Maleficent (film)

Maleficent is a 2014 American fantasy film starring Angelina Jolie as the title character in a live-action retelling of her villainous role in Walt Disney's 1959 animated film Sleeping Beauty, itself an adaptation of the 1697 fairy tale. The film was directed by Robert Stromberg and written by Linda Woolverton. It also stars Sharlto Copley, Elle Fanning, Sam Riley, Imelda Staunton, Juno Temple, and Lesley Manville.

Maleficent was originally developed as an animated project in 2003, before it was changed to a live-action feature in 2006, following Disney's acquisition of Pixar. Tim Burton was originally attached to direct the film, but was replaced by Stromberg in his directorial debut. Jolie signed on to play the title role in January 2012 and also served as the film's executive producer. The rest of the main cast joined between March and May 2012. Principal photography took place at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, England, from June to October 2012.

Maleficent premiered in El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood on May 28, 2014, and was released in the United States theatrically on May 30 by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It received mixed reviews from critics and was a commercial success, grossing over $758 million worldwide and becoming the fourth-highest-grossing film of 2014. It received an Academy Award nomination for Best Costume Design at the 87th Academy Awards. A sequel, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, was released in 2019.

Plot

Maleficent is a powerful fairy living in the Moors, a magical forest realm. As a child, she meets a human boy named Stefan, and they fall in love with each other. However, as they get older, they grow apart, with Stefan's love overshadowed by his ambition to be king, while Maleficent becomes protector of the Moors.