by Mahesh Subramaniam
Recently, the world of animated movies has been venturing into new territory. Pixar released Brave, its first movie with a female protagonist; there's Disney's Frozen, a story about two sisters which has now been titled the most successful animated movie in history, I think it's fair to say, it's about time. Now, Disney have gone a step further, instead of making a movie about a heroine, they’ve made a movie with an anti-heroine: Maleficent, the evil yet alluring villain of Sleeping Beauty.
Recently, the world of animated movies has been venturing into new territory. Pixar released Brave, its first movie with a female protagonist; there's Disney's Frozen, a story about two sisters which has now been titled the most successful animated movie in history, I think it's fair to say, it's about time. Now, Disney have gone a step further, instead of making a movie about a heroine, they’ve made a movie with an anti-heroine: Maleficent, the evil yet alluring villain of Sleeping Beauty.
Robert Stromberg makes his directorial debut. Stromberg is a two-time Oscar-winner for his role as production designer on Avatar and Alice in Wonderland. From his previous work as a production designer, I look forward to an original and stylistic approach to Maleficent. Linda Woolverton has joined the team as the screenwriter. She is probably the definitive Disney screenwriter since her past accolades boast The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast, which makes me confident that the movie should inherit the essence of a Disney movie.
Without a doubt the biggest attraction of the cast is Angelina Jolie, who stars in the title role. Jolie is no stranger to iconic characters, from her daring performance in Gia to the gutsy Lara Croft in Tomb Raider, but Jolie confesses Maleficent is one of the most difficult roles of her career, saying, “There’s a part of me that plays big fun roles, but never this big. She’s slightly crazy, extremely vibrant, a little wicked and has a big sense of humour, so she’s quite full on. It’s one of those characters that, for me, you couldn’t do halfway."
Without a doubt the biggest attraction of the cast is Angelina Jolie, who stars in the title role. Jolie is no stranger to iconic characters, from her daring performance in Gia to the gutsy Lara Croft in Tomb Raider, but Jolie confesses Maleficent is one of the most difficult roles of her career, saying, “There’s a part of me that plays big fun roles, but never this big. She’s slightly crazy, extremely vibrant, a little wicked and has a big sense of humour, so she’s quite full on. It’s one of those characters that, for me, you couldn’t do halfway."
Jolie’s costume could muster such a dark presence that the extra of the baby Aurora kept crying whenever she saw her. This prompted Jolie to include her own daughter Vivienne Jolie-Pitt for principal photography, since she was the only baby that wouldn’t cry when her mother was Maleficent.
When the first trailers were released for Maleficent, I was nervous since she seemed like a one-dimensional character. But now they've elaborated on the plot, it appears the movie will explore all of Maleficent's life since she was a young fairy. From what I gather, it seems that Maleficent will be a similar kind of character to Wicked’s Elphaba, a character who is fiercely protective and loyal to her loved ones but unforgiving and vengeful to her enemies.
Elle Fanning (Super 8) will play the role of Aurora, the initial heroine in the tale of Sleeping Beauty. Fanning's light and innocent Aurora will contrast against Jolie's Maleficent. For Fanning, this could be a career-defining role for her, with both Stromberg and Jolie complimenting her as an actress. It will be interesting to see how she can hold her own with an actor like Jolie.
The comic relief of the movie will be three pixies who have a bitter rivalry with Maleficent and are tasked with raising Aurora. The pixie in charge is played by Imelda Staunton, aka Dolores Umbridge. I for one cannot wait to see her scenes with Angelina Jolie.
Packed with a talented cast and guided by a successful crew, Maleficent has all the makings of a great movie. Could Maleficent achieve the status of a classic like Sleeping Beauty? We'll have to wait and see.
Check out the new featurette and clip for Maleficent below.
When the first trailers were released for Maleficent, I was nervous since she seemed like a one-dimensional character. But now they've elaborated on the plot, it appears the movie will explore all of Maleficent's life since she was a young fairy. From what I gather, it seems that Maleficent will be a similar kind of character to Wicked’s Elphaba, a character who is fiercely protective and loyal to her loved ones but unforgiving and vengeful to her enemies.
Elle Fanning (Super 8) will play the role of Aurora, the initial heroine in the tale of Sleeping Beauty. Fanning's light and innocent Aurora will contrast against Jolie's Maleficent. For Fanning, this could be a career-defining role for her, with both Stromberg and Jolie complimenting her as an actress. It will be interesting to see how she can hold her own with an actor like Jolie.
The comic relief of the movie will be three pixies who have a bitter rivalry with Maleficent and are tasked with raising Aurora. The pixie in charge is played by Imelda Staunton, aka Dolores Umbridge. I for one cannot wait to see her scenes with Angelina Jolie.
Packed with a talented cast and guided by a successful crew, Maleficent has all the makings of a great movie. Could Maleficent achieve the status of a classic like Sleeping Beauty? We'll have to wait and see.
Check out the new featurette and clip for Maleficent below.
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