Disney’s “Maleficent” starring Angelina Jolie as the evil villain officially opens on Friday, May 30, 2014, but there are some early showings on Thursday evening. The highly-anticipated live-action film is an interesting look at one of the classic Disney Villains, but how much do you actually know about Maleficent?
With the release of “Sleeping Beauty” in 1959, there has been a long storied history of Maleficent and some things you may want to know about the villain’s past.
So, here are 13 (good number, eh?) frightening fun facts about Maleficent.
1.) Maleficent’s name isn’t just a cleverly chosen word. It is actually a derivative of the Latin word maleficentia which means “evil-doing.”
2.) Eleanor Audley, who voiced the animated Maleficent all those years ago, has a history with Disney. She also voiced Lady Tremaine (the Evil Stepmother) in “Cinderella” and Madame Leota in the Haunted Mansion.
3.) Maleficent’s outfit was meant to be as frightening as possible and that is why her collar represents the wings of a bat and her horns are reminiscent of the devil.
4.) When filming “Maleficent,” Disney needed a child to play young Aurora, but all of the three and four-year-old performers wouldn’t come near Jolie in costume. They ended up choosing Jolie’s daughter Vivienne because she was the only one not scared of her.
5.) Vivienne isn’t the only of Jolie’s children in the film. Zahara and Pax appear in one of the early scenes in “Maleficent” as young royal subjects.
6.) Eleanor Audley decided to act out her voice-scenes while in full costume. Oddly enough, her outfit was an inspiration for Maleficent’s final design.
7.) There were a number of different versions of the Maleficent horns for Jolie to wear during filming. She stated at one time that “They were actually kind of heavy.” She wore lighter horns during horse-riding scenes because she said if she fell with them on, they “could break your neck.”
8.) The prosthetics and make-up for Jolie’s Maleficent were inspired primarily by the album cover of Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way.”
9.) While never mentioned in the film “Sleeping Beauty,” Maleficent’s trusty raven’s name is Diablo.
10.) Jolie developed the voice she used for Maleficent while giving her children a bath. She said it was easy to practice and helped to hear herself echo back.
11.) Disney Legend Marc Davis once came across a medieval Czech illustration in his household art collection and that is what Maleficent’s flame-robes are based on.
12.) Angelina Jolie hand-picked Lana Del Rey to sing the version of “Once Upon A Dream” as the main theme for the film.
