List of Disney's Sleeping Beauty characters facts for kids

A promotional image of the characters from Sleeping Beauty. From left to right: the forest animals, the Goons, Maleficent, Diablo, Prince Phillip, Princess Aurora, Flora, Queen Leah, Fauna, Merryweather, King Stefan, King Hubert, Samson, and the lackey.

This article introduces you to the amazing characters from Disney's classic 1959 animated film, Sleeping Beauty. You'll also learn about their appearances in other stories and games related to the Sleeping Beauty world.

Main Characters in Sleeping Beauty

Princess Aurora

Princess Aurora is the main hero of the 1959 film Sleeping Beauty. She is also known as the third official Disney Princess. When she was a baby, the evil fairy Maleficent put a terrible spell on her. This spell said that on her sixteenth birthday, Aurora would prick her finger on a spinning wheel and fall into a deep, endless sleep.

To keep her safe, three good fairies—Merryweather, Flora, and Fauna—took Aurora to a small cottage in the forest. They changed her name to Briar Rose to hide her from Maleficent. On her sixteenth birthday, the fairies sent her out to pick berries. They planned a surprise party to tell her she was a princess.

When Aurora returned, she told them she had met a kind young man. The fairies told her she could not see him again because they did not know who he was. Even with their best efforts, Maleficent tricked Aurora. Maleficent led her to a tower room where a magical light turned into a spinning wheel. Aurora pricked her finger on the spindle, and the spell came true.

The fairies then put everyone in the kingdom to sleep. They placed Aurora in the tower, waiting for the day she could be woken up. Only a true love's kiss could break the powerful spell. Later, Prince Phillip's true love's kiss woke Aurora. She discovered that Phillip was the same kind man she had met in the woods. They danced happily after reuniting with their parents.

Maleficent

Maleficent is the main villain of the film. She calls herself the "Mistress of All Evil." She is a powerful and wicked fairy. Her character is inspired by the evil fairy godmother from the original fairy tales, including the Brothers Grimm's version, Little Briar Rose.

Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather

Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather are three kind fairy godmothers. They are based on the good fairies from the classic fairy tales. They came to baby Aurora's christening to give her special gifts. Throughout the story, they use their magic to help Aurora, Prince Phillip, and the entire kingdom.

Prince Phillip

Prince Phillip is Princess Aurora's true love. He is the first prince in Disney animated films to have a big, active role and his own name. Phillip is based on the prince from the original fairy tale.

In the film, Phillip was promised to marry the princess, who was the daughter of his father's best friend. He attended Aurora's christening and gave her a gift. Later, while riding in the forest, Phillip heard Aurora singing. They met and quickly fell in love. Aurora had to leave because she was not supposed to talk to strangers.

When Phillip arrived at Aurora's home, Maleficent captured him. But the good fairies rescued him. They helped him with their magic, giving him the powerful Sword of Truth and the strong Shield of Virtue. At the castle, Phillip bravely fought Maleficent, who had turned into a giant dragon. He defeated her with the Sword of Truth. He then went to the tower and kissed Aurora, waking her and the entire kingdom. They shared a joyful dance after reuniting with their parents.

Phillip also appears in Disney Princess Enchanted Tales: Follow Your Dreams. In one story, he and his father, along with Aurora's parents, left the kingdom for a royal meeting. This left Aurora in charge. They returned in time to celebrate Aurora's success.

You can also see Phillip in the video game Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep. He fights alongside a character named Aqua in his world, Enchanted Dominion. In this game, Maleficent is weakened but not defeated. Phillip also appears in House of Mouse, at theme parks, and in toy lines.

In the live-action film Maleficent, Brenton Thwaites played Prince Phillip. He met Aurora after his father, King John, sent him to King Stefan's castle. They fell in love. In the sequel, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, Harris Dickinson took on the role of Phillip.

Royal Family and Allies

King Stefan

King Stefan is Princess Aurora's father and Queen Leah's husband. He is a caring and kind ruler. He is very protective of his daughter, though he can sometimes be stubborn.

During Aurora's christening, King Stefan's friend, King Hubert, attended the celebration. At this event, Aurora was promised to marry Hubert's son, Prince Phillip. This marriage was planned to unite their two kingdoms. After Maleficent cursed Aurora, King Stefan ordered all spinning wheels in the kingdom to be burned. He then said goodbye to Aurora as she left with the fairies.

Sixteen years later, King Stefan and King Hubert discussed the future of their kingdoms. They also talked about their children's upcoming marriage. They had a small argument because Stefan wanted the couple to spend time together first. Hubert, however, had already prepared a new castle for them. King Stefan was put to sleep along with everyone else in the kingdom. After the curse was broken, he and Queen Leah reunited with Aurora. They, along with King Hubert, watched Aurora dance with Phillip.

In Disney Princess Enchanted Tales: Follow Your Dreams, Stefan, Leah, Hubert, and Phillip left for an important royal meeting. They left Aurora in charge of the kingdom, with help from their royal assistant, Lord Duke. When they returned home, Stefan attended the celebration Aurora had organized.

In the live-action film Maleficent, Sharlto Copley played King Stefan. In this version, he was an orphaned farm boy who was friends with Maleficent. His desire to become king led him to betray her and take her wings away to gain King Henry's favor.

Queen Leah

Queen Leah is Princess Aurora's mother and King Stefan's wife.

After Aurora was cursed, Queen Leah said goodbye to her as she left with the fairies. She was put to sleep along with the rest of the kingdom. After the curse was broken, she and King Stefan reunited with Aurora. They, along with King Hubert, watched Aurora dance with Prince Phillip.

In Disney Princess Enchanted Tales, Queen Leah, along with Stefan, Hubert, and Phillip, left for a royal meeting. They left Aurora to rule the kingdom while they were away.

In the live-action film Maleficent, the character is named Queen Leila and was played by Hannah New. She was the daughter of the previous king, King Henry. Leila married Stefan and became Aurora's mother. Like in the animated film, she saw Maleficent place the curse on Aurora. Years later, before Aurora's sixteenth birthday, Queen Leila passed away.

In Descendants, Queen Leah meets Mal. She holds Mal responsible for Maleficent's past actions. Queen Leah also attended the coronation with her granddaughter, Audrey.

King Hubert

King Hubert is Prince Phillip's father. He is a good friend of King Stefan and rules his own kingdom. While he can sometimes be a bit grumpy, he deeply cares for Phillip, even when he and Stefan disagree.

In the film, King Hubert and Phillip attended Princess Aurora's christening. There, they promised their children would marry each other to unite their kingdoms. Sixteen years later, they were celebrating Aurora's return. King Hubert and King Stefan had a disagreement. Phillip then arrived and told them he wanted to marry a woman he met in the forest. King Hubert was against this, thinking she was just a peasant girl.

After the fairies cast the sleeping spell, as King Hubert was falling asleep, he told Stefan that Phillip was in love with a peasant girl. This made Flora realize that Phillip was the same person Aurora had met. After the curse was broken, he was about to tell Stefan about the peasant girl again. But then Phillip came down the stairs with Aurora, revealing she was the one he loved.

In Disney Princess Enchanted Tales: Follow Your Dreams, King Hubert attended a royal meeting with Phillip, Stefan, and Queen Leah. He was supposed to give a speech but realized he had forgotten it at Stefan's castle. The fairies helped him by delivering his speech. After returning home, he attended a meal organized by Aurora.

In the live-action film Maleficent, he is known as King John of Ulstead. He sent Phillip to King Stefan's castle.

In Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, Robert Lindsay played King Hubert. He wanted to create peace between his kingdom, Ulstead, and the magical land of the Moors. After his son's engagement, King John and Queen Ingrith held a celebration. However, tensions grew when Maleficent and Ingrith argued about past conflicts. When Maleficent became angry, Ingrith used a secret plan. She cursed the king with a spindle and blamed Maleficent. Phillip urged his mother to kiss King John, but it did not work because Ingrith did not truly love him. The king's curse led to a conflict between Ulstead and the Moors.

After Phillip ended the conflict and the curse was broken, King Hubert attended Aurora and Phillip's wedding. He told Phillip how proud he was that his son had brought peace between the kingdoms.

Other Important Characters

Diablo

Diablo is Maleficent's loyal pet raven. Maleficent sent him to find Princess Aurora. Diablo discovered the cottage where Aurora was living with the fairies, thanks to Flora and Merryweather's magic. After telling Maleficent, he joined her and her goons when they captured Prince Phillip. Diablo also noticed the fairies hiding in the Forbidden Mountain.

Later, Diablo found out that Phillip had escaped with the fairies' help. He ordered the goons to stop them from leaving the mountain. Even though Merryweather turned him into stone, he still managed to get Maleficent's attention. This made her realize that Phillip had escaped.

Diablo also appears in the Kingdom Hearts video game series. In Kingdom Hearts II, he carried Maleficent's cloak to help bring her back to life. In Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance, he delivered a message to Mickey Mouse.

In the live-action film Maleficent, Sam Riley played a character named Diaval. Maleficent rescued him and gave him the power to change his shape. After that, he promised to serve Maleficent. He became her closest friend and helper. Later, he and Maleficent stepped back from their duties, allowing Queen Aurora to rule their lands. Diaval also appeared in Maleficent: Mistress of Evil.

Samson

Samson is Prince Phillip's brave horse. He was voiced by Frank Welker in Disney Princess Enchanted Tales: Follow Your Dreams.

Maleficent's Goons

Maleficent's goons are goblin-like creatures. They are very loyal to her but not very smart. Because Maleficent gave them unclear orders, they spent years looking for baby Aurora instead of a grown-up girl. They later captured Prince Phillip but failed to stop him from escaping.

These goons also appeared in the film Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988). They were also seen as regular guests in House of Mouse and as small enemies in the video game Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep.

Lackey

Lackey is one of King Stefan's servants. He works as the kingdom's court composer, creating music for the royal court.

Lord Duke

Lord Duke is the chief royal assistant in King Stefan's court. In Disney Princess Enchanted Tales: Follow Your Dreams, he helped Princess Aurora when she ruled the kingdom while her family was away. He is very loyal and takes his duties seriously, even though he sometimes has accidents.