FIRST LOOK AT ANGELINA JOLIE AS DISNEY VILLAIN MALEFICENT

Angelina Jolie transforms into one of Disney’s baddies, Maleficent, from the original classic Snow White.

A retelling of the 1959 animated classic (based on a well-known fairy tale), Maleficient stars Angelina Jolie as the villain in the much-anticipated retelling of Sleeping Beauty’s magically gifted foe.

The movie said to focus on Maleficent’s perspective will tell “the untold story of Disney’s most beloved villain,” focusing on “the events that hardened her heart and drove her to curse the baby, Aurora, “ and production began on June 13 at England’s famed Pinewood Studios.

Starring opposite Jolie as Aurora/Sleeping Beauty herself is Elle Fanning (younger sister of Dakota). “It’s a really great script. I’m having a lot of fun. I’ve already got my horns fitted,” Jolie said of the role in March. “My kids are very happy.”

“It’s not anti-princess, but it’s the first time they’re looking at this epic woman [in a different way],” she explained of the new take on the story.

“I hope in the end you see a woman who is capable of being many things, and just because she protects herself and is aggressive, it doesn’t mean she can’t have other [warmer] qualities,” Jolie added. “You have to figure out the puzzle of what she is.”

Maleficent is planned for a  March 14, 2014.

—Toni-Marie Ippolito