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Maleficent

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the Disney character. For the film, see Maleficent (film).
For other uses, see Maleficent (disambiguation).
Maleficent
Sleeping Beauty character
Maleficent (along with her raven Diablo), as she appears in Disney's Sleeping Beauty.
First appearanceSleeping Beauty (1959)
First gameKingdom Hearts (2002)
Created byMarc Davis
Eric Cleworth
Based onThe evil fairy from Charles Perrault's fairy tale
Designed byMarc Davis
Eyvind Earle
Voiced by
Portrayed by
In-universe information
AliasThe Mistress of all Evil
SpeciesFairy[1]
GenderFemale
TitleQueen of the Moors (in Maleficent)
AffiliationDisney Villains
Significant othersHades (in House of Mouse and Descendants)
ChildrenMal (daughter; in Descendants)
Aurora (adoptive daughter; in Maleficent)
HomeThe Forbidden Mountains
The Moors (in Maleficent)

Maleficent (/məˈlɛfɪsənt/ or /məˈlɪfɪsənt/) is a fictional character who first appears in Walt Disney Productions' animated film, Sleeping Beauty (1959). Maleficent is the self-proclaimed "Mistress of All Evil" based on the evil fairy godmother character in Charles Perrault's fairy tale Sleeping Beauty,[2] as well as the villainess who appears in the Brothers Grimm's retelling of the story, Little Briar Rose. Maleficent was originally animated by Marc Davis.

In the 1959 film, Maleficent was originally voiced by Eleanor Audley, who earlier voiced Lady Tremaine, Cinderella's evil stepmother, in Cinderella (1950).[3] Maleficent is represented as an evil fairy and the self-proclaimed "Mistress of All Evil" who, after not being invited to a christening, curses the infant Princess Aurora to "prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and die" before the sun sets on Aurora's sixteenth birthday.[4]

A revision of the character appeared as the protagonist in the 2014 live-action film Maleficent, portrayed by Angelina Jolie, who reprised the role in the 2019 sequel Maleficent: Mistress of Evil.[5] This version of Maleficent is portrayed as a sympathetic character, who is misunderstood in trying to protect herself and her domain from humans.

Development

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The character was animated by Marc Davis, who also animated Aurora in the film. She was aptly named "Maleficent" (an adjective derived from the Latin maleficentia, which means "doing evil or harm"),[6] and may have been based on earlier French and European myths and legends about the fairy Mélusine, especially in the 2014 live-action film of the same name.[7] French historian Jean Markale suggested that the name "Mélusine" may have derived from the earlier Latin name Mala Lucina, with "Lucina" being an epithet of Juno, the Roman goddess of marriage and childbirth.[8] In determining Maleficent's design, standard depictions of witches and hags were dismissed, as Davis had opted for an elegant, sinister, green-skinned beauty, depicted as "vain femme fatale, utilizing a classic archetype of a bad woman".[9] According to Davis, Maleficent "was designed like a giant vampire bat to create a feeling of menace".[10]

She was voiced by Eleanor Audley, who had previously performed Lady Tremaine, Cinderella's evil stepmother, in Disney's Cinderella (1950). Audley also provided some live-action recording for both of these characters to inspire the animators. In addition, dancer Jane Fowler performed some live-action reference for Maleficent.[11][12] Animators Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas, in their book The Disney Villain, describe animating Audley's voice as "a difficult assignment but a thrilling one, working to that voice track with so much innuendo, mixed in with the fierce power".[13][14]

It was long rumored that Maleficent's likeness was inspired by actress Maila Nurmi, best known for her character Vampira, a camp icon that was created in 1953, and inspired by Morticia Addams from The Addams Family comic strip by Charles Addams for The New Yorker; the Dragon Lady from the comic strip Terry and the Pirates; and the Evil Queen from Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937).[15][16] In 2014, entries were discovered in Nurmi's journals describing sessions for Walt Disney in November 1956, and the Walt Disney Company was subsequently able to find archival documents corroborating Nurmi's participation as a "live-action reference" model for the character.[17] Maleficent's likeness in the eponymous 2014 film, as portrayed by actress Angelina Jolie, was inspired by Lady Gaga's appearance in her music video "Born This Way" (2011).[18]

For the scene when Maleficent transforms into a dragon in the original film, she was animated by Eric Cleworth, who said that the dragon was modeled on a rattlesnake, with "powerful muscles moving a bulky body over the rocky terrain".[10] Sound effects artist Jimmy MacDonald searched for the sound of a dragon's fiery breath by requesting the United States Army to send him some training films on flame throwing, and these films provided just the right sound for him.[12]

Appearances

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Sleeping Beauty

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Main article: Sleeping Beauty (1959 film)

In the animated film, where she is voiced by Eleanor Audley, Maleficent arrives at King Stefan and Queen Leah's castle during the christening of their newborn daughter, Princess Aurora. She expresses displeasure about not receiving an invitation, to which one of the good fairies named Merryweather replies that she was unwanted. Angered, she prepares to leave. Queen Leah asks her if she is offended, causing Maleficent to deny her rage, and subsequently offers to bestow a "gift" on Aurora to prove that she "bears no ill will". Maleficent confirms that Aurora will grow in grace and beauty, "beloved by all who know her", but as revenge for not being invited by the kingdom, she curses Aurora so that before the sun sets on her sixteenth birthday, she will prick her finger on a spinning wheel's spindle and die. Before the Royal Guards can seize her, Maleficent disappears, laughing triumphantly. Though Merryweather still has her gift to bestow, she cannot dispel Maleficent's power, but she can weaken the curse: if Aurora was to prick her finger, she will not die but only sleep until a kiss from her true love awakens her.

Later, at her castle in the Forbidden Mountains, a frustrated Maleficent asks her bestial army why they have been unable to find Aurora, who had been hidden and brought up by the three good fairies. Maleficent learns that they have focused on searching for a baby the entire time, even though 16 years have passed. She flies into a destructive rage, and soon desperately instructs her pet raven, Diablo, to find Aurora. The bird manages to succeed due to a magical quarrel between Merryweather and Flora, which exposes their location.

Maleficent transforms into a dragon at the film's climax.

On Aurora's sixteenth birthday, after the three fairies have momentarily left the depressed princess alone in a castle room, Maleficent visits Aurora in the form of a will-o-the-wisp, luring the princess to a tower room where Maleficent transforms into a spinning wheel. The fairies, realizing their mistake, pursue Aurora to the tower room. Unfortunately, on Maleficent's command, Aurora pricks her finger on the spindle and falls asleep. When Flora, Merryweather, and Fauna arrive too late, Maleficent appears and taunts them of their attempts of defeating her. Maleficent then reveals Aurora, shocking the fairies as she disappears, leaving the fairies heartbroken at what happened.

Later on, Maleficent and her goons capture Prince Phillip, Aurora's true love, and imprisons him. Maleficent then rests well, thinking she has triumphed. However, she later wakes up and by seeing that Diablo has been turned to stone, she discovers that the fairies have freed Phillip from her dungeon. She climbs to the top of one of her castle's towers and proceeds to blast Phillip with lightning, and after the good fairies foil these attempts, she summons a forest of thorns, through which Phillip slices his way out. Enraged, she blows away and confronts him in front of King Stefan's castle and transforms into a dragon. The three fairies enchant Phillip's Sword of Truth, which he throws into Maleficent's heart, mortally wounding her before she falls off the cliff to her death.

Maleficent film series

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Maleficent

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Main article: Maleficent (film)
Angelina Jolie as Maleficent in the 2014 live-action re-imagining film of the character

The 2014 live-action reboot presents Maleficent as a good-hearted but tragic fairy who defends the Moors, a realm of supernatural beings, from neighboring humans. She is played by Angelina Jolie.

Prior to the film's events, Maleficent was a benevolent fairy who possessed healing abilities and shared an immense fondness with all the denizens of her mystical domain. Maleficent befriends a thieving peasant boy named Stefan, upon being alerted to his presence by a trio of pixies: Knotgrass (Imelda Staunton), Thistletwit (Juno Temple), and Flittle (Lesley Manville).

As a young adult, Maleficent is betrayed by Stefan, who uses iron to burn off her wings so that he can succeed King Henry. After claiming a raven named Diaval (Sam Riley) as her henchman, Maleficent renames herself from guardian of the Moors to ruler of same. Both her clothing and realm turn dark, reflecting the hatred with which she is now consumed. When she learns that now-King Stefan and his Queen Leila have a newborn daughter named Aurora (Elle Fanning), Maleficent acts in the name of what she considers poetic justice by cursing the newborn Aurora to fall into a deathlike slumber on her 16th birthday; the spell can be broken only by the kiss of true love, which neither Maleficent nor Stefan believe in. Knotgrass, Thistletwit, and Flittle are assigned to look after Aurora until after her 16th birthday, but prove be incompetent and negligent. To ensure that her curse comes to pass, Maleficent cares for and protects Aurora from afar. As Aurora grows, Maleficent recognizes the folly of punishing Stefan's daughter for something he alone did. This tender regard for Aurora enables Maleficent to undo the damage which she herself inflicted; after Philip's kiss fails to break the curse, Maleficent voices her regrets and herself kisses Aurora's brow. Roused from her enchanted sleep and now aware of her father's true nature, Aurora foils his efforts to destroy Maleficent by returning Maleficent's wings to her. Completely stripped of her bitterness and thirst for vengeance, Maleficent declares an end to her feud with Stefan, but the king, driven by shame too great to bear, attempts to kill her and himself, only to take a fatal fall from his castle's highest turret.

Following Aurora's ascension over her parents' domain, Maleficent crowns her to rule the Moors as well, with Diaval and Phillip looking on proudly.

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil

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Main article: Maleficent: Mistress of Evil

Angelina Jolie reprised the role in Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, in which Maleficent's relationship with Aurora was tested. Other fairies of her species appeared, led by Conall (Chiwetel Ejiofor). In the course of the film, Prince Philip's mother Ingrith (Michelle Pfeiffer) attempts to provoke a war between the humans and the fairies by creating the impression that Maleficent has cast another curse on the king, forcing Maleficent to flee the kingdom only to be rescued by others of her kind. During this time, Maleficent's species is identified as 'Dark Fey', although Maleficent's powers are unique to her due to her being the latest reincarnation of the powerful Phoenix. The queen nearly destroys the fairies after devising a cloud of red dust that will turn all fairies exposed to it into plants and luring them into a church for Aurora's wedding, but during the Dark Fey's attack on the kingdom, Aurora learns the truth and is able to convince both sides to stand down, Philip appealing to his own soldiers while Aurora confronts Maleficent. After asserting that she still regards Maleficent as her mother, Aurora is knocked off a tower by the queen, but Maleficent is able to save Aurora, ending the conflict when she breaks the curse on the King and turns the Queen into a goat. With peace restored, Maleficent walks Aurora down the aisle for her wedding to Philip, and later assures Aurora that she will return when their first child is born.

Descendants franchise

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Maleficent appears in Descendants (2015), portrayed by Kristin Chenoweth.[19] She is transformed into a lizard at the end of the film and makes minor appearances in the sequels Descendants 2 (2017) and Descendants: The Royal Wedding (2021). Additionally, a teenage Maleficent appears in the spin-off film Descendants: The Rise of Red, portrayed by Marissa Kruep.[20]

Television series

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House of Mouse

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Maleficent appears in House of Mouse, voiced by Lois Nettleton.[21]

Once Upon a Time

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Maleficent
Once Upon a Time character
First appearance"The Thing You Love Most" (Season 1; Episode 2)
Last appearance"Leaving Storybrooke" (Season 7; Episode 22)
Portrayed byKristin Bauer van Straten
In-universe information
SpeciesFairy/Dragon
TitleQueen of Darkness
OccupationSorceress
AffiliationQueens of Darkness (formerly)
Significant otherZorro
ChildrenLilith Page (daughter)
Further information: List of Once Upon a Time characters § Maleficent

An alternate version of Maleficent appears in the ABC television series Once Upon a Time, played by Kristin Bauer van Straten.[22][23]

She debuts in a flashback of the first season episode "The Thing You Love Most", where Regina (the Evil Queen) goes in search of her help. Maleficent is killed by Emma Swan in the first season finale, "A Land Without Magic", but is resurrected by Rumplestiltskin in the fourth season.

Video games

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Kingdom Hearts

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Further information: Characters of Kingdom Hearts § Maleficent

Maleficent appears in the Kingdom Hearts video game series, voiced by Susanne Blakeslee in English and Toshiko Sawada in Japanese.[21] Introduced in Kingdom Hearts (2002), Maleficent makes subsequent appearances in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories (2004), Kingdom Hearts II (2005), Kingdom Hearts Coded (2008), Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep (2010), Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance (2012), Kingdom Hearts Union χ (2017), and Kingdom Hearts III (2019).[24]

Other games

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Theme parks

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Maleficent along with Queen of Hearts (left) and Captain Hook (right) during Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.

Maleficent sometimes appears in Disney Parks as a meet-and-greet character.[32] She also appears in attractions and live shows, commonly involved with other Disney Villains, like Fantasmic! (voiced by Linda Gary), Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, or Dream Along with Mickey. At Disneyland Paris an animatronic version of Maleficent's dragon form La Tanière du Dragon is located in the lower-level dungeon underneath Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant (Sleeping Beauty Castle).[33]

Printed media

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In the book series by Ridley Pearson, Kingdom Keepers, Maleficent appears as one of the first Overtakers encountered as she intends to leave the confines of Disney World to take over the world.

Maleficent was featured in the book sequel to Sleeping Beauty called Maleficent's Revenge.

Maleficent also appears as one of the villains in the 2005 Disney manga series Kilala Princess by Rika Tanaka and Nao Kodaka.

Maleficent is the protagonist in Serena Valentino's Disney Villains franchise book Mistress of All Evil: A Tale of the Dark Fairy.[34]

The Simpsons shorts

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Maleficent appears in The Simpsons shorts Plusaversary (2021) and Welcome to the Club (2022), voiced by Tress MacNeille.[35][36]

Other appearances

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Reception

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The original version of Maleficent has been called as "one of the most sinister Disney Villains".[38] She is generally described as an "evil, cold hearted fairy who can curse an innocent baby just because she is not invited to the christening ceremony."[39] Guillermo del Toro has stated that along with Vermithrax in Dragonslayer, Maleficent is his favorite cinematic dragon.[40] Voice actress Eleanor Audley and supervising animator Marc Davis were also praised for their work on the character.[citation needed] In 2016, The Frisky described Maleficent and the Evil Queen as "two of the best-realized female villains in movie history."[41]

Maleficent's live-action version from the film series of the same name has received critical attention, different from its original, animated counterpart. Benjamin Justice describes this version of Maleficent as "a full person, good and evil, powerful and vulnerable, vengeful and loving" and notes that, while she and Aurora value heterosexual relationships and love, neither of them "let the idea of [one true love] define the arc of the personal or public lives."[42] When analyzing Maleficent's disability after she loses her wings due to Stephan's betrayal, Colleen Elaine Donnelly compares her role to that of Elphaba in Wicked, explaining that in both cases, the story "intends to reform the stereotype of the evil witch by providing a backstory."[9]

References

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  1. ^ "How Well Do You Know... Sleeping Beauty?". Disney Insider. Archived from the original on February 19, 2014. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
  2. ^ Rovin, Jeff (1987). The Encyclopedia of Supervillains. New York: Facts on File. pp. 252–254. ISBN 0-8160-1356-X.
  3. ^ "Audley, Eleanor - D23". d23.com. September 6, 2015.
  4. ^ Grant, John (1998). Encyclopedia of Walt Disney's Animated Characters (2nd ed.). Hyperion. pp. 263–264. ISBN 978-0786863365.
  5. ^ Good Morning America [@GMA] (March 6, 2019). ""Maleficent: Mistress of Evil," the sequel to Disney's "Maleficent," will be released nationwide October 18, 2019. gma.abc/2HNA1Wz Take a look at the new teaser poster!" (Tweet). Retrieved March 6, 2019 – via Twitter.
  6. ^ "Dictionary.com". 2012. Retrieved June 7, 2012.
  7. ^ Urban, Misty; Kemmis, Deva; Ridley-Elmes, Melissa; Colwell, Tania (2017). Melusine's Footprint: Tracing the Legacy of a Medieval Myth. Brill. pp. 386, 398. ISBN 978-9004315082.
  8. ^ Markale, Jean (1986). Women of the Celts. Inner Traditions. pp. 112, 121. ISBN 978-0892811502.
  9. ^ a b Donnelly, Colleen Elaine (December 26, 2016). "Re-visioning Negative Archetypes of Disability and Deformity in Fantasy: Wicked, Maleficent, and Game of Thrones". Disability Studies Quarterly. 36 (4). doi:10.18061/dsq.v36i4.5313. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
  10. ^ a b Elizabeth Bell (1995). Somatexts at the Disney Shop. Indiana University Press. ISBN 0253209781.
  11. ^ "Animating Old Legend". Life. Vol. 45, no. 25. December 22, 1958. p. 157. ISSN 0024-3019. Retrieved December 16, 2020 – via Google Books.
  12. ^ a b "Maleficent Character History". Disney.go.com. Archived from the original on October 4, 2003. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  13. ^ "Lady Tremaine and Stepsisters Character History". Disney.go.com. Archived from the original on August 6, 2003. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  14. ^ Johnston, Ollie; Thomas, Frank (1993). The Disney Villain (1st ed.). New York: Hyperion. p. 101. ISBN 978-1562827922.
  15. ^ Keesey, Pam (1997). Vamps: An Illustrated History of the Femme Fatale. San Francisco: Cleis Press. p. 71. ISBN 1-57344-026-4. OCLC 475044131.
  16. ^ Stewart, Jocelyn Y. (January 16, 2008). "As Vampira, Actress Hosted Fright Films". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, IL. pp. 2–10. Retrieved December 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  17. ^ R.H. Greene (15 February 2014). "The real Maleficent: The surprising human face behind the "Sleeping Beauty" villain". Salon.
  18. ^ Panych, Sofia (May 16, 2014). "Allure Exclusive: The Scoop on Angelina Jolie's Makeup in Maleficent". Allure. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  19. ^ Kristin Chenoweth to play Maleficent in Disney's original movie 'Descendants' Entertainment Weekly, Retrieved May 5, 2014
  20. ^ Denise Petski (February 15, 2023). "'The Pocketwatch' Casts Teen Versions Of Maleficent, Aladdin, Jasmine, Prince Charming & More; Sam Morelos Among New Additions To 'The Descendants' Offshoot". Deadline.
  21. ^ a b "Maleficent Voices (Sleeping Beauty)". Behind The Voice Actors (A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.).
  22. ^ "Kristin Bauer Gets Once Upon a Time". KristinBauer.net. Archived from the original on 2012-04-25. Retrieved 2011-10-24.
  23. ^ Abrams, Natalie (November 19, 2014). "Once Upon a Time casts Alias vet Merrin Dungey". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 19, 2014.
  24. ^ "Maleficent - Kingdom Hearts Insider". khinsider. October 4, 2012.
  25. ^ "Merida and Maleficent Are Coming to Disney Infinity". Disney Blogs.
  26. ^ Disney Magic Kingdoms (Gameloft) (March 17, 2016). "Disney Magic Kingdoms - Official Launch Trailer". YouTube.
  27. ^ Disney Magic Kingdoms (Gameloft) (April 25, 2018). "Update 20: Bambi | Livestream". YouTube.
  28. ^ "Maleficent - Disney Mirrorverse". Kabam. 18 November 2020.
  29. ^ "The Incredibles and Disney Villains Are Coming to Fortnite This Fall". 11 August 2024.
  30. ^ "Fortnitemares 2024 Afflicts the Island in Battle Royale v31.40". Epic Games. 12 October 2024.
  31. ^ Maxon Faber (October 18, 2024). "Just Released — Check Out Fortnite's Full Disney Villains Collection". Laughing Place.
  32. ^ "Character Central | Maleficent". charactercentral.net. January 16, 2011.
  33. ^ https://www.dlpguide.com/guidebook/disneyland-park/fantasyland/la-taniere-du-dragon/
  34. ^ Reif, Alex (December 28, 2017). "Book Review – "Mistress of All Evil: A Tale of the Dark Fairy"". LaughingPlace.com. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  35. ^ Celestino, Mike (2021-11-12). "TV Review: "The Simpsons in Plusaversary" Pays Irreverent Homage to the House of Mouse On Disney+ Day". LaughingPlace.com. Retrieved 2022-06-02.
  36. ^ Reif, Alex (2022-09-08). "TV Recap: "The Simpsons: Welcome to the Club" Brings Disney Villains to Springfield". LaughingPlace.com. Retrieved 2022-09-09.
  37. ^ Reif, Alex (October 16, 2023). "Disney's "Once Upon a Studio" – List of Characters in Order of Appearance". Laughing Place.
  38. ^ "Sleeping Beauty (1959)" Archived 2012-06-26 at the Wayback Machine. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 27, 2013.
  39. ^ Üner, Ayşe Melda (July 20, 2017). "Intertextual transformation of a fairy tale from Sleeping Beauty to Maleficent" (PDF). Balıkesir University the Journal of Social Sciences Institute. 20 (38): 371–382. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 29, 2019. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
  40. ^ "An Unexpected Party Chat transcript now available! from Weta Holics" (PDF). WetaNZ.com. Archived from the original on December 31, 2008. Retrieved April 18, 2017.
  41. ^ The Frisky (January 29, 2016). "Linguists Have Nailed The Exact Problem With Disney's Princess Movies". The Frisky. Archived from the original on April 19, 2016. Retrieved April 21, 2016.
  42. ^ Justice, Benjamin (September 1, 2014). "Maleficent Reborn: Disney's Fairytale View of Gender Reaches Puberty". Social Education. 78 (4): 194–198. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
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