In 1959, Walt Disney released Sleeping Beauty, based on the fairy tale by Charles Perrault about an evil sorceress who curses a princess to sleep for all eternity until awaken by true love's kiss. It was Disney's 16th animated feature film, the animation of which was based on the exaggerated artistic style of ornate gothic French tapestries. It was a departure from Disney's usual aesthetic, but it proved wildly popular, thanks in part to its enigmatic and scene-stealing villain, Maleficent (Eleanor Audley) the dark fairy.

In 2014, Disney released the live-action film Maleficenta retelling of the classic story with particular focus and emphasis on its charismatic antagonist. The film proved popular enough, driven by its pitch-perfect casting of Angelina Jolie in the titular role, to warrant a sequel Maleficent: Mistress of EvilBut which Maleficent version is the best? Here are five reasons in favor of the animated iteration, and five in favor of the live-action personification.

ANIMATED: SHE'S MYSTERIOUS

Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty

One of the greatest qualities of a Disney villain is their mystery. Audiences can suppose a great number of details about their backstories, or why they became so incredibly wicked, but they're also perfectly fine with accepting that they're just evil for evil's sake.

Maleficent wasn't turned evil because she wasn't invited to a christening party in Sleeping Beautybut the audience didn't need to know why. They just knew the story needed an antagonist, and they were content to acknowledge that in order for good to vanquish evil in a fairytale, evil needed to exist. The audience could make up their own origin story for the dark fairy.

LIVE ACTION: SHE HAS A BACKSTORY

In many ways, the live-action Maleficent movies are investigations of a Disney character no one asked for, but in their telling, they have become origin stories that create complexity to what was always a two-dimensional villain. Angelina Jolie's Maleficent was once a beautiful fairy girl who lived in peaceful harmony with humans, but she was betrayed by them for no other reason than she trusted the wrong one.

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Her lover robbed her of her fae wings in order to become successor to the king, and once he did, he attempted to conquer her homeland. While this was enough for her to take revenge on his daughter Aurora, she was also able to learn through a relationship with the young girl that she was capable of trust again.

ANIMATED: HER LOOK IS ICONIC

Maleficent appears in the presence of the king and queen in Sleeping Beauty

Though the prosthetics given to Angelina Jolie do make her look elegantly surreal, her hypertrophied features will never approach the elongated and chiseled countenance of the animated Maleficent. And her fiery eyes cannot replace creamy green skin!

Maleficent's entire look in Sleeping Beauty is as iconic now as it was in 1959 when the film debuted. From her aristocratically expressive face, to her black and purple scalloped robes, she truly earned the title "Mistress of all Evil" and has been the face of Disney villainy for decades.

LIVE ACTION: ANGELINA JOLIE WAS BORN TO PLAY HER

There has always been something of the complex, challenging, and anti-authority about Angelina Jolie during her time in Hollywood. The daughter of one of its greatest stars (Jon Voight), she seemed to reject her status among Hollywood royalty and firmly position herself as its antithesis.

Though she hasn't made nearly as many films as she could, her preternatural beauty and grace, combined with her temperamental spirit are always on display whether in Girl, Interrupted or Mr. & Mrs. Smith. She made a name for herself being a Hollywood outsider and was the perfect choice for Maleficent.

ANIMATED: SHE'S MORE EVIL

Maleficent laughs evilly in Sleeping Beauty

In Sleeping Beauty, Maleficent has no change of heart. She is not swayed by Aurora - the two have no cozy interactions in cottages together. She doesn't cling to the shadows, watching Aurora grow up over time because the fairies have made sure she can't find her.

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When she does get word of Aurora, going by "Briar Rose", she sends her demonic henchmen to kidnap her. What she gets is Prince Philip, whom she chains in her dungeon, while her henchmen have a rager on the castle ramparts. She never repents and never apologizes for being wicked, and remains a bitter villain until her demise.

LIVE ACTION: HER WORLD IS BIGGER & MORE ORIGINAL

David Gyasi, Angelina Jolie, Sam Riley, Jenn Murray, Harris Dickinson, Elle Fanning, Robert Lindsay and Michelle Pfeiffer in Maleficent Mistress of Evil

Unlike the straight shot-for-shot Disney live-action remakes, Maleficent and Maleficent: Mistress of Evil have been films that reposition their central characters within the confines of classical fairy tales. This allows them to reframe the stories with some modern sensibilities, and explore new emotional themes.

By Maleficent and Aurora being allies, the story can shift from their antagonism from the animated film, and into a tale of self-discovery. By the second film, there is no plot based on the Sleeping Beauty fable, and it's devoted to building the world Maleficent inhabits with new creatures, characters, and enemies.

ANIMATED: SHE DOESN'T REPOSITION THE CLASSIC STORY

Maleficent with Diavlo the crow from Disney's Sleeping Beauty

Some audiences will never rally behind the repositioning of the Sleeping Beauty story that the live-action films took as their approach. They will remain devoted to the fairy tale, and is that such a bad thing? The constant need for the live-action films to be "different" lessen their ability to be "timeless."

Maleficent remains evil in Sleeping Beauty and thus her performance isn't blighted by any modern ideologies that would lessen her character's authority. She is not a tragic character or an antihero, she is simply a foil so that viewers can be reminded over and over that good triumphs over evil.

LIVE ACTION: SHE'S MORE REALISTIC

Maleficent scowling

The Maleficent of the live-action films has been through excruciating personal pain. She's been hunted for being different and been betrayed by the only man she ever loved. She's seen the ugliness that exists in human hearts and knows not to trust a face just because it looks friendly.

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The walls she's put around her heart are relatable, and account for why even when she meets Dark Fae like herself in Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, she's wary of them and their objectives. She represents both the follies of remaining single-minded to the point of obfuscation, as well as the merit of properly placed conviction.

ANIMATED: SHE'S NOT RESTRICTED BY PROSTHETICS

Maleficent looks angry in Sleeping Beauty

One of the great joys of watching Maleficent stalk the screen in Sleeping Beauty is marveling at her many and varied expressions. At certain times she looks puzzled, then demure, then coy, and then downright terrifying. There are times she even looks bewitchingly beautiful, though not in the exact way Jolie does.

Throughout the live-action films, we're very aware that Jolie has been covered in prosthetics, from the cheekbones to cut glass, to the fangs fitted over her teeth. One of the world's most beautiful actresses is reduced to an animatronic as her multicolored eyes shift and her lips spread into a Chesire smile.

LIVE ACTION: SHE HAS BETTER ACCESSORIES (INCLUDING DIAVAL!)

Maleficent standing with Diaval in the Moors

We can't talk about the live-action Maleficent films without gushing over her wardrobe. Dripping in raven skulls, high-collars, and black velvet, Jolie makes the most of the amazing costumes that she gets to wear. And the best of her accessories by far is Diaval, who in the animated film was simply a pet raven.

Diaval may have begun as a raven in the beginning, but since his transformation into a man (and then a wolf, dragon, and bear), he's become not only her henchman but also her close friend. It's amazing what another presence in Maleficent's life does to reveal her inner thoughts.

NEXT: Maleficent: 5 MCU Heroes She Can Defeat (& 5 She Couldn't)