I decided to compile a list of my ultimate Disney Villains. I'm basing this list purely on my own personal favourites so I really apologize to anybody's who favourite I didn't include. What qualifies for me as an amazing Disney villain is one with great character attributes for somebody villainous such as a sinister disposition, an intimidating demeanor and an evil plan. I've also based this list on the jokes, songs etc... the villains have in their movies that I love. So be prepared, because here they are
10. Gaston (Beauty and the Beast, 1991)
When Disney's imagineers made this Best Picture Oscar nominee and all time animated classic, they included one hell of a bad guy. Gaston is arguably one of the most vain Disney characters ever created (the other being of course The Evil Queen) and he displays that throughout the entire movie. In fact, his vanity leads to his complete disbelief and enraged attitude when he realizes Belle has fallen for a Beast instead of him which is why he becomes the villain of the story. His most evil moment to me is when he encourages the town's people to "Kill the Beast" and storm his castle, that moment is so effective and one of the most dramatic moments of all Disney films.
9. Cruella De Vil (101 Dalmations, 1961)
For one of the most adorable Disney movies ever, they had to include a villain to counteract all that cuteness, and they did a mighty fine job doing it. What's could be more opposite from a group of sweet and innocent little puppies than a mean, cranky middle aged woman obsessed with fur? On a personal note, I can't stand people wearing real fur and the production of it so I truly despised Cruella as a child and still do to this day. I think most people feel that way and could never imagine harming such lovely little animals. Which is why, when Cruella gets her just desserts at the end of the movie, every audience member rejoices with happiness and relief for the pups and Roger and Anita.
8. Shere Khan (The Jungle Book, 1967 and The Jungle Book, 2016)
As a child, The Jungle Book was spellbinding to me, the music, the animation. However, it also scared the absolute bejesus out of me whenever Shere Khan appeared on screen. I'm not sure what it was about the animation of him and his voice mixed with his intentions to murder Mowgli but it all combined to frighten me so much. The feeling has still stayed with me and I still get a shiver whenever Shere Khan eagerly nods his head listening to Bagheera and Colonel Hathi discuss Mowgli being alone in the man village. When I saw Jon Favreau directed live action version over the past summer, I thought it was fantastic and I think choosing Idris Elba as the voice of Shere Khan was a stroke of genius and the character displayed a lot of violence and evil than the original.
7. Chernabog (Fantasia, 1940)
Anybody who views the Night on Bald Mountain sequence from Walt Disney's 1940 Musical feature Fantasia and isn't filled with a sense of fear is a much braver person than me! I have to admit, I have never been a massive fan of the movie. I get what the animators and imagineers were trying to do and what they accomplished was very unique and will go down as a great peace of animation. That being said, it isn't the easiest film to sit through, with the exception of this eery terrifying scene featuring the winged demon Chernabog. Music in any movie can be very effective and that certainly is the case when it comes to Chernabog's appearance on screen, his movements put in time with the score works so well that I feel it may have been the inspiration for many horror movie maker's that followed.
6. Captain Hook (Peter Pan, 1953)
Many a feminist would be completely against liking Captain Hook due to his controversial views such as "a jealous female can be tricked into anything" (Even though he's not totally wrong!) and many a sailor and lost boy wouldn't be his biggest fan either. That being said, I think he's hilarious. The duo of Captain Hook and Mr. Smee in the movie makes for some excellent comedic moments such as the shaving scene in which Smee shaves a bird's bum while a stunned Captain Hook is almost taken by the crocodile that ate his hand. When you also think of the fact that Captain Hook's main aim is to murder a young boy and make several small children walk a plank to their deaths, it makes you realize just how depraved the character is, and you can see why it was so feared by readers of the original stories.
5. Lady Tremaine (Cinderella, 1950)
A nightmare for any girl is to have a wicked stepmother who forces you to live in the worst room in the house, wear old rags and do all of your sibling's chores as well as all the housework. Not only does Lady Tremaine meet that criteria, she also tries to lock Cinderella in a room and keep her from her true love. That is the ultimate fairy tale no-no. The characterization of this evil matriarch by her animators is so well done, two moments that will never cease to give me a shudder are when she yells "do them again" at Cinderella regarding doing her chores and the moment in which she realizes that it was Cinderella she saw dancing and charming the Prince at the ball and she squints her eyes menacingly as it occurs to her what has happened. Chilling stuff
4. Ursula (The Little Mermaid, 1989)
Ursula the Sea Witch has one of the most undeniably catchy and well written songs of any Disney character in "Poor Unfortunate Souls". The song was written by music geniuses Howard Ashman and Alan Menken. She is also extremely witty and fun to watch while being a despicable witch who takes people's souls and keeps them in a garden at her lair when they don't pay her back quickly for spells she's cast for them. From facts I have read, her appearance was inspired by the actor drag queen Divine from John Waters films and you can definitely see the inspiration in her actions too. In the final sequence of the movie where Ursula tries to become Queen of all the Ocean by taking King Triton's staff and crown, she makes herself a giant octopus and I found it truly terrifying as a child. This final sequence wouldn't be out of place in a live action adventure movie and it's genuinely entertaining, that's mainly due to the movie's diabolical Sea Witch.
3. The Evil Queen (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 1937)
Having read a not so great book about the "back story" of the Evil Queen, I was worried it would dampen my love for this character and film, but thankfully it didn't. She is the original Disney villain and she is also one of the most petrifying of all of them for me. The idea behind her story is pretty shocking when you really think about it. A woman is so jealous of her stepdaughter's beauty that she sends a man into the woods with the girl to murder her and that not being horrifying enough, she insists he bring back the girl's heart as proof of her murder. When she finds out the girl is still alive, it's not enough to have her living away and out of site, she has to murder her and this time, she'd do it herself. That whole plot put together with her amazing transformation into the old peddler woman with the insane grin makes for a really blood curdling villain.
2. Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty, 1958 and Maleficent, 2014)
She has had her own movie where she was portrayed by Angelina Jolie, one of the world's most famous actresses. That alone displays that she is one of the most well known and popular Disney villains ever. I'm not really sure what it is about her that makes her so wicked and devilish but she just is an amazing character. Her back story in the 2014 movie wasn't executed as well as it could have been, however it was extremely interesting and it does make you somewhat empathize with her. Of course Angelina Jolie is a wonderful actress, but her portrayal was never going to come close to the voice characterization done by Disney great Eleanor Audley (who also voiced Lady Tremaine). Her voice acting was just amazing in this role. The best scene for me of Maleficent is when she appears in the beginning of the infant Aurora's birth celebration and places the curse on her, her evil cackle and disappearance in a cloud of dust is an iconic Disney villain moment.
1. Scar (The Lion King, 1994)
An amazing story, beautiful animation, humour, romance and of course a diabolical villains in all of movie history. I don't think anybody who watched The Lion King has ever gotten over Scar's killing Mufasa and trying to kill Simba and basically ruining the pride lands. All of these things make him an unforgivable character. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you look at it) his voicing, done by the stellar Jeremy Irons, his show stopping "Be Prepared" number and his witty sarcastic comments make him hard to resist watching. He stands out to me as the pinacle of all the Disney villains and one they gave real depth to. I also adore his animation and how he moves so slouchily and slyly in comparison to his regal brother Mufasa. He may not have lasted as the King of the Pride lands but his is my ultimate personal favourite Disney Villain.
The very first thing I bought this month was a Disney water flask. I happened upon it one day while buying sweets in Mr. Price which is kind of like Target only I'm guessing with a lot less stock. What I like about this flask so much is that it is very subtle and people might not immediately see that it is Disney as it just has the little Mickey Mouse silhouette on it, so it would be an ideal flask for a Disney lover who's not too into the flashy stuff but still wants to show their a fan. It came in different colours but of course me being me I went for the girliest one, it cost €2.95 so it's not going to be as fancy as some of this filtering flasks and whatnot, but if you're just looking to hold some water or juice on the go, it's perfect.
There's a charity shop called Jack and Jill in my town which is in aid of children with brain injuries and it is probably the best charity shop in my town. Nine times out of ten it will always have something Disney to discover. One particular day that I went in to the shop they had a lot of Disney themed toys and luckily a beautiful Winnie the Pooh clock. It's such a unique find and I just had to have it for my nephew's pooh bear bedroom. It only cost €1! and works perfectly fine with a new battery. As I've said before in some of my blogs, charity/thrift stores/markets can be just filled with little Disney gems and definitely not for turning your nose up at.
I love my plushies, and Disney plushies I love even more. They're an extremely popular collector's item for fans and you can get them in almost all toy shops, online and of course at the Disney Stores. I have quite a few Disney store plushies but I came across a small Shere Khan Jungle Book plushie in my "this might interest you" section of Amazon. At only €10 including delivery it was a great little purchase as The Jungle Book is one of my all time favourite movies and Shere Khan is one of the best villains.
My amazing boyfriend is not only okay with my Disney addiction, he can also be a bit of an enabler, and I am more than delighted about that! Recently I had mentioned that I needed a new travel mug for coffee at work, and so he surprised me with this gorgeous Ariel travel mug. It's absolutely perfect for somebody who doesn't mind being flamboyant about their love for all things Disney (aka me!). It was a really sweet and thoughtful gift from him and it is extra cute because its got my favourite Princess on it. I believe he purchased it on Amazon and the price all depends on the sellers, I'm sure they feature the other princesses also.
The final thing I got this month Disney wise was also purchased in Penney's yesterday. It is this super cool The Little Mermaid night shirt that is in a man's pajamas style. It has a very 80s retro style logo and print on it and it seems super cosy. I probably won't get much wear out of it until winter but I cannot wait to rock it on a cold wintery night while sipping a hot chocolate and watching a Disney flick.
