Facts About The Evil Witch Maleficent:
Maleficent has been a big part of the Disney universe for decades and after Angelina Jolie’s magnificent portrayal of the character, the witch is once again the talk of the town. The sequel just hit the theatres and the fans are absolutely loving the movie.
#1: One of the Most Sinister Disney Villains
Maleficent made her first appearance in 1959 from the movie Sleeping Beauty and due to her impact on cinema, she was branded as one of the most sinister Disney Villains. She is described as a cold-hearted witch who even cursed an innocent baby just because she was not invited to the christening ceremony.
#2: The movie broke a budgetary record
The film Maleficent (2014) had the largest budget ever for a first-time director, Robert Stromberg, surpassing another Disney film, TRON: Legacy (2010) and creating a world record. Disney had a lot of faith in Angelina Jolie, who was also the Executive Producer of the movie and took an active interest in the making of the movie.
#3: Disney wanted a Kid-Friendly look for Maleficent
Maleficent is an evil witch and her looks could put the fear of God in anyone. But for the movie, Disney intended the character to have a kid-friendly look. It was ultimately Angelina Jolie, who worked closely with the costume and make-up designers to keep Maleficent’s look menacing. Disney wanted to take advantage of Jolie’s looks but the actress did not budge.
#4: Inspired by Lady Gaga
Angelina Jolie’s look in the movie was inspired by none other than Lady Gaga. Now, some people would argue if it is a compliment or not, but we definitely believe it to be a compliment to the singer as she is completely aware of who she is. Maleficent’s look was particularly modeled on Gaga’s album cover of “Born This Way”
#5: She has no backstory
The original Maleficent is a very mysterious character and no one knows what happened in her past which turned a fairy-like her into an evil witch. The name Maleficent literally translates to “Evildoer”. There is no reason mentioned in the lore as to why would a young, good fairy has the name Maleficent. She either gave this name to herself or someone else gave her the name after witnessing her evil deeds.
#6: The Intended cast of the Movie was insane
The makers originally intended to cast the legendary actresses Emma Thompson and Judi Dench as fairies but the makers could not materialize the deal as it fell off in the end. For the role of King Stefan, Disney approached Jude Law but even that dream failed. Although, the movie did pretty well considering these actors were not hired.
#7: First Villain-centric Disney movie
The movie majorly revolved around Angelina Jolie’s character and that is completely understandable as her star-power is still unmatched. This made Maleficent the first Disney movie to have a film based solely on the villain’s perspective. After Maleficent, we would like to believe that Avengers: Infinity War was a movie that centered around the villain Thanos.
#8: Maleficent can transform into a Dragon
In the original adaptation, Maleficent turned into a huge Dragon when she was enraged. The dragon was animated by Eric Cleworth who based the Dragon on a rattlesnake, with powerful muscles moving a bulky body over the rocky terrain. It would be awesome if Disney incorporates this aspect of the story in the live-action adaptation sequel.
#9: She was killed by Prince Phillip
After finding out that the three fairies had freed Prince Phillip from her dungeon and turned his pet raven, Diablo into a stone, Maleficent lost it and went on a rampage. She started destroying everything after turning into a dragon. So, to stop her the three fairies cast an enhancing enchantment on Phillip’s Sword of Truth, which he threw at Maleficent’s heart, ultimately killing her.
#10: She came back from the dead to take revenge
Maleficent was revived by Diablo, her pet raven after the powers of the three fairies weakened. Maleficent stormed the castle and ultimately cast a spell on Aurora once again. Maleficent faced Prince Phillip once again in her dragon form to take revenge and this time she had the upper hand as Phillip did not have his sword. She attempted to bite Phillip with her venomous fangs, but she accidentally bit her own tail, killing herself in the process.
