--- description: In 1958, photographer Allan Grant captured a model acting out the movements that made Maleficent a powerhouse animated villainess. title: Maleficent Comes Alive: 1958 Edition image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte59af0659f5bd743/69884bee428a9ea6ddcccd7f/140604-maleficent-1958.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [allan grant](/tag/allan-grant/) ## allan grant Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Maleficent Comes Alive! 1958 Edition by [Ben Cosgrove](/author/ben-cosgrove/) ## Ben Cosgrove Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 25, 2014 1:20 PM CUT  Jane Fowler acts out the role of the wicked fairy, Maleficent, serving as a model for animators of the 1959 Disney film, Sleeping Beauty, August 1958\. Actress Eleanor Audley voiced the now-iconic villainess. Jane Fowler acts out the role of the wicked fairy, Maleficent, serving as a model for animators of the 1959 Disney film, Sleeping Beauty, August 1958\. Actress Eleanor Audley voiced the now-iconic villainess.Allan Grant—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images by [Ben Cosgrove](/author/ben-cosgrove/) ## Ben Cosgrove Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 25, 2014 1:20 PM CUT “No witch ever swished her black cape with a witchier sneer,” wrote LIFE magazine of Maleficent, the now-iconic villainess of Disney’s 1959 classic, [_Sleeping Beauty_](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053285/ "undefined")_._ The angular, fiercely horned dark fairy, whose very name conveyed ill-will, took standards for dastardly animated characters to new heights and has reliably terrified generations of moviegoers. The “Mistress of All Evil” was the product of both painstaking cel animation and live acting. LIFE photographer Allan Grant captured the moment (above) as model Jane Fowler acted out some of the movements that made Maleficent a powerhouse villainess. Actress [Eleanor Audley](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleanor%5FAudley "undefined"), the voice behind the evil stepmother in Disney’s _Cinderella_, also provided live-action modeling — and the chilling voice — for Maleficent. A team of animation artists used Fowler’s and Audley’s motions to bring Marc Davis’s medieval artwork-inspired designs to life. Some critics voiced concern that scenes — especially a memorable bit with Maleficent as a dragon — were too frightening for children. The _Los Angeles Times_ fretted that the film’s six production years, 300 artists and $6 million price tag would make it “the last as well as the biggest of these fairy tale features.” Well, not quite. [Angelina Jolie’s live-action film](http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/box-office-maleficent-bewitches-1706m-708520 "undefined") about Maleficent — with an estimated production budget of $180 million — has taken in more than $700 million internationally at the box office, a career best for the actress. Wicked. --- **_Martha Groppo_** _is a doctoral student studying history at Princeton University_ ---  Jane Fowler acts out the role of the wicked fairy, Maleficent, serving as a model for animators of the 1959 Disney film, Sleeping Beauty, August 1958\. Actress Eleanor Audley voiced the now-iconic villainess. Allan Grant—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3879957/maleficent-comes-alive-1958-edition/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3879957/maleficent-comes-alive-1958-edition/"},"headline":"Maleficent Comes Alive! 1958 Edition","datePublished":"2014-05-25T13:20:22.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:03:41.777Z","description":"In 1958, LIFE photographer Allan Grant captured model Jane Fowler acting out some of the movements that made Maleficent a powerhouse animated villainess.","url":"https://time.com/3879957/maleficent-comes-alive-1958-edition/","keywords":["allan grant","movies","Walt Disney","Maleficent","1958"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte59af0659f5bd743/69884bee428a9ea6ddcccd7f/140604-maleficent-1958.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Ben Cosgrove","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/ben-cosgrove/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte59af0659f5bd743/69884bee428a9ea6ddcccd7f/140604-maleficent-1958.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Maleficent, 1958","caption":"Jane Fowler acts out the role of the wicked fairy, Maleficent, serving as a model for animators of the 1959 Disney film, Sleeping Beauty, August 1958. 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