News — ITHACA, NY 鈥� Disney made a lucrative industry out of princesses. With the release of 鈥淢aleficent鈥� earlier this year 鈥� which drops on Blu-Ray, DVD and digital download on Nov. 4 鈥� they may have discovered a new vein in that marketing gold mine: misunderstood bad girls.
The film, which stars Angelina Jolie in the titular role, casts light on the previously one-dimensional 鈥� that is to say, evil 鈥� character in Disney鈥檚 1959 classic 鈥淪leeping Beauty.鈥� For Katherine Kittredge, a professor of English at Ithaca College whose research includes fantasy, science fiction and gender studies, revisions like this speak to a broader cultural shift.
鈥淲e are no longer comfortable with villains (or heroes) who do not have a backstory,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he backstory makes them human characters rather than weaker villains.鈥�
Maleficent鈥檚 new backstory forms the core narrative of this retelling of the Sleeping Beauty story. In fact, Kittredge notes that the Maleficent character is actually a Disney invention, as well. The 鈥渂ad fairy鈥� that plunges the princess into sleep isn鈥檛 developed in the Brothers Grimm fairy tale on which both films are based.
鈥淪o the film 鈥楳aleficent鈥� is really the Disney Corporation rewriting their own tale, which is different from rewriting a classic fairytale,鈥� Kittredge said. 鈥淎lthough perhaps we could say that at this point the 鈥榗lassic鈥� Disney films have taken the place of the older tales.鈥�
Kittredge notes the trend of sympathetic backstories is evident in Disney鈥檚 massive hit 鈥淔rozen,鈥� which came out six months before 鈥淢aleficent.鈥� Both films show the villains-turned-protagonists as young girls with significant powers, but ultimately left alone in the world. Eventually Maleficent, like Elsa the Snow Queen, reconcile with and reintegrate into society.
In both tales, the characters鈥� powers aren鈥檛 defined as evil, either. Rather it鈥檚 how they abuse that power after being mistreated. 鈥淚t seems the primary message is that a woman should accept her own power but wield it unselfishly, and that ultimately it will be human relationships that make her happy,鈥� Kittredge said.
She also finds it curious that it was a non-romantic relationship 鈥� in the case of Maleficent, as surrogate mother to Princess Aurora 鈥� that winds up 鈥渟aving鈥� these characters.
鈥淲e seem to have gotten to the point where we can think of powerful women as sisters or mothers, but we don鈥檛 quite know what to do with them as potential romantic partners,鈥� Kittredge said.
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From day one, Ithaca College prepares students for personal and professional success through hands-on experience with internships, research and study abroad. Its integrative curriculum builds bridges across disciplines and uniquely blends liberal arts and professional study. Located in New York鈥檚 Finger Lakes region, the College is home to 6,100 undergraduate and 460 graduate students and offers over 100 degree programs in its schools of Business, Communications, Humanities and Sciences, Health Sciences and Human Performance, and Music.
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