua was introduced as one of the three main characters from Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, a prequel of the series released in 2010...
, she is awakened by Phillip with a kiss. During the games credits, she is seen dancing with Phillip while Flora and Merryweather continue to argue over the color of her dress.
Kilala Princess
Princess Aurora also appears in the Japanese fantasy/romance manga, Kilala PrincessKilala Princess
is a shōjo fantasy, romance, and adventure manga series written by Rika Tanaka and illustrated by Nao Kodaka. The first 15 episodes were serialized by Kōdansha in the monthly manga magazine Nakayoshi, while the last 8 episodes were serialized in the quarterly Nakayoshi Lovely. It was later...
. It is produced by Kōdansha that debuted in Nakayoshi in April 2005, which revolves around a sweet young girl named Kilala and the stubborn Prince Rei as they try to find Kilala's kidnapped friend with the help of the six Disney Princesses, who are Aurora and Snow White
Snow White (Disney)
Snow White is a fictional character and the main protagonist from Walt Disney's first animated feature film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,...
, Cinderella
Cinderella (Disney character)
Cinderella is a fictional character and is the main protagonist from Disney's twelfth animated film Cinderella and its two sequels. In the original film she is voiced by the late Ilene Woods...
, Ariel, Belle, and Jasmine
Princess Jasmine
Princess Jasmine is a fictional character and one of the main characters of the 1992 film Aladdin and its sequels, The Return of Jafar and Aladdin and the King of Thieves . She is voiced by Linda Larkin, with her singing voice performed by Lea Salonga in the first film and Disney Princess...
.
Disney Theme Parks
Princess Aurora is often seen in the theme parks as a meet-and-greet character, played by a cast member. She usually wears her pink ball gown and tiara.Attractions
The iconic castle in Disneyland is called the Sleeping Beauty CastleSleeping Beauty Castle
Sleeping Beauty Castle is the fairy tale structure castle at the center of Disneyland Park and Hong Kong Disneyland. It is based on the late-19th century Neuschwanstein Castle,with some French inspirations .-Disneyland version:Opened July 17, 1955, the castle is the oldest of all Disney castles...
. There is also a Sleeping Beauty castle in Hong Kong Disneyland
Hong Kong Disneyland
Hong Kong Disneyland is located on reclaimed land in Penny's Bay, Lantau Island. It is the first theme park located inside the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort and is owned and managed by the Hong Kong International Theme Parks. The park opened to visitors on 12 September 2005...
and in Disneyland Paris, called Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant
Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant
Le château de la belle au bois dormant is a structure that stands at the centre of the Disneyland Park at Disneyland Paris and is a continuation of a concept first seen at Disneyland in California....
(French for previously mentioned title). Park visitors are able to walk through the castle and view several dioramas depicting scenes from the Disney film Sleeping Beauty
Sleeping Beauty (1959 film)
Sleeping Beauty is a 1959 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and based on the fairy tale "La Belle au bois dormant" by Charles Perrault...
. The original dioramas were designed in the style of Eyvind Earle
Eyvind Earle
Eyvind Earle was an American artist, author and illustrator, noted for his contribution to the background illustration and styling of Disney animated films in the 1950s...
, production designer for the film. In 2012, Aurora and the other Disney Princesses will have a new meet and greet attraction called Princess Fairytale Hall at the Magic Kingdom
Magic Kingdom
Magic Kingdom Park is one of four theme parks at the Walt Disney World Resort located near Orlando, Florida. The first park built at the resort, Magic Kingdom opened Oct. 1, 1971. Designed and built by WED Enterprises, the park's layout and attractions are similar to Disneyland in Anaheim, California...
in Disney World.
Merchandise
The Princess Aurora character is a featured part of the Disney Princess line of products.Trademark
The Walt Disney Company currently has a trademark application pending with the US Patent and Trademark Office, filed March 13, 2007, for the name "Princess Aurora" that would cover all live and recorded movie, television, radio, stage, computer, Internet, news, and photographic entertainment uses, except literature works of fiction and nonfiction. This has caused controversy because "Princess Aurora" is the name of the lead character in The Sleeping Beauty Ballet, from where Disney acquired the name and some of the music for its animated film, and which is performed live on stage and sometimes television and often sold later as a recorded performance on video.External links
- Princess Aurora at Disney's Archives
- Official Disney Princess site