Angelina Jolie, renowned actress and humanitarian, recently delved into the darker themes of her Disney film, Maleficent. In a candid interview with BBC Radio's Woman's Hour, retrieved from ELLE, she opened up about a particularly intense scene in the movie, explaining that it served as a metaphor for a deeply sensitive issue, rape. The actress shared that she thought deeply about the particular scene along with the film's writer, Linda Woolverton, before coming to the above conclusion. 

 

Angelina Jolie revealed that THIS particular scene in Maleficent was a metaphor for rape 

The scene in question is the one where Jolie's character has her wings forcibly removed by a childhood friend. The scene stands out as the most powerful moment in this Disney film. When asked about the profound impact of this scene, Jolie didn't shy away from its grim implications. She revealed that the brutality and violation portrayed in the scene were intentionally designed as a metaphor for rape.

“The question was asked: 'What could make a woman become so dark and lose all sense of her maternity, her womanhood, and her softness?' Something would have to be so violent and aggressive and so of course for us, we were very conscious, the writer [Woolverton] and I, that it was a metaphor for rape. And that this would be the thing that would make her lose sight of that," Jolie shared. 

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Angelina Jolie highlighted the message shared in her film, Maleficent 

The narrative of Maleficent doesn't stop at this dark moment. The core question posed by the story revolves around what can bring back the light in someone's life after such a traumatic experience. Jolie emphasized that while Maleficent is a Disney fantasy, it still tackles the harsh realities of abuse and delves into the delicate journey of the abused.

Jolie added, “And then at a certain point, the question of the story is 'what could bring her back?' And again it is an extreme Disney, fun version of it, but at the core it is abuse, and how the abused then have a choice of abusing others or overcoming and remaining loving, open people."

Angelina Jolie's interpretation of a harrowing scene in Maleficent as a metaphor for rape demonstrates her commitment to raising awareness about sensitive issues. By incorporating such themes into a popular Disney movie, she surely fostered dialogue and understanding around complex subjects among youths. 

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