Redeemable Villains: How Disney’s Brilliance Changes Our POV

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Amber Bayham, Arts and Entertainment Editor

Since the release of Maleficent, Disney has been releasing remakes of classic stories, and people are eating it up like hot cakes.

But what is it about movies like Maleficent that especially captivate the audience? Why are we so interested in seeing the redemption of Disney villains? Maybe it’s seeing Angelina Jolie in such a magnificently malicious role – or, maybe it’s something else entirely.

My best guess is we want to see what happened to make the people we always assumed to be born bad to the bone. In Maleficent’s case, her evil start began obviously with the betrayal of the King. However, even in the end, she somehow finds a way to redeem herself and get back her wings. It gave movie viewers a new perspective. Instead of cheering for her to turn into a dragon and die, we cheered when she got back her wings and returned to the skies.

For years, people have loved to hate Disney villains. But maybe it’s time we learn to see what’s on the other side of the looking glass.