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Review: Disney Maleficent: Mistress of Evil Home Video Release

Maleficent Mistress of Evil - home videoDisney Maleficent: Mistress of Evil is the 2019 follow-up to the 2014 Maleficent film.   This movie picks up several years after the first.   Maleficent, Aurora and the kingdoms are coexisting.  This relative peace is broken with Aurora’s engagement and long festering resentment.  For more on the film here is Maggie’s review of the theatrical release.

This first home video release includes Digital, HD, blu-ray, 4K and DVD formats.  Bonus features vary by release.  For more details/specifications on the release here is the full press release.   I was sent the Blu-Ray/DVD/Digital pack to review.    There were five featurettes looking as different aspects of the film, two extended scenes, an outtakes montage and a music video in the package I watched.

Elle Fanning is Aurora in Disney’s live-action MALEFICENT: MISTRESS OF EVIL

Here is the information from the press release on them:

  • Extended Scenes
    • The Queen Comforts Aurora – Queen Ingrith takes advantage of Aurora’s fragile state to gain her confidence and accelerate the wedding plans.
    • Philip and Aurora Dance – Aurora struggles to gain Queen Ingrith’s approval when she realizes how she is viewed among aristocracy.
  • Featurettes
    • Origins of the Fey – Angelina Jolie discusses Maleficent’s lore, her newly discovered origins, and the diversity of the cast who portray the Fey.
    • Aurora’s Wedding – Elle Fanning gushes over Aurora’s fairytale wedding; plus, hear from some special guests as they give their best to the bride and groom.
    • If You Had Wings – Get a glimpse of the elaborate visual effects that allow the Fey to take to the skies.
    • “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” VFX Reel – Discover how a perfect blend of practical and visual effects were used to create the stunning landscapes in “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil.”
  • Outtakes – Uncooperative cats, a serious case of the giggles and even the “floss dance” found their way into Ulstead.
  • “You Can’t Stop The Girl” – Music video performed by Bebe Rexha

I thought the bonus featurettes felt rushed and did not have a chance to delve into details. Because of this I thought they were lacking.  For example the VFX Reel was interesting.  The point of the piece was to showcase how the digital effects were done and see some of the physical sets that were used then how the computer filled in the rest.   They really did not explain the process and the couple minutes of clips gave a quick sampling of the on set and final product but I would have really liked to have seen more.  It felt almost like a teaser vs a documentary.    I also found the “If You Had Wings” featurette interesting as they talked about some of the ways they handled the flying sequences in the film.  This was a four minute featurette so it went slightly more in depth than others but still it left you hanging in parts wanting to see more.

The breath of the bonus features on this release seemed about average for a first release now a days.  The depth was on the shallow side for my taste though. I prefer longer format more in depth making of type pieces and/or insight from the creative team about what you are looking at.

Disney Maleficent: Mistress of Evil is an average home video release. If you enjoyed the film in theaters and wanted to learn a little more about it you may find the bonus features interesting and the release worth adding to your library.


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** I was provided a copy of the release for review purposes.

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