Mandy Reads Fairytales: Sleeping Beauty

We are taking on one of Mandy’s childhood icons today, and we will probably be ruining this girl’s childhood for life probably since I have never read the childhood story. I’m scared, y’all..

 This week, we will be taking on…

😴 Sleeping Beauty! 😴

Disney’s Sleeping Beauty is loosely based on the story by Charles Perrault, so I searched the Internet to find me a copy of it to see just how much they relate. There are actually quite a few different versions of Sleeping Beauty, and the Grimm Brothers actually took it on too. I do remember hearing there was one that got REALLY hardcore at the end, so I’m a bit scared to see which one is which.

Here’s a short premise of the story:

The Sleeping Beauty in the Woods, is a classic fairy tale about a princess that is cursed to sleep for a hundred years by an evil fairy, where she would be awakened by a handsome prince.

This is definitely one of the only stories that I’ve gone fully blind in, since I haven’t had a chance to read any of the originals. I assume the premise is a bit like the Disney movie: princess, fairies, finger pricking, sleeping to be awakened with a kiss, and evil fairy. I did do a tiny bit of research beforehand, and I discovered that Basile’s version was the one that brought the MAJOR darkness (trigger warning for rape), and Perrault’s does not include the trigger, thankfully. But dear gosh. Why were Fairytales so much back in the dayyyyyyy.

Shall we go over all the ways that this OG fairytale is not the Disney goodness and gets a little crazy? Let’s bring out the bullet points!

• So we start off with the king and queen not being able to have kids and making all these wishes and vows, etc. and then all of a sudden, there’s a baby and this is already anticlimactic af since we just solved a big problem in one paragraph without any explanation of how.
• There is a christening to be held! Alllllllllllllll of the fairies in the land are coming – oh, okay, there is only seven?? Well, I mean, THIS BOOK KEEPS LETTING ME DOWN WITH BIG LEAD UPS.
• Them fairies are gonna bestow gifts on the princess because it’s required, which I mean, kind of odd requirement but kk sure.
• So, they are having a dinner party now and LE GASP, they see an “aged fairy” come in who hadn’t been invited to the partayyyy because apparently she hasn’t come out her tower in like 50 years, so this will be my life apparently in like 5 years. I’mma be barging into parties that peeps forgot to invite me too because they forgot I exist because I’m too busy living the cocoon life while I’m binge reading the next great series.

• “The old creature believed that she was intentionally slighted, and muttered threats between her teeth.” <– sounds legit.
• Also, like, this is sounding actually really close to Disney’s so far, and I AM SO SHOCKED Y’ALL. WHAT IS FAIRYTALE LIFE.
• One of the fairies doesn’t trust “aged fairy” (which like, rude. what is with the lack of names in these stories. we just get poor aged fairies. no wonder she don’t come to these parties), so she hides behind a tapestry to make sure it’s all good.
• lol it’s time for the fairies to give child princess her gifts and one of them is being able to dance to perfection. YES. This is what we need in life. My life is gonna be A+ if I got them dancing skilllllllllls.
• Fake Maleficent is up, y’all, and she does what she does bestttttttttttt. Gives the ultimate gift of pricking the spindle and dying.

• So fairy saves the day and changes death to slumber, AND THIS IS ALL THE SAME. IDK WHAT IS HAPPENING. I’M SO AMAZED THAT THIS ISN’T GETTING SUPER STRANGE OR OFF BASED.
• oh oops we swerved y’all. Sleeping Beauty was never sent off to the cabin in the woods. she never got to live with the fairies and eat that flopping birthday cake and etc. SADNESS. there was nice woods. BUT SHE STAYED IN THE CASTLE.
• Princess is like yaaaaaaaaaa I’mma run around this castle and find some fun and finds this random old lady that is just messing around with a spindle and Princess is like you know what, I’mma do a spindle contest with you and be too competitive and prick my finger.
• So, everyone panics and the king is just like let’s put her on this fancy bed and let her be in peace.

• The fairy that gave her the last gift about the slumber thing is apparently like a long ways away but it’s okay because she got warned by a dwarf with some fancy boots that allows you to take a lot of steps in short amount of time so okay then.
• She apparently gets a chariot with dragons, so like this is only the method of travel I want to see from now on.
• Fairy puts everyone to sleep, and king and queen vacate the premises. With that, they actually cover in thorns and brambles WHICH PLOT TWIST.
• Apparently, 100 years go by and the fam is dead (well damn) and random prince hears story about beautiful princess waiting for a kiss of prince, so he’s like yaaaaa I’mma go save this lady. And adventure.
• He goes to this tower of thorns and brambles and they immediately just open for him WHICH IS JUST CONVENIENT. Also, like this is kind of like his fight with Dragon Maleficent and the fairies do all the work and he gets the credit.

• Lol, the moment he walks in, the princess wakes up and immediately was like PRINCE YOU LONG TIME COMING. No kiss needed apparently. His steps are powerful enough.
• “Charmed by these words, and especially by the manner in which they were said, the prince scarcely knew how to express his delight and gratification. He declared that he loved her better than he loved himself.” LOL A+ right there.
• Lol apparently everyone is back in action in the castle and scurrying around and then they just call her down for her supper and I’m crying y’all. Like, oh 100 years passed? COME DOWN FOR DIN DIN.
• Omg, these gold comments just keep coming. Apparently the prince is now like she’s so beautiful that I don’t even care that she is wearing a 100 year outfit that my grandmother would wear. THE SHADE.
• Wow, there is a lot more to this story, so I assume that it’s about to get even more weird.

• New and intriguing additions
  • Fake Aurora and Fake Phil have secret marriage
  • Phil says that he just got lost in the woods and that’s why he took so long to get back (because um YES that makes sense)
  • They have two kids, Dawn and Day so um yes there’s that
  • Apparently the prince’s mom is part of an orge race and likes to eat children
  • Phil’s dad dies and now he king and mentions his marriage
  • Phil goes to war (wow this getting dark y’all in the unexpected wayyyyy)
  • “For my dinner tomorrow,” she told him, “I will eat little Dawn.” <– AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. THIS IS FROM THE QUEEN MOM. SHE GONNA EAT AURORA’S CHILD. wHaT iS EvEn HaPpEnInG rIgHt NoW
  • “You will serve her with piquant sauce,” she added. Y’all I’m crying.
  • So a steward faked her out and gave her some lamb instead and hid Dawn
  • Now Mama Orge wants to eat Day
  • Repeat the steps
  • NOW SHE WANTS TO EAT AURORA WITH THAT SAME SAUCE *screeching*
  • So the steward like I’mma kill myself instead since I don’t think lamb will work and goes to Aurora’s room and she’s like KILL ME because no one told her that her children hadn’t actually be eaten and omfg what is happeninggggggggg
  • So a little while later after everyone is hidden away safely, Mama Orge hears the sound of the children so she prepare some vat with lots of bad creatures and gonna eat EVERYONE for real now
  • She gets them all tied up and ready to get cooking when BAM king arrives at just the right time
  • When confronted, Mama throws herself in the vat
  • “The king could not but be sorry, for after all she was his mother; but it was not long before he found ample consolation in his beautiful wife and children.” THE ENDDDDDDDDddd. like, omg. I’mma need a moment to process here.

So, to summarize, let’s take a look at the differences between Disney’s and the OG:

• There were 7 fairies instead of 3, which like, there definitely would have been a lottttttttt going on instead of just the 3 main ones. PLUS, CAN YOU IMAGINE THE COLOR SCHEME. Totally would have been thrown off.
• Aurora was sent off to live with the fairies in the woods when she was cursed in the Disney version, but this princess just stayed in her castle until the deed was done. No epic “Once Upon a Dream” dance sequence with furry creatures was to be had, which is the true crime here.
• No glowy green sequence of the spindle calling happened but instead someone got a little too hasty with the spindle contest that was happening and pricked their finger.
• Dwarf boots. Chariot with dragons.
• Maleficent wasn’t the person to spell the castle and cover it with thorns!! It was the good fairy.
• King and queen never reunite with Sleeping Beauty and a full on 100 years go by. THEY GONE, Y’ALL.
• Prince Phil and Aurora never meet before. Prince just happens to be intrigued by ghost castle, and isn’t meant to be married/has met Aurora before. NO JAM TO BE HAD. And then like Prince Phil never fights off the giant dragon.
• Um, like that ENTIRE second part.

Conclusion: idk anything anymore. We were going so strong, and now that ending. I’mma just say watch the movie.

What do you think? Have you read this story? How did you like this new series? Let’s discuss in the comments below!