The 2014 film Maleficent re-imagines the classic fairytale "Sleeping Beauty" by telling the narrative from the perspective of Maleficent, the antagonist of the 1959 version of the Disney film. Maleficent is a young, orphaned fairy living in a peaceful, natural realm called the Moors. She meets a young human boy named Stefan, and the two form a friendship that eventually blossoms into romance.
However, Stefan's ambition and desire for power cause him to grow apart from Maleficent and, one day, betray her. The king of the human realm declares that whoever can vanquish Maleficent, the Protector of the Moors, will be named successor to the throne. Taking advantage of her trust, Stefan drugs Maleficent and cuts off her wings. He presents the wings to the king and, soon after, ascends to the throne. Enraged that Stefan mutilated her for personal gain, Maleficent places a curse on the king's newborn daughter, Aurora, declaring that she will prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and fall into a permanent sleep, which can only be broken by true love's kiss. Since Stefan's betrayal led both him and Maleficent to the conclusion that true love doesn't exist, both believe the curse is permanent.
As Aurora grows up under the care of three negligent fairies, Maleficent watches over her from afar, gradually developing a maternal bond with the young princess. Meanwhile, Stefan's hatred for Maleficent drives him mad; he destroys all the spinning wheels in his kingdom and orders his soldiers to enter the Moors and kill Maleficent. However, Maleficent conjures a wall of thorns to prevent any human from entering her domain.
On her sixteenth birthday, Aurora discovers the truth about her identity and Maleficent's curse. She flees to the castle, where she accidentally encounters a spindle that pricks her finger, fulfilling the curse. Motivated by her love for Aurora, Maleficent kidnaps Prince Phillip, Aurora's romantic interest, and sets out to break the curse, even if it means risking her own life in the process.
When Prince Phillip fails to break the curse, Maleficent awakens Aurora with a true love's kiss, unaware she has the power to do so. Aurora forgives Maleficent and asks to live in the Moors with her. However, though the curse is broken, King Stefan attempts to kill Maleficent, trapping her in a net made of iron. Amid the battle, Aurora frees Maleficent's wings from the glass case where Stefan kept them, and the wings reattach to Maleficent's body. Empowered by her ability to fly, Maleficent escapes Stefan and declares that their feud is over. Still, Stefan is unwilling to accept defeat and tackles Maleficent over the side of a tower, where he plummets to his death.
Maleficent lifts the curse on the kingdom and removes the wall of thorns, uniting the two realms under Aurora's leadership. Maleficent, Prince Phillip, and the citizens of the Moors gather for Aurora's coronation. Healed from the emotional and physical wounds of Stefan's betrayal, Maleficent flies off into the sunset.
