Veronica Olayinka Adesina
Maleficent the Disney Movie and Lessons Learned.
This is the untold story of Maleficent who was portrayed to us in ‘Sleeping Beauty’ as a wicked witch that derived much pleasure and glee in cursing Sleeping Beauty. The movie gives us an inside look of the entire story from the Sleeping Beauty, herself. In this movie, we see the real reasons why Maleficent placed the curse.
Angelina Jolie is exceptionally magnificent in this movie. She plays a carefree and beautiful fairy who is blessed with huge powerful wings that can penetrate the skies in seconds. The huge wings automatically places her in a place of leadership because of its powers. She is accepted as the leader in a peaceful fairy world, a utopia of sorts where each fairy live a content life. Her wings assures the residents they are safe and secure. Evil is non-existent in this wonderful world where everyone lives in harmony. Her huge wings; her best asset. When her wings were taken from her through an act of betrayal, she turns into a wicked and manipulative leader. She plays both roles well.
In the story, fairies and humans live apart, they know of each other but do not trespass until one day a young boy gets lost and wanders into the fairy world. Moved by his innocence, Maleficent befriends the human (Stefan) because they share the same pain; loss of their parents. She chooses to trust this young human. After a while Stefan ceases to visit Maleficent and we are kept in the dark as to his whereabouts but when we see him again we see him as a slave in the king’s palace.
When the king decides to invade the fairy world but finds himself and his multitude of armies overpowered by the protectors of the land and Maleficent, he promises the person that can conquer the land of the fairies the kingdom. Stefan’s need for power and position stirs up greed and turns a trusted friend into an enemy; a childhood friend perceived as a stepping stone to be trampled upon. Stefan in his bid to become the next king takes advantage of an old friend. He lures her with his charm using the foundation of their friendship; trust. He offers Maleficent a drink which unbeknownst to her is a strong sleeping potion. While in a defenseless state, he removes her best asset and pride; her wings! She in turn, wakes up to a new reality; evil!
This development becomes a major turning point; Maleficent the naïve and trusting friend drastically transforms into a bitter leader. She embarks on a destructive path as a new emotion envelops her; revenge!
She eventually concocts a way to hurt the king, she curses his first born. When the child becomes 16 she will fall into a deep sleep and can only be awakened by someone that truly loves her. A curse she felt would never be broken because Stefan has proven to her that true love does not exist. But when the power of love overtakes her, she ends up loving the child (Aurora) and ends up breaking the curse with a kiss.
Stefan in his bid to gain the kingdom lost his soul and the chance to live a happy life. He lived a fearful life. In his quest to maintain his throne and protect his child from the evil curse, he worked his soldiers to the point of exhaustion. At the end, he became bitter, deranged and lonely. He could never recapture the true love he experienced as a young boy. He lost a true friend that may have been a strong ally. Evil has the capacity to steal our joys and hopes.
Maleficent in her bid to become a different person end up protecting the same child she wanted to use in her ploy to hurt Stefan. At the end, when confronted with the power of true love she gains her joy and trust back.
Lessons learned:
Lust for power, position and status can separate us emotionally from those that truly love us.
Greed pushes reasoning out of the way giving birth to the ‘me, myself and I’ mentality, a mindset that only produces instant gratification.
Love should not be used as a tool that exposes the weakness of those we profess to love. It should be trained to see the best in people and protect. If we allow it, it can transform us into great leaders and lovers.
The movie is full of vivid imagery that may be frightening to a young child, monsters rising out of the ground and Maleficent’s transformation from a naïve and trusting young fairy to a bitter and vindictive one
