Disney didn't just make a live-action version of Sleeping Beauty with Maleficent - it made significant changes to the 1959 animated classic within the narrative structure. The successful box office performance of the 2014 epic fantasy film is credited with precipitating the deluge of live-action Disney films in the past five years, though none have replicated its daring.
Maleficent, the primary villain of the animated movie is the focus of the plot, with Princess Aurora taking a backseat to exploring the origins of the charismatic sorceress. Angelina Jolie brings her to life in a way that gives her emotional complexity, while the clever plot subverts tired fairytale tropes and archetypes. Some of the changes are stronger than others but overall, Disney's revisionist focus paid off.
DIFFERENT: IT SHOWS MALEFICENT'S PERSPECTIVE
Unlike in Sleeping Beauty where Maleficent was painted with a broad stroke as the primary antagonist, she's given an origin story in Maleficent and a great deal of emotional context for being sour towards humans.
Fans may be surprised to find that they're more sympathetic to Maleficent's feelings, given that the only human she ever met and fell in love with betrayed her and stole her wings (which are also a new component).
THE SAME: AURORA GETS CURSED
Just like in the Disney animated film, Maleficent attends the christening ceremony for Princess Aurora, and while the rest of the nobles lavish her with gifts, she inflicts a curse on the child.
Maleficent had been slighted by King Stefan and vowed to take her revenge on his kin, so while that detail isn't explained in Sleeping Beauty, she curses his child all the same for not receiving an invitation to the event.
DIFFERENT: KING STEFAN IS THE MAIN VILLAIN
When he was just a peasant boy living in the kingdom, working in the castle and tending to the king, Stefan overheard that whoever brought the dying king the wings of Maleficent would make themselves a worthy successor to the throne.
When he accomplished this, he instantly made an enemy of the sorceress, and was forced to pledge his armies against her and the creatures of the Moors. He is obsessed with destroying her and plundering the Moors' resources.
THE SAME: THE 3 FAIRIES RAISE AURORA IN THE WOODS
After Maleficent curses Aurora in Sleeping Beauty and in Maleficent, the three fairies are tasked with smuggling her out of the kingdom and taking her into the woods where she can live undetected by the Mistress of Evil.
There she grows up never knowing of her royal birthright, and believing herself to be a woodcutter's daughter. Only when she's of age will she be able to return to the castle and live without fear.
DIFFERENT: MALEFICENT AND AURORA BECOME FRIENDS
Unlike in the Disney film, Maleficent does indeed know where the princess has been hiding in the woods, she simply chooses to keep her presence hidden. She watches Aurora grow up and becomes increasingly fond of the young woman she becomes.
Eventually, they meet when Aurora is a teenager and soon to be returned to King Stefan's court. They develop a close connection around the natural environment and the Moors, and Aurora refers to her as her "fairy godmother".
THE SAME: PHILIP MEETS AURORA IN THE FOREST
The encounter between Aurora and Prince Philip set the stage for true love in Sleeping Beauty, and Maleficent includes the fateful meeting much the same way it happened - with Philip coming upon Aurora as she's gathering flowers.
Like his animated counterpart, he's instantly struck by her beauty and poise, and the time they share together insinuates a growing intimacy (though that isn't fully explored until Maleficent: Mistress of Evil).
DIFFERENT: PHILIP DOESN'T FIGHT MALEFICENT AS A DRAGON
In Sleeping Beauty, Maleficent takes on the form of a giant black and purple dragon capable of breathing green fire. She summons a wall of thorns around the castle to prevent Philip from being able to break the curse she's placed on Aurora.
In Maleficent, Maleficent turns her familiar Diaval into the dragon, and he attacks King Stefan's guards so that Philip can run to the chamber where Aurora is sleeping and break the curse.
THE SAME: MALEFICENT HAS A RAVEN FAMILIAR
Maleficent had her minions in Sleeping Beauty, but her raven familiar was charged with her most delicate tasks, such as spying on Aurora and the three fairies in the wood.
In Maleficent, the dark fae still has her familiar, but his name is Diaval (not Diablo the Raven) and he's even given an origin story. In order to make him more interesting and participate in the plot more, he's turned into a human when interacting with his mistress.
DIFFERENT: PHILIP'S KISS DOESN'T BREAK THE CURSE
While Maleficent dealt with King Stefan and Diaval (in dragon form) took on his guards, Prince Philip raced to the chamber where Aurora slept, hoping to wake her with true love's kiss.
This didn't happen like the fairytale version, and true love's kiss would come in another form - from Maleficent. The love she had developed for Aurora as her goddaughter transcended the curse.
THE SAME: EVERYONE LIVES HAPPILY EVER AFTER
In Sleeping Beauty everyone could only live happily ever after when Maleficent was vanquished, but in Maleficent the creative team found a way around that by making King Stefan the villain that needed to die.
By the end of the film, Aurora is free to flit between her castle and the Moors, and Maleficent has her wings restored to her, allowing her to protect the Moors and watch over her goddaughter in peace.