One of the most anticipated films Disney has released over the past few years was the intriguing Maleficent, a twist on the traditional Sleeping Beauty film and story we all know and love. Much like with the popular musical Wicked, this story is told by the villain's point of view, the supposedly evil fairy who eventually curses baby Princess Aurora with eternal sleep. Maleficent is a haunting and magical tale that constantly intrigues and proves that Angelina Jolie is not just a pretty face. But Maleficent, like all villains, is a complicated character: She grew up a powerful, winged fairy who lived peacefully in the magical moors adjacent to the human kingdom. When, as a child, a young peasant boy Stefan wondered into the moors, young Maleficent grew attached to him, despite her distrust of humans. Their friendship leads to romance over the years, but after Stefan (Sharlto Copley) does something unthinkable to Maleficent (Angelina Jolie) to gain the king's favor, she grows bitter and dark from his betrayal. Once Stefan is crowned king and his queen has a baby girl, Maleficent decides to get her revenge by cursing little Aurora. Little does Maleficent know that the girl will grow up into a sweet and curious girl (Elle Fanning) whom even a dark and angry fairy could appreciate.
Casting Angelina Jolie as Maleficent caused much discussion among fans, but no one can doubt after viewing the film that she perfected the role. Complete with full red lips, feathered shoulder pads, magnificent horns, vast black wings and the sharpest cheekbones you will ever see, she is stunning and certainly looks the part. Jolie has a presence about her throughout the film, bringing the character to life and giving her extra dimensions. It is impossible not to fall in love with Maleficent as we see other sides to the character, but thankfully she retains her evil and mischievous streak. The cursing scene is the most chilling and memorable thanks to Jolie's stirring cackle and her dark humour seems completely natural. Jolie brings the character to life giving her many dimensions and complications to keep us intrigued.
Princess Aurora, portrayed by the beautiful Elle Fanning, is as fair and pretty as in the film, and the countryside cottage in which she lives is just as pastoral and idyllic. In contrast though is the dark world of King Stefan and Maleficent. Fanning is delightful as Aurora, Sharlto Copley is venomous and paranoid as the obsessive King Stefan and it is always a delight to see Sam Riley given the recognition he deserves. Sexy, dark, gothic and medieval it is the perfect setting and atmosphere for the horned fairy. The whole style is haunting and most importantly magical, but in a dark sense, there are no sparkly tiaras and glittery wands here. The designers have worked their socks off and it really has paid off.
Plenty of Maleficent is visually spectacular, with amazing special effects and lush scenery: The moors at their brightest are sweet and enchanting, while the kingdom is a drab and imposing place. Between the art design, the costumes, and the immaculate CGI-aided make-up, Maleficent is a true feast for the eyes, which is no surprise, given director Robert Stromberg's history as a visual effects specialist. Stromberg is an expert in visual effects with this being one of the strongest aspects of the film. 3D or 2D you will be happily absorbed into this world!
Shockingly it has been over fifty years since the release of Disney's classic animation Sleeping Beauty, despite the passage of time the story has not lost its significance standing the test of time. There are many nods to the original film, the story is much the same and some of the sequences are the same shot by shot. However, it runs as more of a parallel. For example, some of the characters names are slightly different and of course there is the inevitable major twist to shake the foundations of the tale we know and love. The twist could be seen miles off but this does not matter, Disney films have always been predictable whether they follow the stereotype or not. It is an intriguing, tasteful and interesting take on the original story, adapting it well for a new audience and making us have second thoughts about the villain we loved to hate. We get to see the other side of the story which only makes the Sleeping Beauty tale more clever, detailed and heartwarming.
Easter Eggs
#1 Getting into character
Sam Riley – who plays the shape-shifting Diaval – spent hours and hours studying the movements of ravens, which included running around a huge room flapping his arms and making cawing noises!
#2 Cameos
When filming “Maleficent,” Disney needed a child to play young Aurora, but all of the three and four-year-old performers wouldn’t come near Jolie in costume. They ended up choosing Jolie’s daughter Vivienne because she was the only one not scared of her. Vivienne isn’t the only of Jolie’s children in the film. Zahara and Pax appear in one of the early scenes in “Maleficent” as young royal subjects.
#3 Make-up inspiration
The prosthetics and make-up for Jolie’s Maleficent were inspired primarily by the album cover of Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way.” There were a number of different versions of the Maleficent horns for Jolie to wear during filming. She stated at one time that “They were actually kind of heavy.” She wore lighter horns during horse-riding scenes because she said if she fell with them on, they “could break your neck.” It takes a lot of skill and effort to make Angelina Jolie look that evil! The star was in make up for about four hours every morning.
#4 The Castle
To create a fantasy world like the one in Maleficent takes a lot of work! There were about 40 built sets, from a 12-foot square room to the 5,000 square foot Great Hall! The castle is a real-life version of the castle in the 1959 animated film. It took 14 weeks to build, 250 construction workers and an art department of about 20 people!
#5 Soundtrack
Angelina Jolie hand-picked Lana Del Rey to sing the version of “Once Upon A Dream” as the main theme for the film.
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