Maleficent is a fictional character and the main antagonist in Walt Disney's 1959 adaptation of Sleeping Beauty. She is the self-proclaimed "Mistress of All Evil" who, after not being invited to the baby's christening, curses the infant Princess Aurora to "prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and die" before the sun sets on her sixteenth birthday. The character is Disney's half-dragon adaptation of the evil fairy godmother from the original fairy tale.
Maleficent is often viewed as the most powerful and sinister of the Disney Villains, frequently acting as their leader in many crossovers, and her scenes in the climax of the film are among the darkest and most intense produced by Disney. In Ultimate Disney's top 30 Disney Villains countdown, Maleficent ranked #1. She also plays a major role in the Kingdom Hearts series, as a recurring villain.
Disney announced the start of production on "Maleficent," the studio's next attempt at a live-action reinvention of an animated classic, and to mark the occasion, released the first photo of star Angelina Jolie as the evil sorceress.
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| Still has horns and "toned down" version of "Maleficent" |
"Maleficent" will retell the story of "Sleepy Beauty" from the the villainess' perspective. Also included in the cast are Elle Fanning (sister of Dakota Fanning) as Princess Aurora, Juno Temple as Thistletwit, Brenton Thwaites as the Young Prince, India Eisley as Young Maleficent and Sharlto Copley as Stefan.
