Behind the Scenes of Disney’s Maleficent – #Maleficent

“I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream….” We all remember this song, right? It’s from the classic Disney movie Sleeping Beauty, that most of us grew up watching as kids. And now, that classic story is back – not just “re-imagined” or “re-made” – but showing a whole new side to the villain from the movie, the evil Maleficent.

Disney’s Maleficent – in theaters May 30, 2014

I had the cra-mazing {that’s my own personal blend of crazy and amazing into one word…} opportunity to attend the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration at Disneyland last week. The entire trip was beyond anything I could have imagined {more posts on all of that coming soon – pinky promise} – and one highlight was getting to learn more about this fantastic film coming out next month. We got an exclusive sneak peek that no one else had seen yet – about 9 minutes of footage packed into a breath-taking preview. One of the things that really stands out to me is how they show another side to the story that we all think we already know. It reminds me of Once Upon a Time on ABC, and how they take those well-known fairy tales and characters, and surprise us with a backstory that we wouldn’t have expected. Like when it turned out that Red Riding Hood was the wolf. Or that the evil queen only ended up that way due to a really cruel upbringing. I’m totally intrigued and anxious to learn exactly what the story is on Maleficent, and what exactly drove her to cursing the innocent baby in the classic scene we’re all familiar with. Get a small peek at the film here, to see what I mean:

“Maleficent” explores the untold story of Disney’s most iconic villain from the classic “Sleeping Beauty” and the elements of her betrayal that ultimately turn her pure heart to stone. Driven by revenge and a fierce desire to protect the moors over which she presides, Maleficent cruelly places an irrevocable curse upon the human king’s newborn infant Aurora. As the child grows, Aurora is caught in the middle of the seething conflict between the forest kingdom she has grown to love and the human kingdom that holds her legacy. Maleficent realizes that Aurora may hold the key to peace in the land and is forced to take drastic actions that will change both worlds forever.

After watching the amazing scenes from the film, we got to listen to the producer of Maleficent, Don Hahn, as he told us more about the process of filming the movie, his feelings about the story – and then got an extra special treat as he introduced us to the absolutely beautiful and charming Elle Fanning who plays the young Aurora in the movie. {And – did you know that the baby that plays Aurora in the early scenes is Angelina’s actual daughter? Very cool.} Then, since Elle Fanning had just turned 16 a few days before…..

Of course Maleficent had to make an appearance to curse her! The lights dimmed and lightening flashed as she stormed in to shout her curses, much to the slightly-scared delight of all of the kids in the room. {And no – this wasn’t the Angelina Jolie version of Maleficent – but the Disneyland actress who plays her at the park did a spot-on job!} After the display of wicked villan-ness, she departed to the ballroom lobby to prepare for pictures, and the rest of us enjoyed princess cupcakes after singing happy birthday to Elle. Good times!

And – Bonus time! Starting today, fans can enter for a chance to win a trip to the world premiere of the film in the Maleficent “Embrace Your Inner Evil” Sweepstakes. You can enter by recreating Maleficent’s laugh and posting the video to Instagram using #MaleficentLaughSweeps. Official Rules: http://di.sn/MaleficentLaugh. If you enter a video – I’d LOVE to see it! Be sure to share it on my Facebook wall, or tag me on Twitter @sunandsipcups, or tag me in your Instagram post @sunandsipcups. Good luck – what an amazing prize that would be, right?

Photo credit: Josh Hallett, @hyku. And, to keep up with new updates and cool stuff: Like Maleficent on Facebook: facebook.com/DisneyMaleficent. Follow Maleficent on Twitter: @Maleficent. Tweet the hashtag: #Maleficent. Instagram: http://instagram.com/disneystudios. Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/disneystudios/maleficent/. Tumblr: http://disney.tumblr.com/.