For all the sweetness and happy endings in the classic Disney movies, the Disney villains have never pulled punches when it comes to being scary. They’re dark, they’re evil, and they tend to carry their own personal thunderstorms around with them, just so they can have the appropriate lightning flashes behind them for dramatic entrances. But, as they not the titular heroes, Disney’s never tried to explore their side of the story. Until now.
Following on the heels of yesterday’s poster reveal, we now have the first teaser trailer for Disney’s Maleficent, the untold story behind the villainess from the classic Sleeping Beauty. Directed by Robert Stromberg, Maleficent stars Angelina Jolie as the spindle-cursing witch with a Brit-ish accent, and cheekbones that could cut glass.
From Disney comes “Maleficent”—the untold story of Disney’s most iconic villain from the 1959 classic “Sleeping Beauty.” A beautiful, pure-hearted young woman, Maleficent has an idyllic life growing up in a peaceable forest kingdom, until one day when an invading army threatens the harmony of the land. Maleficent rises to be the land’s fiercest protector, but she ultimately suffers a ruthless betrayal—an act that begins to turn her pure heart to stone. Bent on revenge, Maleficent faces an epic battle with the invading king’s successor and, as a result, places a curse upon his newborn infant Aurora. As the child grows, Maleficent realizes that Aurora holds the key to peace in the kingdom—and perhaps to Maleficent’s true happiness as well.
It seems to me that Disney is continuing the trend of having the princess front and centre, as we got to see a lot of Elle Fanning’s Aurora (oh man, and how terribly stilted was that voice-over?), but barely a few seconds of the big bad herself. We did get the hint that Maleficent is wielding a ton of CGI-power though, so perhaps the best is yet to come.
Maleficent will be spooking it up in cinemas from 30 May 2014.
Last Updated: November 14, 2013
TechniKyle
November 14, 2013 at 10:31
OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG! Maleficent is my all time FAVOURITE Disney Villain. I’ve been waiting so long to see a trailer for this movie and now the wait is over! Now I need to see the movie. I’m not sold on Elle Fanning as Aurora. I totally agree with you about her voice over – super stilted and monotone.
Kervyn Cloete
November 14, 2013 at 10:50
So you’re saying you’re a fan? :p
TechniKyle
November 14, 2013 at 11:02
Dude, I’m practically an air-con.
Lourens Corleone
November 14, 2013 at 11:18
Egh, it looks like another Disney CGI snore-fest that tries to cash in on nostalgia. This is going to go down like Depp’s Alice movie, and Franco’s Oz movie.
James Francis
November 14, 2013 at 11:47
Let’s hope not. Though if it ends up closer to Oz I’ll be happy, purely because nothing resembling Alice In Wonderland should ever be made again.
James Francis
November 14, 2013 at 11:46
Looks slick. But couldn’t they just hire a British actress instead of listening to Elle Fanning maul the accent? I suddenly had some serious Winona Ryder flashbacks there…