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Sleeping Beauty
Feb. 14th, 2020 07:28 am“So is Sleeping Beauty the first Disney movie to pass the Bechdel test?” I asked Julie, as we watched Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather bicker over Aurora’s birthday dress.
After some discussion we decided that Cinderella was probably the first, given all the conversations that Cinderella has with her stepmother about cleaning the grates etc, but Sleeping Beauty is the first one where the female characters conversing actually like each other.
IMO Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather are the real stars of this film: Aurora and Philip are pretty much just along for the ride in this titanic battle between the fairies. (Thought: maybe Maleficent’s curse on Aurora is motivated not just by general petty “you didn’t invite me to the christening” spite, but also “I’m mad at my fellow fairies and want to show them up in public” spite.) It’s all a big fairy chess match, and the humans are mere pawns!
...actually, that’s quite unfair to Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather, who are genuinely goodhearted and truly love Aurora (I’m still mad at the movie Maleficent for butchering Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather’s characters in order to make Maleficent look good), but I would 100% read a retelling that went the “fairy chess match” route.
But nonetheless, Philip could never have gotten out of that dungeon without Flora, Fauna, and Meriweather’s help. Plus, the fairies get all the best lines! Truly a case of the side characters stealing the show.
After some discussion we decided that Cinderella was probably the first, given all the conversations that Cinderella has with her stepmother about cleaning the grates etc, but Sleeping Beauty is the first one where the female characters conversing actually like each other.
IMO Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather are the real stars of this film: Aurora and Philip are pretty much just along for the ride in this titanic battle between the fairies. (Thought: maybe Maleficent’s curse on Aurora is motivated not just by general petty “you didn’t invite me to the christening” spite, but also “I’m mad at my fellow fairies and want to show them up in public” spite.) It’s all a big fairy chess match, and the humans are mere pawns!
...actually, that’s quite unfair to Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather, who are genuinely goodhearted and truly love Aurora (I’m still mad at the movie Maleficent for butchering Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather’s characters in order to make Maleficent look good), but I would 100% read a retelling that went the “fairy chess match” route.
But nonetheless, Philip could never have gotten out of that dungeon without Flora, Fauna, and Meriweather’s help. Plus, the fairies get all the best lines! Truly a case of the side characters stealing the show.
