I had the chance to see Maleficent earlier this week. And in a word: GO. I loved it. OK, fine, you need more words before you shell out for tickets and popcorn. That I can do.

Maleficent tells the story of the “villain” in Sleeping Beauty, from her childhood through the awakening of Princess Aurora after “true love’s kiss”. Well, to put a fine point on it, it goes just slightly beyond that. I know some cynics and Disney purist will question the need for this live action story. I’m not a cynic. And although I’m a huge Disney fan, I guess I’m not a purist. If there’s a story to tell, why not tell it? And there was definitely a story to tell.

I remember having two big questions every time I saw Sleeping Beauty as a child. First, why the heck did Maleficent get so darn upset about not getting invited to a christening? I mean, is it really that big a deal? And second, what on earth was up with Aurora and Prince Phillip falling in love in just one day? Come on. Even as a littler person I had to shake my head. Don’t get me wrong. I still loved Sleeping Beauty. Maleficent was still my favorite villain. I just wondered about those two plot points.

Luckily Maleficent addresses both of those. I won’t spoil anything and tell you how it answered my questions. I was just happy that it did.

So what you need to know before you go: Maleficent is rated PG. It will probably be a little too intense during some scenes for very young children. I saw the movie in 3D, although I think it would be just as enjoyable in 2D. And finally, what should you wear?

I have that covered with my easy to make Maleficent headband tutorial. You can also have fun with the Maleficent Activity Sheets and Maleficent Scene Maker printables.

Maleficent is in theaters now.