Sleeping Beauty is not Sleeping Beauty’s Protagonist. Here’s why…

Nearly 60 years after its release, Walt Disney’s Sleeping Beauty is still adored by audiences; however, for all of the love and nostalgia that Sleeping Beauty continues to garner, something about the story structure…just seems odd and somewhat misleading.

Here’s a little secret: despite the film being named after her, Sleeping Beauty is not the protagonist of her own film.

Memories can subtly deceive us. Remember that time you whipped open the refrigerator, desperately seeking the orange juice you know you purchased three days ago, only to discover with great aghast that its home-sweet-home in the back corner behind the cheese is vacant. Doubts begin creeping in. Did someone else in this household snatch it from beneath your nose? Was it the victim of a mid-night thirst quench? Or…was there never really any OJ to begin with? Experience has been kind to remind me that the older one gets (usually coupled with some kids), the more one’s memory is like a fleeting wisp of cloud; beautiful when the light shines upon it just right, but too elusive to grasp.

So it was that earlier today I decided to introduce my flu-stricken toddler to Sleeping Beauty, a classic I remember watching at my Aunt’s house many years ago. That is, until I popped in the DVD and realized that hardly anything was familiar. Oh, a few moments tingled the back of the mind, such as the prince’s duel with the dragon-witch and the famous spell-breaking kiss (#spoilers), but beyond these few scenes, nothing else rattled the memory banks. Naturally, this got me wondering, “Had I ever really watched Sleeping Beauty before today?”

Sadly, this particular question is unlikely to be answered, but re-playing the film in my head trying to solve this inquiry caused me to reflect on a much more vital problem:

For a film titled “Sleeping Beauty”, the Sleeping Beauty herself (Princess Aurora) isn’t in many scenes.

Nor does she really do that much.

Over the last half century, have we misinterpreted the film’s title? Could it be that Sleeping Beauty herself is NOT the protagonist?

As Keisha from the classic 1990’s show “The Magic School Bus” would say, “Let’s look at the facts.”

6 Facts About Protagonists

Fact 1: The protagonist must have a strong desire that creates the backbone of the story.

While we meet Princess Aurora quite early on as a baby, we do not really get to know her until nearly sixteen years later when she is nestled safely away in a cottage abode, living the life of a peasant. Even then, the only thing we know about her is that she had a recent dream of true love, meets a stranger in the forest whom she instantly falls in love with, then despairs when the fairies inform her that she is actually a princess and simply cannot marry the lowly stranger from the woods. Her remaining journey consists of even more despair, sleeping death by spinning wheel, and ultimately awaking to true love’s kiss.

Fact 1 Check? Nope! Princess Aurora’s desire might be strong for her own character, but other than throwing a few wrinkles into the fairies’ lives, it influences the overall story very little.

Fact 2: The Protagonist’s actions must drive the story and plot forward.

Reality check: what is the actual plot of Sleeping Beauty? Ultimately, it is the battle for Princess Aurora’s life. Again, despite some teenage angst which makes life difficult for her protectors, she doesn’t take any actions which drive the plot to save her life. She doesn’t even know that she has been cursed.

Fact 2 Check? Nada! Aurora takes zero actions towards the plot that is protecting her life from an evil curse.

Fact 3: The Protagonist must react to something which shakes up his or her world, and then must choose to do something about it.

Come on, Princess, you can fulfill this one! Aurora definitely has her world shaken, when she is informed that she is a princess and is being returned to her parents. Her next action? Mope.

Fact 3 Check? I guess one could argue that the entire story is about Sleeping Beauty’s life being shaken topsy turvy, but since she is largely oblivious (#notherfault), she falls short of meeting this protagonist goal as well.

Fact 4: The protagonist must face a gut-wrenching truth or life-changing conflict (ideally halfway through the story), and then (if the story really knows what it is doing) redirect their course and take action.

If we wanna be honest, Fact 3 (the world shake-up) aligns closer to the moment where Princess Aurora is whisked away to the forest, and Fact 4 (gut-wrenching truth) is when she discovers 1) she is royalty, and 2) she cannot marry the stranger she just met.

Fact 4 Check? Regardless, she takes zero actions.

Fact 5: The protagonist must come to the worst moment of his or her life (or, at least the worst moment of the story at-hand), then choose to either take what they’ve learned and go-on to victory, or reject what they’ve learned and suffer defeat.

I hate using the word literally, but here goes: LITERALLY, the worst thing a protagonist can do is take no action, especially upon entering the third act. The protagonist must, must, must make a choice. Even the wrong choice will still give us a story to follow and a character to root for.

Fact 5 Check? Aurora’s action is to follow the mysterious, green light of Maleficent in the midst of her despair, en-route to pricking her finger on a spinning wheel. Sorry, doesn’t cut it.

Fact 6: The protagonist must face the antagonist in an epic showdown.

This showdown does not need to be physical. Nor does the hero even need to encounter an exact manifestation of his or her nemesis (for example, in Lord of the Rings, Frodo never confronts Sauron face-to-face. But he certainly faces the ring, which embodies the dark lord’s evil).

Fact 6 Check? Sorry, princess. Yes, you certainly “face” Maleficent when you’re wooed by a mysterious green light, but you have no idea that you are facing the one seeking your life.

Sure, we could make the argument that Princess Aurora might possibly, potentially, theoretically, fulfill one or two of these facts, but she cannot truly be Sleeping Beauty’s protagonist, despite the fact that her name graces the title. She’s not all that interesting of a character either, but that’s a discussion for a different time.

If Sleeping Beauty is not the protagonist, who is?

Our options are sparse:

• Prince Phillip
• The Three Fairies
• King Stefan

Let’s get the obvious one out of the way.

Protagonist Option One: King Stefan

King Stefan, along with his wife, has arguably the strongest desire in the entire film. His beloved and much longed-for daughter is 1) cursed, and 2) hidden away for sixteen years in order to avoid said-curse. His royal highness desperately loves his daughter, and his desire to keep her safe and have her returned to him permeates throughout the film. His world is without a doubt shaken up, and he takes action by agreeing to hide his daughter in the forest. Looking good so far!

Sadly, this is where poor King Stefan fails to meet the rest of the protagonist’s goals. He doesn’t face any other life-changing conflicts or truths throughout the story, nor do his remaining actions have any bearing on the plot.

Protagonist Option Two: Prince Phillip

Yay! A character who actually confronts conflict, makes decisions, suffers defeat, and rises to vanquish evil!We have a winner! Right?

Ehhhh….’tis true that good ole’ Phil appears in the opening scene as a wee lad, but let’s be honest, he only becomes important to the plot near the midpoint, when he meets and falls in love with a certain hidden-away princess. His desire to save the princess becomes integral to the plot, but this motivation does not arise until much too late into the film for the plot to truly be about him. Nearly everything else is there though. His world is shaken (when he meets the princess), he faces a reality check (defy royal tradition and pursue a peasant girl), and when all is lost in Maleficent’s dungeon, he rises to the occasion and battles for his love’s life. He’s essential to the latter half of the plot, but largely non-existent in the first. A shame, really.

Truth be told, a few alterations could transform this story into Prince Phillip’s tale. “Find Sleeping Beauty”. Next Disney remake?

Protagonist Option Three: The Good Fairies

Here’s where the plot gets interesting! Sure, the fairies are billed as sidekicks, mentors, and helpers, but could they, might they collectively be the elusive protagonists we are seeking? After all, they’re darn good at being sneaky (mostly).

Here goes:

1. The fairies have a terribly strong desire to keep Princess Aurora safe, which permeates throughout the entire film. Check!
2. The fairies actions have continual influence on the plot, as indicated by the various ways they try to keep Aurora safe and help Phillip break the spell. Check!
3. The fairies life is shaken when Maleficent casts that terrible spell on Aurora, and they subsequently determine to temporarily put aside their magic and live in solitude to hide the princess. Check!
4. Halfway through the story, the fairies use of magic causes Maleficent to discover where the Princess has been hiding, putting in motion the second half of the tale. More importantly to the fairies though, is when the Princess is aghast to discover that she is royalty, and therefore cannot marry the stranger from the woods. To the fairies, this is a moment of failure that nothing the previous 16 years could rectify. Check!
5. When the princess pricks her finger and the curse is fulfilled, the fairies could have simply despaired. Or, they could provide the Prince with the tools and help needed to defeat evil! Yeah! Check!
6. The fairies band together to face their nemesis head-on, and collectively defeat the dastardly Maleficent. Oh wait…or, they could help-out Prince Phillip. As they should. From the start, the fairies characters were never designed to take-out an evil witch. And this is a good thing. Their role is to protect, to show that truths such as love can conquer evil, and to help others defeat the evil at hand. Our beloved fairies do exactly what they are meant to do, and the film is better for it. No check.

Does this mean that we sadly do not have a protagonist to grace Sleeping Beauty? At least not one that fulfills ALL the traditional protagonist roles?

Or…did we overlook someone? Could Sleeping Beauty’s protagonist be hidden in the shadows, literally and figuratively?

You know where I’m going…

Is the protagonist Maleficent???

Full disclosure. A few years back, Disney made a prequel movie based on Maleficent. I’ve not seen this film, and it could be that Ms. Maleficent’s backstory film sets her up to be Sleeping Beauty’s protagonist. In that case, this analysis has been for naught, and feel free to comment below to let me know! In any case, I’m in the dark if this is true, and we’re just going to finish what we started too many words ago!

Comparing the 6 facts about protagonists to Maleficent:

1. Maleficent has an un-quenching desire throughout the entire film to see Princess Aurora eliminated. We aren’t told why she holds this awful grudge, but goodness knows she lets that nonsense ruin her life.
2. Maleficent’s actions hold the rest of the cast in check until her demise. From spending 16 years searching for the princess, to facing her enemies in a climactic duel, there ain’t no plot without Mali.
3. This bit takes place a wee bit before the story starts, as it is implied that Maleficent’s world is shaken when the Princess is born. Again, we don’t know why (really gotta watch the Maleficent movie to see if it sheds some light), but it causes her to retaliate and place a horrid, horrid curse on the little princess.
4. While she appears to take it well, you and me both know that Maleficent is furious when, halfway through the story, she realizes that her cronies have effectively been searching for the wrong person (a baby, rather than a teenager). She is forced to quickly adjust her methods by having her bird take the search reins.
5. Maleficent encounters a false victory when the Princess does indeed prick her finger and becomes Sleeping Beauty. The fairies make previous mention that Maleficent’s weakness is that she does not, cannot, understand what love is. While the film does not show Maleficent wrestling with this truth, any chance she has at redemption after the curse is complete is effectively annihilated. She subsequently faces these consequences when the prince valiantly fights back.
6. Unlike Sleeping Beauty herself, Maleficent knows who her enemies (self-made or not) are, and she herself leads Aurora to her doom and battles the Princess’s defender. All confrontations go through the evil witch.

If we followed this line of reasoning, Sleeping Beauty would be titled “The Tragedy of Maleficent”. But it’s not. There is a happily ever after. Good wins – as it should.

Does this mean that Sleeping Beauty is tragedy disguised as a fairy tale? Vice versa?

As difficult as this is to say about a film that is beloved as a classic and a tale of good vs. evil, the main problem with Sleeping Beauty is that it chose the wrong protagonist. Maleficent is too despicable for us to care about as a protagonist, but her character fits the bill closer than all the others. The fairies are mentors. Prince Phillip is mostly non-existent in the first half. And, sadly, Sleeping Beauty is simply boring.

Hopefully, when Disney produces the inevitable live action version Phillip and Aurora will be fleshed out, provided with deep meaningful desires, and given plot-driving actions that fuel us to wholeheartedly rooting for them as characters – not representations of what could have been. That’s a movie that would be worthy of the love and fame this tale receives..

P.S. A final note.

The filmmakers weren’t necessarily wrong to title their film Sleeping Beauty. Plenty of other movies utilize plot-points (Minority Report, Schindler’s List) or other characters (King Kong, The Lord of the Rings, Beetlejuice) to represent their story in title-form. Titles do not need to be reflective of the protagonist. But titles should fulfill these two points:

1. Titles should “sum-up” an important aspect of the story.

This is a bit subjective. J.R.R. Tolkien’s first published foray into Middle-Earth (The Hobbit) was titled after its hero, but the title of his second entry (The Lord of the Rings) reflected the antagonist. Considering that The Hobbit is a more light-hearted romp through Middle-Earth, whereas The Lord of the Rings is simply much darker with greater stakes, the respective titles are well-chosen (no one is going to disagree with Mr. Tolkien anyway :)).

2. Titles should entice potential audiences to read/watch further.

Please, no “click-bait”. Your detective-jewel-heist-comedy shouldn’t be named after a mythical jungle cat.I’m looking at you, Pink Panther.

Anyway, I assume that ripping away the protagonist title from Sleeping Beauty herself isn’t a very popular opinion, so share your thoughts! Do you agree on this assessment? What other movies have you seen that includes a suspicious title or questionable protagonist?