Maleficent: A new take on an old Disney story

Amitti Mackey

The classic story of Sleeping Beauty is about to get a bold makeover with the help of mega-actress Angelina Jolie.

Photo credits: geektyrant.com

Maleficent, scheduled to begin filming in June, will focus on telling the story from the villain’s perspective to contrast the traditional protagonist tale audiences are used to. Jolie insists the film is not anti-princess—it simply gives the story a new twist that elaborates on the background of the evil sorceress who gives the movie its namesake.

“[Maleficent] is actually a great person. But she’s not perfect. She’s far from perfect,” Jolie said, “You see a woman capable of being many things; just because she protects herself and is aggressive—it doesn’t mean she can’t have other [warmer] qualities. You have to figure out the puzzle of what she is.”

For those of you who need a refresher on the storyline of Sleeping Beauty, this synopsis is a thorough one (warning: it contains spoilers). The original film portrays Maleficent in an antagonistic light and does not showcase a single redeeming quality of her personality, so the new film will be more than artistic expansion—it will be an interesting, brand new story. Jolie said not completely disregarding the original storyline is a challenge for the cast and crew.

“What our challenge will be — and the script writer [Linda Woolverton] has already cracked it — is not to simplify it, not to just reverse the story, but tell a bigger story that doesn’t point the finger [at Princess Aurora] either. It doesn’t flip it,” she said.

Further, and possibly most important, the creators of Maleficent do not intend to hide the negative points of the villainess’s personality as they spin the new tale to audiences. Filmmakers will include these less-than-desirable traits alongside her strong, positive attributes to give a more human feel to the animated character.

“It sounds really crazy to say that there will be something that’s good for young girls in this, because it sounds like you’re saying they should be a villain. [Maleficent] is actually a great person, but she’s not perfect. She’s far from perfect… In general, it’s a very good message to say, ‘let’s look at something from the other side,’” Jolie said.