Director
Robert Stromberg
Leading Actors/Actresses
Angelina Jolie as Maleficent, Elle Fanning as Aurora
Supporting Actors/Actresses
Sharlto Copely as King Stefan, Sam Riley as Diaval
Genre
Fantasy
Language
English
Awards
Academy Award nomination for Best Costume Design, BAFTA Award Nominee for Best Feature Film
Date of Release
May 28th, 2014
Producer
Joe Roth
Setting and Context
A magical forest called the Moors and a nearby human kingdom; based on the fairy tale "Sleeping Beauty"
Narrator and Point of View
Third-person omniscient point of view; the film includes expositional narration from the perspective of an adult Queen Aurora
Tone and Mood
Nightmarish and haunting, with moments of absurd levity
Protagonist and Antagonist
Protagonist: Maleficent; Antagonist: King Stefan
Major Conflict
Maleficent puts a curse on King Stefan's newborn daughter, only to regret it after she grows to love Aurora. Since King Stefan and Maleficent both believe the curse is unbreakable, the major conflict is their attempts to protect Aurora from her inevitable demise.
Climax
While trying to escape the tower with Aurora, King Stefan attacks Maleficent with an army of guards and iron weapons. The climax comes when Aurora releases Maleficent's wings, saving her from Stefan's killing blow.
Foreshadowing
The opening narration explains that the human realm and the Moors are so different that "only a great hero or a terrible villain might bring them together." This statement foreshadows how Maleficent eventually unites the two kingdoms under Aurora's rule.
During his initial attack on the Moors, King Henry defies Maleficent, proclaiming, "the king does not take orders from a winged elf." This foreshadows how Maleficent loses her wings and forces Stefan to obey her.
Maleficent tries to reverse the curse while Aurora sleeps in her bed. This visual foreshadows how Maleficent will break Aurora's enchanted sleep.
Understatement
When King Stefan tells Maleficent that she is unwelcome at Aurora's christening, she replies, "Oh dear. What an awkward situation." This is an understatement, as Maleficent's presence terrifies the partygoers, and Maleficent intends to wreak havoc by cursing Aurora.
When King Stefan scolds the fairies for bringing Aurora back a day early, they downplay the magnitude of the curse by insisting Aurora is "only sleeping." Though the curse does place Aurora in an enchanted sleep, King Stefan and Maleficent both believe the curse is permanent and Aurora's life is effectively over, making the assertion that she is "only sleeping" an understatement.
Innovations in Filming or Lighting or Camera Techniques
Director Robert Stromberg used both computer-generated images and painted film mattes to create the visual effects
Allusions
The movie is based on the "Sleeping Beauty" fairy tale.
Paradox
Maleficent both puts the curse on Aurora and breaks it, subverting expectations
Parallelism
On her sixteenth birthday, Stefan gives Maleficent what he calls "true love's kiss," which makes Maleficent vulnerable to Stefan's betrayal. On Aurora's sixteenth birthday, Maleficent's "true love's kiss" breaks the curse, saving Aurora.
