Disney‘s pantheon of princesses would hardly be complete without Aurora — a beautiful young woman afflicted with a tragic curse that can only be broken by true love’s kiss. Recently, Japan released a series of official illustrations featuring a bold new depiction of Disney’s Sleeping Beauty.
Per PR Times, Japanese publisher Gakken Co. Ltd recently unveiled never-before-seen artwork from the Japanese version of Disney’s Twisted Tale book series. The latest volume, titled A Twisted World – Someday In a Dream, Sleeping Beauty, features front cover art of the titular character in a gleaming silver cuirass and wielding a sword. This depiction stands in sharp contrast to the original Sleeping Beauty, which is occasionally criticized for the lack of agency granted to its main heroine. The back cover depicts Maleficent with an unconscious Aurora in her arms. These illustrations were created by “Mizutamaridori,” who has served as the main artist for the Japanese version of the series since its debut.
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The Twisted Tale series applies unique “what-if” scenarios to popular Disney stories. For Sleeping Beauty’s volume, the narrative switches Aurora’s role with that of Prince Phillip, thus positioning her as the hero who must save him from Maleficent’s spell. PR Times describes the plot: “The dragon was defeated and the Princess woke up — or so it was supposed to be. However, as soon as the prince kissed her, it was the prince himself who fell into a deep sleep. When Princess Aurora wakes up, she finds herself in a strange and dangerous world where dreams and reality co-exist…”
Aurora is just one of several Disney heroines who have been given the Twisted Tale treatment. The series currently consists of 18 volumes, including an anthology of short stories initially published in October 2023. Eight installments have been published in Japan as of July 2025, including those inspired by Frozen, The Little Mermaid and Aladdin. Notably, several of these novels give the Disney heroines a more active role than their cinematic counterparts. In A Whole New World, Princess Jasmine helps Aladdin assemble a revolutionary force against Jafar after he takes over the capital of Agrabah. Similarly, the Little Mermaid-inspired Part of Your World has Ariel embark on a journey to rescue her father, King Triton, after Ursula succeeds in marrying Prince Eric.
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The Twisted Tale series is not the only official work that adds an anime-style aesthetic to classic Disney characters. In March 2020, Aniplex collaborated with software developer f4Samurai to create Twisted Wonderland — a mobile gacha game wherein the player attends a magical college alongside iconic villains from the Disney universe. Notably, the game’s scenario and script was written by Yana Toboso, creator of the popular Black Butler multimedia franchise. Twisted Wonderland’s first-ever anime adaptation is currently mid-production and is slated to premiere in October 2025.
A Twisted World – Someday In a Dream, Sleeping Beauty will be released nationwide on Aug. 25, 2025. The original English-language edition is available from Disney Books.
Source: PR Times