Sleeping Beauty (Disney)

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For other uses, see Sleeping Beauty (disambiguation).

Fandom
Name: Sleeping Beauty
Abbreviation(s): SB, SB1959
Creator: Walt Disney Pictures (production company)

Clyde Geronimi (director)

Erdman Penner, Hoe Rinaldi, Winston Hibler, Bill Peet, Ted Sears, Ralph Wright, Milt Banta (story)[1]
Date(s): 1959
Medium: animated film
Country of Origin: United States
External Links: Sleeping Beauty (1959) on IMDb, Sleeping Beauty (1959 film) on Wikipedia, Sleeping Beauty (1959) on Disney Films (Official Website)
Untitled (2011) by thedisneyprincess, a Sleeping Beauty edit
Click here for related articles on Fanlore.

Canon

Sleeping Beauty (1959) is a G-rated, 74-minute animated musical film adaptation of the The Sleeping Beauty in the Woods,[1] a fairy tale with origins dating back to at least the 14th century.[2]

Synopsis

The story begins on the christening day of Princess Aurora. The entire kingdom has been invited to celebrate, and the three Good Fairies—Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather—have come to give the newborn princess three magical christening gifts. Flora grants her the gift of beauty and Fauna grants her the gift of song, but before Merryweather is able to bestow the final gift, the wicked fairy Maleficent arrives. Insulted that she was not invited to the christening, she curses Aurora to die by the prick of a spindle before the sunset of her sixteenth birthday. Merryweather uses her christening gift to change the conditions of the curse so that instead of dying, Aurora will simply fall into an enchanted sleep, to be woken by true love's kiss.

In an attempt to protect her from Maleficent's wrath, the three Good Fairies then whisk Aurora away into the woods to raise her as a peasant in secret. This attempt is in vain, however: on her sixteenth birthday, Maleficent hypnotizes Aurora into pricking her finger on a spinning wheel and Aurora falls into a deep sleep. The three Good Fairies help Prince Phillip—who has been betrothed to Aurora since her birth, and whom Aurora coincidentally met and fell in love with earlier that day—defeat Maleficent. With Maleficent dead, Phillip kisses Aurora awake and they live happily ever after.[3]

Characters

  • Princess Aurora, who was called Briar Rose while living as a peasant, is a dreamy, romantic, playful sixteen-year-old girl. She is a popular subject for fanart and cosplay.
  • Maleficent, a wicked fairy of magnificent power.
  • Prince Phillip, a strong-willed and charismatic young man. Though his exact age is not stated in the film, he is seen as a child in Aurora's christening scene and therefore at least a few years older than she is.
  • Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather, the three Good Fairies who raise Aurora in the woods.
  • King Stefan and King Hubert, the fathers of Princess Aurora and Prince Phillip, respectively.
  • Queen Leah, Aurora's mother.

Adaptations, Spin-Offs, and Appearances in Other Media

Books

  • Disney After Dark (2004) and its sequels by Ridley Pearson, a middle grade science fiction novel about a group of teenagers who have to stop Disney's classic villains (including Maleficent) from taking over the park.
  • The Isle of the Lost (2015) and its sequels by Melissa de la Cruz, a spin-off novel starring the children of Maleficent, Jafar, Cruella De Vil, and the Evil Queen.
  • Once Upon a Dream (2016) by Liz Braswell, an official YA spinoff novel set in an alternate universe where Phillip's kiss fails to break Aurora's curse.
  • Mistress of All Evil (2017) by Serena Valentino, which retells the plot of Sleeping Beauty from the perspective of Maleficent.
  • City of Villains (2021) and its sequel by Estelle Laura, a "dark and edgy YA series" that "explores the reimagined origins of Maleficent, Ursula, Captain Hook, and other infamous Disney Villains."[4]
  • "The Missing Wands" (2021) by Erin Falligant, a short story from the Tales of Courage and Kindness anthology that stars Princess Aurora.
  • Once Upon a Scream (2022) by Vera Strange, a middle grade novel about a girl who pricks her finger on a spinning wheel and accidentally awakens Maleficent.
  • Prince of Thorns & Nightmares (2023) by Linsey Miller, which retells the plot of Sleeping Beauty from the perspective of Phillip.

Comics

  • Disney Princess (2016), an newspaper-style anthology comic book series featuring various princesses, including Aurora.
  • Disney Villains: Maleficent (2023), a four-issue comic series which features Maleficent in various stories prior to the events of the film.

Films

  • Keys to the Kingdom (2007), a direct-to-video animated short film where Aurora has to rule her parents' kingdom for two days on her own, with comical consequences. Included as a part of Disney Princess Enchanted Tales: Follow Your Dreams.
  • Maleficent (2014) and its sequels, a live-action reimagining of Sleeping Beauty from Maleficent's perspective.
  • Descendants (2015) and its sequels, a live-action Disney Channel original movie starring the children of various Disney villains and heroes. Part of the same franchise as The Isle of the Lost.
  • Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018) has Aurora appear alongside the other Disney Princesses.

Television

  • House of Mouse (2001), an animated televsion series set in Mickey Mouse's fictional cartoon dinner theater club. Many Disney characters appear as cameo guests, including characters from Sleeping Beauty. Maleficent also makes an appearance in Mickey's House of Villains (2002), a movie-length Halloween special.
  • Once Upon a Time (2011) features alternate universe versions of the characters from Sleeping Beauty. Notably, "Briar Rose" and "Aurora" are split into two different characters with Briar Rose taking the place of Queen Leah.
  • Sofia the First (2012) features Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather as recurring characters. Aurora also appears in one episode.
  • Lego Disney Princess: The Castle Quest (2023) is a direct-to-streaming television special featuring a few of the Disney princesses; Maleficent shows up in her dragon form as a temporary antagonist and eventual ally.

Video Games

  • Mickey Mousecapade (1987) features Maleficent as its final boss in the American release.
  • Kingdom Hearts (2002) and its sequels feature Maleficent as a main antagonist and the rest of the cast in minor roles. The world "Enchanted Dominion" is based off Maleficent's and Stefan's castles and the surrounding land.
  • Disney Princess: Magical Jewels (2007) stars Aurora as a playable character.
  • Disney Magic Kingdoms (2016) has Maleficent as its main antagonist.
  • Disney Twisted-Wonderland (2020), a Japanese mobile game set in a magical boarding school for villains; though no Sleeping Beauty characters appear directly, the Briar Valley homeland and its characters are loosely based off of the film.
  • Disney Mirrorverse (2022), a mobile role-playing game where the player must team up with alternate universe versions of Disney characters, including Aurora and Maleficent.

History of Fandom Activity

Much early internet discussion of Sleeping Beauty was centered around collecting Disney merchandise and planning meet-and-greets with face characters at the Disney parks. Various threads of this nature can be found in the archives of the rec.arts.disney.* and (to a lesser extent) alt.disney.* Usenet groups. The earliest archived thread discussing the film itself on Usenet dates 1995,[5] though earlier discussion may have existed but simply not have been recorded.

On August 13th, 2001, a public Yahoo! Groups mailing list/message board called "Sleeping Beauty's Castle" was created, which focused on general discussion about the film and which grew to 124 members[6] before the eventual Yahoo! Groups Content Purge in 2019. Another dedicated group called "Maleficent" was created in January 24th, 2005, which focused on trading, selling, and sharing photos of Maleficent-themed merchandise such as pins and Halloween costumes.[7] Discussion also took place in Disney-general Yahoo! Groups such as Disney_Freaks and on Disney-general forums like DIS boards (whose earliest indexed post referencing Sleeping Beauty dates February 23rd, 2000)[8], DK Forum, and Magical World of Disney.

A number of now-defunct fansites and shrine pages were also created in the late 90s and early 2000s. Most of these websites hosted curatorial information such as character biographies, quotes, film trivia, and information about the actors, writers, and animators who worked on the project, though a small number of them also hosted Sleeping Beauty fanworks. Sleeping Beauty's Tower, Mary's Sleeping Beauty Page, and Maleficent's Domain are a few examples of fanpages. At some point in 2002 or earlier, a user who went by the name The Queen Of The Universe created a webring called The Sleeping Beauty SiteRing.

The full historical scope of Sleeping Beauty's transformational fandom is especially difficult to assess. Some fans have recounted childhood experiences of writing fanfiction and drawing fanart of the film's characters before they were formally introduced to transformative works communities. In any case, it's fair to say that Sleeping Beauty fanfiction was relatively rare in the 1990s and early 2000s, especially compared to visual fanworks such as fanart and cosplay and to its popularity in collector- and parks-oriented spaces. Prior to 2008, Sleeping Beauty works on Fanfiction.net were categorized under Disney (Cartoons); in 2008, a specific category for Sleeping Beauty was created.

The release of Maleficent (2014) generated renewed interest in Sleeping Beauty (1959) as a subject for transformative fanworks. Between November 13th, 2013 (the release date of the first Maleficent trailer) and May 30th, 2015 (one year after the release of the film), the number of Sleeping Beauty fanworks on Archive of Our Own nearly doubled. Since then, the fandom has written and published fanfiction at a relatively steady rate. The increased availability of classic Disney films via their streaming platform and the increased mainstream popularity of fanfiction in general[9] may also contribute to why more Sleeping Beauty fanfiction is written now than in the past.

Both historically and now, sharing and discussion of Sleeping Beauty fanworks occurs more often in pan-Disney fandom spaces than in fandom spaces that are Sleeping Beauty specific. Though there are certainly fans who are interested in Sleeping Beauty as an independent franchise, there are many more who consider themselves members of Disney fandom in general or of Disney crossover subfandoms such as Disney Princesses, Disney Villains, and Non/Disney. Those looking for Sleeping Beauty fanworks will have the best luck browsing general Disney communities—for example, disney-heroines on DeviantArt, disneyfemslash on Tumblr, or The Disney Kink Meme on Livejournal/Dreamwidth.

Trends in Fanworks

In Fanart

Dream of Dawn (2014) by prince-bobbles. An example of thorns, stained glass imagery, and a variegated pink-and-blue dress.
  • Alternate costumes and redesigns: It is especially popular to draw Aurora in alternate outfits, though Maleficent, the three Good Fairies, and Phillip are common subjects, as well. Some notable sources of inspiration include historically-accurate period dress from the 14th and 15th centuries, special edition designs from official Disney toy lines, official costumes worn by Disney Parks face characters, costumes used for the characters in official adaptations and spinoffs, and real-world runway fashion.
  • Alternate universes: Modern AUs, mermaid AUs, ballerina AUs (as an homage to the Tchaikovsky ballet), and canon AUs such as dark!Aurora and knight!Aurora are especially popular.
  • Pink and blue: Instead of choosing between Aurora's pink design or Aurora's blue design, many fanartists opt to combine the two. Some popular tactics are to combine individual pink and blue elements in the same costume, to give the fabric a variegated pink-and-blue texture or pattern, to employ a gradient, to make Aurora's dress an animated gif that shifts between the two colors, or to dress her in purple (the color you get when you mix the two).
  • Green and purple: Since Maleficent is associated with green and purple, these colors are prominent in fanart featuring her. Dark!Aurora is often rendered in these colors, as well.
  • Thorns, roses, spinning wheels, stained glass, birds, and music notes are all popular motifs.
  • Landscapes and scenery inspired by the backgrounds and concept art of Eyvind Earle.

In Fanfiction

Twisted Princess: Aurora (2009) by jeftoon01. An extremely popular dark!Aurora fanart that inspired several works of fanfiction.
  • Canon rewrite: Given that the canon itself is an adaptation of a story with many different accepted versions, some Sleeping Beauty fans like to write fanfiction as if it is simply another "version" of the folktale, utilizing and ignoring elements from the film according to the author's needs.
  • Canon divergence: In particular, alternate first meetings between Aurora and other characters are popular.
  • Character redemption is a common trope in Maleficent-centric works. Some of these works borrow elements of her backstory presented in the 2014 Maleficent movie; others like to recontextualize her actions by giving her sympathetic motivations or by making the circumstances around the sleeping curse more politically complicated.
  • Darkfic: The themes and aesthetics of the film lend themselves easily to darker interpretations. Non-con somnophilia (drawing on the rape that occurs in the Basile version of the fairy tale), kidnapping, mind control, and forced marriage are all examples of tropes with some degree of prominence in Sleeping Beauty fandom. In these stories, fairy tale elements are often used as a source of horror. Maleficent's obsessive behavior toward Aurora is another common topic to explore, often with an emphasis on Aurora being underage.
  • Family-focused gen: Pastfic set during Aurora's childhood with her fairy guardians is relatively common, as is futurefic that explores her life as a princess and her relationship with her mother, father, fiancé, and sometimes her future children. Many of these stories are fluffy, though angst is not uncommon.
  • Feminist commentary and reinterpretation: Many stories in Sleeping Beauty fandom aim to explore the events of canon from a feminist point of view. Examples of topics include the emotional toll of an arranged marriage on a sheltered sixteen-year-old girl and the potential negative consequences of magically-enhanced beauty in a patriarchal society.
  • Identity issues: Aurora's feelings about unexpectedly transitioning from life as a peasant to life as a princess are a common theme.
  • Modern AU: These are typically mundane, all-human AUs, as well.
  • Romance: Shipfic is popular in Sleeping Beauty fandom. The most popular pairings are Aurora/Phillip (het) and Aurora/Maleficent (femslash). Fairytale romance, love at first sight, and true love's kiss are common tropes, for obvious reasons, though darker and/or more grounded interpretations are also popular. Some of these stories contain (or primarily consist of) smut.
  • Worldbuilding: Many stories like to expand on worldbuilding of the fairies, their magic, and/or the politics of the kingdoms.

Notable Pairings

Relationship Portmanteau Orientation Rarity Type
Aurora/Maleficent Malora F/F Common Non-canon
Aurora/Phillip Philora, Philrora F/M Common Canon
Aurora/Maleficent/Phillip None F/F/M Rare Non-canon
Leah/Maleficent None F/F Rare Non-canon
Leah/Stefan None F/M Rare Canon
Maleficent/Phillip None F/M Rare Non-canon
Aurora/Belle Bellora, Bellrora F/F Rare Crossover
Aurora/Cinderella Cinderora F/F Rare Crossover
Aurora/Snow White Snowrora F/F Rare Crossover
Maleficent/Evil Queen None F/F Rare Crossover
Maleficent/Hades None F/M Rare Crossover
Phillip/Prince Charming None M/M Rare Crossover

Relationship with Other Fandoms

With Maleficent (2014) Fandom

Untitled (2017) by theycallmeobsessed. An edit of the animated Maleficent and Aurora in their wardrobe from the live action film.

Reactions to Maleficent were mixed. Some fans were excited by the idea of a live-action Sleeping Beauty adaptation that did something novel with the story and characters, while others were disappointed that the new film would not stay faithful to the original. The softening of Maleficent's character was a particularly controversial decision; some fans of the 1959 movie felt that the changes were refreshing, while others likened her altered backstory to "bad fanfic"[10] that woobifies villains in order to make them more sympathetic.[11][12]

In any case, the announcement of the 2014 film generated a resurged interest in the 1959 fandom, and many fans create and consume fanworks for both. Details from the Maleficent films sometimes make their way into Sleeping Beauty fanworks—for example, the idea of Maleficent ruling over a domain called the Moors is sometimes present in fanworks for the 1959 fandom, and fanart and physical descriptions of Maleficent and Aurora sometimes pull inspiration from Angelina Jolie and Elle Fanning's portrayals of these characters even if these works are otherwise set in the 1959 continuity. Some fans write cross-tagged works that do not take place in either the 1959 or the 2014 continuity but rather in an alternate universe that uses elements of both.

As of March 20th, 2024, of the 857 works tagged Sleeping Beauty (1959) on Archive of Our Own, 90 were crosstagged as Maleficent (Disney Movies). The two fandoms also share their character and relationship tags on AO3, which some fans don't mind[13] but others find irritating.

With Wider Disney Fandom

The 1959 incarnations of Aurora and Maleficent are common subjects in Disney and Non/Disney crossover videos and MEPs. In terms of crossover shipping, Aurora is most frequently shipped with Belle, Snow White, and Cinderella while Maleficent is most frequently paired with Hades and the Evil Queen.

The trio of Snow White, Cinderella, and Aurora frequently appear together in fanart because they are the only three Disney Princesses to have been created in Walt Disney's lifetime. There are a number of fan-nicknames for this group, including "the Classic Disney Princesses," "the Original Trio," and "Walt's Girls."

Aurora is often cited as the least-liked Disney princess,[14] a fact which is sometimes lamented by her fans. Maleficent, conversely, is considered one of the most popular Disney villains.

Sleeping Beauty AUs

Untitled (2022) by onyxstone14. A Nobara/Maki (Jujutsu Kaisen) Sleeping Beauty AU inspired by the 1959 film's concept art.

Fairy tale AUs that feature a sleeping curse and true love's kiss can and do pull from a number of sources, including the Perrault, Brothers Grimm, and Basile versions of the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale and from similar tales such as Snow White and/or The Glass Coffin. Nevertheless, Sleeping Beauty (1959) is a prominent inspiration, and many of these stories incorporate details specific to the Disney version, like the cursed character being hidden in the woods and taken care of by fairies.

Examples of works with clear Disney influence include:

Feminist Discussion

Untitled (2012) by feministdisney

The issue of feminism and the messaging of the Disney Princess franchise—and of Sleeping Beauty in particular—has been an enduring topic of disscussion in both fannish and non-fannish spaces for years. It has been touched on by mainstream geek and entertainment publications like The Mary Sue,[15] HuffPost,[16] and Collider.[17] Between the years 2011 and 2021, waltdisneyconfessions recieved 22 anonymous confessions pertaining to the feminist or anti-feminist nature of Disney's Sleeping Beauty. Parody works and memes by fans poking fun at the film's percieved anti-feminist themes are common, as are essays and discussion that come to the film's defense.

Some points raised include Aurora's lack of agency and conformity to patriarchal standards of femininity, the problematic implications of Phillip kissing Aurora while she's asleep, and the presence of Flora, Fauna, Merryweather, and Maleficent as strong female characters:

My go-to mental image for a classic Disney princess who lacks agency has always been Aurora from Sleeping Beauty. Here’s a girl who is betrothed and then cursed as an infant, is whisked away to the woods and hidden from her past (seriously, how is she supposed to be cautious of spinning wheels if she doesn’t know they’re a danger to her?), finally meets someone her age in the woods but doesn’t get the chance to find out of she likes him because she has to find out she’s a princess and go to the palace, right then and there, doesn’t even get to make the careless mistake of pricking her finger by her own hand because she’s put under a spell to climb the stairs and find a spinning wheel, is literally asleep through the climax of the film, is rescued by a forced first kiss, discovers she’s conveniently betrothed to the guy she met in the woods, and by the conventions of her society and of princess movies she’s expected to suddenly be in love with him without the “getting to know you” phase. And through it all, she doesn’t even get to pick if her dress is blue or pink![18]

At first glance, this doesn't really look like a feminist movie. The titular character is a damsel in distress who needs to be rescued, and she is often cited as one of the worst Disney princesses (or at least is pretty low on Disney princess ranking lists).

But take a closer look. Within the first six minutes of the movie, we're introduced to three incredibly powerful women who each have their own personality (Flora is a practical, well-meaning leader, Fauna is kind, gentle, and caring, and Merriwether is impulsive and emotional) and are respected by the king and queen. When Aurora is cursed, these same fairies give up their lives and magic for sixteen years to raise her and keep her safe, all out of the goodness of their hearts. Then, when Maleficent captures Philip, they risk their lives to save him, and give him the tools he needs to defeat her. Again, these ladies weren't promised anything in return, and didn't even expect a thank-you (sorry, I just really love these characters).

Now let's look at the antagonist. This lady walks into a room and everyone freezes in terror. The queen calls her "your Excellency". While the king isn't scared of her (he orders his soldiers to capture her), every other man we see up close is outright TERRIFIED. She has magical powers and commands a goblin army, sure, but she's clearly earned a reputation for being someone you don't want to mess with. Not to mention that she put a deadly curse on a newborn because she wasn't invited to a party. She is easily twice as powerful as any male Disney villain who'd appeared before her (the only ones that come to me are Jafar and Hades, but we wouldn't see them for roughly thirty-five years).[19]

Anyway, I don't think Sleeping Beauty is an actually feminist movie. There are sorts of hinky issues here: Aurora's mother gets one line, and no name; Aurora's first (and thus coded most important) fairy gift is beauty; and regardless of the fact that it will break the spell, Aurora still hasn't given consent to be kissed.

But. We've also got a movie where the most interesting and developed characters on the side of good are three middle-aged women with little wings who like to make ugly, violent things into pretty shining ones. Philip may strike the fatal blow, but Flora, Fauna and Meriweather are the unequivocal heroes of the piece - in fact, they're probably the protagonists.

The trope of older women necessarily and cheerfully making sacrifices ("No magic! For sixteen years!") for the benefit of others isn't particularly enlightened. However, the fairies are not passive, but active participants in the protection of their "Briar Rose". Older women, as the heroes! Plump older women with their grey hair and their tiny hands, facing down the bad guy! That's pretty incredible, for 1959 and today.[20]

Fanworks

Banners and Icons

Cosplay

Doll Customization/OOAK

Edits, Gifsets, and Manips

Fanart

Fancrafts

Fanfiction

  • Despair (2006) by tdei. 528 words, gen. Introspective oneshot over the curse activation scene from Rose's POV.
  • Maleficent Beauty (2008) by Creme Brulee on their personal website. 28 pages, Aurora/Maleficent. A Conqueror/Sleeping Beauty crossover... a Xenaverse fairy tale.
  • Deep in the forest] (2009) by TheCursedPrincess91. 1,317 words, gen. Siendo niña, Aurora sale a pasear por el bosque y se encuentra con alguien especial…
  • Inside Every Princess is an Evil Queen (2010) by Alithea. 4,713 words, gen. AU and Crossover. Maleficent is depressed about the state of villains in the Magic Kingdom. Princess Aurora is depressed with her lack of a roll as a heroine. The two find that perhaps the answer to their problems will come with the simple act of change.
  • Arouse and Arouse (2011) by casper. 417 words, Aurora/Phillip. He wishes to awaken the princess with a certain kiss.
  • Propitious (2012) by afterandalasia. 1,464 words, gen. The fae are ancient creatures indeed. There was a time when 'pink' and 'blue' could mean life and death, and Fauna grew angry with her sisters' squabbles controlling humans so. When she dared to call for 'green', however, she did not know what she was about to unleash on the world. / The story of how Maleficent came to be, and how Aurora and Philip were the last of the toys with which the fae played.
  • Maleficence: n., harmfulness or mischief (2013) by elfhawk3. 1,938 words, gen. What Disney doesn't tell you is there is no such thing as a good fairy.
  • Songbird (2014) by superfluouskeys. 39,356 words, Aurora/Maleficent. “My plan was quite simple,” said Maleficent. “I would have you wonder, instead, at the machinations of your three fairy guardians. It was they who hid you here in plain sight, they who told you nothing of the world, of your fate.” She scoffed. “I could have crushed you like an insect. I could have bent you to my will in the span of an hour.” / Briar Rose looked up at her, frightened but resolute. “Then why didn’t you?”
  • This is Not a Waltz (2016) by OzQueen. 6,163 words, Aurora/Phillip. Aurora just wants to know she could fight back if she needed to -- if she was given the chance. Phillip agrees to teach her, and it's just as well…
  • Dream a Little Dream of Me (2023) by Highsmith. 1,024 words, gen. When she wakes up the dream's already turned to ash. / Outside the nearest window dawn would be peeking over the trees were the Forbidden Mountain not looming in the distance.

Fanmixes

Fanpoetry

Fanvids

Meta

Links and Resources

Archives

Blogs

Fansites

Journal Communities

Other Social Media Communities

Wikis

Other Links

Gallery

References

  1. ^ a b Sleeping Beauty (1959) on Disney movies. Website, retrieved March 30th, 2014.
  2. ^ Alex Reif, From the Vault: The History of “Sleeping Beauty”. Laughing Place, October 6th, 2014.
  3. ^ Sleeping Beauty: Synopsis on Turner Classic Movies. Website. Accessed March 30th, 2024.
  4. ^ City of Villains on Disney Books. Website, retrieved February 18, 2024.
  5. ^ Jessica Duff, Why Maleficent is better than Ursula. Usenet post on rec.arts.disney via Usenet Archives, September 5th, 1995.
  6. ^ Sleeping Beauty's Castle - A place to talk about Sleeping Beauty. Yahoo! Groups info page. Capture taken October 26th, 2020.
  7. ^ Maleficent. Yahoo! Groups info page. Capture taken October 24th, 2020.
  8. ^ ChessyCat02 replying to a thread titled "Who's your favourite Disney character?" Forum post, February 23rd, 2000.
  9. ^ Mikaella Clements, From Star Trek to Fifty Shades: how fanfiction went mainstream. The Guardian, August 8th, 2018.
  10. ^ Anonymous posting in hms_anon, "this sounds like bad fanfic." Dreamwidth comment, April 17th, 2014.
  11. ^ Anonymous posting in fail_fandomanon, "I want to like this, but it sounds like it has my least favorite tropes when writers want to make a villain sympathetic." Dreamwidth comment, May 16th, 2014.
  12. ^ Anonymous posting in fail_fandomanon, "Maleficent felt very much like a fanfic of Sleeping Beauty that went, "What if the villain was just a misunderstood woobie?" Dreamwidth comment, March 21st, 2022.
  13. ^ Anonymous posting in fail_fandomanon, "The Maleficent movie happened, so now there are two incompatible versions of Maleficent/Aurora filed under the same ship tag." Dreamwidth comment, January 8th, 2022.
  14. ^ For example, see responses to the "Princess Challenge" on Tumblr.
  15. ^ Kimberly Terasaki, The Early Disney Princesses Don’t Deserve All This Hate. The Mary Sue, August 20th, 2023.
  16. ^ Joy Martin-Malone, Why Drag Queens Are Better Role Models Than Disney Princesses. The Huffington Post, September 29th, 2016.
  17. ^ William Fischer, This One Major Disservice 'Maleficent' Does to 'Sleeping Beauty' Still Stings. Collider, April 15th, 2023.
  18. ^ surprisedisneyfeminism-blog, "Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather: Feminist Trifecta." Tumblr post, November 11th, 2014.
  19. ^ SapphireLion15 in r/movietheories, Disney's Sleeping Beauty is Secretly a Feminist movie Reddit post, 2022.
  20. ^ karenhealey, Sleeping Beauties: Disneyfication Dreamwidth post, November 17th, 2012.