Disney has done very little experimenting with their live-action remakes. A small plot tweak in Dumbo, some more songs in Beauty and the Beast, more interactions between the prince and Cinderella in Cinderella, and so on. “Why mess with success?” you can almost hear the Disney executive say. The only big, bold re-interpretation came from 2014’s Maleficent, which looked at the Sleeping Beauty tale from the prospective of the sorceress and villain of the story. It goes into more detail about Maleficent’s origin and how she secretly helped take care of the princess she herself damned. It boosted the live-action and gave Disney more ncentive to push the Disney Villains line. Now, five years later, we’re back to the story again with Maleficent: Mistress of Evil.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MwW1NAsnR8
Here’s the official synopsis for the film:
“Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” is a fantasy adventure that picks up several years after “Maleficent,” in which audiences learned of the events that hardened the heart of Disney’s most notorious villain and drove her to curse a baby Princess Aurora. The film continues to explore the complex relationship between the horned fairy and the soon to be Queen as they form new alliances and face new adversaries in their struggle to protect the moors and the magical creatures that reside within.
From what we see in the trailer, Maleficent is working with Aurora and Philip in order to right some wrongs and tackle injustices against magical creatures, which is awesome. Eventually, it looks like they will go to war with a new kingdom, new battle suit and all for our winged protagonist. Wealso see Michelle Pfeiffer as Queen Ingrith and Harris Dickinson as Prince Phillip in the trailer. Of note, we have Chiwetel Ejiofor, Ed Skrein, and Robert Lindsay in currently unnamed roles set to appear as well.
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil premieres in theaters on October 18, 2019.
