More Disney Villain Origin Stories On The Way?

By Aimee Mahmoud

With the immense box-office success of Disney's Maleficent; bloggers, reporters, and film critics everywhere are speculating as to which direction the Disney industry-giant is planning to take their established film franchises. Maleficent is, quite literally, a 'tale as old as time': Girl meets boy, girl falls for boy, boy flakes out on her - but with the inclusion of the obvious fairy tale constituents and some extremely disturbing maiming. Allusions to rape culture, sexism, and superficial attraction are present in the film; all nicely packaged up in what can only be described as a stunning visual display. Indeed, the movie's dark, Wonderland-like appeal is what initially piqued my (and countless others') attention. For what could be pegged as a less-than-phenomenal story-line; Angelina Jolie, 39, steals the thunder with a chilling, re-imagined portrayal of the classic Disney villain. Her rendition of Maleficent is enigmatic and moving; this unconventional characterization of the embittered fairy-witch envisions Maleficent as a much more disturbed - and ultimately sympathetic - character than her original, Sleeping Beauty counterpart. Whereas 1959's Maleficent is petty, jealous, and supremely wicked, Angelina Jolie's Maleficent seems to strike a chord with modern-day audiences. Owing to the film's burgeoning 'cult' status among women and girls of varying age groups; critics and bloggers argue that a humanizing origin story like Disney's Maleficent doubles as something of a social commentary. Mutilated, violated, and 'de-powered', the naive and gentle Maleficent transforms into a bitter, cold cynic bent on seeking revenge against the human king that betrayed her trust. In some ways, Maleficent can be interpreted as what some critics would call a 'rape-revenge fantasy': her downward spiral into a world of darkness and hate represents what only too many victims of sexual and domestic violence succumb to. Jolie's unrelenting countenance and the air of anguish her character conveys can only be asserted as that of a woman in pain. Indeed, this 'villain origin-story' is a refreshing approach to what has been referred to as Disney's 'cookie-cutter-machine' film habit in recent years. 

It stands to reason that due to Maleficent's immense box-office success, Disney Studios is most likely planning a succession of more 'origin stories'. After all, this announcement came with the company's recent acquisition the Star Wars franchise, and their subsequent plan to produce several 'stand-alone' prequel films based on some of the franchise's most popular characters. Whatever classic villain-centered prequels Disney may be planning is really anyone's guess: Boba Fett, Ursula the Sea Witch, and Jafar have all been named as some of the most likely contenders for a Maleficent-esque re-vamping. Despite having less than 8 minutes of screen time in total, Boba Fett, the elusive and highly-lethal bounty hunter of the Star Wars galaxy has been a fan-favorite since the premier of 1980's 'The Empire Strikes Back'. Ursula the Sea Witch has been the subject of much scholarly debate; and an origin story would no doubt prove to be an exhilarating ride. Fans may never quite know the surprises that Disney has in-store for the coming years. Regardless of the turnout, and as with all things Disney, audiences will go where the trail follows.

Don't forget to browse our selection of Disney costumes for officially-licensed Maleficent inspired products - available now!