海角大神

These days live-action fairy tales are nearly as popular as superhero films, and in both cases one studio is leading the charge: Disney. Unlike 2010鈥瞫 Alice in Wonderland or 2013鈥瞫 Oz the Great and Powerful聽- being, respectively, a sequel and prequel to their famous predecessors 鈥� Disney鈥檚 forthcoming Maleficent is something different altogether: it鈥檚 the villain鈥檚 tale.

Not unlike how聽Wicked聽the musical (and the book it鈥檚 base upon) focuses on the back story of Oz鈥檚 Wicked Witch of the West, Maleficent will explore how the dark fairy came to curse the young princess, Aurora, turning her into the famous Sleeping Beauty. Based on the trailers that have already released, it鈥檚 clear screenwriter Linda Woolverton (Alice in Wonderland) and director Robert Stromberg (the art director on Alice and Oz)聽are not interested in simply retelling Sleeping Beauty from the dark fairy鈥檚 perspective.

Instead, this new spin on the fairy tale paints Maleficent as more of a wronged, tragic hero than an evil sorceress hell bent on destroying everyone else鈥檚 happiness. (Though, there鈥檚 no saying she can鈥檛 be both.)

The absolutely inspired casting of Angelina Jolie, the moody and stylish visuals, and Lana del Ray鈥檚 haunting rendition of the classic, 鈥淥nce Upon a Dream鈥� have already given this film plenty of buzz. And judging from the release of today鈥檚 spectacular new trailer, that buzz will only continue to grow.

In yesterday鈥檚 teaser for this new trailer, we first saw Maleficent鈥檚 wings, now on full display above. Immediately the question arises, 鈥淲hat happened to her wings?鈥� because as we know come Sleeping Beauty, Maleficent has none. She can turn into a giant dragon 鈥� something else teased in the new footage 鈥� but unlike the good fairies who raise Aurora, this dark fairy is wingless.

There鈥檚 a line in an earlier preview where Maleficent says her wings were 鈥渟迟辞濒别苍鈥� from her, implying that she was done some wrong in the past. It doesn鈥檛 seem unreasonable to assume Maleficent鈥檚 apparently unprovoked curse on the young Aurora is somehow tied to whoever stole her wings. There are moments in the trailer where a winged Maleficent and an army of the forest (literally) face off against some king and his troops -聽Aurora鈥檚 father, King Stefan (Sharlto Copley, fresh off playing baddies in Elysium and Oldboy) perhaps?

Another point of further exploration hinted at is a meeting between Maleficent and Aurora before her sixteenth birthday. In fact, since at one point Jolie鈥檚 daughter plays Aurora as a young child, it鈥檚 obvious Maleficent and Aurora meet more than once during the time between the curse being cast and the curse being enacted. The assumption then, is that it鈥檚 through these meetings Maleficent鈥檚 true story is explained as she tells it to Aurora. Revealing yourself to the young girl you鈥檝e cursed does seem a bit odd, but then Maleficent鈥檚 motivation was always mysterious.

Sarah Moran blogs at Screen Rant.