History YMMV / Maleficent

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: The extent of Stefan's villainy is up for debate.
** When [[spoiler:he clipped Maleficent's wings, did he do it to make sure her life was spared because he still loved her, or did he do it just because he wanted to be crowned king but [[DirtyCoward didn't have the nerve to kill her]]? Maybe it's a mix of both, but ''how much'' each purpose drove him is the driving question in all of this. His hesitance in killing her invites this debate.]]
** If his reason [[spoiler: for not killing Maleficent was because he still had feelings for her, then did he clip her wings just because his desire to be king outweighed his love for her? Or from his perspective, was the act CruelToBeKind, since by [[DeathFakedForYou faking her death]], he prevented anyone else from trying to kill her?]]
** Is he a genuine UsedToBeASweetKid character who is only corrupted by ambition as an adult? Or is he always FauxAffablyEvil, and just never has reason to show his true colors until he's offered the chance to be king?
** He's much more evil in the novelization, where [[spoiler:he ''murders'' King Henry after Henry laughs in his face for thinking that he could become king. However, there are also scenes that describe him feeling incredibly guilty about what he did to Maleficent and says that "he had only done what was necessary", and that if it had been any other man she would have been killed instead. Of course, he promptly subverts this in the final battle when he tells Maleficent he's "always regretted never killing [her] when he had the chance."]]
** The novelization also makes it clear that [[spoiler: he was a cold and calculating bastard from the start, going so far as to let Maleficent think he had given back the only jewel he had, when really he was keeping an extra in his pocket]].
** He's shown to be upset when Aurora is asleep. The novelization has Knotgrass ponder if he's genuinely sad his daughter succumbed to her curse, or rather, if he is instead infuriated that Maleficent has won. The latter fuels the idea that he sees Aurora only as a pawn in his conflict.

* EvilIsSexy:
** Maleficent was already this before this movie and many would argue that this movie made Maleficent an even sexier villainess than before. ''Especially'' with Angelina Jolie portraying her, as fanarts would often cite her as a perfect casting choice even before the movie was announced. Disney executives wanted to capitalize on Creator/AngelinaJolie's attractiveness for promoting the film, but she insisted on adhering to the character's menacing look.
** Maleficent's raven sidekick is given [[http://img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20140412041032/disney/images/8/85/Diaval_Topshot.jpg an attractive human]] form too, though that's as much about giving her someone to have conversations with.

* FanPreferredCouple:
** Maleficent/Diaval, by a wide margin.
** Though Aurora has MaybeEverAfter with Phillip (and [[spoiler:marries him]] in the sequel), she's most commonly shipped with Maleficent in fanworks.

* FanPreferredCouple: Though Aurora has MaybeEverAfter with Phillip (and [[spoiler:marries him]] in the sequel), she's most commonly shipped with Maleficent in fanworks.

** Is he a genuine UsedToBeASweetKid character who is only corrupted by ambition as an adult? Or is he always a sociopath, who just never has reason to show his true colors until he's offered the chance to be king?

** When [[spoiler:he clipped Maleficent's wings, did he do it to make sure her life was spared, or did he do it just because he wanted to be crowned king but [[DirtyCoward didn't have the nerve to kill her]]? Maybe it's a mix of both, but ''how much'' each purpose drove him is the driving question in all of this. His hesitance in killing her invites this debate.]]

** The three Fairies aren't very much liked: they've all [[TookALevelInDumbass taken a level in dumbass]] and are generally careless and obnoxious.

* TookTheBadMovieSeriously: While the movie is very divisive for making an anti-heroine out of one of Disney's most vicious villains, everyone agrees Angelina Jolie did an amazing job to pull off an accurate live-action Maleficent, and Elle Fanning's performance as Aurora was also praised.

* UnfortunateImplications: The film [[https://longreads.com/2020/10/07/motherhood-and-the-taming-of-maleficent/ has been criticized]] as turning one of the most powerful female characters (albeit evil) in the Disney canon into a lesser version whose story arc is mostly centered on Aurora, with the sequel perceived as only making this worse.

* SpecialEffectFailure: The Pixies are hit hard by UncannyValley, and the various innocent fairy creatures stick out like sore thumbs. Somehow, by contrast, Maleficent's magic, the living trees under her orders and Diaval's various forms have the best special effects.

* UncannyValley: The fairies just look ''off'' when they aren't using their human forms. At least part of it is that they have childlike proportions in fairy form (large heads with relatively small bodies), but they're also [[SpecialEffectFailure clearly animated]].

* There was a Disney book series entitled ''My Side of the Story''. Each book is actually two books in one; the first half recaps the events of the film in question from the perspective of the title character, and the reader then physically flips the book over to get the villain's version of the same events. ''Sleeping Beauty'' was the basis for one of these books, and it therefore had a sympathetic (if different) retelling from Maleficent's point of view.

** Stefan has few fans and is sometimes called the worst aspect of the movie as a whole. Fans of ''Sleeping Beauty'' that like this film aren't happy about the character's AdaptationalVillainy; some don't believe his change from [[UsedToBeASweetKid a good kid with bad influences]] to an evil villain; some hate him for what he's done to Maleficent; some find Sharlto Copley's performance [[ChewingTheScenery unsubtle]] and unpleasant.

Be warned, this page contains some unmarked spoilers, so tread carefully.

* GottaShipEmAll: Given that there are only four characters portrayed with any degree of sympathy, this is inevitable. Fan-favorite pairings include [[LesYay Maleficent/Aurora]] or [[MinionShipping Maleficent/Diaval]]. Either pairing tends to trigger PairTheSpares, leaving either [[ShipsThatPassInTheNight Diaval/Phillip]] or [[OfficialCouple Aurora/Philip]], depending on whether your fancy is for het or slash pairings.

** In ''WesternAnimation/SleepingBeauty'', Flora and Merryweather argued over whether Aurora's dress should be [[PrincessesPreferPink pink]] or [[TrueBlueFemininity blue]]. Most official media for ''that'' film portrays Aurora wearing pink. Then comes ''this'' film, and Aurora's main dress (the one she wears during the final battle) is blue.

* LesYay: The relationship between Aurora and Maleficent is intended to be akin to a mother/daughter one but some interpret the narrative as a same-sex MayflyDecemberRomance.

** He [[spoiler: betrayed and mutilated Maleficent.]]

** The LesYay between Aurora and Maleficent is squicky for those disturbed by their age gap, Maleficent's initial ill intentions, and implications of WifeHusbandry.

* SpecialEffectsFailure: The Pixies are hit hard by UncannyValley, and the various innocent fairy creatures stick out like sore thumbs. Somehow, by contrast, Maleficent's magic, the living trees under her orders and Diaval's various forms have the best special effects.

* TheyCopiedItNowItSucks: Many of the people that dislike this film feel that it took too many liberties from ''{{Theatre/Wicked}}''.

* UncannyValley: The fairies just look ''off'' when they aren't using their human forms. At least part of it is that they have childlike proportions in fairy form (large heads with relatively small bodies), but they're also [[SpecialEffectsFailure clearly animated]].

* WhatTheHellCostumingDepartment:

* TheWoobie: Aurora. An innocent, young girl caught in the crossfire of Maleficent and Stefan's feud. Raised without knowing who she really is, or even about the curse placed on her, and learning about said curse [[BreakTheCutie breaks her]]. Even more so if one reads the novelizations, which add more information about her thoughts as the story progresses.

** Maleficent becomes an AntiVillain with a tragic backstory and is eventually [[LoveRedeems redeemed because of her love for Aurora]]. Some viewers take this as degrading one of the most powerful and independent female characters in the Disney canon by making [[WomanScorned her villainy a result of a man mistreating her]], then making her maternal feelings her saving grace. Then, some argue that Maleficent is too evil to ever make her sympathetic, and some find her not as [[EvilIsCool cool]] as in ''Sleeping Beauty''. Also, her iconic dragon form is given to her raven instead.

* {{Anvilicious}}: Maleficent's wings being stolen is not remotely subtle about being a rape allegory, the bad guys in the story are all men, Maleficent is the female leader of a good guy army and the bad guy armies are led by men, any empowered men are shown to be evil, and [[spoiler: the kiss that wakes Aurora up is from a woman.]]

* ClicheStorm: For some this is a laundry list of revisionist fairy tale cliches - [[Series/OnceUponATime villain now has a tragic backstory]], [[{{Literature/Wicked}} a previously heroic character is turned evil]], [[spoiler: [[WesternAnimation/Frozen2013 True Love's Kiss comes from non-romantic love]] (''Once Upon A Time'' did that too)]], [[Film/SnowWhiteAndTheHuntsman turning the female characters into]] {{Action Girl}}s - the only thing that's missing is a PrinceCharmless or a TokenMinority (though if you read into the Aurora and Maleficent LesYay, you do get that).

* TheyChangedItNowItSucks:
** That [[EvilIsCool Maleficent]] was changed on the lines of a misunderstood AntiHero, in part due to the huge {{Double Standard}}s that this implies: "[[TheUnfairSex male villains can be evil without needing to get a sad backstory forced on them]], [[FemalesAreMoreInnocent but villainesses must always have their motivations and actions justified even if it degrades their characters]]".
** The names of Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather are also changed (Flittle, Thistlewit, and Knotgrass) and their personalities are "neglectful and superficial." That's quite a far cry from their portrayal in the previous Disney rendition, where they were vital in Aurora's salvation and Maleficent's worst nightmare. There are those who view the name change positively since it furthers the notion that they are ''not'' the same characters from the animated film.
** King Stefan is the BigBad and Maleficent [[DrivenToVillainy only becomes evil after he breaks her heart]], which is considered a very cliché motivation. Plus Stefan was shown as nothing but kind in the original movie, so seeing him [[RonTheDeathEater reduced to an evil villain for no other reason than making Maleficient sympathetic]] was seen as stupid.
** There was an uprising when a trailer revealed that Maleficent used to have wings.
** Maleficent's iconic dragon form being given to her raven instead.
** Maleficent knowing Aurora's location and even befriending her, as opposed to searching for her for sixteen years.
** Aurora no longer being referred to as Briar Rose.
** The wrong fairy is interrupted at the baptism (It's supposed to be the blue fairy, not the green fairy.) The might be a bit of FridgeBrilliance, since we now get to find out what the blue fairy's gift would have been anyway. Also, this was not a musical, so the green fairy's gift of song would have been redundant.
** In the animated film, Aurora is one of four Disney Princesses[[note]]The others are WesternAnimation/{{Mulan}}, [[WesternAnimation/{{Tangled}} Rapunzel]] and [[WesternAnimation/{{Brave}} Merida]][[/note]] to have both her parents alive, having given her up to the fairies for her own well-being. Here, her mother Leila dies off-screen without even getting to see her grown daughter and her father dies after going mad. It also was seen as taking Leila out of the story for no other reason than favoring Maleficent as Aurora's "mother figure", which coupled with the AdaptationalWimp treatment of the faeries is easy to see as "all women in this movie save for Aurora must be brought down to make Maleficent the best female character on screen."
** Maleficent living in the end, which calls for a difficult debate. Some would think having her live was too cheap a move, though having her die protecting Aurora wouldn't make people too happy either.

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation:
** Stefan.
*** When [[spoiler:he clipped Maleficent's wings, did he do it to make sure her life was spared, or did he do it just because he wanted to be crowned king but [[DirtyCoward didn't have the nerve to kill her]]? Maybe it's a mix of both, but ''how much'' each purpose drove him is the driving question in all of this. His hesitance in killing her invites this debate.]]
*** He's much more evil in the novelization, where [[spoiler:he ''murders'' King Henry after Henry laughs in his face for thinking that he could become king. However, there are also scenes that describe him feeling incredibly guilty about what he did to Maleficent and says that "he had only done what was necessary", and that if it had been any other man she would have been killed instead. Of course, he promptly subverts this in the final battle when he tells Maleficent he's "always regretted never killing [her] when he had the chance."]]
*** The novelization also makes it clear that [[spoiler: he was a cold and calculating bastard from the start, going so far as to let Maleficent think he had given back the only jewel he had, when really he was keeping an extra in his pocket]].
*** He's shown to be upset when Aurora is asleep. The novelization has Knotgrass ponder if he's genuinely sad his daughter succumbed to her curse, or rather, if he is instead infuriated that Maleficent has won. The latter fuels the idea that he sees Aurora only as a pawn in his conflict.
** The three fairies. Were they truly unfit, bumbling parents, or did the curse make them that way out of necessity to give Maleficent and Diaval a reason to approach her, raise her, and come to love her, as she stated in the curse (''all'' will love her)? The curse has been shown to be able to manipulate and even outright ''control'' others to ensure that everything comes to pass, so it probably isn't a stretch to assume that the curse made them terrible parents.

** The three Fairies aren't very much liked, especially since they were the most popular characters in the originals. Here, they've all [[TookALevelInDumbass taken a level in dumbass]] and are generally careless and obnoxious.
** Stefan has few fans and is sometimes called the worst aspect of the movie as a whole. Aside from the character's AdaptationalVillainy in order to make Maleficent look better and his abrupt change from [[UsedToBeASweetKid a good kid with bad influences]] to an evil villain, Sharlto Copley's [[ChewingTheScenery unsubtle performance]] was downright unpleasant for most audiences.

* LesYay: The relationship between Aurora and Maleficent was intended to be akin to a mother/daughter one but some interpret the narrative as a same-sex MayflyDecemberRomance. Adding to this is the observation posted [[http://limn-the-night.tumblr.com/post/103567660037/parallels-sleeping-beauty-1959-maleficent here]] that some of Maleficent's scenes (particularly concerning her interacting with Aurora) bear an uncanny resemblance to Philip's scenes in the original.

* FanPreferredCouple: Maleficent/Aurora has a much bigger following than [[OfficialCouple Aurora/Phillip]], though this is the most popular ship only for Aurora and not Maleficent.

* DracoInLeatherPants: This movie is sometimes referred to as "Draco In Leather Pants: TheMovie" due to its portrayal of Maleficient as not just "sympathetic", but as the true hero of the story. After lots of demonization of Aurora's father and demotion of both the fairies and her love interest, which is almost a carbon copy of what fandom does to anyone who opposes their DILP'd villains.