Maleficent Trailer

Trailer for Maleficent.

The "Sleeping Beauty" tale is told from the perspective of the villainous Maleficent and looks at the events that hardened her heart and drove her to curse young Princess Aurora.

Angelina Jolie worked closely with the costume and makeup department to come up with Maleficent's look. Disney execs wanted to take advantage of Jolie's natural beauty, but Jolie disagreed, saying that Maleficent would be menacing. She wanted to keep her appearance close to that of the animated Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty.

Jolie tried out various villainous laughs on her children, and went with the one they liked best.
All main cast members were chosen, in part, because they resemble their animated counterparts.

Maleficent was released on May 30, 2014, exactly 55 years after the release of Disney's Sleeping Beauty.

Maleficent is Angelina Jolie's favorite Disney character, so it's little surprise that she's right at home here, telling the tale of Sleeping Beauty from the evil fairy's point of view. What a tale it is, too. I won't spoil the movie, but it's a smart story well told, with some brilliant twists.

As part of Disney's ever growing list of live action adaptations, Maleficent stands apart because it has taken a classic and retold it from an entirely different perspective, and the effect that has is quite remarkable. You certainly won't view Maleficent in the same way after watching and it really does make you think about how you treat others in life and the consequences that might have.

The trailer here shows us the fantastical side of the movie perfectly; the fairies, the magic, the enchantment and the wide-eyed curiosity of Aurora. Elle Fanning is the picture of beauty and perfectly embodies the princess, but it's Jolie who steals the show. Just the trailer alone has me longing to see more of her, because her love for the role and this movie is evident.

The film as a whole is good. Not outstanding, but totally enjoyable and worth your time, because Jolie nails it and then some. There a rumors of a sequel coming in 2017 and actually, I'd welcome it, since it would give Disney a chance to better some of the weaker points Maleficent has; namely that the pace is too fast at times but too slow at others.