Fun Maleficent Facts From Don Hahn Executive Producer

Disclosure: Disney provided me with an expense paid trip to Los Angeles in exchange for my review of the events of the trip. No other compensation is given. As always, all opinions and experiences are my own. All images courtesy of Disney. #DisneyInHomeEvent #Maleficent

One of my favorite parts of my Disney press trip was our tour of Walt Disney’s Estate. Seriously what an amazing, once in a life-time experience.  Our tour was coordinated by Disney Studios to coincide with the release of Sleeping Beauty and Maleficent on Blu-Ray and Digital HD. While we were at the house we had the opportunity to sit down and chat with Maleficent’s Executive Producer, Don Hahn.

Here are some of the interesting things I learned about Maleficent during our interview:

1. Angelina Jolie was the only actress considered for the role of Maleficent. The movie might not have been made with her signing on.
2. The schedule to make Maleficent was very tight. Angelina Jolie’s schedule was very tight and they only had 3 months to work with her.
3. After 85 days of filming, it took a year and half to put the film together with special effects.
4. Almost all of the Maleficent’s sets were computer generated. The throne room at the end of the movie where the dragon is unleashed was one of the exceptions. It was a fully built set.
5. The exterior battle scene was filmed in between Pinewood and the freeways nearby. If you turned the camera during the battle scenes you would see the freeway and traffic going by.
6. Maleficent’s wings are special effects. She wore a little battery pack with antennas  that gave the special effects team enough information to create an amazing illusion on film.
7. Maleficent’s horns are real. They were magnetically attached for safety reasons though. If she caught her head on anything, the horns could just pop off.
8. Angelina’s daughter,Vivienne played the young Aurora out of necessity. Angelina dressed as Maleficent scared most kids, into either crying or freezing and doing nothing. Her daughter’s love shines through in that scene, she clearly just sees her beautiful mother.
9. Don definitely believes Maleficent could be a Broadway show and I agree!

Don’t miss my sneak peek of Maleficent Blu-Ray Bonus Features or DIY Maleficent Costume Ideas.