Angelina Jolie joined the D23 convention in Anaheim, Calif. to showcase her new role as Disney villan Maleficent in the new Sleeping beauty film.

According to EW, the film is Oscar-winning production designer Robert Stromberg new take of the animated flick. Jolie told D23 convention goers it's darker and "a little sexy."

Scarier may be a better term, as Jolie explained her costume was frightening to younger children.

"The strange thing was people with little kids would visit the set and I would think, 'I'm a Disney character!'" Jolie told the convention crowd.

"I'd go over to the children and say hi," Jolie continued. "And they would scream and run off. One little boy actually said Mommy, 'Please, tell the mean witch to please stop talking to me.'"

Elle Fanning plays Princess Aurora, but people are really excited to see Jolie's daughter Vivienne playing the younger version of Princess Aurora/Briar Rose.

"She was the only 4-year-old who wouldn't scream," Jolie told the crowd.

Jolie admitted she has always liked Maleficent, and was drawn to the character. When her family caught wind Disney was creating a live-action version, she received a phone call from her telling her she should get involved, according to EW.

"Since I was a little girl, Maleficent was always my favorite. I was terrified of her, but I was so drawn to her. I wanted to know more about her, know what she was like and who she was," Jolie said. "She had this elegance and grace, and yet she was so cruel, Just wonderfully and deliciously cruel."

Convention goers received a sneak peak of the new live-action take on Sleeping Beauty, according to EW:

The footage previewed at D23 corresponded closely to the animated classic.

It begins with good fairies Flora, Fauna and Merryweather, flitting through the castle on their way to bestow gifts on the newborn Princess Aurora while a sinister looking king played by Sharlto Copely (District 9) glowers on. While they bless her with spells wishing for a happy life, a dark wind blows through the castle, swaying iron chandeliers and sending the inhabitants cowering. A shadow rises, with two familiar curled horns.

Jolie's black-clad Maleficent, who had a much earlier, uglier encounter with the king, has arrived before the court.

The film officially title "Maleficent" is set to open July 2, 2014.