Maleficent (film)

Maleficent
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Robert Stromberg
Screenplay by	Linda Woolverton
Based on	Disney's Sleeping Beauty "La Belle au bois dormant" by Charles Perrault
Produced by	Joe Roth
Starring	Angelina Jolie Sharlto Copley Elle Fanning Sam Riley Imelda Staunton Juno Temple Lesley Manville
Cinematography	Dean Semler
Edited by	Chris Lebenzon Richard Pearson
Music by	James Newton Howard
Production companies	Walt Disney Pictures Roth Films
Distributed by	Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Release dates	May 28, 2014 (2014-05-28) (El Capitan Theatre) May 30, 2014 (2014-05-30) (United States)
Running time	97 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$180–263 million[1]
Box office	$758.5 million[2]

Maleficent is a 2014 American fantasy film starring Angelina Jolie as Maleficent in a live-action retelling of her villainous role in Walt Disney's 1959 animated film Sleeping Beauty, itself an adaptation of Charles Perrault's 1697 fairy tale. The film is directed by Robert Stromberg from a screenplay by Linda Woolverton. It also stars Sharlto Copley, Elle Fanning, Sam Riley, Imelda Staunton, Juno Temple, and Lesley Manville in supporting roles.

Maleficent came under development as an animated project in 2003, before it was changed to a live-action feature in 2006, following Disney's acquisition of Pixar. Tim Burton was originally attached to direct the film, but eventually left and was replaced by Stromberg in his directorial debut. Jolie signed on to play the title role in January 2012 and also served as the film's executive producer, alongside Michael Vieira, Don Hahn, Palak Patel, Matt Smith, and Sarah Bradshaw.^[3] The rest of the main cast joined between March and May 2012. Principal photography took place at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, England, from June to October 2012.

Maleficent premiered in El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood on May 28, 2014, and was released in the United States theatrically on May 30 by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It received mixed reviews from critics, who praised Jolie’s performance and visual effects, with criticism aimed at the script and Stromberg's direction. The film was a commercial success, grossing over $758 million worldwide, and became the fourth-highest-grossing film of 2014, as well as Jolie's highest-grossing film. Amongst Disney's live-action adaptations, Maleficent is the seventh-most-expensive and sixth-highest-grossing film to date. It also received an Academy Award nomination for Best Costume Design at the 87th Academy Awards. A sequel, titled Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, was released in 2019.