Can you imagine Sleeping Beauty without Maleficent turning into a giant dragon? Or how about a version of Beauty & The Beast where Gaston doesn't belt out how many eggs he eats a day? Of course you can't! In addition to adding menace to these stories, there's also fascinating personalities underneath these foes that make them such an integral part of our favorite Disney films. Truthfully, I feel that the recent resurgence of Disney in their animated filmmaking is due to them creating some memorable enemies like King Candy and Dr. Facilier. But even among the 54 features made under the studios watch, there are five that just resonate the most with me. Without further ado, here's who I'd consider to be the five best Disney villains of all-time.
You've probably heard this before, but holy hell is The Hunchback of Notre Dame dark or what? This is perhaps one of the more epic achievements in the Disney animation canon, with directors Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise adding a layer of grandeur to the proceedings that extends to antagonist Frollo. As you might expect in a G-rated animated movie, Frollo attempts to toss a baby Quasimodo into a well upon seeing his physical abnormalities, and decades later is tortured by his sexual desires towards the gypsy Esmeralda.
Of course, the mere presence of adult content isn't enough to create a quality character. Luckily, the movie portrays Frollo's maliciousness in a compelling manner that fits into the more majestic tone of the feature. Only helping to increase the characters prosperous quality is Tony Jays vocals, which at once can seem so reassuring (which is helpful in making it believable why Quasimodo would trust him as a father figure all these years), but also can switch to threatening in the blink of an eye.
There are some movies that have a tremendous amount of buzz that just don't live up to expectations. The Lion King is not one such film, with it's entrancing story and characters still providing entertainment 22 years after its initial release. Part of that success derives from Scar, the stories primary antagonist who wishes to usurp the throne from his brother. The lengths he goes to in order to claim the title of king are terrifying to witness, especially the way he manipulates a young Simba into feeling responsible for his fathers demise (which of course was caused by Scar). Toss in Jeremy Irons as the voice of Scar, who manages to make every syllable that escapes the lips of this vicious feline ooze with life-long resentment, and you've got an adversary worthy of being in such a beloved movie.
The first two Disney foes I've discussed in this column are terrifying personalities that will chill you to the bone, and while Hades is more than capable of being a formidable opponent, he's also far more reliant on humor than the average Disney rival. James Woods, who voices the character, is a major reason why the slick personality of Hades works so well (I particularly love his first face-to-face conversation with Hercules). It should also be noted that, just because Hades is an incredibly amusing character, it doesn't mean the movie sacrifices his ability to be an imposing presence for the sake of yuks. Thankfully, Hades is able to deftly balance between being someone who will make you chuckle and a daunting force for Hercules to face.
You know what I really love about this villainous tiger? His elegance. Shere Khan may be a vicious creature spoken in hushed tones by the various inhabitants of the land that The Jungle Book takes place in, but he's also a fellow who gets easily flustered by Colonel Hathi's men making so much noise that it frightens off an antelope he wanted to devour. His reaction to Mowgli not fearing him like he should is more of amusement than rage, and those sort of unique characteristics help Shere Kahn stick around in one's mind.
Certain aspects of the animation of Shere Khan help his distinctive personality come to life, namely his penchant for brushing his paw against his chest and then examining his hand in a casual manner. Of course, when push comes to shove, this nefarious animal earns his legendary reputation by being legitimately imposing, a side of his persona that's only reinforced when contrasted with his more refined demeanor (that's perfectly brought to life by his voice actor, George Sanders) throughout the rest of the motion picture.
Similar to Hades,Yzma thrives more on humor than you might expect from the typical Disney baddie. The difference between her and that Lord of the Underworld though is that she very rarely intends to be humorous. You see, Yzma is always running into faulty levers and a unique assistant named Kronk that cause problems for her that, when juxtaposed against her vengeful personality, generate endless amounts of laughs. But despite her drive to destroy Kuzco, she does have a soft side; if you get turned into a cow under her watch, you're allowed to go home.
No comments:
Post a Comment