Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil Gets Full-Length Trailer

Maleficent is back, and she hasn't gotten any sweeter.

Disney has released the first full-length trailer for Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, the sequel to the surprise 2014 hit Maleficent. The spot sees Angelina Jolie's title character coming up against a new nemesis: Queen Ingrith (Michelle Pfeiffer), who seems to have designs on becoming a mother figure to Maleficent's "goddaughter," Princess Aurora (Elle Fanning).

The trailer opens with an allusion to the events of the first film, which was a rough re-telling of the classic fairy tale and Disney animated filmSleeping Beauty. We hear the voiceover of Prince Phillip (Harris Dickinson, replacing Brenton Thwaites from the first film) telling Aurora, "Five years ago, I thought I'd lost you forever. There is no curse that could ever tear me away from you." He then asks the princess to marry him, and she happily agrees — but a certain horned fairy godmother won't be quite so happy.

Maleficent is informed of the impending nuptials by her shape-shifting pal Diaval (Sam Riley), and she promptly flies off to confront Aurora at the home of the pixies Knotgrass (Imelda Staunton), Thistlewit (Juno Temple), and Flittle (Leslie Manville). Of course, she forbids Aurora to marry, telling her that "love doesn't always end well." But Aurora appears to bring her around, asking for a chance to prove her godmother wrong.

And then, the conflict: at a gathering celebrating the event at the Queen's palace, we hear Ingrith's narration offering Maleficent the ultimate backhanded compliment. "You have done an admirable job going against your own nature to raise this child," she says. "But now, she will finally get the love of a real mother... tonight, I consider Aurora my own." It's a sentiment that doesn't sit very well with the Mistress of Evil.

In short order, all hell breaks loose, with Maleficent wiping out the Queen's guard, declaring to Aurora that "there is no union, there will be no wedding," and commanding her to go home. Aurora does not obey, and the spot's next scene sees her being consoled by Ingrith. "Maleficent is a threat to everyone," says the Queen. "We will do our best to protect you." She hugs Aurora, and the look on her face just may be a hint that her intentions are slightly less than pure. 

We then see the denizens of the kingdom — including the Queen herself — readying weapons for an all-out war against Maleficent's dark forces, and after a series of quick cuts showcasing some pretty nifty action, we get an interesting reveal.

Maleficent is seen being rescued from drowning by another fairy, one who transports her to a mysterious place filled with them. "You've spent years caring for a human," his voiceover says. "Now, it's time to care for your own." In one of the spot's final shots, we see who the voice belongs to: Chiwetel Ejiofor (Doctor Strange), whose character obviously has a bone to pick with his fellow fairy.

The trailer teases an intriguing expansion of the Sleeping Beauty story, offering up significantly more plot details than the teaser which dropped a couple months ago. The sequel looks to be going quite a bit darker than the first film, which was itself based on perhaps the darkest animated feature Disney had ever produced. While most of the cast from that flick will return, there are some notable new additions, as well. Joining Pfeiffer, Dickinson, and Ejiofor among the new players are Jenn Murray (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them), British stage and screen actor Robert Lindsay (Bounty Hunters), David Gyasi (Annihilation), Judith Shekoni (The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2), and the great Warwick Davis, who is perhaps still best-known for playing the title role in Willow despite having appeared in more cool movies than you can shake a stick at. (And, well, the Leprechaun series, but we won't fault him for that.)

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil looks like a worthy follow-up to the original, which earned mixed reviews but absolutely killed it at the box office with a $758 million dollar worldwide take. We're sure to get another trailer or two before the flick's release on October 18 — just in time for that spookiest of holidays. We'll keep our eyes peeled, and keep you up to date on new developments as they break.