Well this is awkward. Long time no see guys! I haven't written anything since about January and I'm so sorry about that! Here's a quick little life update with what's been going on which will hopefully explain this unintentional hiatus. Part-time jobs took up pretty much all of our time and energy throughout the summer and then when February rolled in, Justine was off on holiday around Europe and then an exchange in Spain while I spent an amazing holiday in the USA. Yes, this girl finally got to visit a Disney Park and it was amazing. And right as we got back it was time for university once again. This year I've started law school and I can rightfully say that it is hectic. So, in saying that, updates won't be coming as often. But I will try to write when I can.
Last week I found out that I won tickets to go see Cinderella and I finally got to see it today. So here I am, putting my thoughts down once again while Justine is off at a Ricky Martin concert. I'll see if I can convince her to write a little something about it. No promises. Today, with two of my Once Upon a Time watching sisters, a bottle of Mountain Dew, a bucket of popcorn and a bag of chocolate buttons, it was time to experience yet another Disney live-action remake. Fun fact, I was also sitting next to a teacher from my old high school. I can't say this is the first time this has happened.
Watch the trailer for Cinderella (2015)
This live-action adaptation of Cinderella is simply
beautiful, vibrant and refreshing. It’s a massive step up from Maleficent
(2014) who took creative liberties and almost made it an unrecognisable story.
I did initially enjoy Maleficent, but I took it in and realised that some
choices were questionable. Cinderella (2015) takes the classic tale and adds welcomed
embellishments here and there, rather than turning it on its head.
by Daniela
I have a confession to make. I am 21, I watch Girl Meets World, and I have no shame. Yes, I actually haven't watched Disney Channel religiously since I was about 14. Okay, that does sound a bit out of the demographic but Hannah Montana was my thing. If you ask a lot of people today, many would say that Disney Channel shows are on the decline as the quality of the shows aren't what they used to be. I might even go out and say that Disney Junior is probably better than the main channel. But that's just me.
So why is 21 year old me watching a show that's aimed at tween girls? The answer may be no surprise to you, but growing up, I was huge fan of it's predecessor, Boy Meets World. Boy first aired in my birth year but growing up, you could always find a timeslot where they aired episodes in order from season 1. Although some of the themes may have gone right over my head, it was still entertaining and memorable. Who could forget Cory and Topanga's first interaction and Topanga smearing red lipstick all over her face? Naturally, when word of sequel started circulating, this peaked my interest and I was anxiously waiting for a premiere date. But has it lived up to the hype?
by Daniela Studio: Walt Disney Pictures Release Date: March 13 2015
Disney has started having a knack for taking their classic tales and creating live-action retellings. Earlier this year we had Maleficent, a retelling of Sleeping Beauty from the perspective of the villain, and we also have future projects like The Jungle Book on the horizon. If we take Maleficent as an example, the main issue that a lot of Disney fans took from it was its disregard for a lot of the "source" material (the 1959 animated film) and completely rewriting a lot of what we already knew. So, is it a good idea for Disney to reimagine the story of one of the most iconic princesses?
It's really no surprise that Disney has decided to Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo around with the story of Cinderella. Aside from their animated film from 1950, there have been many adaptations of this Grimm tale. One that I hold close to my heart is the Rodgers and Hammerstein's versions, this includes the Broadway show and the Brandy TV special. I grew up with In My Own Little Corner and Ten Minutes Ago was one of the first songs I learned on the ukulele. With all these different adaptations of one classic fairytale, it does make me wonder how far away Disney is willing to veer away from their version of the story of which they established.
By Daniela Year: 2013 Studio: Pixar Animation Studios
Halloween is just around the corner so I thought I'd get a headstart with the spooky posts! The toys are back with an all new adventure in this special that follow the events of Toy Story 3. I'm still getting over that ending. this 21 minute T.V. special is Pixar's way of building on the mega-successful franchise without having to release another full length film. I would also suggest watching the Toy Story shorts like Hawaiian Vacation, Small Fry and Partysaurus Rex. They're cute and still manage to contain everything we loved about the films in just a few minutes.
Car troubles during their road trip force Bonnie and her mother to stay at the Sleep Well Motel for the night and things escalate quickly for the toys. Woody and the gang find themselves in a frightening situation where one-by-one they are captured by a mysterious figure lurking in the motel. Together they must overcome many obstacles to survive the night and hopefully return to Bonnie before she leaves in the morning. And for one toy, the obstacle may just be facing their biggest fears.
Glow in the dark Buzz lights the way for Woody and Jessie
by Daniela
Disclaimer: Daniela is not responsible for anyone not being able to "control their feels" or any hysterical crying that may occur. These include ugly sobbing, sad faces, and hitting anyone right in the childhood. You have been warned.
We have all fallen victim to the trap that are so-called "children's movies." They lure you in with their colourful and cheery appearance but once you realise that it was all a facade... it's too late. You're too invested and there's no turning back now. Fun fact, I actually don't cry in movies (Justine on the other hand) but I have come very close on a few occasions. I'm just the person who just gets really sad who just can't shake that gut wrenching feeling afterwards. Over the past day or two, I've been putting together a list of all these heart wrenching scenes from these movies from our childhood. I even asked my friends and very helpful tumblr followers. So please take note that this is only a part of that ever-growing list. In other words, I'll be writing a part 2 at some point. So grab your box of tissues and tubs of ice-cream and let's get started. *deep breaths*
Some of you may or may not know that I’m an avid listener of
the Rotoscopers: Animation Addicts Podcast and I also love their website. In fact, they were actually the inspiration to start this blog when I first mentioned the
idea to Justine. Earlier this year they posted a list of Disney Classics they’d
love to see on Broadway (which you can check out here) and it made me think
about what movies I’d like to see turned into full-blown musicals. So although
this may be a similar list, these are my own reasons.
Over the last year or so, I’ve started to really enjoy
listening to cast recordings like Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Wicked
and Newsies so I’m fairly new to the Broadway fandom (if you have any show
suggestions for me, please comment them down below or leave me a message on
tumblr). I enjoy musicals even though I don’t even know how a show is put
together. So please excuse my very unexperienced point of view. I’ve only seen
a handful of musicals in my 21 years. The first being one in Philippines with THE
Lea Salonga, unfortunately I can’t even remember what it was called… I was 5 or 6. I
did see Beauty and the Beast when I was 10! Now I constantly check the ticket
websites and try and find the next big show playing in the city.
Disney has had its hand in Broadway musicals and they’re pretty
good at it. Just check out their Tonys and nominations! Their most recent venture is an adaptation of Aladdin and they are
also currently working on developments for The Jungle Book and also Frozen’s big break on Broadway (it was bound to
happen). They’re also responsible for bringing Beauty and the Beast, The Lion
King, Tarzan, and The Little Mermaid to life on stage. Other shows also include
Mary Poppins, Aida, Newsies and many more. So here’s a few more movies I’d love
to see make their Broadway debut.
Over the last few years I've started to pay attention to animated short films. It's probably the perfect thing for a lazy person like me who can't seem to sit through a whole movie at home. For some reason a 90 minute movie can weirdly become a 3 hour chore.
For any Disney and/or Pixar fan you'll know that their shorts premiere before their feature films. Get a Horse played before Frozen, Paperman before Wreck-it Ralph, The Blue Umbrella before Monsters University etc. It's no different when it comes to Pixar's Lava (2015) and Walt Disney Animation's Feast (2014). Disney and Pixar shorts are known for their memorable characters and beautiful scores. I sometimes wonder how in the world they made me care so much for an umbrella of all things! Don't even get me started on how much I love the music in Paperman! Although these Feast and Lava are still relatively unknown and some time away, slowly and surely Disney and Pixar have been releasing little glimpses to tease us for what's to come.
An "I Want" song is a monologue of sorts that defines what the character uhhh wants. For protagonists it's usually the start of the hero's journey and shows us what their main goal for the movie will be. Villains can have "I Want" songs too ahem HELLFIRE. But since I've already made a post about villain songs, we'll be focusing on our beloved heroes! As always, this is all my own opinion and just the order of songs that I prefer. Also, I had a hard time narrowing these down so I'm going to cheat a little bit and have my honourable mentions at the end.
10. One Jump Ahead (Reprise) - Aladdin
Aladdin wants people to find out that there's so much more to him! Unlike it's original, it's much slower and shorter. Part of me wishes it was a bit longer but I even though it's only a few lines long, it's incredibly effective and one of the most memorable scenes in the film. Fun fact, a song called Proud of Your Boy was deleted early on in the development of the movie and it would have made an amazing addition to this list. Fortunately, it made it into the Broadway production and it's pretty much amazing. You can check out Adam Jacobs (Aladdin on Broadway) singing Proud of Your Boy with the legendary Alan Menken on the piano HERE. (Prepare your tissues!)
By Daniela Studio: Walt Disney Animation Studios Year: 2012
Disney's Paperman is the Academy Award winning short-film
that premiered before screenings of Wreck-it Ralph in 2012. In a time when
people speculated that hand drawn animation was dead, Disney decides to release
something that's the best of both worlds. Director John Kahr describes the
inspiration to create Paperman from making eye-contact with people for a split
second on your way to work. What if that person would change your life forever?
On his way to work, George comes across a beautiful woman at
the train station. Unfortunately for him, he believes that he let the girl of
his dreams slip away, but fate has other plans. Once in his office, George
spots Meg in the building opposite to him. With the help of a stack of papers
and his persistence to see her again, George hopes his attempts will be enough
to capture her attention once again.
The animation is stunning and a welcomed change from all the
CGI animated movies Disney has been producing lately. Many have wondered if 2D
animation is dead, but Paperman gives us hope that one day it will make its
return. It’s creative, innovative and a great blending of the old and the new. The plot is a simple boy meets girl story with
a cute twist that keeps the audience entertained and separates it from other
classic New York love stories.
The score is by Christophe Beck who recently did the score
for Frozen. It’s a beautiful score that matches every beat of the film. It
starts off understated but builds once the planes take flight. Once the paper
planes develop a personality of their own it I heavily expressed through the
music as it serves as the climax. It saddens me so much that it isn’t available
to buy in the New Zealand iTunes store… WHY?!
The colour palette is mostly black and white with a pop of
red thanks to Meg's lipstick. The red is a way to connect the two characters.
George holds onto his infatuation with Meg by keeping a ice of paper with Meg's
lip print on it. The touch of red is attention grabbing. Think of Schindler's
List and the girl in the red coat. The girl in the red coat is probably one of
the main things I remember from Schindler because it was something that was
different and showed character development for the titular character. The red
lipstick serves the same purpose here and is one of the more memorable
components.
You can just feel the awkward.
George's design reminds me a lot of Roger from 101
Dalmatians. It must be the nose… and the hair. Actually I found myself typing
Roger instead of George a few times... oops. He's dorky, adorable, awkward and
incredibly persistent. My favourite moment would have to be all of George's
failed attempts at trying to get his paper planes through to Meg and all of his
expressions. We've all had those moments when we're so frustrated that we want
to bang our heads on the walls! Meg is elegant and beautiful. Both are very
simplistic which complemented the very simple design of New York. It gives an
old school vibe and retro feel. Let's not forget one of the most important
characters.... the paper planes. The paper planes are animated to have a personality
of their own and become a figurative Cupid’s arrow. They act as a compass for
Meg and lead her to George who seems to be harassed by every paper plane in New
York. These planes are the ultimate wingmen. It's simple, got some trouble
with love? Make a paper airplane!
WARNING: Potential spoilers ahead! The Japanese trailer gives out details that were not revealed in the English trailer!
Following the on-going phenomenon that was Frozen, Disney has now started to released footage of their 54th animated feature. Big Hero 6 is the company's first attempt at making an animated film after acquiring Marvel. Fortunately for Disney, Big Hero 6 is one of Marvel's lesser known properties so they have the creative liberty to make a few changes here and there. And no, this isn't a sequel to Big Hero 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5.
Big Hero 6 follows a young Hiro Hamada (Ryan Potter), a robotics prodigy and his robot balloon man, Baymax (Scott Adsit). The adventure begins when the two learn of a criminal plot unfolding in their city of San Fransokyo (a combination of San Francisco and Tokyo). Along with the likes of a newly formed team of heroes: GoGo Tomago (Jamie Chung), Wasabi (Damon Wayans Jr.), Honey Lemon (Genesis Rodriguez) and Fred (T.J. Miller), they must stop the evil Yokai from fulfilling his dark and mysterious plan.
English Trailer
Much like the first Frozen trailer, the first official English trailer for Big Hero 6 focuses a lot around humour. It mostly centres around the pair of Hiro and the adorable Baymax. The two are at the police department and are trying to report a crime regarding a microbot controlling man in a kabuki mask. Unfortunately for Hiro, the officer doesn't seem to be giving him the time of day which leads to Baymax being suited up for battle.
If you didn't love Baymax in the first teaser, you will for sure fall in love with him in this trailer! He gets the best gags and the funniest lines that fans have constantly been raving about! Disney has made a refreshing change as humour doesn't rely on the usual slapstick comedy but more of those... incredibly... awkward... moments. I have no idea why, but I thought him taping up himself was hilarious! And who could forget "big hairy babyyyyyyy." If you now call your cats that, I think you're awesome. We also get a small glimpse of the other Big Hero 6 team members but only hear the voices of GoGo Tomago and Fred. For any How to Train Your Dragon fans, T.J. Miller who voices Fred, also voice Tuffnut! It would have been nice to have a bit more of the team but no doubt they will be more prominent figures in future trailers. I'd also love to see them in crime-fighting mode!
The kabuki mask villain is no other than the terrifying Yokai. His design is simple with his tall and dark figure but all of your attention goes to his mask. Iconic characters like Ghostface from Scream or V from V for Vendetta also follow this route. Don't even get me started on how frustrated I was that Evey never told us who V was! Interestingly, no voice actor has been announced for this character. He could be one of those creepy silent villain types or... I smell a plot twist!
Evidently, Disney is holding back and not playing all their cards just yet. Let's remember that infamous Elsa trailer that was much more emotional that the initial trailer that Disney released for Frozen. Luckily for us, the Japanese trailer has a teensy bit more to show. Also, who doesn't love a good Disney Easter egg? I love how they threw in references to their past films. A big thumbs up to you if you found them without looking them up!
Japanese Trailer
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Note: Translations were made by Dore (naturalborncoward on Tumblr) who is a good friend of ours! Thanks Dore!
The boy lost his beloved older brother
His name is Hiro. Hiro has by his side his brother Tadashi’s memento.
Baymax: Hello. Hiro: Who are you? Baymax: My name is Baymax. I will protect your body and soul. Hiro: Oh, Baymax… Baymax: Tadashi created me. On a scale from 1 to 10, which level is your heartbreak at? Hiro: Can you not…
From the makers of Frozen and Wreck-It Ralph
Baymax: I will protect you no matter what, that is Tadashi’s wish. Tadashi (video): You and Baymax together will save everyone.
However, Hiro still doesn’t know(?) the real orders Baymax is entrusted with…
Baymax: I do not think this is necessary for a care robot… Hiro: Test it out. Hiro: That’s good, Baymax!
Baymax (hugging Hiro): There there…
Can the world be saved with kindness?
Unlike the first official English trailer, the Japanese trailer takes the emotional route by already ripping a character away from us! It opens with the funeral of Tadashi, Hiro's older brother and you can already tell that this is going to be much more serious. It's a classic Disney move to always have some sort of family member die and cause everyone to start their movie experience off with a little bit of emotional trauma. Thanks guys. Hiro is clearly upset from the loss of his brother indicating that the two were probably very close. We get a glimpse of Tadashi through a video he leaves for Hiro. Enter Baymax, who we understand to be the creation of Tadashi. Baymax's purpose is to protect Hiro and ultimately become his best friend. But Baymax's orders from Tadashi aren't as clear cut as we think.
Interestingly, we don't even see the other team members here. In comparison to the English trailer, despite the same footage from the teaser, we get to see more of Baymax's personality and purpose rather than him being purely comic relief. One thing I did think was cool was the end quote "can the world be saved with kindness?" Obviously this theme will be a large theme in the movie and I'm excited to see how it will play a part in such an action-packed story. It's also interesting to note that the film will be called Baymax when it is realeased in Japan. So, my guess is that Baymax is going to play a much larger role in the film than I had originally anticipated. And who doesn't want more Baymax?
In case you didn’t know, I’m the resident Disney fanatic.
Whether it’s music or movies or the musicals on Broadway... I’m your girl. So
here’s something a little different today. I’ve put together a few songs from
the Disney films (*Edna Mode voice * NO SEQUELS) and just to clarify, this is
purely my own opinion! I’d love to hear about other songs that you feel should
be on this list too! So let’s get started…
10. Prince Ali (Reprise) – Aladdin
It's the end for Aladdin's Prince Ali sham through a short, but really catchy song ending with Jafar's infamous maniacal laughter. He uses his newly granted magical powers to expose Aladdin as a street rat and sends him flying. Like a real Disney villain he enjoys the misery of others... while singing a song. At least it's unlike your traditional villainous monologues. One wonders what would have happened if he got his own song in the original... I imagine it would be full of amazing puns.
Farewell ex-Prince Ali!
9. Cruella de Vil – 101 Dalmatians
When one thinks of 101 Dalmatians, this song is definitely one of the first things to pop into your mind. Unlike the rest of the songs on this list, this song is sung completely by one of the protagonists, Roger. We are first introduced to the "wretched, wretched" woman herself, Cruella when she visits Roger and Anita. Judging from his lyrics she's not exactly a daaaaarling. Growing up I always considered this as one of my favourite parts in the movie and let's be honest, Roger creeping about and making a racket with all the instruments makes the whole scene.
If she doesn't scare you, no evil thing will...
8. The Mob Song – Beauty and the Beast
The song title is pretty self-explanatory, pitchforks, and torches a-blazing. I've always appreciated the Broadway-like tunes of Beauty and the Beast and I love how The Mob Song utilises the entire cast. It's a piece of lyrical genius and full of great, memorable lines that basically tie the themes of the movie together. "We don't like what we don't understand, in fact it scares us..." It sets up the idea that the villagers are just reacting because the Beast is automatically associated with terror and destruction. Therefore, their first instinct is it kill it before it kills all of them. And to top it all off it's lead by Gaston, the who isn't the villain the eyes of the villagers.
KILL THE BEAST!
7. Friends on the Other Side – The Princess and the Frog
Now here's where the creepiness levels start to go up a few notches. In this scene, Dr. Facilier calls upon the help of his voodoo friends by showing a naive Naveen his future through tarot cards. He goes from a sketchy shaman to a frightening voodoo, hoodoo witchdoctor in one number. I love the animation of the cards and it must be voodoo if he can deal them like that! Plus, Keith Davis' voice is hypnotising yet also menacing. When the transformation sequence begins, the bass kicks in and the colour scheme changes, adding a daunting feel. Naveen MUST have been distracted by Dr. Facilier's smooth voice and fluid card tricks. The poor Prince probably only realised he was in deep trouble when it was too late. Dr. Facilier definitely earns some villain points with his creepy skull mask exit as the scene fades to black.
Are you reaaaaady?
6. Mother Knows Best + Reprise – Tangled
Mother Knows Best is one of the most manipulative and abusive villain songs. At this point, we know that Gothel was the old lady who kidnapped the baby in the opening but the poor girl is left in the dark. To an innocent and gullible Rapunzel, it may seem like Gothel is merely warning her about the dangers of the outside, but there are hints of Gothel's true intentions. For example, she holds Rapunzel's hair to her face when she sings about keeping her "safe and sound." The reprise is probably one of my favourite reprises in the Disney universe. If you compare the two, Gothel already looks much older and more dangerous when Rapunzel refuses to go back to the tower with her. The first she sings, Mother Knows Best is light and upbeat but the reprise is the complete opposite as she attacks Rapunzel for her naivety in a more harsh manner. Also, they're both undeniable catchy!
Skip the drama, stay with mama!
Don't be a dummy, come with mummy...
5. Savages – Pocahontas
War is about to break out between the Native Americans and the English, John Smith is about to be executed and it's up to Pocahontas to stop the hatred amongst the people. One of the most controversial songs from Disney is Savages from Pocahontas. I'm actually not too sure if this one is counted as a villain song but hey, Ratcliffe sings some pretty thought provoking lines. I can say that I was part of the group of children who were completely oblivious to the lyrics and message in the 90s. Revisiting the songs when I was a bit older was nothing short of an eye-opener. The difference with this song is that both the Native Americans and the English claim that the other party is more dangerous. There are so many elements to this song that make it memorable. Especially how it cuts to each camp every line or so or even with Pocahontas singing her own tune over the top of the chanting of SAVAGES, SAVAGES.
They're not like you and me, which means they must be evil!
4. Be Prepared – The Lion King
Mufasa is the king of the Pridelands but not for long if Scar has a say... or song about it. Scar's voice is enchanting, sultry, captivating and at times hypnotizing as he sashays his way around the hyenas. Instead of the traditional villainous monologue we get a whole song about Scar's plan to kill Mufasa and Simba therefore making him the, wait for it... LION KING. Although, in my opinion it may not have the catchiest lyrics, it definitely has a contagious beat. As if it wasn't eerie enough, let's add a pinch of Nazi allusions and a dash of Communism references too! This is another display of me being completely oblivious in the 90s... yay.
My teeth and ambitions are bared... be prepared!
3. Gaston + Reprise– Beauty and the Beast
This is the second time a song from Beauty and the Beast has featured in my countdown but Gaston goes in a different direction in comparison to The Mob Song. The whole song is a pick me-up for the narcissistic but dejected Gaston after Belle refuses to marry him. LeFou tries to keep Gaston's spirits up by proving that there's no man in town half as manly as the one and only Gaston. This song is probably one of the main reasons why Gaston is one of my favourite Disney villains of all time (that's a whole other list for another time!). If we compare this to The Mob Song, it spends its entirety praising the actual villain in the story while the latter depicts the Beast, one of our heroes, as a vicious monster. To quote Belle "he's not a monster Gaston, YOU ARE!" It's a great drinking song and seriously, how does the man not have high cholesterol from the amount of eggs he eats a day?
As a specimen yes, I'm intimidating!
No one plots like Gaston, takes cheap shots like Gaston!
2. Poor Unfortunate Souls – The Little Mermaid
After King Triton destroys all of Ariel's treasures, she's ready to be a part of the human world and escape the rule of her father. She then seeks out the help of Ursula, the sea witch and hopes her magic will give her a pair of legs to walk along those streets with the humans. Poor Unfortunate Souls comes in at a very close second in this top 10! From Ursula's over-dramatic performance, to the moment where Ariel signs her voice away, to the BODY LANGUAGE! Poor Unfortunate Souls has become an iconic scene/song in Disney history. It's often been pointed out that the song is full of terrible messages to send to Disney's target audience about the relationships between men and women. She insists that "it's she who holds her tongue who gets her man." Don't worry ladies, Ariel does prove her wrong in the end. Ursula is manipulative, strategic, cunning and deliciously evil.
BODY LANGUAGE!
1. Hellfire – The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Hellfire is a clear winner and I often wonder how Disney even got away with this. It's another of Disney's most controversial songs as it toys with ideas about hell, damnation and lust. We start off with Heaven's Light, Quasimodo's song about his love towards Esmerelda and suddenly, we transition to the dark and heavy themes of Hellfire. Frollo prays to Mary and questions why he lusts for Esmerelda, a gypsy, who he believes to be the vermin of Paris. Terrifying hooded figures appear all around Frollo and sing mea culpa (throught my fault) as he pleads and tries to explain that his infatuation with Esmerelda was caused by the devil. He imagines Esmerelda dancing in the fire and is completely captivated by her image but blames her for being a temptress. In the end he decides that he'll burn down all of Paris if she doesn't choose him. Hellfire is the perfect combination of villainy with jaw-dropping lyric, frightening visuals, and taboo themes. To top it all off, Frollo is hair-raisingly creepy yet you also want to smack that smirk off his face.
by Daniela Year: 2014 Studio: Walt Disney Pictures
Something that’s become quite popular at Disney is
reinventing their classic fairy tales. With Cinderella being released next year
and Beauty and the Beast news beginning to circulate it seems like there will
be plenty more to come. Maleficent takes a look at the titular character’s
backstory and takes the audience into what drove her to her actions in the 1959
classic.
Maleficent gives us an inside look at the history between
the two kingdoms: humans and the fairies (who live in the Moors). Despite
ongoing conflicts between the two, a young Maleficent and young Stefan become
fast friends until they slowly grow apart. Unfortunately for Maleficent, she
experiences the ultimate betrayal when she loses her beloved wings and seeks
out revenge on the now King Stefan by cursing his new-born daughter at her
christening. Princess Aurora is to prick her finger on the needle of a spinning
wheel on her sixteenth birthday and fall into eternal sleep and can only be
awoken by true love’s kiss. The film then follows Maleficent as she watches
Aurora growing up from afar until the aforementioned day.
But seriously.. those cheekbones!
For Disney purists, this may be a hard pill to swallow as
the creators deviate from the original tale quite a bit. In the original
Sleeping Beauty, Maleficent spends all of Aurora’s life looking for her because
she isn’t aware that the fairies have taken her into the woods. Yet in this
adaptation, Maleficent acts as a watchful eye over Aurora and waits for the day
for the curse to be enacted. Since we have this change, Maleficent and Aurora
begin to form a relationship and Maleficent and Diaval becomes very present in
Aurora’s life. One change that I did particularly like was the addition of Maleficent
and Stefan’s relationship. Watching them grow up together and slowly blossom
into puppy love made the betrayal much more painful and wow I was sold by
Angelina when she reacted to her wings being stolen! I never thought I’d want
to give a villain, let alone the mistress of all evil, a hug and tell her
everything was going to be okay! Poor baby!
One thing that I was actually quite pleased with is that the
sixteen year olds in this film ACTUALLY LOOK LIKE SIXTEEN YEAR OLDS. Elle
Fanning may not be everyone’s typical Aurora but her interpretation as a
wide-eyed girl was a welcomed contrast to the closed-off Maleficent. The three
fairies give off more of Sanderson sisters from Hocus Pocus kind of vibe. Of
course I had to restrain myself from yelling UMBRIDGE when they change into
mortal form. The relationship between Diaval and Maleficent allowed us to see a
more playful and at times sassy side to her while Stefan who used to bring put
the best, now brings out her evil side. The scene where Stefan talks to
Maleficent’s wings was daunting as you slowly saw this man slip into insanity.
He was terrifying especially when you remember… he’s talking to a pair of
wings!
I wasn’t quite sold on the CG green magic as it just seemed
to look very… added on? My problem was that it just looked a bit too over the
top and not up to the standard as the rest of the special effects in the film. Also,
although the costumes were quite accurate to the time and resembled clothes
worn in the animate feature, I doubt Maleficent wore a leather catsuit around
the Moors. I’ve also heard other people commenting on this too so I’m not the
only one!
Ultimately, if you go in expecting to see Sleeping Beauty as
we know it, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. If you’re expecting
to see an intensely dark Maleficent then I’m sorry she’s far from it. If
anything it shows us that villains are misunderstood characters and we have to
feel sorry for them. It’s not necessarily a bad thing but I the great thing
about Maleficent as a villain was that she was just evil. She wanted revenge
because she wasn’t invited to an even that everyone in the whole kingdom was
invited to! Her villain status then suffers if we accept this as Disney canon.
But let’s just revel in the fact that this could have gone another way.
Malefiftycent anyone?
