First trailer for Angelina Jolie’s ‘Maleficent’ released: amazing or not scary enough?

jolie poster

YAY. Okay, the first trailer for Maleficent was just released, following yesterday’s big reveal of the first poster. I actually don’t know how to interpret Disney’s upcoming campaign for this film – obviously, it’s going to be a whole lotta Angelina Jolie, and Angelina is obviously starring as the title character, the villainess Maleficent. But the trailer isn’t heavy on the Jolie. I guess they’re trying to build up to it? We don’t get many clear shots of her at all. Also, keep your eye on little Vivienne Jolie-Pitt as the young Aurora and then Elle Fanning (doing an English accent) as the teenage Aurora.

What do you think? The CGI feels like Disney stuff, but I think we should keep in mind something for the parents of really young children: this probably won’t be the movie for your kids. Maleficent is one of the most terrifying of all Disney villains, and if Disney did this right, she’s probably even scarier in this live-action version. I just wish we could see more of her being properly evil.

Anyway, Angelina and The Horns of Doom look good. I’ll be able to judge this better when the full-length trailer comes out. I’m hoping that this will be a huge hit for Angelina and Disney. Also: we don’t see the fairy godmothers at all! I was looking forward to that. I want to see Sharlto Copley too.

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Photos courtesy of Disney, WENN.

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119 Responses to “First trailer for Angelina Jolie’s ‘Maleficent’ released: amazing or not scary enough?”

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  1. Gossy says:

    Her laughter at the end was PERFECT. She sounded exactly like Eleanor Audley who did the voice in the original. And I still laughed at the very lame and silly “Don’t be afraid and come out”…”But then you’ll be afraid”

    • Tish says:

      Yes, yes! That laughter did it for me too.

      • lower-case deb says:

        me three!
        especially since i’ve just watched the “maleficent compilation” on youtube not a while ago!
        sounds good.

        however, what made me a bit ‘skeptical’ is the whole “there’s a reason why she’s evil” premise of the film which was circulated around.

        for me personally, what makes Maleficent such a compeling character is how she’s (in the cartoon) unapologetically evil, there seems no need to disassemble the Mistress of All Evils. but that it doesn’t mean that the cartoon Maleficent is a one-dimensional evil either. much of the vast tonality, gestures and nuances of “evil” culminates in Audley’s Maleficent.

        will be interesting to see what Angelina brings to Maleficent though. i am excited!

      • LadyMTL says:

        Me four!
        Maleficent has always been my favorite Disney villain and I am very excited to see if this movie will live up to my expectations.

    • Nicolette says:

      The laugh was spot on, Angelina has nailed it! Maleficent was always one of Disney’s most frightening characters, and they really seem to be doing a great job bringing her to life.

      • RHONYC says:

        i disagree. i couldn’t put my finger on ‘why’ until i just Google’d ‘ Maleficient / Sleeping Beauty’…

        Maleficient’s LONG, EVIL POINTED CHIN IS MISSING!!!

        *Homer Simpson voice*

        DOH!

        if they would’ve spent less time on her cheekbones and added more prosthetics to her chin and aged her just a bit…’then’ i’d say spot on.

        also, i would’ve been great if they would’ve ‘thinned’ out Angie’s lips a bit with lipstick. it was Mal’s thin, conniving lips that added to her evil smirk. jussayin.

        sorry, i’m a stickler for my Disney classics.

        p.s.~ that Fanning girl isn’t a beautiful enough Aurora.

        there. i’m done. :mrgreen:

    • Alexandra says:

      Loved the laugh! And Angelina made that line work somehow, her voice gave me the creeps in a good way.

      • MollyB says:

        Just from that little bit, it sounds like she does an amazing imitation of Eleanor Audley’s magnificent voice (she also did the voice of the Cinderella’s stepmother).

      • truthSF says:

        @MollyB:

        That explains it. I always felt that both the evil step mother and Maleficent were the scariest of the Disney villains. And I could never forget their evil voices. (I don’t remember much about the Snow White’s queen, other than her look ) To now know that they were voiced by the same actress says it all.

    • LAK says:

      They’ve never bettered the original evil witch Queen from SNOW WHITE. Every subsequent female evil character is a variation on that original character, costuming and all, be it live action or animation. It’s so seeped into the public consciousness that other Disney and non Disney characterisations of female evil still draw from it.

    • Jackie Jormp Jomp (formerly Zelda) says:

      I thought that line was kinda awesome, actually.

    • nellie says:

      That was not the least bit scary

    • phlyfiremama says:

      Squeal, yes!! I will most definitely be ssing this movie~I love the Jolie, she is MAGNIFICANT.

  2. Anna says:

    This trailer was actually a bit terrifying for me LOL
    I can’t wait to see it!

  3. Fangirl says:

    Love Angelina ! Cant wait to see this , sounds GOOOOD!!!!

  4. truthSF says:

    I hate teaser trailers. I wanted more Maleficent, less Aurora.

  5. Dani2 says:

    I actually found that a tad scary, it’s amazing how perfect she is for this role.

  6. lucy says:

    Hard to tell as most of it was cgi fairies and thorns, but it doesn’t look dark at all. It looks like it’s for kids. And is Angelina doing a British accent too? Please no, accents are not her thing.

  7. Jackson says:

    Is this actually going to be ‘scary’ for an adult though? Sure, little kids, but it’s still a Disney flick.

  8. eliza says:

    I just saw it on GMA and was somewhat underwhelmed. Sorry but since I am not a super fan of Jolie, I can objectively say it was ok, just nothing special. Maybe they are saving the best for in the theater.

  9. Eleonor says:

    I WANT TO SEE THIS.

  10. Bubulle says:

    Jolie looks good, but this looks kinda meh, way too much CGI.

  11. Gossy says:

    One more thing, I remember reading on an official source that the Maleficent movie is supposed to have animated scenes in it, like Enchanted did…but I see none of that in the teaser….who knows.

  12. Dorothy#1 says:

    This is the first Angelina Jolie I’ve wanted to see on a looooong time!

  13. pnichols says:

    Cool!! Can’t wait! She’s PERFECT for this role.

  14. Eve says:

    Can’t wait! *jumpy claps*

    I miss seeing her on the big screen so much.

  15. MrsBPitt says:

    Vivienne looks adorable!!!!!! and the Jolie looks amazing!!!! Can’t wait!!!!!

    • Moiselle says:

      How precious is she running through a field of flowers chasing butterflies? I don’t care if it’s staged. She’s happy and adorable! As for Ms. Jolie….Beautiful.

  16. Frida_K says:

    OOH! OOH!! OOH!!!

    I am SO EXCITED!!

    I can’t wait for this!!

    I’ll sit in the theater, wide-eyed like a child, and feel every scary emotion, and by the end, there’s always the lovely catharsis of Things Working Out.

    What fun, to feel like little girl again.

    🙂

  17. serena says:

    Holy koermdf#dsxc@!!! I can’t wait for this! Angelina looks great, and I love her voice when she says ‘they you’ll be afraid’. Thrilling!!!!

    I also like little Elle Fanning, she’s a good actress and I want to see more of her!

  18. ANDREA1 says:

    I was looking forward to more too but I think disney is punishing us by releasing it bit by bit 🙂 .. That laughter did it for Me… Maleficent is Magnificent I can’t wait!!!

  19. MonicaQ says:

    I think it’ll be a bit “Lovecraftian scary” e.g. she’ll be there but it’s the anticipation, the fear, the knowing what she could do and yet she’s biding her time waiting. Watching. Power held in reserve sometimes is the scariest power of all. Unlike Lovecraft, it’s Disney. It’ll have a happy ending.

    Plus she can turn into a FREAKIN DRAGON WHAT.

    • lower-case deb says:

      if only IF ONLY Maleficent laughs and turns into The Dragon Smaug with the Cumbervoice.
      *apologies for the crossover there.

    • kimmy says:

      Sleeping Beauty was never a favorite of mine b/c i was scared of the dragon-fight scene! But….i can’t freakin wait to see this. AJ is the perfect Maleficent. I just hope the other parts aren’t cheesey….like the CGI fairy godmothers?? Hmmm…..

  20. harlequin says:

    LOVE IT! Angelina is absolutely perfect for this. And how cute and pretty is Vivienne???

  21. Harpreet says:

    Guys, check out Ginger & Rosa, with Elle Fanning and Christina Hendricks as her mom,

    An amazing film, really wish Elle would get some awards love for that role, and she plays an English girl in that too,

  22. marina says:

    Is it opening in the UK before the US?

  23. Eve says:

    “Then *you’ll* be affraid”

    F*cking perfect delivery.

  24. TG says:

    I will watch any fair tale movie so I am sold. Though I have yet to see Julia Roberts in her Snow White movie and that is only because it looked like a joke.

  25. Holly says:

    Um, I don’t know what you guys are talking about. This movie looks awful! And the accent…PLEASE, Angie, stop it with the horrible accents. I don’t see any circumstance where I would take my children to this movie. It looks way too dark and I don’t think Angelina’s fans are paying her a complement when they say she is perfect for this role.

    • Lisa23 says:

      She not using an accent so what are you talking about.

    • Lizzie says:

      That’s a matter of taste. When I was a child I always found Maleficent to be strikingly beautiful. Same with the evil queen in Snow white.

      • Virgilia Coriolanus says:

        Me too! Sleeping Beauty wasn’t my favorite Disney movie–but I always loved how elegant Maleficent was–those cheekbones!

    • marina says:

      I was just wondering who the target audience is because I can’t take my seven year old to see it; she’ll be scared to death. It looks really cool but I don’t think I’d go see it in the theater. I’m sure it will make a ton of money though because people love her. Look at how many average movies she’s that made crazy money simply because she was in it.. ex: The Tourist, Salt, Wanted, Mr. and Mrs. Smith. My opinion, I know, but I’ll be rottentomatoes gave them bad reviews.

    • Side-Eye says:

      Same here. Like, I know this site tends to stan hard for anything Jolie does, but this trailer was atrocious. I’m generally not a huge fan of Jolie anyway though. And I really wanted my Sharlto in it.

      • The Original G says:

        I’m really at a loss as how anyone can tell from this trailer that this movie or any performance in it is atrocious.

      • Side-Eye says:

        @original g I’m at a loss as to how anyone can tak e this trailer and see it as amazing and she killed it, but here we are. And I’m also at a loss at how you took my dig AT THE TRAILER to.be a dig at the movie as a whole.

      • Kim1 says:

        OK Boo, we get it you hate the trailer , as evident by your three comments

    • Jillian says:

      We’ll all be crucified here, but I agree with you. It looks all sorts of corny to me, like the snow white/huntsman crap that came out a while ago. But then again, I haven’t liked her over-acting in a movie since girl, interrupted. She was great in that. Since then? Not so much.

  26. yeahright says:

    Its about time she plays a villan and it looks like she’s done an amazing job of it. Still looks gorgeous when evil… slag. Haha.

  27. lisa2 says:

    It is a teaser trailer.. were people expecting them to show everything. Gosh and yes there is CGI.. how else are faeries going to fly and trees grow. I get some people need to find something.

    I’m really excited for this. It is a film for children that adults can see as well. It is Disney after all.

  28. aang says:

    I don’t know. Why not just get a british actress to play Aurora if they want an accent? I would normally stay very far away from most movies with an actor/actress more famous for being famous than for their body of work. I don’t like when the performer overshadows the role. I want to see Malificent not Jolie. I get enough of her here. What little I heard of her voice in the trailer sounded like it could be cheesy. I want to like this.

  29. doofus says:

    look very beautiful, visually stunning, etc…

    but it needs more Sharlto Copley…LOVE HIM.

  30. Gossy says:

    She showed what a huge star she is that Disney had a dark screen to say “Angelina Jolie is”

    Most movie trailers just flash their names on screen briefly, but they had to emphasize, it’s Angelina Jolie who is Maleficent, not just any old actress.

  31. GiGi says:

    This looks so good! I actually think if you have kids who like this sort of thing, it will be good for them. My 10 year old daughter hates it, but my 8 year old son loves this kind of dark, ultra-fiction stuff. Me, too 🙂

  32. bohemia says:

    Can’t wait… rubs hands in glee…

  33. lady mary. says:

    awesome! when is it releasing,still wish it wasn’t elle fanning as aurora , her sister Dakota would have been perfect for the role

    • Kim1 says:

      Awesome
      Isn’t Dakota too old?

    • Dommy Dearest says:

      Fanning looks too young for Aurora. Plus Aurora, to me, was the prettiest Princess so I’m not really vibing with Fanning. She’s cute but not what I pictured for Aurora unfortunately.

      • LeLe25 says:

        I agree. Elle is not striking enough or old enough for my ideal Sleeping Beauty. Also, her delivery in the trailer was awful! I don’t like the direction she took with the gleeful confidence… I would have liked to see her more hesitant but curious.

        Angelina looks and sounds amazing though!

        Why does this genre do this? They go out of their way to cast an AMAZING villain (like at heron in SWHM), but then cast weak actresses as their counterpoints (Kristen Stewart was awful in that film). Hopefully It was just a bad trailer for Elle.

      • Dommy Dearest says:

        Yeah from what I remember Aurora was between 16-18 and Elle looks to be 12-13. I can live with Elle being Aurora but she isn’t my choice. She’s better than Stewart by a long shot. I sat and watched SWHM once from start to finish but after that any other time I tried to watch it I turned it off due to how BAD Stewart was. Her constant look of smelling something disgusting turned me off to the whole movie despite Theron and Chris giving good performances.

      • kimmy says:

        The best part of Snow White and the Huntsman was Charlize Theron….by a long shot. She was a fantastic villain. The movie was a let down overall though. I only hope that this WHOLE movie is good….not just Angelina’s performance.

  34. Side-Eye says:

    Are you people serious? I’m sorry, but this trailer was freaking awful, my GOD.
    I am glad that there are other people who appreciate Sharlto Copley though. ADORE him.

  35. Virgilia Coriolanus says:

    Oooh, I can’t wait! It might actually show up here, being that it’s a kid’s movie AND Angelina’s in it. I wish they would’ve tinted her skin green, like in the original film. And I LOVED her laugh at the end.

  36. Sonia says:

    WOW! This actually looks pretty good. I am even suprised. And I am usually not a big fan of those kind of disney movies, but this looks really interesting! Angelina looks like she is born to play this role.

  37. Toniko says:

    I had chills when she said “I’m not afraid”.

  38. Liz says:

    She has the laugh down pat… Perhaps, very true to life!

  39. Mrs K. says:

    The best Maleficent would be Fairuza Balk!
    She played the vampire in Breakaway (ZZ Top) and a witch in The Craft.
    I really like her performance.

  40. Levi says:

    This looks good, I loved her laugh at the end.

  41. Peanut says:

    I’m not a sleeping beauty fan or much of an Angelina Jolie fan, but I think this looks pretty good. I’d go see it in theaters, and I wouldn’t take my 4-year old daughter as she’s have nightmares for years I bet!!

  42. Madpoe says:

    “Don’t be afraid and come out”…”But then you’ll be afraid”

    Jolie’s delievery of that line made me goosebumpy!! Her laughter at the end as well.
    I’m curious in seeing Jolie, as “Sleeping Beauty” has always been my fave Disney film.

  43. Mika302 says:

    I thought it looked great… I will def be taking my 9 year old daughtet. And really how scary do u think Disney is gonna make it. Some people will find anything to complain about. Also it’s a freaking teaser trailer, how mych r they really going to show!! Geez. Sometimes this site is so full of negative people. Do u hve lives or do u just like to complain???

    • WendyNerd says:

      Um, I’m pretty sure people are counting the scariness as a good thing.

      Also, Disney is quite good at making frightening things. Maleficent was freaking terrifying in the original Sleeping Beauty. Or what about the Donkey transformation scene in Pinnochio? Or anything involving Cruella De Ville in 101 Dalmations? Or EVERYTHING in the Black Cauldron? Or most of Fantasia. Or how about Return to Oz, which featured a Queen who made a hobby of decapitating people, collecting the heads, and wearing them, the rollers, and adults trying to subject a child to electroshock therapy?

      Mentioning that this could be really scary isn’t a complaint, it’s a good thing. There’s a reason Maleficent is getting her own big-budget movie and that’s because Maleficent stays in peoples’ memories for being GOD-DAMN TERRIFYING. If this didn’t look scary, they wouldn’t be doing their jobs.

      You say people making complaints have no lives, but the only people I’ve seen here offering any criticisms so far have been pretty casual. You’re the one who seems to be getting really worked up and angry about people calling a teaser for a movie that’s about one of the most evil and horrifying villains in film history scary.

      • Dommy Dearest says:

        Black Cauldron -shivers-

        Rock A Doodle Do scared me as a kid with the damn owl. I haven’t let my 2 1/2 year old watch any of the Disney Princess movies yet just because the villains, to me, would be scary for her at this age. I’ll probably start with Pocahontas and Little Mermaid though since there really isn’t a terrifying villain in it in the way Sleeping Beauty has Maleficent. I really, REALLY hope they have her turn into a dragon!

      • WendyNerd says:

        I’m pretty sure Rock a Doodle was a Don Bluth flick, right?

      • Dommy Dearest says:

        Correct and I see that it wasn’t Disney either (after looking it up). Still though, one of those children’s movies that was waaaay creepy hahaha

      • kimmy says:

        Ahhhh, Fantasia. That movie has me totally loving it to being completely creeped out. I’d watch the good parts and fast forward through the scary ones!

  44. vv says:

    When I was a kid my grandparents taped Sleeping Beauty for me on Beta Cassette (heheh I am dating myself) and I watched it over and over till that thing basically fell apart. Maleficent is my favourite Disney character but somehow the horns in this don’t quite work for me. I wish they were a little more creaturely looking rather than leather head dress. Other than that I am excited to see this.

  45. MsDaisy says:

    AJ needs ro play a vampire. That’s the role she was born for. Can’t wait to see this movie though.

  46. Lol says:

    The trailer did its job for me because I feel teased and want more maleficent. Elle is meh in the teaser tho.

    I love seeing Jolie back onscreen. Not sure how well it will do domestically but no doubt it will be huge overseas.

  47. Maya says:

    OMG this looks amazing and I have to wait another 6 months? Not fair:(

    And that Evil Laugh at the end was brilliantly done by Angelina.

  48. Dommy Dearest says:

    Oh I WANT TO SEE THIS NOWWWWWWWWWWW.

    However I don’t agree with Fanning as Aurora. She’s a cute girl but I’ve always thought Aurora was the prettiest out of all the Princesses- but I can get over that. However the one major issue I have is that Fanning’s Aurora looks like she’s twelve. Aurora was older than that and looked the part as well.

    That said. Dear god I’m ready to see this.

    • Julianna says:

      I agree about Elle. I feel bad for saying this but she’s too young and plain to be Sleeping Beauty. I think this movie looks beautiful though and I will check it out.

  49. Sara says:

    I am surprised people aren’t making a bigger deal about Zac Efron “tripping” and breaking his jaw and gashing his face… As seen on Radar.

  50. Reece says:

    I’m in! *jumpy claps* I’ve missed badass Angie. Love her!

  51. Camille (TheOriginal) says:

    Awesome! Can’t wait to see it.

  52. The Original Mia says:

    Vivienne was adorable. This looked scary. My little sister won’t be going to see this. I will, though. Loved the laugh.

  53. GIRLFACE says:

    This looks really fun. I want to see it. She’s a great Maleficent! So chilly.

  54. EscapedConvent says:

    Sleeping Beauty was IT for me as a kid. The film, the books, the coloring books, the outfits, the works. I think I loved the Aurora segments even more because the Fairy Godmothers were so fabulous. No Flora, Fauna, & Merriwether in this movie? Oh, that is so disappointing.

    But this trailer makes me want to see it, & Jolie will play the hell out of Maleficent, I’m sure. Looking forward to it.

    • Dommy Dearest says:

      Are they not in the movie for sure? I wondered if we’d be seeing them in the movie or not. My hopes is that they’ll be in the next trailer if they are in the film.

    • Maya says:

      Actually the Fairy Godmothers are in the movie – Juno Temple, Imelda Staunton & Miranda Richardson are playing the characters. Disney would never do a movie without important characters like that.

      • kimmy says:

        Oh good. I thought I saw a clip of Elle talking to a CGI “fairy” and I got worried. Maybe it was something else that is sparkly and flies. Anyways, I did always love the godmothers. Especially how they keep changing her dress from blue to pink!!

  55. nikko says:

    I’m looking forward to seeing this more than I am the fifty shades of grey.

  56. Faith says:

    I actually can’t wait to see this movie,i’ll be seeing it in the theatre and will probably buy the DVD.

  57. shaboo says:

    Angelina looks perfect and her voice is really good too. Elle fanning though? she’s too young and her English accent is absolutely atrocious.

  58. allons-y alonso says:

    Maleficent is my favourite Disney villain ever. My expectations are high but this trailer delivers. So exciting.

  59. Kit2 says:

    Damn Angelina is beautiful. Great trailer.

  60. L says:

    Amazing!! Can’t wait to see it!

  61. MegG says:

    I would go and see this!

  62. Naddie says:

    Just great, even better than I thought. But I mistook her from Snow White’s villain!

  63. Jessica says:

    Elle Fanning’s English accent is AWEFUL!!! That is all.

  64. Jh says:

    Scary? No…really? Like scary for adults?
    She looks beautiful, though.

  65. A.H. says:

    If I want to be “scared” by Jolie, I’ll watch her near-laughable scenery munching in “Changeling.”

  66. Sara says:

    Good or bad I can’t wait for this movie. We don’t see Angie enough anymore. I wish she’d take more starring roles. She’s proven she can carry a film!

  67. Badmuthawhat says:

    She makes a perfect Maleficent and I’d love to go see it if it was anyone else but her in the role. I hope it bombs.

    • AprilStar says:

      Wha? Well…that…makes…no…sense…if she makes a perfect Maleficent then why not go see it? Jeez. People behave as if this woman stabs puppies and steals candy from babies or something. I certainly will be there opening weekend. The teaser looks interesting but I wish studios would stop releasing teasers and just do the whole trailer. I hate teasers.

      • lisa2 says:

        Their hate is sick on so many levels. These are the same people that applaud celebs that do the most disgusting things. You would think Angelina had murdered someone or committed some terrible crime against humanity. When all that happened was a Grown Ass man decided he didn’t want to be married.. got a divorce and move on with her. None of the people that hate on her were affected personally. but you think she burned their housed down.

        It is sad and after 8 years some people need to get some help on this because they crossed a line a long time ago.

        Maleficent will be Magnificent.. and once again.. Angie will win..

      • ja'imie king says:

        @Lisa2, you either like an actor or you don’t, I don’t particularly like AJ or JA, and some people will hate no matter what. I think it’s the writer’s that need the applause the most. As for St. Angie (!!), having met her and a few others whilst working for the UN (on more than one occasion), their public image is very well manufactured, in person AJ is stunning to look at, but I didn’t see a lot of the, oh she is so nice, so brave etc, once the camera stopped rolling. The nicest one throughout would have to be Matt Damon