The time had come for the princess to leave her home and join the frog-turned-prince in his kingdom. She was nervous and a bit frightened, as things had turned out quite unexpectedly. Faithful Heinrich, the servant of the young king, arrived with the carriage that would lead the princess off to the unknown place she would now call home. As the coach pulled up and Faithful Heinrich stepped down, the princess felt her stomach drop with fear. There was something within her telling her to be afraid, to turn back, to run.

“It’s just nerves,” the princess thought to herself. “Besides I don’t have a choice.” Faithful Heinrich opened the door and turned his attention on the princess, offering his hand to help her in. The princess took in a sharp breath. There was something off about this man. His skin was sallow, pitted, and dark circles ringed his eyes. And his eyes. There was something deeply unsettling about them, almost unseeing like there was no life behind them.

“Run! Turn back! Escape!” Her thoughts screamed, every muscle in her body tensed to flee. But her father was watching, and the prince was waiting. Slowly, fighting every one of her instincts, she took the man’s hand. She started at the touch. His hand was ice cold, corpse-like.

She looked back at her father, pleading with her gaze. He smiled and nodded prompting her along. She looked to the prince sure he would notice the strange state of his most faithful servant. The prince smiled at his bride, showing no acknowledgment of the condition of the man before him.

She stepped into the carriage. The prince followed behind her, and Faithful Heinrich shut the door. Heinrich took his place in the back and the coach headed on its way.

The journey seemed to last forever. The princess could not relax, every hair standing on end, every muscle tensed to flee. Finally, she turned to the prince.

“Does your servant seem off to you? Do you think he is sick, perhaps?” the princess asked him.

“Whatever do you mean? Good old Faithful Heinrich is my most beloved and loyal servant. He is most helpful and welcoming. You will find he has many special talents to help you with whatever you need,” the prince responded and smiled. “Don’t worry yourself, dear. It is all to his design.”

This last statement by the prince confused the princess and sent alarms through her mind. “What is he talking about? What design? What is going to happen to me? What is Heinrich?”

The princess turned around and looked towards the spot where Heinrich sat. He was looking straight at her with his dead eyes and an unsettling smile.

Once upon a time there was a little sea princess, the fairest you could image. She was the youngest of six and daughter to the Sea King. She had no feet, and her body ended in a fish tail, for she was a little mermaid.

            The little mermaid was very curious and was happiest when learning about the human world. She made her grandmother tell her everything about the world above the sea.

            “You may go to the surface when you turn fifteen,” the grandmother told the sea princesses. The youngest sea princess would have to wait five years before her time came to swim to the surface and see the human world for herself.

            Five years passed. It was finally the day the little mermaid would emerge from the waters and view the world above. The little mermaid swam up to the surface and saw a large ship full of sailors. The little mermaid watched the sailors talk and dance, but she was most drawn to the young prince among the group. She was in awe of the whole scene. She stayed there for a long time, but then a storm began to take hold of the ship. The ship creaked and groaned and broke apart.

            “Oh no!” the little mermaid said. She was frightened when she saw the young prince sinking down into the sea, and she quickly swam after him. The little mermaid grabbed the prince and brought him to the surface. She held his head above water until the storm ended, and she brought him to nearby land. She laid him on the sand and made a pillow for his head. Hidden in the waves, the mermaid waited until a young girl came and found the prince. The little sea princess was filled with sorrow as she returned to the palace below the sea. …

                                                                               Moral

                                                  Our tale was meant to show,
                                                  That when through wishes 
                                                  And through deals with the deep,
                                                  You seek a way into this holy land
                                                  Of love and cherished time,
                                                  Things may not work out as they ought,
                                                  And you might get what you wished you had not. 

                                                  But good children, 
                                                  Who make their parents happy
                                                  And are deserving of their love,
                                                  Bring joy and God’s gift of everlasting life, 
                                                  The greatest wish of all.

I did just a part of the beginning of the story and then part of the end, as “The Little Mermaid” is a bit too long to include the entire story

I love the original Disney version of Sleeping Beauty, but my reasons have nothing to do with the tale surrounding the sleeping princess. The artwork is what draws me to this film, as I am a fan of the old art style of Disney animated films. Specifically, in this movie, the background scenery is pleasing to me.

The other reason I love this film is for the infamous villain Maleficent. From the moment she is introduced into the film, she commands your attention, and has such a presence in every scene she appears.

I thought it was interesting that Disney developed such a different villain from the original story. Maleficent has power and agency throughout the story, which contrasts significantly with Aurora’s character, who has no control over what happens to her.

Another thing I’d like to note is Maleficent’s character design. When she is in human form she has this long billowing cloak. She takes up space. She gets even larger later in the film when she transforms into a dragon. In contrast, Aurora’s design is a small, petite woman. These character designs remind me of our discussion about Ariel and Ursula’s designs in the Disney film as well.

In the end, however, Maleficent is defeated, which definitely sends a message about what kind of women is “right” within the story: the quiet, pretty, passive one. Maleficent has accrued a significant fan base throughout the years, and Disney even chose to develop her in their re-make. This move was smart on their part, as I don’t know many who care much for the original tale of the sleeping beauty and the messages within it. The villain definitely outshines the princess in this version.

All images source: Animation Directors for these scenes: Marc Davis and Eric Larson (1959) https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0053285/mediaindex/?ref_=tt_mv_sm