The Sleeping Beauty Legacy Inspires New 'Maleficent' Trailer

Although Disney's Maleficent is live-action and tells the Sleeping Beauty story from the villain's perspective, it's still sticking very close to the source material. There's a great animated lineage director Robert Stromberg is building from, and that legacy is a big part of the latest trailer. Angelina Jolie dons some nasty horns as the title character, in what looks like a deliciously evil lead performance. Elle Fanning is Princess Aurora, surrounded by a supporting cast that includes Sam Riley, Sharlto Copley, Brenton Thwaites, Imelda Staunton, Juno Temple, Miranda Richardson, and Lesley Manville.

Maleficent opens May 30th 2014. Check out the trailer and plot synopsis below.


Maleficent Trailer 3 - Legacy by Stuff We Like

PLOT: “Maleficent” is 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.

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New 'Maleficent' Trailer Includes a Sinister Twist on a Classic Song

Disney has always had a way of taking their own beloved movies and twisting them around. And with the new trailer of Maleficent, they've even taken what was once a sweet song from Sleeping Beauty and twisted it into something far more creepy and sinister-sounding. The new trailer for the movie doesn't have much in the way of dialogue, but it gives us glimpses into battles, Angelina Jolie's evil laugh, and lots of magical creatures. There's also no doubt that Jolie looks just like the character we've all come to know.

There have been a lot of hits and misses within the well-known, live-action story world with last year's Hansel and Gretel: Witchhunters and Jack the Giant Slayer not doing well. But Maleficent's anticipation is high and with the sinister factor in place and the film's new villainness point of view, Disney might have a hit on their hands.

Also starring Elle Fanning and Imelda Staunton, the film will cast its spell on May 30.

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Sleeping Beauty Remake Confirmed!

A couple of months ago it was reported that Tim Burton may be looking to dip his toes into the fairy tale pool yet again, producing and possibly directing a big screen re-imagining of the classic Sleeping Beauty. Only this film would not be the typical story, instead it would focus on Maleficent, the evil witch who put the princess under the fabled spell. Well now it's been confirmed, courtesy of Heativision, that the project will happen. Linda Woolverton, who penned the script to Burton's biggest hit to date, Alice in Wonderland, is on board to write the screenplay.

There's still no confirmation as to what role Burton will play, as he has a number of projects in the works(Frankenweenie, Dark Shadows) at this time.

Maleficent is probably Disney's most heinous, evil villain. Her spell was never meant to cast the princess to sleep, but was intended to kill her outright. So seeing this story told from her perspective should be interesting. Villains are always more intriguing than good guys.

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