Intro
So yesterday I posted a blog post analyzing Maleficent's Backstories and coming up with my own based on them. A friend of mine pointed out that I forgot one franchise's backstory and I realized something as I thought about these movies.
In this movie, she is:
- Evil for the sake of being evil
- Has a tragic love story with another disney villain (even was married to him at some point)
- Has a daughter, who she wants to be just as evil as her, but can't show much affection because she is evil.
Sounds familiar? Yep, that was the backstory that I came up with for her. I took an existing backstory without even realizing. But this is a good opportunity to show how writers often take inspiration from other books and media, even if they don't realize it.
Quick summary of Descendants Backstory
Descendants is a disney channel movie franchise that now has 4 movies, a couple of short series and a few books. I have only seen the four movies, but the first, and a bit of the third movie are the important ones here.
Years ago, the kingdoms were united by Belle and the Beast. They took all the villains and banished them to an island where they'd be stuck forever and it is protected by magic, so the villains can't do any harm.
Maleficent is one of the villains who has been thrown onto that island. She had a relationship with Hades from Hercules, even was married to him at some point. They had a daughter named Mal. Eventually, Hades couldn't stand Maleficent anymore, and he left her with Mal.
In this version Maleficent is evil for the sake of being evil, just like in her original movie. When Belle and Beast's son wants to start a project of letting the villain's kids into the land and actually into the school, they freak out when he mentions Maleficent as a parent. She was the worst, and Beast at first refuses, but his son argues the kids are innocent.
The moment they get the invitation, Maleficent forces Mal to to, and steal the magic wand, so she can break the spell and let everyone free. She wants to take over the kingdom. She wants Mal to be just as evil as she is, and tries to teach her, while Mal struggles with the conflict of getting her mother's affection and love, or living a new life.
By the end of the story, there is a confrontation where Maleficent turns into a dragon. There is a short fight, but when Mal stands in front of her and protects her friends, Maleficent suddenly shrinks into a lizard. She shrunk to the size of her heart, because she didn't want to fight her own daughter. This shows she loves Mal, but can't really show her affection.
My opinion on this backstory
Descendants is a guilty pleasure of mine. I like the movies, even though it's a bit cheesy and sometimes the characters (especially in the first movie) are a bit ridiculous. Maleficent is funny in this version, and as mentioned above, it has all the elements that I'd like for her backstory. I might change it for myself into a more serious one and maybe with her daughter NOT being good, but I do like this version.
Is Taking Inspiration From Other Media A Problem?
Short answer: Absolutely not!
Long answer: No, as long as it remains just inspiration. I think all writers put things in their story that are similar to others. Every time I tell about my original story, I'm told it kind of sounds like Once Upon A Time. And as someone who has watched it three times, and would love to do it all over again... I mean, can you blame my brain for putting elements in there that are similar?
Even if it's unintentional, writers take inspiration from other media. As is often said: There are only seven stories in the world that people keep retelling in their way. What we do need to be careful about, is not to make the story exactly alike, because then it is not inspiration.
For example, if I'd write about the child of a villain, who is evil for the sake of evil, and their mother wants them to be just like them, while their father is out of the picture and may or may not return in another book / episode... That's inspired by Descendants, if I'd give it my own twist and plot.
If I'd however write about the daughter of Maleficent and Hades who falls in love with the son of beauty and the beast and becomes good by the end of the first book... That's copyright, or fanfiction if you don't publish it as your own book.
If I'd write about a girl who comes into a town where all sorts of fairy tale characters are stuck and don't remember who they are, her being the only one who can save them and break the curse? I'd get a lawsuit from Once Upon A Time for sure.
Conclusion
My mistake of forgetting about descendants and making a backstory very similar to it is something that just sometimes happens. There is nothing wrong with inspiration, as long as you give it your own twist and make it unique. You can take elements from different things and still create your own story.
So... Have you ever written something and realized that it was actually something from a movie you watched or a book you've read? What media inspires your writing? Let me know in the comments!
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