Maleficent is one of our most recognizable Disney villains!
Halloween is getting closer and will soon be front and center in the parks. The first Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party will be held on August 15th this year I want to talk villains… specifically Disney villains. I love villains! I have an incomplete tattoo sleeve of Disney villains to prove it. With 20-25 hours in a tattoo chair already and many more hours, this has become my passion. But why, you may be wondering. Let me tell you why…
If you don’t know already, villains are the bad guys in books, movies, and TV shows—the wicked, the cunning, the ones who make our stories dangerous! Villain characters, also known as antagonists, date back ages in writing and early film. If you look at some of the best movies, they have great villains. To fully appreciate the good guy, you really must hate the bad guy. And the more you hate the bad guy, the louder you cheer when the hero wins. Where there has been a strong Protagonist, there is almost always a strong Antagonist.
Villains make things better. Look at the Bible, one of our earliest forms of writing passed down by generations. We have David versus Goliath. David’s “hero” moment came in his ability to fell the giant known as Goliath. Or we can look at Robin Hood versus Prince John. Look at Diehard—who would Bruce Willis’ character, John McClane, be without the great Hans Gruber played by one of the greatest actors ever, Alan Rickman? Speaking of Alan Rickman, who played Severus Snape in the Harry Potter series… how could I not mention Harry Potter versus Voldemort? Villains make you love the Hero more.
I took a poll to find out what Disney villains people love the most. I asked the following questions:
Best Disney Villain?
Best Villain Sidekick?
Best Villain Song?
Most satisfying end to a Villain?
Best ‘Toxic’ trait?
I started off asking my fellow travel advisors at Upon a Star Travel… henceforth to be known as “The Stars.” The Stars overwhelmingly voted Maleficent as the best villain, and it wasn’t even close! The best sidekick was much closer. It was a tie between Mr. Smee and Lafou. Best song went to everyone's favorite underwater witch, Ursula with Poor Unfortunate Souls. The best demise of a villain belonged to Jafar who was pulled into a magic lamp and kicked into lava by his sidekick. Best toxic trait went to Maleficent for using dark magic and having a vengeful nature.
I also polled my friends and family AKA Facebook. All of the results were close to the same with one exception—the best sidekick award went to the Hyenas from The Lion King.
This has been fun to write and explore since I love villains. And Disney really knows how to do it right. Let’s plan your next vacation… maybe in October when Halloween will be a big focus in the park!
So let’s recap:
Everyone is wrong. Scar is the best villain!
Everyone is wrong, Be Prepared sung by Scar in The Lion King is the best song!
Plan to go see “Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After,” the new stage show now playing at Disney’s Hollywood Studio.
Disney needs to HURRY UP and open their planned Villain Land… ASAP.
Don’t forget, the Fall Halloween Season will take over the Walt Disney World resort in late August! See details on Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party here.
Contact your favorite Upon a Star Agent for your party tickets and your next Walt Disney World or Disneyland Vacation Package!