Most of the official Disney Princesses are the leads of their respective movies, and as such, they have many scenes and lines – except one Disney Princess who debuted 66 years ago. Although Disney has produced various movies from different genres, styles, and for viewers of all ages, it’s still best-known for its animated movies. Among them is the select group of Disney Princesses, and while there aren’t official requirements for a character to join, they all share some key similarities, such as being royal, born royal, or doing a heroic deed, and having an animal sidekick.
The first Disney Princess was, of course, Snow White, followed by Cinderella in 1950 and Aurora from Sleeping Beauty. The latter, based on Charles Perrault’s 1697 fairy tale of the same name, made her Disney debut in 1959. Despite now being regarded as one of the most influential animated movies of all time and praised as one of Disney’s most artistically acclaimed movies, Sleeping Beauty was a box-office bomb during its initial release. Sleeping Beauty is now a beloved classic and Aurora an iconic princess, but she’s the one with the least amount of dialogue, though with good reason.
Sleeping Beauty’s Aurora Only Has 18 Lines Of Dialogue In The Whole Movie
Aurora Also Has Very Little Screen Time In Sleeping Beauty
Sleeping Beauty takes the audience to 14th-century Europe, as King Stefan and Queen Leah celebrate the birth of their daughter, Aurora. At her christening, the three good fairies – Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather – each bless baby Aurora with a gift. However, before Merryweather can grant Aurora her gift, the evil fairy Maleficent arrives. Angry that she wasn’t invited, Maleficent curses Aurora so that, on her 16th birthday, before the sun sets, she pricks her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and dies. Merryweather can’t undo the curse but uses her gift so that Aurora falls into a deep sleep instead of dying.
Sleeping Beauty saw Merryweather changing her original gift to Aurora thanks to Maleficent, leaving the question of what her gift was going to be.
Still, the fairies help the King and Queen keep Aurora safe for as long as they can so the curse won’t be fulfilled. As a result, Aurora grows up with the fairies in the forest, unaware that she’s royalty. Despite their best efforts, when Aurora returns to the castle on her sixteenth birthday, she pricks her finger as Maleficent planned and falls into a deep sleep, with only true love’s kiss able to break the spell. The only times Aurora gets to talk are while at the cottage on her birthday, when she’s picking up berries in the forest, and when she returns to the cottage.
Aurora gets her musical number while gathering berries, singing “Once Upon a Dream.”
In total, Aurora has 18 lines of dialogue in all 75 minutes of Sleeping Beauty, but it makes sense. Aurora is just a baby during the first part of Sleeping Beauty and then spends the whole third act asleep. Even after she wakes up and has her happy ending with Prince Phillip, Aurora doesn’t say a word. This makes Aurora the character who speaks less than any speaking main character in a feature-length Disney animated movie. Because of this, Aurora also has very little screen time in Sleeping Beauty, with only 18 minutes (via Empire).
Sleeping Beauty Has Another Sad Disney Record
Sleeping Beauty Marks A Sad Last In Disney History
Sleeping Beauty doesn’t just have the main character with the least amount of dialogue, but also the last princess created before Walt Disney’s death. Walt Disney oversaw the animated movies produced by his studio, serving as a producer on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty, as well as being credited as co-creator of some classic Disney characters. Walt Disney passed away on December 15, 1966, at the age of 65.
In total, Walt Disney was involved in 81 Disney-produced feature films.
Following Walt Disney’s death, the quality of the studio’s animated movies decreased, leading to some critical and commercial disappointments. The Disney Renaissance in the 1980s “revived” the studio with some big critical and commercial successes, beginning with The Little Mermaid in 1989. This makes Ariel the first princess created after Walt Disney’s death, also giving this princess an interesting but sad Disney record.
Source: Empire.
In Disney's take on the classic fairy tale, Princess Aurora has been cursed by the evil Maleficent to prick her finger and fall into a deep sleep on her sixteenth birthday. Despite the efforts of the three fairies who raised her, the curse is soon upon Aurora, but hope lies with the handsome Prince Phillip.
Release Date
January 29, 1959
Director
Clyde Geronimi
, Wolfgang Reitherman
Cast
Mary Costa
, Bill Shirley
, Eleanor Audley
, Verna Felton
, Barbara Jo Allen
, Barbara Luddy
, Bill Thompson
Custom Image by Ana Nieves
English (US) ·