So you think you know the real story of Sleeping Beauty? So you think Maleficent is the most evil of all Disney villains? Disney’s MALEFICENT, now on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD will challenge what think you know and will open your eyes to new possibilities. Starring Angelina Jolie as Maleficent herself and Elle Fanning as Princess Aurora, MALEFICENT tells the story of Sleeping Beauty from a new perspective. Angelina Jolie is absolutely stunning as the evil “villain.” The transformation of Jolie into the iconic character is simply amazing. She is beautiful in even her darkest of moods. The story begins with Maleficent as a young girl flying freely through her world. As she gets older, she becomes an enemy of the king and must do what is necessary to protect the creatures of her realm. A betrayal leads her down the path of darkness and ultimately she curses the newborn Aurora with a sleeping spell on her 16th birthday. This fractured fairy tale will have you cheering for characters that might surprise you. When I watched the MALEFICENT with some 5th grade boys, one yelled out to me that “there is no way she can trust anyone anymore.” He was appalled at the circumstances that turned Maleficent into an evil sorceress. This fractured fairy tale is one that the whole family can enjoy together. It might even be fun to watch the Disney animated version of Sleeping Beauty along with the modern take of MALEFICENT. The ultimate lesson in comparing and contrasting a character. Along with the Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD, you can also take the movie anywhere with the DisneyMoviesAnywhere app.The bonus features include deleted scenes, a look at how Elle Fanning became Aurora, creating Maleficent for a new generation, the building of an epic battle scene, a fashion feature, and an exploration of the special effects. I could watch the behind the scenes bonus features all day long. I just love getting to see what goes into Disney movies–both animated and live action. Disney’s MALEFICENT is an adventure that will have you smiling, laughing, booing, cheering, and even crying by the end. Maleficent is a character that will never be looked at the same way again. It really has me wondering about the back-story of all the classic villains: Captain Hook, Ursula, the Queen of Hearts, Cruella de Vil, and even Jafar. Hmmm…..now those could be some interesting tales!
