Maleficent

'Maleficent' Teaser Reminds Us Why 'Sleeping Beauty' Was So Scary

Disney
ESTHER ZUCKERMAN3,112 Views9:42 AM ET
Of the classic animated Disney movies, Sleeping Beauty was easily the scariest, and Angelina Jolie is here to remind us why in the teaser trailer for Maleficent, the live-action take on the story with the villain in the forefront. 
The teaser is narrated by Princess Aurora (Elle Fanning, doll-like as usual), who plays with fairies and addresses Maleficent. In the climatic moment she says, "don't be afraid," to which Jolie's Maleficent replies: "I am not afraid." Aurora encourages her to come out. "Then you'll be afraid," Jolie purrs and emerges from the darkness to display her unreal cheekbones. (Seriously, they are unreal. Are they enchanted? Is this a plot point?)
It's nice that the movie, directed by Robert Stromberg, seems to be sticking with a lot of the iconography from the original, including Maleficent's horns and the terrifying thorny branches she uses as a weapon, but there are reasons to be wary. For instance, John Lee Hancock -- director of The Blind Side and Disney's upcoming Saving Mr. Banks -- was recently called in to write scenes to be reshot. We're holding out hope that this will be good, creepy, maybe a little campy fun.   
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