Say it with me: MA-LEF-I-CENT. Get used to saying this title because from early reviews, Disney’s “Maleficent” is going to be on the tips of everyone’s tongues after this weekend. Angelina Jolie seems to be perfectly cast as Maleficent, a fairy from the Sleeping Beauty story. “Maleficent” is in theaters starting today and has made quite the impression on early movie goers. Disney characters like Maleficent bring some edge to family movies. Kari Apted from KariApted.com was lucky enough to snag Mamalicious Maria’s ticket to the Atlanta premiere of Disney’s “Maleficent”. She absolutely loved it! Read on to see what Kari thought and if you should bring your kids…!
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I rate Disney’s “Maleficent” in one word: magnificent!
As a writer, I’ve always been intrigued when creative people take well-known fairy tales and approach them from an entirely different perspective. Had you ever given thought to why Maleficent cursed baby Aurora? It never crossed my mind, either. But in this age when tragic things seem to happen by the moment, we often seek out the “why” behind a perpetrator’s behavior. It was fun to see Disney craft a very well-written backstory behind Maleficent, one of the most nefarious of all Disney characters.
Angelina Jolie is perfectly cast as Maleficent, even if I initially found what they did to her cheekbones rather alarming. One of the funnier parts of the film occurs later when Angelina Jolie is in a scene with her real-life daughter, Vivienne Jolie-Pitt, who plays a perfectly adorable baby Aurora.
The makeup and costumes in Disney’s “Maleficent” were exquisitely beautiful (especially on Angelina Jolie) and the computer-generated characters and scenes were incredibly lifelike. One thing I loved about the film was the constant string of surprises. I had not seen a lot of promotional material, so I was not aware of all the enchanted Disney characters or that Maleficent herself was a fairy. If I delve too much into the story, it will uncover too many fun little twists and turns, I’m afraid. So I’ll just say that I adore stories where forgiveness trumps selfishness and love wins in the end.
I think Disney’s “Maleficent” is a fun, entertaining film for just about everyone, and I look forward to taking my sons and daughter to see it. That said, you might want to view it yourself before showing it to kids under age 7 or 8. There are a few intense fighting scenes that could be a bit overwhelming for certain younger children. Even so, I would not call Disney’s “Maleficent” a scary film, or even particularly “dark”, as I assumed it might be. There is more than enough Disney-esque sweetness and humor to keep it on the lighter side.
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Check out one of the best clips from the movie:
What do you think of Angelina Jolie in this role? Will you go see Disney’s “Maleficent”? Which Disney characters do you want to see a movie about?
