My four year old ‘grand-dude’ Collin likes to play ‘good guys/bad guys, heroes/villains. He’ll run around, roaring and pouncing, making kinda mean faces. I pretend to be scared and succumb to his antics. Tonight he told me that one of his new superpowers was to encase people in bubbles “for-EVER”. That is, until he decides to free them by kissing the bubble. My idea of spell breaking, for sure. We also watched a movie that I have wanted to see for awhile- Maleficent; with Angelina Jolie in the title role,  which is a retelling of the Sleeping Beauty tale from the perspective of the Evil Queen. It turns out, that once upon a time, she was an innocent fairy, with magnificent wings that took her on all kinds of adventures, as she soared above the moors where she lived peacefully, following the death of her parents. She cavorted with the woodland creatures and was seemingly fearless.

One day, she meets a young man with whom she develops a trusting relationship; unusual between their two divergent species. We find out in short order why her trust was misplaced. Driven by greed and the desire to replace the dying king who Maleficent has wounded while defending her land and people, Stefan seduces, drugs her and then cuts off her wings. This, as has been written about in previous reviews, was a symbol for rape, as he has taken away her innocence and freedom. When she awakens from her sleep, she wails in horror that part of her self has been dismembered. He returns to the kingdom with the wings that he puts on display as a trophy of his conquest and she isolates herself in a thorny prison, created by her grief and rage at what was taken from her.

Fast forward and Stefan marries and he and the queen have a child- Princess Aurora who at her christening was cursed by Maleficent; not because she wasn’t invited along with the other fairies, as the story is traditionally told, but in retaliation for her own wounds perpetrated by the king. The vendetta has her proclaiming that on her 16th birthday, the princess will be pricked by a spindle and fall into a death like sleep ‘for EVER’ as well, and can only be awakened “by true love’s kiss,” which she didn’t believe existed, since when she was that age, Stefan had planted one on her that he claimed was in that category and then betrayed her.

To protect Aurora, she is spirited away to the woods with three fairies who have no clue how to care for a baby, so it is a wonder how she even survived to see her teens. As she matured, she was watched over by Maleficent and shape shifter named Diaval, both who become quite attached to this open hearted and happy young woman. Indeed, she has melted Maleficent’s erstwhile hardened heart.

So as not to ruin the ending in case you haven’t seen it, know that love trumps fear and light overcomes darkness. The hero and villain are one in the same, as is true for each of us. Like many trauma survivors, Maleficent’s wounds threatened to over come her and it took innocence and love, oh and that kiss to break through her bubble. See, Collin knew. Out of the mouths of babes.