10 Things You May Not Know About Maleficent

1. The Fairy With No Name

In the original tale of “Sleeping Beauty,” written by Charles Perrault and originally published in 1693, the character of Maleficent is simply referred to as an unnamed old fairy. It wasn’t until Disney’s 1959 animated classic that she was named Maleficent.

2. That Makes Sense

The name “Maleficent” was chosen because it was an adjective meaning “doing evil or harm,” which seems like a reasonably accurate description of this villainess.

3. Her Distinctive Look

Maleficent was animated by Marc Davis, but rather than being a stereotypical witch, it was decided that she should be more elegant and sinister. Even though she has green skin, her basic look was based on flames, culminating in her distinctive two-horned headdress.

4. Eyvind Earle

Maleficent’s elegant style meshed perfectly with the ‘Pre-Renaissance’ style of the film envisioned by Eyvind Earle. Earle’s use of strong vertical lines and gothic elegance for the film’s backgrounds reinforced Maleficent’s evil elegance and gave her a look of sinister power.

5. Bat Wings and Devil Horns

In fact, the design for Maleficent’s clothes occurred to Davis when he was looking through a book on Medieval art, where he found an image of a figure with long, flowing robes that resembled flames. Her headdress was inspired by the wings of a bat and the horns of the devil. Sinister indeed!

6. I’ve Heard That Voice Before…

If the voice of the animated version of Maleficent sounds familiar, that’s because she was played by Eleanor Audley, who had previously performed the role of Lady Tremaine in Cinderella. As with Lady Tremaine, Audley provided live-action reference for the animating team.

7. The Dragon

Maleficent’s dragon persona was animated by Eric Cleworth, who also provided animation for Peter Pan, Lady and the Tramp, The Aristocats, and others. According to Cleworth, the dragon form of Maleficent was based on a rattlesnake, with “powerful muscles moving a bulky body over the rocky terrain.” Curiously, the sound of her fire-breathing was provided by the U.S. Army, who sent Cleworth some flame-thrower training films!

8. Where’s Captain Hook?

Speaking of sound effects, the snapping sound heard when she bangs the ground with her staff is the same sound effect used for the jaw-snapping sound of Peter Pan’s Tick-Tock the Crocodile.

9. Mommy!

In commenting on her role as Maleficent in the 2014 live-action remake, Angelina Jolie admitted that she scared little kids while in costume on the set of Maleficent, with one child actually saying, “Mommy, please get the mean witch to stop talking to me.” The only child who wasn’t afraid of her was her daughter, Vivienne Jolie-Pitt, who played young Aurora.

10. She Said What?

Remember all those scenes from the animated film where Maleficent speaks to Princess Aurora in a chilling, evil voice? No? That’s because Maleficent doesn’t have any direct contact with Aurora (aside from luring her to the spindle). However, Maleficent can still strike fear into the hearts of moviegoers everywhere, as she is one of the few Disney characters to say the word “hell.” Yikes

Discover Even More Magic With the New Fall Issue of Celebrations Disney Magazine!

Immerse yourself in the magic of Disney with features and pictorials on:
• Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
• The Tower of Terror: 30 Years of Frights
• Disney and the 1964 New York World’s Fair
• Finding Princesses in the Parks
• Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
• Inside Out 2
• and Much More!!

Subscribe Now!