Another description of the footage shown at the shareholders meeting:
A reel was shown of Maleficent that included clips, interviews with characters and behind the scenes footage. Angelina Jolie mentions a question that Maleficent tries to answer: "Is Maleficent good enough to be Aurora's mother. We see that Prince Philip proposes and they go to meet his family. Prince Philip's mother is played by Michelle Pfeiffer. She seems to be the villain since what she says includes that Aurora will now feel what it's like to have a real family, etc, angering Maleficent. It looks to be an interesting story.
Listening to most often lately:
Ariana Grande ~ "we can't be friends (wait for your love)"
Ariana Grande ~ "imperfect for you"
Kacey Musgraves ~ "The Architect"
The two competing mothers plot might have something interesting to it if it's done well. Oh and I don't know if anyone's noticed, but Disney has three confirmed credited writers for Maleficent: Mistress of Evil: Linda Woolverton, Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster.
Hmm, I guess the previously reported Jez Butterworth's work might not have been enough to be credited but I know Micah and Noah have episodes of Transparent and the upcoming Fred Rogers bio-film on their resume, so this sequel could be promising.
Disney, Pixar, Rodgers and Hammerstein, and Cinema fan
While details about the highly anticipated sequel are being kept under wraps, Elle was able to share a few teases in her latest interview.
"I hope it's what the fans are looking for," she shared. "The mother-daughter relationship that Maleficent and Aurora have, that's really…played on."
Elle continued, "I want Aurora to be a character that [girls] can look up to, who's strong and all that. But Angelina and I were talking about this: Maleficent, of course, has the dark side, and Aurora is the one who loves pink and is the light and she's not afraid to be feminine. I think it's beautiful that I get to represent [someone] who is strong in her beliefs, but is also unwavering in staying true to herself…There's nothing wrong with loving your feminine side. I think as women we should really love that part of us."
I am boycotting this movie. The beginning of the first film where Maleficent was shown as a little girl ala Little Miss Sunshine disgusted me.
I leaned over and mentioned to my girlfriend.... just shoot me. Just no, just no I. The movie ruined one of my favorite Disney villains. Maleficent shouldn't desire to be Aurora's mother, but her murderer.
If Disney Movie Club ever asks me if I want to pre-order the sequel, I'll say hell no, because Disney ruined Maleficent in the first one.
Sorry bout that tangent, you can tell how much I loved the first movie
Want to Hear How I met Roy E. Disney in 2003? Click the link Below
While details about the highly anticipated sequel are being kept under wraps, Elle was able to share a few teases in her latest interview.
"I hope it's what the fans are looking for," she shared. "The mother-daughter relationship that Maleficent and Aurora have, that's really…played on."
Elle continued, "I want Aurora to be a character that [girls] can look up to, who's strong and all that. But Angelina and I were talking about this: Maleficent, of course, has the dark side, and Aurora is the one who loves pink and is the light and she's not afraid to be feminine. I think it's beautiful that I get to represent [someone] who is strong in her beliefs, but is also unwavering in staying true to herself…There's nothing wrong with loving your feminine side. I think as women we should really love that part of us."
Well, since she brought it up, what can we expect from the return of one of Disney’s greatest love stories? “I hope it’s what the fans are looking for. The mother-daughter relationship that Maleficent and Aurora have, that’s really…played on,” she demurs. What she will reveal though, is a little something about Aurora’s wardrobe – and personality.
“I want Aurora to be a character that [girls] can look up to, who’s strong and all that. But Angelina [Jolie] and I were talking about this: Maleficent, of course, has the dark side, and Aurora is the one who loves pink and is the light and she’s not afraid to be feminine. I think it’s beautiful that I get to represent [someone] who is strong in her beliefs, but is also unwavering in staying true to herself. I wear dresses the whole time throughout the film… I don’t have a moment where I burst into armor, you know what I mean? There’s nothing wrong with loving your feminine side. I think as women we should really love that part of us.” Someone strong in her beliefs, unwavering in staying true to herself? Told you the casting was good.
The film picks up some years after the first, and the footage opened with Pfeiffer’s Queen Ingrith providing voiceover narration to look back at the original 2014 hit, reminding viewers of Maleficent’s original nefarious plan, a twist on the old Sleeping Beauty mythos. Even via flashback montage, it’s clear that Ingrith has no love lost for Maleficent.
Via a behind the scenes interview, Jolie explained the central question of the film: “In this film, we pose the question: is Maleficent good enough to be Aurora’s mother?” When Prince Phillip (now played by Harris Dickinson) asks Aurora to marry him, it thrusts her (and Maleficent) back into a royal world they had long since escaped, one ruled over by Phillip’s fearsome mother, Queen Ingrith.
“Aurora and Maleficent love each other so much,” Fanning explained in her own behind the scenes interview. “But there is a divide between them. Maleficent is still a little wary of the humans, and Aurora is dealing with the burden of coming into this new life to be this cookie-cutter royal, which is not what Aurora is.”
The inciting incident, at least as far as the footage showed, is Ingrith being so bold as to tell Maleficent that she will give Aurora the “love of a real family” and that she “considers Aurora my own.” Maleficent explodes in rage — a fearsome scene that seems to set the stage for more battles to come — and it suddenly appears that the film will build to a major battle between the pair.
“The queen is a smart woman, which makes her formidable,” Pfeiffer said. But don’t count out Maleficent, who then appears to be calling into action her own people, including Chiwetel Ejiofor as a brand new fairy called into action for a battle of wills.
The footage was a behind-the-scenes featurette that first recaps the classic Sleeping Beauty story before pivoting to what this sequel is actually about: is the misunderstood Maleficent good enough to be an adoptive mother to Aurora?
Prince Phillip soon enters the picture, inviting both women to the castle, where they meet Queen Ingrid (Michelle Pfeiffer). Marriage is proposed and drama ensues! Maleficent and Aurora love each other, but they’re divided on whether or not this proposal is a good thing. The footage even includes a moment where Maleficent finds out about the marriage and gets furious. And maybe she has a point – while Queen Ingrid says that marriage is a beautiful thing and wants to unite everyone, she seems to have other plans in mind.
The footage also included shots of a dark and thorny forest, Aurora struggling to be a “cookie cutter royal,” and Ingrid trying to be a mother figure to Aurora, which really gets under Maleficent’s skin.
I think that sounds really intriguing; I like the fact it seems to be taking on the path of the rest of the Sleeping Beauty tale. I just hope it doesn't descend into just boring old battles etc etc. An intricate plot line of how far does a mothers love go I really like.
Any rumors of when we'll get the trailer? With the cinema con footage, it seems imminent. I remember they dropped the teaser for the first film on GMA, is there a schedule for that show?
Michelle Pfeiffer is always playing an evil Queen or witch of some kind.
I still don't like the idea of Maleficent being this doting mother figure. It just about worked in the first because it came as a suprise to her, her feelings for Aurora and understood it wasn't her who she had the fued with, it was Steffen, therefore she felt guilty. But it was clear she was bad for doing the spell. Here it seems as though it's all of a sudden happy familes. Maleficent is a bad girl. She always is in Kingdom Hearts. Don't make her become 'nice', oh please. In actual fact, it would be cool to see her act out the Kingdom Hearts storyline of trying to gain power over the world.
We'll have to wait and see. Mal is not a warm motherly character.
WarriorDreamer wrote:Michelle Pfeiffer is always playing an evil Queen or witch of some kind.
I still don't like the idea of Maleficent being this doting mother figure. It just about worked in the first because it came as a suprise to her, her feelings for Aurora and understood it wasn't her who she had the fued with, it was Steffen, therefore she felt guilty. But it was clear she was bad for doing the spell. Here it seems as though it's all of a sudden happy familes. Maleficent is a bad girl. She always is in Kingdom Hearts. Don't make her become 'nice', oh please. In actual fact, it would be cool to see her act out the Kingdom Hearts storyline of trying to gain power over the world.
We'll have to wait and see. Mal is not a warm motherly character.
Disney made a good choice picking Pfeiffer because the only reason I might watch this film is for her. Loved her as Lamia in Stardust and Eris in Sinbad. Always wanted to see her as a Disney villainess, along with Anjelica Huston after her roles as witches and evil stepmothers in The Witches, Ever After, and Barbie as Rapunzel.
However, I think even Pfeiffer won't be enough for me to stomach more of this saintly Maleficent.
We’re a dyad in the Force. Two that are one. "I offered you my hand once. You wanted to take it." - Kylo Ren "I did want to take your hand. Ben's hand." - Rey
JeanGreyForever wrote:
However, I think even Pfeiffer won't be enough for me to stomach more of this saintly Maleficent.
Yes, true. Although if they produce a good enough, interesting storyline, it just may save her character.
I just had a thought, Elle Fanning is actually singing in her movie Teen Spirit, I wonder if she'll be singing here, not that he first was a musical. It seems a shame if the actress can sing to not have her singing as a Disney Princess who is 'blessed' with song by the faries.
JeanGreyForever wrote:
However, I think even Pfeiffer won't be enough for me to stomach more of this saintly Maleficent.
Yes, true. Although if they produce a good enough, interesting storyline, it just may save her character.
I just had a thought, Elle Fanning is actually singing in her movie Teen Spirit, I wonder if she'll be singing here, not that he first was a musical. It seems a shame if the actress can sing to not have her singing as a Disney Princess who is 'blessed' with song by the faries.
I personally don't think there's any saving this character after how the original film butchered her. And it's clear that even in this film, she's going to be on the side of good to contrast against Pfeiffer. At most, she might briefly considering turning dark to rid her rival and maybe Pfeiffer's character will convince everyone for a time that Maleficent is the real villain but I'm not expecting anything really drastic.
Aurora is also supposed to be granted the gift of beauty and imo Elle Fanning failed in that department as well. Not that she's ugly or unattractive by any means but she looks like a little girl compared to the animated Aurora and there's no physical resemblance whatsoever.
We’re a dyad in the Force. Two that are one. "I offered you my hand once. You wanted to take it." - Kylo Ren "I did want to take your hand. Ben's hand." - Rey
JeanGreyForever wrote:
I personally don't think there's any saving this character after how the original film butchered her. And it's clear that even in this film, she's going to be on the side of good to contrast against Pfeiffer. At most, she might briefly considering turning dark to rid her rival and maybe Pfeiffer's character will convince everyone for a time that Maleficent is the real villain but I'm not expecting anything really drastic.
Agreed. Maleficent is a villain. Fair enough showing a little origin story, but having her and Aurora be best friends is sort of missing the point of the original character, changing her entirely. I'd never care for if Mal could be a mother or not, which is the question of the film. I care for her acts of darkness mostly. The only interesting storyline could be if Maleficent had a child of her own and how she would deal with it. Not looking after Aurora, lol.
Aurora is also supposed to be granted the gift of beauty and imo Elle Fanning failed in that department as well. Not that she's ugly or unattractive by any means but she looks like a little girl compared to the animated Aurora and there's no physical resemblance whatsoever.
Agree about her not looking like the animation. Although I think they were going for innocence with casting Elle. But they could have tried a little harder with her hair and make up. Her hair was quite thin and flat from memory where animation Aurora had thick volumous hair. Also dark lashes and red lips. Elle didn't seem to have such features which could have been achieved with make up quite easily.
Last edited by WarriorDreamer on Wed May 01, 2019 4:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.