Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather
Flora, Fauna and Merryweather Flora, Fauna and Merryweather From left to right: Fauna, Flora, and MerryweatherFirst appearance Sleeping Beauty (1959)Voiced by Flora: Verna Felton (Sleeping Beauty) Tress MacNeille (House of Mouse) Barbara Dirikson (Disney Princess Enchanted Tales) Fauna: Barbara Jo Allen (Sleeping Beauty) Russi Taylor (other appearances) Merryweather: Barbara Luddy (Sleeping Beauty) Tress MacNeille (other appearances) Flora, Fauna and Merryweather are the good fairy godmothers and the protagonists of the original film. They are based on the good fairies appearing in the original French fairy tale and various retellings. Like their fairy tale counterparts, Flora, Fauna and Merryweather appear at baby Aurora's christening to present their gifts to the newborn princess. Their wings are very small. They use their magical powers to help both Princess Aurora and Prince Philip.
Flora, voiced by Verna Felton, is the tallest fairy, dressed in a red gown (although she is obsessed with pink as opposed to blue), red hat, and a red cape clipped with a yellow square. She is the oldest, as well as the strongest-willed and the leader of the group. She gave Aurora the gift of beauty. She created and possesses the powerful Sword of Truth and the invulnerable Shield of Virtue, and she can also conjure them whenever she sees fit.
Fauna, voiced by Barbara Jo Allen, is the middle fairy, almost the same height as Flora, and dressed in a green gown, green hat, and a green cape clipped with a green triangle. She is the fairy who is too good-natured towards Maleficent. She gave Aurora the gift of song.
Merryweather, voiced by Barbara Luddy, is the shortest and youngest fairy, dressed in a blue gown, blue hat, and a blue cape clipped with a blue circle. She is the fairy who is aggressive towards Maleficent, and is bolder than the other two. As Merryweather is about to give her gift, Maleficent makes her appearance and curses Aurora to die when she touches a spinning wheel's spindle before the sun sets on her sixteenth birthday. Merryweather's gift is to weaken the curse so that instead of death, Aurora will fall into a deep sleep until she is awakened by true love's kiss.
The fairies decide to protect Aurora with the king and queen's consent. They disguise themselves as peasant women and sneak Aurora away with them to a woodland cottage until her sixteen birthday lapses, passing themselves off as her aunts and swearing off magic to conceal themselves. On the day of Aurora's sixteenth birthday, the fairies attempt to make her a gown and a cake. When their attempts end in disaster they decide to use their wands, resulting in a magical fight between Flora and Merryweather over the color of the gown—Flora insisting that it be pink and Merryweather insisting that it be blue—that catches Maleficent's pet raven Diablo's attention. When Aurora returns home from the forest, the fairies reveal the truth of her birth to her and take her to her parents' castle. In the castle, Maleficent uses her magic to lure Aurora away from her boudoir and up to a tower, where a spinning wheel awaits her. Fascinated by the wheel with Maleficent's will enforcing it, Aurora touches the spindle, pricking her finger and completing the curse.
The fairies place Aurora on a bed and place all in the kingdom in a deep ageless sleep until the spell is broken. While falling asleep, King Hubert tries to tell Stefan of his son being in love with a peasant girl, which makes Flora realize that Prince Phillip is the man Aurora has fallen in love with, and they fly back to the cottage for him. However, Phillip is already captured by Maleficent's goons by that time, so the fairies sneak into Maleficent's stronghold and free the prince. Flora conjures the Sword of Truth and the Shield of Virtue for Philip to wield, and they escape from the Forbidden Mountain whilst being attacked by Maleficent's minions, whose attacks are countered by the three good fairies. When Diablo tries to warn Maleficent, Merryweather chases him and eventually turns him into a stone statue. The fairies then assist Phillip in his escape, and battle against Maleficent, ultimately enhancing Phillip's sword as he throws it directly into Maleficent's heart, thus destroying Maleficent. The fairies are present as Aurora meets her parents and as she dances with Phillip, but Flora and Merryweather's argument over Aurora's gown is revived.
The three fairies also appear in Disney Princess Enchanted Tales: Follow Your Dreams during the "Keys to the Kingdom" segment. As King Stefan, Queen Leah, King Hubert and Prince Phillip leave the kingdom for a Royal Conference; Aurora is left in charge of the kingdom. The fairies offer to help her, but Aurora declines; however, Aurora later asks the fairies to deliver King Hubert his speech which he has forgotten at the castle. Merryweather still is worried about Aurora and, before leaving with Flora and Fauna, gives her wand to the princess in case she needs any assistance and warns her to be very careful with it. The fairies manage to deliver the speech in time, and are about to return when Merryweather reveals she had lent her wand to Aurora when she was not supposed to do so. The fairies appear at the end of the segment and take part of the welcome-back meal.
The three fairies also play a role in the Kingdom Hearts series of video games. They first appear in Kingdom Hearts II at Yen Sid's tower, giving Sora his new outfit after he wakes from his year-long sleep, as well as the Star Seeker Keyblade and the ability to use Drive, and later witnessing Maleficent's return to power. At first, they all argue over what colour Sora's new outfit should be, until agreeing to zap it all at the same time. The end result is a black outfit with colourful highlights all over. In Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, the fairies appear in their homeworld, the "Enchanted Dominion", talking with Ventus about Aurora and Phillip and later assisting him in his battle against Maleficent. They also appear at the end of Aqua and Phillip's battle against Maleficent in her dragon form, again blessing Phillip's sword as he throws it into Maleficent's heart; however, the attack does not kill her and just defeats her. During the credits, while Aurora and Phillip are dancing, Flora and Merryweather contmelyinue their old argument over what colour Aurora's dress should be.
The three fairies had appeared as guests in the TV series Disney's House of Mouse. They also appear at themed-parks and live events. They co-host the Magic, Music and Mayhem show with the Fairy Godmother from Cinderella. In the Disney Divas event at Disneyland, the fairies appeared at the climax of the show, comfronting Maleficent, the Evil Queen and Cruella de Vil, among others, and later introducing Cynthia Harriss, former president of Disneyland Resort.[2] As of 2013, Flora, Fauna and Merryweather appear as regular characters in Disney's Sofia the First animated television series.
Knotgrass, Flittle, and ThistlewitThey also appear in Disney's live action film Maleficent, as a trio of pixies named Knotgrass, Flittle and Thistlewit, respectively. The pixies are extremely different from the originals, and are reduced to comic relief; they are shown to be unequal to their task of raising Aurora. The child's actual care was overseen by Maleficent in secret.
Knotgrass (Imelda Staunton) is a version of Flora: bossy and superior. She blesses Aurora with the gift of eternal beauty.
Flittle (Lesley Manville) wears blue like Merryweather but is really a version of Fauna: naive and absent-minded. She blesses Aurora with the gift of eternal happiness. By Aurora's sixteenth birthday, she is making a cake and breaks up the fight between Knotgrass and Thistlewit about when to take Aurora back to Stefan.
Thistlewit (Juno Temple) wears green (in the style of Tinker Bell) like Fauna but is really a version of Merryweather: giddy, playful and childlike. She was interrupted by Maleficent before she could bless Aurora. By Aurora's sixteenth birthday, she bickers with Knotgrass about when to take Aurora back to Stefan.