Maleficent – Sleeping Beauty
First off, can we please not discuss Disney’s live-action retcon of this entire movie? I see what they were trying to do (make money), but they raped one of their own classics, and it made no sense. So please, do not think of the Maleficent from that film (as lovely as her cheekbones were). Instead, let us remember the first animated dragon that really freaked us out as kids.
I mean, just take a moment to let the above picture sink in. Everything about that dragon design may appear cliche upon first glance, but once you take a moment to let the color pallete sink in, you realize just how far outside of the box Disney was shooting with this one. Purple and black? It’s not a fucking sports car. Yet, they pulled it off.
So much so, that I am bringing this dragon that was created in 1959 up on a list in 2014. Fucking Disney, man. Impressive stuff.