The sleeping curse is based on the wicked fairy's curse from the fairytale "Sleeping Beauty", on Maleficent's curse from the Disney film Sleeping Beauty, and on the Sleeping Death curse from the Disney film Snow White and the Seven … This version of the tale of Sleeping Beauty is full of charm, romance, action, and comedy. It first appears in the first episode of the first season. The characters are delightful, interesting and zany, and include an evil witch, giant spider, good witches, royalty, the Prince and Princess, an excitable chef, a fearsome Dark Knight, and many others. The Sleeping Curse and the Sleeping Spell are a curse and spell featured on ABC's Once Upon a Time.