Aurora (Disney)

Princess Aurora
Aurora in her ball gown.
First appearance	Sleeping Beauty (1959)
Last appearance	Maleficent (2014)
Created by	Charles Perrault Marc Davis (supervising animator)
Voiced by	Mary Costa (original film) Erin Torpey (speaking, sequels/some merchandise) Cassidy Ladden (singing, sequels) Christie Houser (singing, studio) Jennifer Hale (speaking, House of Mouse, Kingdom Hearts, merchandise, games, currently) Kazumi Evans (singing, currently)
Information
Aliases	Briar Rose
Species	Human
Gender	Female
Occupation	Princess
Title	Sleeping Beauty
Family	King Stefan (father) Queen Leah (mother)
Spouse(s)	Prince Phillip
Nationality	English

Princess Aurora is a fictional character and the title character from Disney's 1959 animated film Sleeping Beauty. 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 which is the title of the German version by the Brothers Grimm. Aurora was first voiced by Mary Costa in the 1959 film. Erin Torpey took over in the sequels and was later replaced by Jennifer Hale. Aurora is the third member of the Disney Princess line.

Created by Walt Disney and animated by Marc Davis, Aurora is the princess of the fictional English kingdom and the only daughter of King Stefan and Queen Leah. At birth was predicted by the fairies: a beautiful voice and beauty, but she was cursed by the evil fairy Maleficent that on the day of her sixteenth birthday she will prick her finger on a spinning wheel's spindle and die. Only to have the spell be altered to a deep slumber by the third remaining good fairy, in which she would awaken from this sleep by Prince Phillip's True Love kiss, with whom she was betrothed at birth.

Development

The original character design of Aurora was done by Tom Oreb, who modeled the princess after the elegant, slender features of actress Audrey Hepburn. Aurora's lead animator, Marc Davis, who previously animated Cinderella, working with sketches Oreb finished the appearance and clothing of the heroine, so that they blend with the angular forms background images. In "Sleeping Beauty", he also animated wicked Maleficent.

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 Anita in One Hundred and One Dalmatians and Cinderella.

According to Christopher Finch, author of The Art of Walt Disney:

“

Disney insisted that all scenes involving human characters should be shot first in live-action to determine that they would work before the expensive business of animation was permitted to start. The animators did not like this way of working, feeling it detracted from their ability to create character. [...] [The animators] understood the necessity for this approach and in retrospect acknowledged that Disney had handled things with considerable subtlety.

”

Costume design for the Aurora engaged Alice Davis, which was the wife of animator Marc Davis (until his death in 2000). This was the first work in the studio Alice Disney, during which she became the wife of Mark Davis (1956).

Voice

Once, Mary Costa (voice of Aurora) attended a party with her future husband, director Frank Tashlin, where she happened to connect with the right people, and soon found herself auditioning for the part of Princess Aurora, where for about three years conducted an audition on the role of Aurora. With a voice of character at the singer started having problems: since Mary Costa was from the south, she talked with the appropriate accent, and she had to speak-up at the British, so the southern accent had to get rid of.

Characteristics

Aurora is a 16-year old maiden with long golden blonde hair, rose red lips, violet eyes, and a fair complexion. Aurora is best described as sweet, naive, playful, and refined. She doesn't like the fact that the fairies won't let her meet anybody and often longs to meet new people and do new things. Aurora is heartbroken when she learns she must never see the handsome stranger again. But, as she is still naive about the world, she returns to her parents' palace, since she still believes her "aunts" know what's best for her.

Costumes

As Briar Rose, Aurora wears a house dress consisting of a gray skirt, a black bodice, and a cream-colored blouse. She also wears a purple shawl and a black headband. Later, she wears a hooded blue stole.

Finally, Aurora wears her ball gown that the three fairies made her for the ball. Aurora's ball gown features a petal-style peplum and long triangular mitts for the arms. Flora and Merryweather argue over the color being blue or pink, but Aurora's ball gown is finally pink as the storybook closes, so Flora wins. Aurora also wears pink stiletto heels, a gold choker, and a gold tiara.

In Disney Princess Enchanted Tales: Follow Your Dreams, Aurora wears a pink gown similar to her signature ball gown, along with her usual stiletto heels, choker, and tiara. At bedtime, she wears a powder blue nightgown with a matching headband, and uses the wand to briefly turn it into a gold bouffant gown with a matching necklace, earrings, and tiara.

Appearances

Sleeping Beauty

Main article: Sleeping Beauty (1959 film)

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 evil 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 which only True Love's Kiss could break. Concerned, the three good fairies take Aurora to a secluded cottage in the forest 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 who is betrothed to her, 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 breaks into tears. The three fairies exit the room they secretly entered so as to let the princess have a few moments alone. Aurora suddenly sees a floating spark of light cast by Maleficent and, in a trance, follows the spark through the back of the fireplace and up a staircase to an abandoned empty room to a spinning wheel that was conjured up. 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 is then put in a bed by the fairies where she can sleep peacefully within the highest tower. To prevent further hurt in the kingdom, the fairies put the whole kingdom to sleep. They discover from King Hubert that his son Prince Phillip was the man in the forest that Aurora had met and he's walking into 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 where Aurora slumbers and kisses her on her lips; she wakes up from the spell and smiles. They dance at the ball announcing her betrothal.

Disney Princess Enchanted Tales: Follow Your Dreams

Main article: 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 giant chickens, green pigs, and brown cows appear, one of the brown cows chases 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 and she is shown as the main protagonist.

In other media

Princess Aurora appears in the Kingdom Hearts 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. In Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, the same events from the 1959 film occurred until Terra arrives at the Enchanted Dominion. By that time, Aurora has already been placed in a deep slumber under the influence of the curse laid by Maleficent. When Terra reaches the tower and meets Maleficent, she uses the darkness in his heart to temporarily take control of his body and forces him to take Aurora's heart. Her heart was kept in Maleficent's castle until Ventus comes to retrieve it with the three fairies. Although her heart returned, the curse is not broken. Prince Phillip eventually escapes with Aqua's aid and reaches the tower where he kisses Aurora and breaks the spell.

A live-action version of Aurora is a recurring character in the second season of the television series, Once Upon a Time and she is portrayed by Sarah Bolger. Oddly, Aurora is found sleeping in a desert palace and her clothing bears a Middle Eastern flavor (apart from her tiara, which looks Elven) She is actually the second" Sleeping Beauty" in the series while her mother, the original "Sleeping Beauty", was afflicted with the same curse by Maleficent years before.

Aurora will be played by Elle Fanning in the upcoming film, Maleficent.

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.^{[citation needed]} The iconic castle in Disneyland is called the Sleeping Beauty Castle. 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 2013, 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.

Princess Aurora is an official member of the Disney Princess line, a prominent franchise directed at young girls. The franchise covers a wide variety of merchandise, including but not limited to magazines, music albums, toys, video games, clothes and stationery.

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.

Reception and legacy

Aurora has received generally mixed reception. Variety praised Mary Costa's "rich and expressive" vocal performance, accrediting it with giving the character "substance and strength". Rob Burch, of Hollywood News, found Aurora to be a "naive but well-rounded character". Bosley Crowther of The New York Times was fairly mixed in his review of the character, criticizing her overall similarity to Snow White. Crowther wrote, "The princess looks so much like Snow White they could be a couple of Miss Rheingolds separated by three or four years."

Time Out gave the character a fairly negative review, describing her as "a delicate, vapid princess". Entertainment Weekly's Steve Daly did not find Aurora to be "as much fun as the three fussy-old-lady fairies". Mary Costa, the original voice of Aurora, said that she was not fond of the way that the character was written in Disney Princess Enchanted Tales: Follow Your Dreams and also felt that the story did not work. However, Aurora is one of the most popular princesses, being the second to appear in most of the marketing in the Disney princess franchise, tied up with Belle, and behind Cinderella.

External links

• Aurora at the Internet Movie Database
• Aurora at the Disney Wiki
• Aurora at Disney Princess