Princess Aurora

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.[1] and Her Three Children are Ally,Brandon & Chris

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 worked with Oreb to sharpen her features and clothes so that they would blend with the backgrounds' angular shapes.[1]

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.[2]

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 the character. [...] [The animators] understood the necessity for this approach and in retrospect acknowledged that Disney had handled things with considerable subtlety." [3]

Sleeping Beauty
Main article: Sleeping Beauty (1959 film) Princess Aurora was born to 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 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 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
Main article: Disney Princess Enchanted Tales: Follow Your Dreams At 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 to the party. Later on, the clumsy majordomo, Lord Duke, helps her sign the forms and reviews what she has found. There is a speech sheet with a gold 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 Lord 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, Duke (who was sent out of the castle walls by a cow), 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.

The Princess and the Pauper
For many years, there was a good and wise king, who ruled with peace and compassion in every corner of town. The people of London prospered and were very happy. Until one day, the good king fell ill, and darkness fell on England. As the King grew weaker, his captain of the guard, Maleficent, a ruthless and greedy man, plundered and terrorized all of England, and worst of all, he did it in the name of the king. Until one day...

Briar Rose, Jaq, and Pongo are three beggars trying to get money for some food. Briar Rose and Pongo try selling firewood for the winter, while Jaq sells flavored snow, but they are all unsuccessful.

After singing a song expressing their dreams of "living like a king", Captain Maleficent's carriage passes, having stolen much food from the people of London, and burying the three heroes in the snow. The hungry Pongo sees a sausage stand out from the carriage and begins to chase, pursuing it into the castle of the king. Briar Rose knocks on the door to get his dog back, and one of the soldiers opens the door and lets him in, mistaking him for the Princess.

Maleficent scolds the soldier for letting anyone in, pointing out where the real Princess is the color pink. : taking his classes with his boring teacher, Tigger. The teacher teaches the Princess about trigonometry, while the latter looks out the window at the children playing in the snow. The Princess, being discovered by his teacher, is mocked by his valet, White Rabbit. The Princess plays at provoking White Rabbit, while the teacher is distracted while writing on the blackboard, to the point that White Rabbit hits, unwittingly, the teacher, resulting in the teacher sending White Rabbit out of the room, returning both to their boring studies. But the Princess soon hears a commotion outside: it is Captain Maleficent, who is roughly handling Briar Rose and Pongo. The Princess orders them to be brought to him right away. Maleficent kicks Aurora through the door and kicks Pongo out of the castle.

Briar Rose, astonished to be in the king's palace, inadvertently knocks over many suits of armor, with one of the helmets falling on both his and the approaching Princess's heads. The two Aurora's are surprised to see that they are entirely alike in appearance. The Princess tells the beggar that he is bored with his life: getting up early, studying all day, with every night parties and banquets, and then go to bed early. So, when looking at the two in the mirror and realize that they can exchange a costume and take the role of the other, the Princess reassures the beggar saying that to rule that requires only two things: "What a splendid idea, good thing I thought of it!" and "Guards, seize him!", and if there are any problems, everyone will recognize the true Princess with his real ring. The Princess, disguised as a beggar, down the window, fooling Captain Maleficent, who believes he is the beggar. Maleficent throws the "beggar" out with a catapult. The Princess meets Briar Rose's friends Jaq and Pongo but does not recognize them at all.

Meanwhile, Briar Rose is challenged with the Princess's studies, such as chemistry, where the formula explodes in White Rabbit's face, and falconry, where he is chased by the falcon. While the Princess is trying to make a Dog play with him by throwing a Bone bone, all that does is make a group of dogs chase him in anger. After getting away, the Princess sees a couple of soldiers trying to steal a Chicken from Belle and her two children, saying it is for the king. But the Princess in disguise orders them to return the chicken. The soldiers throw a pumpkin over him for a crown and leave, not believing he is the true Princess. Children help him get up and explain that for years the soldiers take away their food and belongings in the name of the king. But a carriage, which carries food stolen from the village, goes by, and the Princess stops it, showing the real ring. All bow to the Princess as he returns their food. But the soldiers, who had been called by the man driving the carriage, try to stop the Princess, accusing him of fraud. The Princess escapes with a little help from the other commoners, especially Jaq. Meanwhile in the castle, one of the soldiers tells Maleficent that one of the beggars had the royal ring. Maleficent is alarmed knowing then that the Princess was cast out, and may see the corruption and theft going on outside. The soldier mocks Maleficent saying that he (Maleficent) is going to be punished dearly for it, but Maleficent answers that he won't if the Princess never returns.

The beggar, dressed as the Princess, is called by Tigger and told that he must see his "father", who is now dying. Briar Rose enters the room of the dying king but does not have the heart to tell him that he is not the real Princess. Instead, as the sick king tells him he must take his royal birthright and become king, he sadly promises. Shortly afterward, the king dies. Aurora knows the true Princess must be found as quickly as possible, but Captain Maleficent arrives behind him and threatens Briar Rose to be crowned king at his orders, revealing that he had captured Aurora's dog Pongo as a hostage.

Meanwhile, the true Princess hears the bells announcing the death of his beloved father. Knowing that he should be king, the Princess decides to return immediately to the palace. But Maleficent appears and manages to capture him and puts him into jail along with White Rabbit, while the coronation begins. The beggar does not want to be king, but behind the curtain, Maleficent is strangling Pongo. The Princess orders the guard to let them leave, but he refuses to obey. A dark figure walks up the stairs: a hooded man armed with an ax. The guard believes the man is the executioner, but the man trips and accidentally knocks out the guard. Then he removes the hood: it is Jaq. Jaq tries to figure out which key opens the cell while the other soldiers arrive. In a panic, White Rabbit finds the key to the cell, and the three flee to the coronation chamber.

The beggar, struggling not to be crowned, finally stops the archbishop, and orders the guards to arrest Maleficent. But Maleficent defends himself by pointing to the beggar as an impostor.

The Princess arrives in time before they kill the beggar and makes his entrance. The Princess and Captain Maleficent duel as many other soldiers are defeated by Jaq's clumsiness and White Rabbit's cowardice. Finally, the Princess cuts Captain Maleficent's trousers loose, causing them to fall down and reveal Maleficent's underpants: a frilly, lacy pair of white panties with red heart prints. Maleficent tries to hold his trousers up during his attempt to escape from a large chandelier that has fallen and entangled some soldiers but is tripped up by Briar Rose and the Princess, causing him to fall down. With his trousers down and his ruffled panties fully displayed, Captain Maleficent becomes entangled with the soldiers in the fallen chandelier that ends up rolling out of a large glass window and dropping down out onto the streets below.

Briar Rose and the Princess then cheer because of their successful collaboration in defeating Captain Maleficent. The archbishop is confused and does not know who to crown until Pongo recognizes the beggar, and the Princess shows his ring.

The Princess is crowned King of England, and with Briar Rose and Jaq at his side, rules for many years with justice and compassion for all.

Kingdom Hearts
Main article: Kingdom Hearts Princess Aurora (オーロラ・ローズ Arōra Rozu?) 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 that 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 is fulfilled, Maleficent hypnotizes 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 game's credits, she is seen dancing with Phillip while Flora and Merryweather continue to argue over the color of her dress.

Kilala Princess
Main article: Kilala Princess.

Princess Aurora also appears in the Japanese fantasy/romance manga, Kilala Princess. 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, Snow White, Cinderella, Ariel, Belle, and Jasmine.

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.[citation needed]

Attractions
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 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.[4]

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.[5] 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 on television and often sold later as a recorded performance on video.

Trivia

 * Aurora is the third Disney princess after Snow White from 1937 and Cinderella from 1950.
 * Aurora is the third Disney Princess to get married after Snow White from 1937 and Cinderella from 1950.