Summary
Scene 1 (Maleficent)
The opening narration establishes the setting of the film. There are two kingdoms: one of humans led by an unjust king, and one called the Moors where magical creatures lived in harmony. According to legend, the two worlds are so disparate that "only a great hero or a terrible villain might bring them together." The scene then shows young Maleficent, a birdlike fairy with wings and horns, living alone in a tree. She uses her magic to entertain herself, making two dolls dance and healing a broken branch. She then flies through the enchanting landscape, greeting the various magical creatures by name in a friendly manner.
Scene 2 (A Human Thief)
Three tiny fairies, Thistletwit, Flittle, and Knotgrass, inform Maleficent that a human thief has entered the Moors. Maleficent, curious to see the human, flies to where two dryads (tree creatures) guard the human boy who refuses to come out of hiding. The boy, Stefan, believes the dryads mean to kill him, and he insults them; Maleficent defends the dryads and entices the boy to come out of hiding and return the gem he stole. As soon as Stefan gives her the gem, Maleficent tosses it into the water, explaining that by doing so, she is returning it.
Maleficent then escorts Stefan back to the human kingdom, and the children bond over the fact that both are orphans. Stefan gestures to the palace and states that he will live there one day, though he currently lives impoverished in a barn. Though Maleficent warns Stefan that the Moors aren't safe for him, he hints he will return to see her. When Stefan shakes Maleficent's hand, his ring hurts her, as "iron burns fairies." Though Stefan is poor and has few possessions, he immediately throws his ring away. As he walks home, Stefan calls back to Maleficent, saying, "I like your wings."
Stefan returns to the Moors frequently to visit Maleficent, their friendship and budding romance demonstrating that "the old hatred between men and fairies had been forgotten." Stefan gives Maleficent gifts, including a necklace and, on her sixteenth birthday, "true love's kiss."
Scene 3 (The Protector of the Moors)
Over the years, Stefan and Maleficent grow apart, as Maleficent, "the strongest of the fairies," becomes "protector of the Moors," and Stefan follows his dream of becoming royalty. Maleficent, now an adult, is shown flying through the Moors with an intense focus, contrasting with her playful, childhood flights. King Henry, hearing of Maleficent's power, marches an army to the edge of the Moors to kill her.
Maleficent lands before the army, physically placing herself between King Henry and the Moors. King Henry mocks Maleficent's stand and orders his soldiers to charge. In response, Maleficent calls to the dryads, who rise from the ground to fight against the invading human army. Maleficent attacks King Henry, seriously wounding him. In retaliation, King Henry burns her with his iron armor. The army then retreats.
A group of unnamed men gather around King Henry's bed. Now an adult and attendant to the King, Stefan overhears the King's deathbed pronouncement that anyone who can kill Maleficent will be named his successor. Stefan, recognizing his opportunity, returns to the Moors to "warn" Maleficent that King Henry means to kill her, imploring her to "trust" him. The two reconnect and sit together through the night.
Scene 4 (Forgiving a Friend)
Maleficent and Stefan talk, and she forgives him for ignoring her over the years. Stefan gives Maleficent a sleeping potion disguised as a regular drink. When Maleficent is wholly unconscious, Stefan wields a knife as if to kill her, but cannot bring himself to do it. He then chains up Maleficent and cuts off her wings offscreen. Maleficent wakes alone the next morning in excruciating pain, sobbing and screaming, when she realizes that Stefan has mutilated her. Stefan hears Maleficent's agony but does not return.
Stefan then dumps Maleficent's severed wings on the king's bed, claiming he has "avenged" him. When asked directly if Maleficent is "vanquished," Stefan fails to answer. Still, the king believes Maleficent is dead. Back in the Moors, Maleficent struggles to walk without her wings and conjures a staff to walk through the snow to the dark ruins of a castle. A raven lands beside Maleficent, and, jealous of its ability to fly, she shoos it away with a single breath. Later, when the raven is caught, she turns it into a man, Diaval, saving his life. Though Diaval is upset to be a human, he pledges himself to Maleficent, who asks him to "be [her] wings" and use his powers of flight to help her exact her revenge against Stefan.
Analysis
The film uses a narrator to establish exposition and evoke the tone of a fairytale. The narrator, a calm female voice, uses phrases and imagery associated with fairytales, such as "it was said" and "every manner of strange and wonderful creature," to allow the viewer to feel that they are being read a fantastical story. The narrator also establishes that in the Moors, magical creatures live by trusting one another and do not need a king or queen. This detail foreshadows how Maleficent's trust in Stefan leaves her vulnerable to betrayal.
The audience is introduced to young Maleficent, who lies in a tree alone, using her magic to make two winged dolls in courtly attire dance. This brief image demonstrates Maleficent's early interest in romantic love, foreshadowing how her love for Stefan makes her vulnerable. Maleficent then uses her magic to heal a broken tree branch, demonstrating her nurturing qualities. Audiences familiar with the 1959 Disney Film Sleeping Beauty will be surprised to see Maleficent, originally an evil-loving villain, characterized as kind and nurturing. Thus, through these brief examples of visual storytelling, the film clues viewers into the story's central conflict: Maleficent's downfall from a kind young girl to a villain.
Throughout the expositional scenes, the film visually highlights Maleficent's reliance on her wings and the joy flying brings her. During her childhood, Maleficent is depicted flying through the Moors and performing aerial tricks for fun. When Stefan meets Maleficent, he compliments her, saying, "I like your wings," During the montage of their friendship, Maleficent takes Stefan flying. Stefan strokes Maleficent's wings, demonstrating how Maleficent trusts Stefan with the most intimate parts of herself. In the shot of Stefan and Maleficent sharing "true love's kiss," Maleficent's silhouette floats off the ground, her wings prominent and extended. The film's early emphasis on Maleficent's wings establishes the stakes and makes Stefan's betrayal emotionally impactful.
The film uses visual imagery to contrast the character of the human kingdom and the Moors, visually confirming the narrator's assertion that the two kingdoms were "the worst of neighbors." Scenes set in the human realm are shot in darker lighting, with low color saturation and misty landscapes. King Henry's castle is constructed of sharp, rugged black stone, creating a sinister visual. Most scenes are set indoors, dimly lit with candles and sets decorated with neutral colors. This visual language demonstrates the human kingdom's dismal corruption, as human characters betray others and use violence to get ahead. By contrast, the Moors is a natural, yet magical, landscape rendered in bright colors and highly contrasting light. Impossibly steep rock formations, pools of clear water, and colorful flora and fauna mark the landscape. The natural beauty of the Moors creates a sense of wonder and adventure and visually emphasizes the freedom and harmony the creatures in the Moors enjoy.
After Stefan cuts Maleficent's wings, the lighting in the Moors switches from bright sunlight to a misty, green-tinged light. After the betrayal, Maleficent still moves through open, natural landscapes in the Moors, but the settings, like open fields and ruins, inspire feelings of foreboding instead of wonder. Thus, the cinematography visually reinforces how Stefan's betrayal robbed Maleficent of her feelings of security and joy in her home.
During the king's pronouncement that anyone who can kill Maleficent will be named his successor, a group of elaborately dressed men crowd around the King's deathbed. From their anxious posture and visible excitement at the king's pronouncement, it is clear the men are only interested in their own fortunes and do not care personally that the king is dying. The film uses this visual imagery and scene blocking to demonstrate the opportunistic, callous attitudes of those in the human kingdom.
Stefan's betrayal uses the imagery of sexual assault to demonstrate the depths of Maleficent's pain and sense of violation. Stefan drugs Maleficent into sleep, and, while she is unconscious, mutilates her body without her consent by cutting off her wings. When Maleficent awakens alone in the early morning light, she screams when she realizes what has been done to her body and curls up on a blanket in anguish. This chain of events uses the horror of violated bodily autonomy and betrayal by a romantic partner to emotionally connect with the film's predominantly female audience and generate sympathy for Maleficent's righteous vengeance.
Maleficent turns a raven into a human, Diaval, to save the bird's life. Diaval is initially shocked and angry, and asks Maleficent, "What did you do to my beautiful self?" looking back for his wings. Malfecient cooly replies, "Would you rather I let you beat them to death?" This interaction parallels Maleficent's mutilation. Stefan, though selfishly motivated, at least in part took Maleficent's wings to save her life, as King Henry's other potential successors would have murdered Maleficent. Diaval is "not certain" he wants to live wingless and might have preferred death as a raven. This scene demonstrates one of the film's themes: cyclical violence. Just as Stefan cut Maleficent's wings, stripping her of her freedom, for personal gain, Maleficent binds Diaval to herself in servitude to help achieve revenge.
