King Stefan and Queen Leah welcome their newborn daughter, Aurora, and proclaim a holiday for their subjects to pay homage to the princess. At her christening, she is betrothed to Prince Phillip, the son of Stefan's friend King Hubert, in order to unite their kingdoms. The three good fairies, Flora, Fauna and Merryweather, each bless Aurora with one gift. After Flora and Fauna give her beauty and song, the evil fairy Maleficent appears, angry at not being invited. She places a curse on Aurora: before the sun sets on her sixteenth birthday, she will prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and die. Merryweather uses her gift to weaken the curse; Aurora will instead fall into a deep sleep until true love's kiss breaks the spell. Still fearful, Stefan orders all the kingdom's spinning wheels burned. Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather devise a plan to hide Aurora in a secluded location and raise her themselves until her sixteenth birthday. Stefan and Leah reluctantly agree. The fairies move into a forest cottage, giving up magic and living as peasants, and rename Aurora "Briar Rose". On Aurora's sixteenth birthday, the fairies send her to gather berries so they can prepare a surprise party. In the forest, Aurora sings to the animals, drawing the attention of Phillip, now a handsome young man. They fall in love without revealing their names, and Aurora invites Phillip to the cottage that evening. Meanwhile, Flora and Merryweather's argument about the color of Aurora's birthday gown attracts the attention of Maleficent's pet raven, Diablo. Aurora returns and tells her guardians that she has fallen in love. They reveal her true identity, which Diablo overhears, and tell her she cannot see the man again. Meanwhile, Phillip tells his father about the peasant girl he met and wants to marry, unaware she is the princess to whom he is betrothed. King Hubert unsuccessfully tries to dissuade him. Shortly before sunset, the fairies bring Aurora to the castle for her birthday celebration. Maleficent appears and lures her to a tower room, where she pricks her finger on a spinning wheel that Maleficent conjures. The fairies place the sleeping Aurora in the highest tower and put the entire kingdom to sleep until their princess awakens. Flora overhears a conversation between Hubert and Stefan and realizes that Phillip is the man that Aurora met. The fairies rush to the cottage and discover that Phillip has been abducted by Maleficent. At her domain, the Forbidden Mountain, Maleficent reveals Aurora's identity to Phillip. She plans to lock him away until he is an old man on the verge of death before releasing him to meet Aurora, who will not have aged a single day. The fairies rescue Phillip and arm him with the magical Sword of Truth and the Shield of Virtue. Maleficent surrounds Stefan's castle with a forest of thorns, but Phillip breaks through it. Outraged, she transforms into a giant, fire-breathing dragon. In the ensuing battle, Phillip kills Maleficent by thrusting his sword into her heart. Phillip finds Aurora and awakens her with a kiss, bringing the rest of the kingdom out of their slumber. The two descend to the ballroom, where Aurora reunites with her parents and happily dances with Phillip as the good fairies look on with joy.
