Sleeping Beauty is a fictional character.
`` Sleeping Beauty '' ( La Belle au bois dormant `` The Beauty Sleeping in the Wood '' ) by Charles Perrault , or `` Little Briar Rose '' ( [ : de : Dornröschen , Dornröschen ] ) by the Brothers Grimm , is a classic fairy tale which involves a beautiful princess , a sleeping enchantment , and a handsome prince . This in turn was based on Sun , Moon , and Talia by Italian poet Giambattista Basile ( published posthumously in 1634 ) , which was in turn based on one or more folk tales . The earliest known version of the story is found in the narrative Perceforest , composed between 1330 and 1344 and first printed in 1528 . Sleeping Beauty (2011 film) . Overall critical reception of the film has been mixed , rising to some approval through June 2016 , after circulation of the film on the festival circuit ; audience reception , on the other hand , has been weak ( less than a third of a sample of tens of thousands approving ) .