Maleficent – A New Spin on an Old Tale

If you are like me you have been waiting with anticipation for the release of Maleficent. My favorite classic Disney movie is Sleeping Beauty and I grew up hearing my mom sing “Once Upon a Dream” quite regularly. I always hated Maleficent and was glad to see her go by the hand of Prince Phillip (with help from the fairies). So when I saw that Disney was releasing a movie with Maleficent at the center, I wondered how it would play out. How would they develop her character and make me care about her at all?

My daughter and I were lucky enough to be able to attend a media preview of Maleficent and the crowd was full of excitement and anticipation. There were even horns being handed out (which my daughter made me wear). We entered the theater with high expectations and we were not disappointed. The scenery in the movie is beautiful right from the start and it immediately drew me in. The movie begins with Maleficent’s back story and it might just surprise you with its tale of beauty, love, and loss. I won’t spoil it for you, but you will understand why Maleficent got so angry at King Stefan.  A large chunk of the movie is true to the story you know from Sleeping Beauty but starting about when Maleficent casts her curse, the story diverges from the one you know. I usually frown upon major story-line changes but not this time. You will have to head out to see this new film yourself to find out where Disney takes the story.

Two questions I have gotten a lot of in the 24 hours since I attended the screening:

Is it too scary for my young child?

Know your child. Neither I nor my six-year-old daughter found the movie to be scary at all. It is rated PG but very sensitive children might find it frightening.

Is it worth seeing in 3-D?

I am a little bit of a 3-D nerd. I love beautiful scenery in 3-D especially in what is called the beyond the window effect, where there is a lot of depth inviting you into the scene and deepening its beauty. Maleficent shines in this regard. But if you like 3-D movies that pop out at you, you won’t find it here.

Maleficent is a worthy movie to see with your family and will provide many opportunities for discussion about things such as revenge, anger, redemption, and forgiveness. Go see it this weekend.