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Comparison In Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty And Maleficent

Decent Essays

Sleeping Beauty and Maleficent
Walt Disney’s Sleeping Beauty story is widely considered one of Disney’s best traditional fairytales, and modern-day Disney executives decided to translate the entire story to live action. I’m going to be comparing the Disney storybook version of Sleeping Beauty, to the modern day, live-action film, Maleficent, highlighting differences and similarities.

In the Disney story, we don’t find out why Maleficent wished such a curse on Aurora. She just showed up at the celebration, and cursed the baby. The fairy, Merryweather, was able to soften the curse in the book, but in the film, Maleficent made it appear as if she was softening the curse, although she didn’t believe she was. In the film, Maleficent cursed Aurora because her father, now the king, had Maleficent deep in love with him since they were children. Aurora’s father had always dreamed about being the king, and when he got the chance to pursue this dream, he took it; breaking Maleficent’s trust and her heart. He took her most beloved possession from her - her wings. Maleficent Thought she had found true love, because on her 16th birthday, before the king had stolen her wings, he gave her true love’s kiss. After finding out that royalty was more important to Aurora’s father than she was, she began to believe that there was no such thing as true love. In the film Maleficent, there is a lot of background added to the story, whereas in Disney’s story Sleeping Beauty, there is virtually no background added to Maleficent’s character, or her intentions.
In Disney’s story and in the live action film, the three good fairies were sent into the forest, disguised as peasant women, to raise Aurora until the day after her 16th birthday. Aurora was raised with no knowledge of where she came from, or that she was the princess of the land; she was now named Briar Rose, for the sake of keeping her safe, and a secret. In the film, Maleficent watches over Briar Rose and begins to interact with her and care about her, and love her. In both the film and the storybook, a prince comes across Briar Rose, and they are instantly attracted to each other. It is soon time for the princess to return to the castle, and her parents. In the book, the

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