Our Thoughts On Disney’s Maleficent!

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Written by The King of Swag- Jesse!

Hey All!

Disney’s Maleficent is based on the infamous character from the classic Disney animated feature Sleeping Beauty. This film seems to be part of a trend in Hollywood to do classic stories from different perspectives; think 2011’s Alice in Wonderland where the Mad Hatter is a general in Alice’s army, Snow White and the Huntsman where a romantic interest is explored between the two title characters, or even Mirror Mirror which was supposedly the Snow White story from the villain’s perspective. This time we get a lot of back story and motivation on the villainess Maleficent with the events of Sleeping Beauty as background.

Teenage Sleeping Beauty, Aurora, is played by Elle Fanning, best known for Super 8 and We Bought a Zoo. Her handsome Prince Phillip is played by Brenton Thwaites, best known for Occulus. Aurora’s father King Stefan is played by Sharlto Copley, most recently from Elysium. The character of Diaval, Maleficent’s crow, is played by Sam Riley who is best known for his portrayal of Joy Division singer Ian Curtis in Control. Rounding out the three fairies are Lesley Manville, Imelda Stauntan, and Juno Temple. And the title character of Maleficent is, as if you didn’t already know, played brilliantly by Oscar Winner Angelina Jolie.

Even though Lana Del Rey’s “Once Upon a Dream” plays through the advertisements, this film should not be confused for a Sleeping Beauty story. The story of Maleficent begins with her as a child who befriends a human boy in a magical forest. In this forest are trolls, fairies, walking trees and all manner of supernatural creatures. As time passes the young Maleficent and human boy (I am leaving his name out so as to not spoil the surprise/plot twist) grow and their friendship becomes much more intimate. During this time the human kingdom that shares the land with the magical beings desires to conquer the magical forest. Led by Maleficent, the beings retaliate and show they are more than enough to defend their land. From this point certain characters’ true desires are revealed and actions set in motion the creation of the character WE know as Maleficent.

It’s not just the laugh, the stares, or even the subtle prosthetics that transform her, but the touches and gestures that Jolie put into the character. One such touch is a great establishing moment where we learn why Maleficent has a staff, and it’s not to channel her magic. And the famous scene from the throne room in Sleeping Beauty is done exactly the same but with an entirely different meaning. Jolie takes the scene as her own and captivates the audience with the character’s righteousness. Throughout the rest of the film, Malificent’s interactions with Aurora and her minion Diaval are a fun mix of humor and charm that provide the kind of growth and arc that make Malificent’s change in motivation realistic and sympathetic. While the film is beautifully shot and would exist that way on its own, without Jolie’s performance there is no Malificent.

The film is rated PG and runs 97 minutes. The visuals and pacing should be enough to keep the attention of young children. While Jolie’s performance is powerful and haunting, it’s never to the point that targeted child audiences would be frightened or have nightmares. There is no swearing and all violence is CG or off screen. There is one scene that while very traumatic and quietly violent, but it is absolutely necessary to the plot of the film and probably isn’t anything audiences young or old haven’t seen before.

It’s a highly enjoyable film as only Disney can do.

To celebrate the release of the film here are some printables that allow you to create your own Maleficent scenes. Click on the IMAGE BELOW to download the PDF file to print out.

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MALEFICENT is rated PG and is now playing in theaters everywhere!