Variations of the witch in the rewritings of Sleeping Beauty by Walt Disney Pictures

Abstract

This work analyses the hyper-textual dialogue between the literary hypotext Sleeping Beauty by Charles Perrault and the film rewrites Sleeping Beauty (1959) and Maleficent (2014), by Walt Disney Pictures in cartoon and live-action respectively. In addition, the changes experienced by the fairy-witch archetype Maleficent after her psychological deepening and her consideration as protagonist or antagonist are discussed. Using a mixed methodological design, based on content analysis, the rewritings are categorized and the chapters/sequences between the literary work and the films are compared. The results reveal intertextual interplays between the rewritings and the story, which are adjusted to the context of production and take into account the social concern in representing women in film. The final discussion highlights the validity of oral tradition tales that continue to fascinate audiences of all ages through new languages with educational potential, such as film, which reinterprets motifs and characters in favor of female empowerment and the demystification of romantic love.