The transition between the first one and ‘Mistress of Evil’ is very smooth. You can thoroughly enjoy this one without watching the prequel. Angelina Jolie is stunning as Maleficent, I couldn’t imagine anyone better for the role. In addition Pfeiffer and Fanning are a great fit for the queen and Aurora. Some scenes are truly magical, full of wonderful characters and beautiful sceneries. Story-wise the film did fine, nothing particularly special but Disney still pulls off a great sequel.