Story

The classic Disney movie Sleeping Beauty tells the story of Princess Aurora (voice of Mary Costa), who is cursed by the wicked fairy Maleficent (voice of Eleanor Audley) to fall into a deep sleep on her 16th birthday after pricking her finger on a spinning wheel. The spell can be broken only by true love’s kiss.

Raised in hiding by 3 good fairies (voices of Verna Felton, Barbara Luddy and Barbara Jo Allen), Aurora grows up unaware of her royal heritage. On her 16th birthday, she unknowingly encounters Prince Phillip (voice of Bill Shirley), her destined true love. But before the curse can be stopped, Maleficent lures Aurora to a spinning wheel, and the curse is fulfilled.

To save her, Prince Phillip must battle Maleficent in the form of a fearsome dragon and ultimately awaken Aurora with a kiss, breaking the curse and restoring peace to the kingdom.

Themes

Separation from parents; danger and peril; fantasy violence; magical curses and spells

Violence

Sleeping Beauty has some violence. For example:

  • Aurora pricks her finger on a spinning wheel.
  • Prince Philip is restrained and guarded by Maleficent’s thugs.
  • The fairies bump each other to trick the guards while Prince Philip escapes.
  • Prince Philip uses a sword and shield to get past Maleficent’s thugs and into the castle.
  • As he fights the dragon Maleficent, Prince Philip almost falls off a cliff into raging dragon fire.
  • Prince Philip fights the dragon Maleficent and causes her death.

Sexual references

There are no sexual references in Sleeping Beauty.

Alcohol, drugs and other substances

Sleeping Beauty shows some use of substances. For example, the kings drink and sing a drinking song to celebrate the forthcoming marriage of their children. The minstrel also sneaks a few drinks and falls over drunk.

Nudity and sexual activity

Sleeping Beauty has some sexual activity. For example:

  • Prince Philip and Aurora share an intimate dance in the woods when they first meet.
  • Prince Philip kisses Aurora, and she wakes from the curse.

Product placement

There’s no product placement in Sleeping Beauty:

Coarse language

There is some coarse language in Sleeping Beauty, including ‘fools’, ‘idiots’, ‘imbeciles’ and ‘hell’. Also, the words ‘evil’ and ‘evil fairy’ are used to describe Maleficent.

Ideas to discuss with your children

Sleeping Beauty – inspired by Charles Perrault’s 1697 fairy tale and the Brothers Grimm’s 1812 beloved adaptation Briar Rose – is a classic Disney animation from 1959. The movie features musical numbers, animation that was cutting edge in the 1950, and a thematic exploration of good versus evil, along with love and bravery.

Because of its violence, scary scenes and themes, Sleeping Beauty is best suited to viewers aged 8 years and over.

These are the main messages from Sleeping Beauty:

  • Good will triumph over evil.
  • Love and courage will conquer adversity.
  • Perseverance, kindness, patience and hope can help us create our own destiny.

Values in Sleeping Beauty that you could reinforce with your children include empathy, unity, resilience, friendship, goodness, love, patience and bravery.

Sleeping Beauty could also give you the chance to talk with your children about real-life issues like:

  • kissing someone without their consent
  • seeking revenge instead of taking responsibility for your own part in a misunderstanding.

Supported By

Raising Children Network is supported by the Australian Government. Member organisations are the Parenting Research Centre and the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute with The Royal Children’s Hospital Centre for Community Child Health.

Member Organisations

Follow us on social media

Aboriginal flag (c) WAM Clothing
Torres Strait Islands flag
At raisingchildren.net.au we acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we live, gather and work. We recognise their continuing connection to land, water and community. We pay respect to Elders past and present.

© 2006-2026 Raising Children Network (Australia) Limited. All rights reserved.

Warning: This website and the information it contains is not intended as a substitute for professional consultation with a qualified practitioner.