New Maleficent Sneak Peek Trailer (With Lots of Maleficent & a Comparison with the Original Animated Classic)

It's a gutsy move - intercutting the new Maleficent movie scenes with the corresponding original Disney animated ones, but it works. And it should draw in nostalgic parents and Disney die-hards as well as new fans. (Heck, even the live action fairies don't annoy me half as much as the animated ones do!)

Take a look:

Angelina Jolie seems pretty much perfect in the title role, from all we've seen so far. Elle Fanning seems fine but it's really not about her, and honestly, we all want to see more Maleficent anyway, right?

I find it intriguing that we have this giant "remember she's a fairy!" visual indication in the very pointed ears, which are then very specifically covered up by the Mistress of All Evil cap, which also covers her (grown/growing?) horns, subconsciously transitioning us to think of her as less fairy, more demon.

It's a little difficult to tell how the script is going to sit, as all the lines we have heard are out of context (and many out of order), but I remain impressed with the movie overall at this point.

Plus: screencap and gifs opportunities galore!
Here are some I just pulled:

Whomever is directing the marketing for this really understands our society's current hunger for gif-able scenes (new word) and meme-potentialed images (more new words). And it's working. Looks like someone noted the enthusiasm of the OUAT fan images - and how well they help market a show (even when it's often below par) - and how the fans enthusiasm and stories help the movie/product take on a life of it's own - beyond the screen. (Free and fast marketing - make it viral and you have a hit!) Smart, smart, smart.

Fairy tale people should be looking at this and taking note!

In the meantime, expect a zillion Maleficent gifs on Tumblr tomorrow. Oh - and don't forget this iconic scene:

Although I have some reservations, overall I think I'm just going to enjoy this film (possibly a lot!), not to mention my excitement over seeing the "expansion" (in pop culture) of the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale.

Bring on May 30th! (In the US & UK - some other lucky countries will get to see our favorite fairy tale villain a few days earlier...)