A new two-minute, behind-the-scenes featurette about Maleficent reveals that the May 30 release will be part-prequel, part-alternate POV.
Screenwriter Linda Woolverton (Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Alice in Wonderland) assures fans that Maleficent will be a “reinvention, not just the retelling of the same story” from 1959’s Sleeping Beauty.
For the new film, Woolverton “created a past for [the protagonist] that led to the moment when she curses [Princess] Aurora, then takes us past that moment from Maleficent’s point of view.”
Star Angelina Jolie adds, “We respected the classic; we’ve tried to bring you what you love about this story. We also hope to bring a world that you’ve never seen before.” The eye-catching special effects, especially the army of tree soldiers, guarantee that.