THE PORTRAYAL OF VILLAINS IN DISNEY FILMS: A STUDY
by B
In cinema, villains have been around for a very long time, notorious for their behavior, ambitions, and unique names. From Tim Burtons’ films to Disney films, they all have their infamous, unforgettable villains. In Disney films, the target audience is children, who are often terrified of villains due to many factors including their characteristics, behavior and names although, the main factor affecting the portrayal of villains in Disney films is their appearance as that is the first aspect a child acknowledges and is frightened of.
Visuals are a major factor in any cinematic piece, as that is the core of any film: what people see. In Disney films, villains have a very intricate design to them drawn by the animators, as they wish the audience to be chilled to the bone just by having a quick glance at them.
For instance, Maleficent, the evil fairy from Disney’s Sleeping Beauty could easily make children terrified of her, with her creepy appearance and long, flowing black cape which has hints of purple in it to represent that she is a female and of fairy heritage, as well as the black horns sticking out of her head, which is considered to be abnormal and horrifying. The overall black look, with the black dress robes and the black horns atop her head, foreshadows her dragon form, which we see towards the climax of the film. Maleficent’s dragon form is an incredible work of art with a purple ribbed tail, webbed ears, black teeth, and pupil-less green eyes. All these features of her dragon form would create a sense of imagery in the audience’s mind as this type of figure is never forgotten especially to young kids.
© 1959 - Walt Disney Studios. All rights reserved.
Jafar, Jasmine’s uncle from Disney’s Aladdin, is another great example of the impact of visuals on both audiences and in storytelling. Jafar wears black, floor-length robes and overtop, a red garment with bell sleeves, and sports a black headdress. His appearance at first is very suspicious as the red and black colors of his costume tend to give off an uneasy sense. The four forms Jafar takes in the film correspond to his intentions and character arc. Jafar’s sorcerer form takes on a more exaggerated form from his normal attire - the shoulders on his outer robe are sharper and his headdress has small horns at the top and his staff has an opened fang mouth. Each element added in Jafar’s second form foreshadows his role as the true villain in the story, which progresses along with his appearance. Jafar’s next form is the cobra form, with menacing red eyes, and sharp teeth and bearing a similar color palette to his main form, red and black. During this form, Jafar’s true intentions to rule and take the throne are finally out in the open for all to see his true nature, being a villainous snake. This could be rather ironic considering the fact that Aladdin called Jafar a “cowardly snake” and in spite, Jafar turns himself into a snake which illustrates visually how much of an actual snake he has truly been. Jafar’s final form is his genie form, his skin is blood red, his ears are pointed and his eyes are completely yellow. This form illustrates the sheer foolishness of Jafar as the desire to rule has fully consumed his body and soul and has now set his sights on ruling the universe. His sheer desire has completely blinded him since he did not recognize his true fate would be sealed inside the lamp, the second he transformed into an all-powerful genie. In order, the four forms of Jafar correspond to his desire to overthrow the sultan and rule the universe that has consumed him. In his first form, his desire is well hidden, whereas in his last form he turns blood red which represents that his desire to rule the world has consumed him as a whole.
© 1992 Walt Disney Productions
The behavior and actions of characters in any film dictate how the audience will perceive that character - generally, villains would behave in a cruel manner throughout and heroes/protagonists would embark on heroic journeys. In Disney films, villains are known and feared for their dreadful acts of murder and cruelty.
The villain most well-known for his evil behavior above all else is Scar from Disney’s The Lion King, who plotted his revenge plan to kill his brother Mufasa and rule the Pride Lands. An unforgettable moment early on in the film, Scar kills Mufasa by tricking him and throwing him off a cliff into a herd of bulls, Scar then convinces Simba (Mufasa’s son and next in succession) that he is to blame for his father’s death and pushes him to run away from home, which he does. Killing his own brother is a ruthless act and shows how Scar’s desire to rule the Pride Lands was of greater significance to him in comparison to his brothers’ life.
Another Disney character shaped as villains by their behaviors is Cruella De Vil from Disney’s 101 Dalmatians. Cruella is feared throughout london, with the lyrics to her song stating: “Cruella De Vil, if she doesn’t scare you, no evil thing will / To see her is to, Take a sudden chill.” Cruella threatens the characters of Jasper and Horace and treats them as slaves, and she is of course most well known for her abusive acts towards animals, firstly abusing her Persian cat deliberartely, which foreshadows her future acts and intentions towards animals: the horrifying act of kidnapping the Dalmatian puppies and her scheme to skin them alive and use their fur for coats and her own personal pleasure. As a spectator, watching Cruella kidnap and try to kill these puppies for their fur is such a gruesome turn of events which adds to her villainous behavior list and shapes her as a villain.
© Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved / 1961 - Walt Disney Productions
In particular, Disney villains have very peculiar yet diverse characteristics that define who they are as a person in addition to their role within the storyline as a villain.
Gaston from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast is narcissistic, egotistical, arrogant, and full of himself, yet the entire village adores him and imagines him to be the best man on earth, either unaware of his true nature or choosing to overlook it as the town is blinded by his beauty to see or callout his true colors, despite them serving as a large indication of his nature as a villain. The same thing can be said about Hans from Disney’s Frozen, who is sociopathic and murderous yet charismatic as well. At the beginning of the film, Hans is seen as the love interest for Anna and a kind, charismatic young man, however later on his true self is revealed as a sociopath who wants to murder Elsa and rule Arendelle. During the film, Hans wears a pair of white gloves to match his outfit and the only time the gloves come off is during the scene where he reveals his intention on killing Elsa to her sister Anna, revealing his true murderous intent. The gloves could symbolize a mask since after leaving Anna for dead, he put the gloves back on once again putting on a mask for the citizens of Arendelle. Interestingly enough, Hans solely views his reflection on the window as showcasing his love for himself and his selfish nature whereas Elsa can see the actual scenery of Arendelle as well as her reflection. His characteristics are interesting due to the fact that a villain would naturally be sociopathic but not charismatic, yet Hans defies villain standards.
Hans in Disney’s Frozen unmasking his villainous intentions. “The only time (Hans’) gloves come off is during the scene where he reveals his intention on killing Elsa to her sister Anna, revealing his true murderous intent. The gloves could symbolize a mask since after leaving Anna for dead, he put the gloves back on once again putting on a mask for the citizens of Arendelle. “
Photo by Disney/Disney - © 2013 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved.
“What is in a name?” is a famous quote by Shakespeare that painted the significance of a single word or phrase. In cinema, a character’s name is very vital, as it may very well control the plot or foreshadow an event. Disney villains have very intriguing names that help shape the villain they are. Specifically, Queen of Hearts from Disney’s Alice in Wonderland has a bland name at first glance, as Queen of Hearts sounds like a childish villain name with no deeper meaning. However, the actual meaning of her name comes from her action and desire to “collect hearts” or in short beheading people. The Queen of Hearts’ famous quote “Off with her head!” shows her joy in seeing a beheading and illustrates the true meaning of her name that evokes fear throughout Wonderland giving her power through her name. As you can see, a name is very vital to a villain and their significance, helping shape a villain as much as their appearance, behavior, and characteristics.
The next time you watch a Disney film, think of all the careful components that make up the film’s villain. You might spot some interesting foreshadowing you hadn’t realized before, easter eggs, and other details that make you appreciate the true artistry behind Disney’s animated films.