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Maleficent is a 2014 American fantasy film starring Angelina Jolie as Maleficent in a live-action retelling of her villainous role in Walt Disney's 1959 animated film Sleeping Beauty, itself an adaptation of Charles Perrault's 1697 fairy tale. The film is directed by Robert Stromberg from a screenplay by Linda Woolverton. It also stars Sharlto Copley, Elle Fanning, Sam Riley, Imelda Staunton, Juno Temple, and Lesley Manville in supporting roles. Maleficent came under development as an animated project in 2003, before it was changed to a live-action feature in 2006, following Disney's acquisition of Pixar. Tim Burton was originally attached to direct the film, but eventually left and was replaced by Stromberg in his directorial debut. Jolie signed on to play the title role in January 2012 and also served as the film's executive producer, alongside Michael Vieira, Don Hahn, Palak Patel, Matt Smith, and Sarah Bradshaw. The rest of the main cast joined between March and May 2012. Principal photography took place at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, England, from June to October 2012. Maleficent premiered in Los Angeles on May 28, 2014, and was released in the United States theatrically on May 30 by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It received mixed reviews from critics, who praised Jolie’s performance, visual effects and costumes, with criticism aimed at the script and inconsistencies in tone. The film was a commercial success, grossing over $758 million worldwide, and became the fourth-highest-grossing film of 2014, as well as Jolie's highest-grossing film. Amongst Disney's live-action adaptations, Maleficent is the seventh-most-expensive and sixth-highest-grossing film to date. It also received an Academy Award nomination for Best Costume Design at the 87th Academy Awards. A sequel, titled Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, was released in 2019. Plot Maleficent is a powerful fairy living in the Moors, a magical forest realm bordering a human kingdom. As a child, she meets a human peasant boy named Stefan, and they fall in love with each other. However, as they get older, the two grow apart, with Stefan's love being overshadowed by his ambition to be a king, while Maleficent becomes the protector of the Moors. When King Henry, the ruler of the human kingdom, attempts to conquer the Moors, Maleficent mortally wounds him, forcing his retreat. On his deathbed, Henry declares that whoever kills Maleficent will be named his successor and marry his daughter Leila. Stefan visits Maleficent in the Moors and drugs her, but cannot bring himself to kill her. He instead cuts off her wings, presenting them to Henry as "proof" of her death. While still processing the betrayal, Maleficent saves Diaval, a trapped raven, from being killed by a farmer by turning him into a human. Diaval offers her his service, and brings her news of Stefan's coronation. Furious to learn why her wings were taken, Maleficent, and the Moors she protects, becomes dark and bitter. Some time later, Diaval informs Maleficent about the christening of Stefan's newborn daughter, Aurora. Maleficent arrives uninvited and curses the infant princess, declaring that by her sixteenth birthday, she will prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and fall into an eternal sleep. Maleficent mocks Stefan's plea for mercy, but offers an antidote – the curse can be broken by true love's kiss, which she and Stefan both believe does not exist. Stefan orders three pixies, Knotgrass, Flittle, and Thistlewit, to hide and protect Aurora in a forest cottage until the day after her sixteenth birthday. He also destroys every spinning wheel in the kingdom, hiding their remnants in the castle dungeon; he then sends his armies to find and kill Maleficent, but she surrounds the Moors with a wall of thorns. Over the years, Stefan grows obsessed with killing Maleficent and gradually loses his sanity, even refusing to see his own wife on her deathbed. Meanwhile, Maleficent and Diaval watch Aurora grow from afar, and secretly begin to take over care of her from the incompetent pixies. After several face-to-face encounters with Maleficent, whom she believes to be her "fairy godmother", Aurora bonds with her and starts to regularly visit the Moors. Realizing she hasn't the heart to hurt Aurora, Maleficent privately and unsuccessfully attempts to revoke the curse, forgetting that she stated "no power on earth" can do so. Some time later, Aurora meets Philip, a prince from the neighboring kingdom, and both are mildly attracted to each other. On the day before her sixteenth birthday, Aurora gains Maleficent's permission to live in the Moors. When she informs the pixies of this, they reveal the truth about Aurora's lineage and the curse. Heartbroken, Aurora rides off to her father's castle. Instead of welcoming her, Stefan, still plotting to kill Maleficent, locks her in a room. The curse's power draws Aurora to the dungeon, where she pricks her finger on a spindle and falls into a deep slumber. Hoping to save her, Maleficent and Diaval abduct Philip and infiltrate Stefan's castle. The pixies encourage the reluctant Philip to kiss Aurora, but this does not wake her. After they leave, Maleficent tearfully apologizes to Aurora and kisses her on the forehead. This unexpectedly wakes Aurora, as Maleficent truly feels maternal love for her. As Maleficent, Aurora, and Diaval attempt to leave, Stefan and his guards ambush them. Maleficent transforms Diaval into a dragon to help her, but both are subdued. Aurora finds and releases Maleficent's caged wings, which reattach themselves to their mistress, allowing her to fight back. Maleficent drags Stefan to the top of a tower; unwilling to kill him, she announces the fight is over and turns to go. Stefan tackles her from behind, dragging them both off the tower; she opens her wings to save herself, and he loses hold and falls to his death. With Stefan gone, Maleficent returns the Moors to their former glory and crowns Aurora their new ruler, uniting the two kingdoms. Aurora also starts a relationship with Philip. Cast Angelina Jolie as Maleficent, a fierce and vindictive protector of the Moors who, in revenge for the betrayal by her former lover Stefan, places a curse on his daughter Aurora. Unlike her animated counterpart, this version of the character is portrayed more sympathetically. As the film progresses, Maleficent turns from a victim into a villain, following Stefan's betrayal, and finally into a hero because of the maternal feelings she develops for Aurora. Jolie described her character as "slightly insane, extremely vibrant, a little wicked, and has a big sense of humor, so she's quite full-on. She's one of those characters that, for me, you couldn't do halfway." She further admitted that Maleficent was one of the most difficult characters that she had ever played because "she represents all sides of what it is to be human, even though she is not… For me, the journey of playing her.... Discover the Elizabeth Rudnick popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Elizabeth Rudnick books.