Maleficent is a 2014 American fantasy film starring Angelina Jolie as Maleficent in a live-action retelling of her villainous role in Walt Disney's 1959 animated film Sleeping Beauty, itself an adaptation of Charles Perrault's 1697 fairy tale. The film is directed by Robert Stromberg from a screenplay by Linda Woolverton. It also stars Sharlto Copley, Elle Fanning, Sam Riley, Imelda Staunton, Juno Temple, and Lesley Manville in supporting roles.
Maleficent came under development as an animated project in 2003, before it was changed to a live-action feature in 2006, following Disney's acquisition of Pixar. Tim Burton was originally attached to direct the film, but eventually left and was replaced by Stromberg in his directorial debut. Jolie signed on to play the title role in January 2012 and also served as the film's executive producer, alongside Michael Vieira, Don Hahn, Palak Patel, Matt Smith, and Sarah Bradshaw.[3] The rest of the main cast joined between March and May 2012. Principal photography took place at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, England, from June to October 2012.
Maleficent premiered in Los Angeles on May 28, 2014, and was released in the United States theatrically on May 30 by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It received mixed reviews from critics, who praised Jolie’s performance, visual effects and costumes, with criticism aimed at the script and inconsistencies in tone. The film was a commercial success, grossing over $758 million worldwide, and became the fourth-highest-grossing film of 2014, as well as Jolie's highest-grossing film. Amongst Disney's live-action adaptations, Maleficent is the seventh-most-expensive and sixth-highest-grossing film to date. It also received an Academy Award nomination for Best Costume Design at the 87th Academy Awards. A sequel, titled Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, was released in 2019.
