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Age Guide5+
MPAA RatingG
Year1959
Runtime1h 15m
StudioWalt Disney Productions
DirectorClyde Geronimi
Cast
Mary CostaEleanor AudleyVerna FeltonBarbara LuddyTaylor Holmes
AnimationFantasyFamilyRomance
Sleeping Beauty
1959
A princess is cursed to sleep forever by an evil fairy and can only be awakened by true love's kiss.
Content Guide
⚔️
Violence & ScarinessMild
Violence & Scariness
💬
LanguageNone
Language
👀
Sex & NudityNone
Sex & Nudity
🍷
SubstancesNone
Substances
😱
Frightening ScenesMild
Frightening Scenes
💚
Positive MessagesSome
Positive Messages
⭐
Role ModelsSome
Role Models
What's in this movie
- •Maleficent transforms into a terrifying dragon
- •The hero battles the dragon in a deadly sword fight
- •Aurora is cursed and falls into a magical sleep
- •Dark supernatural imagery
🌍 Cultural & Representation Concerns
Low
- •Aurora is unconscious for the majority of the film and is kissed by a prince she barely knows while asleep — a depiction that normalizes non-consensual romantic contact.
- •The villain Maleficent is coded as dark, foreign, and other compared to the fair, passive heroine.
Educational Value
Stunning traditional animation and a memorable villain. Best viewed with discussions about female agency and the nature of 'true love.'
💬 Pause & Talk — Discussion Topics
- 1.Aurora is barely awake for her own story — what does that say about how women's roles were depicted at the time?
- 2.Is Maleficent's anger understandable, even if her response is wrong?
- 3.What would the story look like if Aurora saved herself?