This issuance celebrates the rich legacy of the Walt Disney Studios Ink & Paint Department with a pane of 20 stamps showcasing 10 classic Disney villains:
•    Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty)
•    Honest John (Pinocchio)
•    Cruella De Vil (One Hundred and One Dalmatians)
•    Captain Hook (Peter Pan)
•    Queen of Hearts (Alice in Wonderland)
•    Lady Tremaine (Cinderella)
•    Ursula (The Little Mermaid)
•    the Queen (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs)
•    Gaston (Beauty and the Beast)
•    Scar (The Lion King)

Maleficent is an evil fairy and the main antagonist of Disney's 1959 animated feature film, Sleeping Beauty and the protagonist of the 2014 live-action film of the same name.

Maleficent is an incarnation of pure evil, responsible for all misfortune in King Stefan's kingdom. She takes offense at not being invited to the christening of Princess Aurora and attempts revenge on King Stefan and the Queen by cursing Aurora. She appears to be particularly disdainful of the three good fairies Flora, Fauna and Merryweather, her polar opposites, who do all in their power to keep Maleficent's overwhelming evil magic at bay.

With her dark, elegant design, dramatic and flamboyant animation and unlimited arsenal of magic powers at her command, Maleficent is one of the most popular and recognizable Disney Villains, in addition to being one of the primary members of the official franchise.