Maleficent transforms into a dragon at the climax of Disney’s 1959 Sleeping Beauty.
After Aurora pricks her finger and falls into an enchanted sleep, Prince Phillip travels to Maleficent’s domain to rescue her. The villain surrounds King Stefan’s castle with a forest of thorns, then confronts Phillip directly. She uses magic to become a huge, fire-breathing dragon, making the final battle one of the film’s most dramatic sequences.
The dragon is still Maleficent herself, not a separate creature or one of her servants. Phillip fights through the flames while Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather use their magic to help him. They enchant his Sword of Truth, allowing him to throw it into the dragon’s heart and defeat her.
This scene is sometimes confused with later Maleficent adaptations, especially the 2014 live-action film, which gives the raven Diaval the ability to become a dragon. In the original animated film, however, Maleficent is the one who changes form.