I tried to whittle the list down to 10 but I ended up with 16 and I figured why not include them all?
So, here goes- the 16 best Disney Villains as determined by me.
16. Man with the Bowler Hat (Meet the Robinsons)- This was such a creative villain. Everything about him surprised me. I love his look and that he is a reminder even the most innocent of us can turn to a life of villainy if we aren’t careful (and get enough sleep!)
15. Yzma- Emperor’s New Groove– One of the funniest villains. She’s got style and is a spazz.
14. Prince John- (Robin Hood) It kind of pains me to have him so low but there are so many great villains. This is another funny villain who is constantly sucking his thumb and crying for Mommy. And yet he’s incredibly ruthless to all the people. He’s probably the villain who does the most harm for the greatest number of people (Gaston, for instance, pretty much only hurts Belle and The Beast). He’s also got that great English dry wit
13. Shere Khan and Kaa (Jungle Book)- Really the success of these villains has to do with the voice talent. Sterling Holloway plays against type as the hypnotizing Kaa who oils his way around the room and Shere Khan voiced by George Sanders is very creepy and deeply voiced villain.
12. Evil Queen (Snow White) Another one that pains me to see it so low because she is so great but there are 11 I like even better. Her transformation is amazing and she is so vain even being queen isn’t enough for her. She isn’t content until she is better than everyone else in every way.
11. Ratigan- (Great Mouse Detective)- the most James Bondlike villain of any of the Disney villain. Not satisfied with a simple solution he makes everything as complicated as he can. Amazing voice performance by Vincent Price, one of first great villain songs and hilarious to have a villain named Ratigan who becomes enraged when called a rat.
10. Devil (Fantasia)- I know the devil should be higher because he’s the Devil! But it is a short sequence so I thought 10 seemed a good spot. The artistry in Night on Bald Mountain is amazing. The demons and spirits that the Devil rules over are gorgeous especially compared with the light and peace of the Ave Maria section. It’s as stunning a depiction of good vs evil as in any Disney movie (or any movie for that matter).
9. Captain Hook (Peter Pan)- Another funny villain. The slapstick with the crocodile is the highlight of the movie but Hook steals every scene he is in. He is sniveling, snide and extremely manipulative. The way he interrogates Tinker Bell is intense.
8. Coachman, Stramboli, Monstro (Pinocchio)- For my money the Pinocchio villains are the scariest because there is no sense of justice or retribution. There is no humor or lighter side to them. Just despicable, greedy, awful, terrifying people. For the morality tale it is, they work perfectly. I certainly wouldn’t want to sin if I knew they were at the end of every bad choice. I mean the coachman turns little children into donkeys to work in salt mines for money? Does it get more evil than that?
7. Mother Gothel- (Tangled)- A woman willing to manipulate her ‘daughter’ and basically ruin her life for her own greed. Make her a prisoner and brainwash her into believing she is doing her a favor. That’s pretty bad. I love Mother Knows Best because it takes the nurturing maternal nature of mothers and turns it on its head, uses it for bad not good. It’s perfect. She’s the closest Disney has come to having a true sociopath as their villain
6. Gaston- (Beauty and the Beast)– It seems to low but again there were simply 5 I like even better, but I love Gaston. He is an interesting villain because in the minds of most people he’s the hero. But like the Evil Queen in Snow White his lack of control over one person causes him to descend into madness. He probably has the funniest villain song; although World’ Greatest Criminal Mind is a close second. It’s not even really a villain song. It’s just everyone telling him how great he is. No wonder he thinks he should have his way!
5. Lady Tremaine (Cinderella)– Otherwise known as The Wicked Stepmother, Lady Tremaine, gets 5th spot from me because she is so duplicitous even to her own daughters. She plays the part of genteel and kind and then proceeds to make Cinderella’s life a living Hell. She locks her up when she worries Cinderella’s foot will fit and she encourages the girls to rip off her dress, despite pretending to keep her side of the bargain. She is like that women at work who makes your life a nightmare but then always tries to claim the high ground. I love how her eyes are yellow with disdain. She also has a cat named Lucifer!
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4. Cruella De vil (101 Dalmatians)- I love how her name has both cruel and devil in it but I still love her. She is perhaps the most shallow villain. All she cares about is looking good with her dalmatian furs. That’s just hilarious and over-the-top but it feels believable in the story. Her driving, the way she throws her hands in the air and even yells through the phone are all totally chilling and funny. I’m no animal lover but anyone who wants to kill 101 puppies just for her wardrobe gets top honors on the villainy tribe in my book. Such a funny character and I love how she mocks Roger ‘Roger’s songs…’
3. Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty)- Aside from the Devil, Maleficent is the closest Disney got to a pure evil character. She has horns for goodness sakes! She is basically a She-Devil with all of his powers to create thorns, thistles, demons and pronounce curses on people who don’t invite her to parties. That’s got to be the best part of Maleficent is that she curses Aurora to death for getting snubbed at the christening.
There are arguments for subtle villains who have good and bad but there’s also a case for going all the way in a fairytale. Make your characters, the heroes, stand up against the ultimate evil. That’s what made Harry Potter so good is there was no chance of redemption for Voldermort. That bridge had already been crossed and he was evil. I haven’t seen the new Maleficent yet but am highly skeptical. By softening her it could take away what is the most special about her.
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2. Scar (Lion King)- I remind you I gave Lion King #13 spot on my final rankings but Scar is a fantastic villain. He’s smart, disdainful and murders his own brother with glee. He may actually be Disney’s 2nd sociopath. He’s convinced what he is doing is right even though it clearly isn’t. He is completely selfish and has surrounded himself with people he can control. (How brilliant to make hyenas who laugh his cronies).
What puts Scar so high though is Jeremy Irons voicework. It is dripping with disdain as if he is condescending to talk to everyone at all times. His villain song, Be Prepared, is one of my favorites, both the actual song and the animation. It’s the best part of Lion King and completely gripping.
1. Ursula (Little Mermaid)- As I’ve mentioned many times on this blog Little Mermaid was my favorite movie growing up and Ursula is a big part of that . She is so unique. In a movie full of fish and mermaids, she’s an octopus with tentacles that cover the screen with their blackness. She’s overweight and speaks like a chain smoker and is perfect. I love how she looks like a combination of a drag queen and a truck driver.
And her villain song is brilliant. Poor Unfortunate Souls is funny, manipulative and the perfect song to trick a 16 year old lovestruck girl. She also equally villainous when she turns into Vanessa and for no good reason, she just is evil with those yellow eyes!
She also has a dishy motive of revenge on Triton. She’s been banished and when the two spare off it is classic.
There will be spoilers in this review so if by some miracle you haven’t seen the movie stop reading and watch it. (I personally don’t care about spoilers but to some that is a big deal)
Here we go! The big controversial post . It was so big, it seems you either love it or hate it, and I am on the loving it side! Let’s get cold and talk some FROZEN!
Make sure to look at my initial review after seeing it in 2013. At the time I thought all the songs ran together like a Sondheim musical without a standout cabaret like number. Boy was I wrong on that one!
But I also said in my review
“It is worth your money and will be an experience that will stick with them forever just like the princess movies stuck with me. Plus, these are strong, independent women who come to their own rescue without the need of Prince Charming. Love that.”
I still like that. I think in many ways Frozen is the new Little Mermaid. It’s about a girl who is told by her parents she has to live a certain way, a way that isn’t right for her. She learns through the movie to be herself and that her parents were wrong. The only difference is Ariel is never led to believe her ambitions will hurt anyone but herself. They do end up hurting other people, but Ariel is never fearful of that. From the get-go Elsa almost kills her sister and the fear that could happen again causes her to be paralyzed into not living her life. In a way she is brainwashed into believing she is wrong and bad. Ariel is rebelling but Elsa cannot rebel because people will die.
But the appeal in the characters of Ariel and Elsa is similar. Both feel uncomfortable in their own skin and both break free through the course of their movies. They both have freedom anthem songs and they both greatly appeal to young girls for that reason.
Before writing this post I asked my twitter and facebook friends why their daughters liked Frozen. Some of the responses:
“My 11 year old loves the new songs, the twist they put on Hans and when Elsa saved Anna by unfreezing her with the power of love”
Another says
“My son loves Sven. He is 3. Whenever he sees a moose or cow anywhere he will say ”There’s Sven”
Another
“My oldest 5 says she likes the movie because the princesses are the good guys…she likes how they win”
So that gives you an idea of some of the appeal to youngsters.
Because I’ve seen this reaction from the kids in my life it has seriously bummed me out to see the negative backlash around Frozen. It makes me sad because I was allowed to love The Little Mermaid and nobody said I was stupid or it was awful. I had never even heard of anyone not liking Little Mermaid till a few years ago. It all goes back to my Content, Content, Content post. If you don’t care for it fine but do not make little girls feel badly because they do like it. Youtube is especially brutal. Every video of little girls singing Let It Go has so many hateful comments. Get a life people.
I’ve felt very defensive of the movie because of these girls and boys who love it. So, in the comment section if you hate it please try to keep the discourse to a respectful level as we have done so far on the blog. I will try to let you guys discuss and not get too involved.
The Production-
On the blu-ray there is a cool featurette about the history of The Snow Queen at Disney. Evidently in 1940 there was a plan to make a package film of the works of Hans Christen Andersen but it was eventually scrapped.
Early Concept Art
Evidently pitches for The Snow Queen happened after The Little Mermaid in the 90s and again in 2002 by exec Harvey Fierstein when it was rejected by the studio.
When John Lasseter was made CCO after the purchase of Pixar by Disney he assigned Chris Buck of Tarzan fame to begin working on the Snow Queen. Buck decided:
“he wanted to do something different on the definition of love”
Josh Gad was evidently involved early on when it was closer to the original story but in 2010 the concept was rejected again.
After the success of Tangled, they picked up the project again and in December 2011 Disney announced Frozen and gave themselves under 2 years to complete. Quite the ambitious project but I guess with so much groundwork being done on story and ideas that helped.
Immediately song writers for Avenue Q, Kristen Anderson- Lopez and Robert Lopez, were brought on board and the idea of the ‘frozen heart’ was developed with the songs.
They had a challenge of creating a fairytale movie without a traditional villain. Pixar’s Brave tried to do this but much less successfully. We had to always keep our heart open to Elsa. Buck said of writing “That was a concept and the phrase…an act of true love will thaw a frozen heart”
Jennifer Lee from Wreck-it Ralph was brought in as co-director and she said “Anna was going to save Elsa. We didn’t know how or why?” Lee then went on to rewrite the script again and with only 17 months left till it’s release. (Pretty amazing what they pulled off).
I guess in the original script Elsa was in fact more ‘evil from the start’ and didn’t want Anna to get back to Hans. Anna was also more brooding and resentful about her spot as the second daughter.
Then the Lopez’s wrote Let it Go and the song was so powerful they rewrote the script again with Elsa as a more nuanced character.
“Forget villain. Just what it would feel like. And this concept of letting out who she is[,] that she’s kept to herself for so long[,] and she’s alone and free, but then the sadness of the fact that the last moment is she’s alone..”
Then they decided to switch things up again and make Hans duplicitous and a sociopath type character. This had certainly never been done with Disney. Every character had been pretty obviously bad from the start even if the characters don’t see it such as Clayton in Tarzan or Radcliffe in Pocahontas.
2012 they got the voice talent on board and went with Kristen Bell, Josh Gad, Santino Fontana, and Broadway superstar Idina Menzel. In my opinion Frozen has the best singers in a Disney musical bar none.
That’s only a handful of the details out there. They did amazing things with the set designs, backdrops, story etc. I personally find them all fascinating but most importantly there is a definite sense of teamwork with Frozen because it was created under such time constraints all facets were working together at the same time. Beauty and the Beast was very similar.
And all that teamwork produced something very special. Something a lot of people responded to in a way a movie hadn’t done in a long time. With on demand and high def the days of people going to movies 12+ times were kind of passed us but Frozen had that kind of success and it made over a billion dollars. It stayed in the top 10 until March which was the same time it was released on DVD!
A Storybook-
I thought it would be fun to do something different for the story portion. I wanted to tell you about the story but also explain why it was different and why people responded to it. (I’ve been thinking about this review the whole time writing the blog). I was at Costco and found this ‘Busy Book’ and I think it does a good job explaining each of the character’s appeal, story and why they are different.
ELSA
First we have Elsa
That sums up Elsa pretty well. Worried she will do harm she hides her powers and then runs away causing the freeze.
ANNA-
Then there is Anna
Anna really is all of the adjectives loving, energetic, fearless optimist. She is a really complex character who is stupid yet brave and combined with Elsa they are a great team. She also has great romantic comedy banter with Hans at the beginning and Kristoff as they search for Elsa.
OLAF-
Olaf is our fun snowman who I think is in the movie just the right amount to remain funny.
Olaf is big-hearted and willing to sacrifice himself for his friends. A terrific character.
KRISTOFF-
Anna meets Kristoff and he is not a fan of hers at first. They have a lovely romantic banter. He is a simple guy and wants to sell his ice in peace.
Kristoff is the pleasant side of Elsa. Kind of the character that is allowed to be who he is and isn’t stymied by his parents (or trolls!). He prefers to be alone but also has a ‘very kind heart’. I love Kristoff. He will tell you what he thinks even if you don’t want to hear it. Love that.
SVEN-
Then we have Kristoff’s friend Sven who I am so glad they did not make him a talking reindeer.
Sven could have been a throw-away character but they give him a lot of humor and heart.
HANS-
Finally we have our villain who again doesn’t start as a villain, Hans
THE SONGS and more Story
Let’s talk for a second about the songs, which I LOVE!
We start out with a very strong introductory song called Heart and it introduces us to the theme of ice and a frozen heart. The choral work is beautiful. Reminds me a lot of The Lion King intro or Hunchback of Notre Dame choral work.
We then get our introduction to Anna and Elsa. This involves Elsa hurts Anna with her magic winter powers. The trolls tell the family that they must shut magic out and hide it for everyone’s safety and until she can control it.
This is a bit of a plothole because why not explain to the family that love is the antidote? Surely she could work on that instead of being just shut in? But I put that along with Gothel telling Rapunzel her actual birthday or the Beast being 11 when the spell was cast. Somethings have to be in order for the plot to start, so not a major stumbling block for me.
Anyway, Elsa shuts Anna out because her parents tell her to. We then get a great song of storytelling and character development with Do You Want to Build a Snowman. The girls parents die and all along Elsa follows orders and keeps away from her sister to keep Anna safe.
The day for Elsa’s coronation comes and Anna is excited to finally be opening the doors. Elsa is naturally nervous. So we get a song called For the First Time. Kristen Bell is wonderful in this song.
The ball comes and Anna meets Hans and falls in love with him and they sing a very funny song- very well sung by Kristen Bell and Santino Fontana. It pokes fun at the instant love tropes used in many previous Disney movies.
Anna and Hans ask Elsa for her blessing and she refuses causing them to fight and her powers are revealed. Elsa runs away and Anna goes after her.
Elsa realizes now everyone knows she might as well Let it Go! I don’t know if any of you have ever had a secret and then it is finally out but I have and it feels great. It’s out there and you can be you!
Anna meets Kristoff and Sven and together they meet Olaf Elsa’s snowman creation. He is a wonderful character and in the movie just enough to not get annoying. His song is well done by Josh Gad. Turns out he dreams of summer.
Anna and Elsa meet but Anna is unable to convince her to come back and Elsa doesn’t want to because she can’t face all the people and doesn’t know how to bring back summer. In an accident she strikes Anna in the heart and tells her to leave. This is all very exciting!
In probably the weakest section Kristoff takes Anna to meet his parents (although Olaf is very funny in these scenes). Turns out he was raised by the trolls from the beginning of the picture and they want Anna to fall in love with their fixer upper.
It’s not the best song but I don’t hate it and it is well sung by Broadway veteran Maia Wilson. I can certainly think of comic relief songs that are far worse.
The trolls tell Anna she must have an act of true love to reverse the spell. They all assume it must be a kiss and head back to find Hans. Unfortunately he is a true villain and has captured Elsa and refuses to kiss Anna, in an attempt to claim her throne.
I don’t think Disney has ever had a villain who has been so duplicitous. It is very effective and genuinely surprised me. I thought Hans was going to be a match for Elsa but no.
Finally we get our ending where Anna is frozen and Elsa devastated but it turns out her love for Anna is the act needed to break the magic.
To me the ending was just about perfect.
Some claim this is ‘false feminism’ but I disagree. The point of Frozen was not to make a feminist picture. It was to show a different type of love. Whether it’s the love of friendship Olaf shows, the loyalty Kristoff shows or the sisterly love between Elsa and Anna the film does an excellent example of showing the power of each kind of love. It’s not trying to be a female empowerment film. It could have as easily been about two brothers loving each other.
The fact that some people cheered it for not having a Prince Charming moment does not mean that was the main point of the ending. The filmmakers are not responsible for every person’s response. They were trying to make a movie about different types of love. Whether that is especially feminist or not is up for debate. I thought it was refreshing and moving. Most of the love in my life has been through friendship and I have always been very close to my 3 sisters so I related to the emotion very well.
Movie Review/Conclusion-
I watched Frozen every day this week, so 4 times before writing this review. I have a high tolerance for repetition. If I like it, I like it on the 100th airing as much as on the 1st. Seriously it does not damper from over-exposure like it does for others. I don’t know why but that’s just the way I am. So for me, the popularity of Frozen has no effect in dampening my enthusiasm.
I love it’s story of a girl who is told she can’t be who she is, that she is dangerous, and then her eyes become open and she becomes empowered. It is the Little Mermaid for girls of today and I love seeing that. I love young girls have an anthem in Let it Go like I had Part of Your World. That’s a great thing.
I think the story is a lot of fun. I love the ending. I totally buy them focusing on a new type of love that we haven’t seen in a Disney movie. Whether it is feminist or not I don’t really care. It’s the love of sisters and I certainly relate to that. I love the surprise in the villain, which I think is very difficult to do in a fairy tale. Movies like Treasure Planet look beautiful but fail to surprise me. Frozen did just that.
I think the comic relief is in just enough and there is real heart to it as opposed to say Trashing the Camp segments of Tarzan which are much more grating than In Summer or Fixer Upper. All the singing is the best in any Disney film. It really elevates even so-so numbers.
I loved the world they created. Elsa’s castle is gorgeous. The costumes and character designs look great. Even Elsa’s hair is cool. Elsa, Anna, Kristoff and Olaf aren’t stock characters but have nuances we haven’t seen in a Disney film. Kristoff is kind of a loner and glad to be so which is refreshing. Anna is very interesting and complex. She is naive, silly, impetuous, free spirit but in a realistic, sweet way. She is allowed to make mistakes in the script and can even be sarcastic.
Elsa is this brainwashed girl who grows throughout the film. She is a villain for a bit but you always like her so she’s not the villain. It is very well written. Most Disney movies have one heroine and I liked there are 2 and together Anna and Elsa balance themselves out well.
Like I said, I know there is tons of backlash but this is my blog and my opinion and I love Frozen. I think it is a terrific movie with great characters, songs, story and animation. I am sure there will be tons of people who feel differently and please share but remember to be respectful and keep the language clean. I worked really hard on this post so please actually read my thoughts before responding.
This is a quick follow up to my Official Disney Princess Rankings. Here are all the Disney women ranked by simply how much I like them and a few words that come to my mind to describe them.
I added Anita and Giselle from Enchanted who is partly animated but is not on the photo below.
1. Belle- smart, thoughtful, compassionate and brave
2. Ariel- free spirit, not afraid to take risks, social butterfly, lots of friends, embraces new things, impetuous (changed that one guys!). I got to pick Ariel for #2 because I was basically her till I was 17 so I just relate to the girl. I was headstrong and impetuous, stubborn, didn’t like to be told what to do, but I also was quick to make friends and got done what I set my mind to do. Love that.
3. Nani- Yep, I know this is very high. But I love Nani. She is doing something so hard, raising her sister, and she keeps getting knocked down but doesn’t give up. I feel for her and love her spirit and devotion to ohana. She also surfs, dances and flirts- has a fun side. But she has a temper too and gets frustrated. She’s as close to a perfectly well-rounded, developed female character as Disney has created. She along with Giselle are the only Disney female characters who mother children (maybe Wendy?).
4. Cinderella- hard working, loyal, good friend, strong, kind, optimistic
5. Megura- Yep, bring on the comments. I love her sass. I love that she’s a little tough to figure out. She’s working with the enemy but a clear love interest, she’s funny, sarcastic but still a good perosn.
6. Tiana- hard working, goal setter, dedicated, loyal, soft spoken but bold, fun once she let’s her guard down
7. Rapunzel- optimistic, naive but smart in her own way, inquisitive, fun-loving, see’s good in people, hopeful and quick with a frying pan
8. Mulan- Brave, fearless, strong, still vulnerable, a fighter, loyal
9. Giselle- The only princesses who actually does some mothering of a little girl and does it well (Nani is the only other female I can think of). Optimistic, positive, happy, loving, kind, funny, industrious, clever in her own way.
10. Elsa- Brainwashed as a little girl to fear herself she realizes she is alright just as she is and is empowered. Love that. Becomes strong and is always loving and trying to do the right thing.
11. Jane- Timid around animals at first but gets over it, Nonjudgmental, kind, good teacher, humble, loving
12. Anita- you don’t get to know her that well but very pretty, affectionate to Perdy and the puppies, encouraging to Roger and his music, still nice to Cruella when she probably shouldn’t be. Just seems like a cool lady.
13. Merida- bold, impetuous, good with a bow and arrow, climbs mountains, free spirit, brave, confident, love her curly hair
14. Jasmine- free spirit, independent, loving, not afraid to stick a tiger on an annoying suitor!, dreamer, spunky
15. Esmeralda- Faithful, hopeful, sexy, confident, kind, one of only a few Disney adults who prays (in song form of God Help the Outcast), loving to Quasimodo.
16. Anna- innocent, sweet, kind, believes in people, impetuous, brave, optimistic and loving. Needs to think before she acts sometimes.
17. Snow White- optimistic, kind, positive, happy, whistles why she works
18. Aurora- asleep a lot (is sleeping beauty after all) and a little too perfect because of her blessings, but great singer, beautiful, dancer, dreamer, loving
19. Alice- love the movie but Alice is really just a conduit for all the craziness surrounding her. I like her (I like all the girls to some degree or another) but don’t feel I really know her.
20. Pocahontas- loves nature, stands up to others, throws herself on John. But I don’t feel like she listens well and being older than Ariel she should take the counsel of those around her more seriously over strangers, resistant to change, and her choices do cause a death.
21. Kida- I liked Atlantis but Kida is kind of a mystical character without much personality. She’s a clue to her culture and interesting on that level but that’s about it. Plus, she dresses very immodestly. The other women in Atlantis are a lot more interesting IMO. And there is no chemistry between her and Milo
22. Eilonwy- is a princess for no reason for the story, totally blank and boring, Can’t think of one thing she gives to the story aside from telling Taran how to escape the castle. She may be very nice and have commendable qualities but the movie gives us none of that. (And I didn’t hate The Black Cauldron). Plus, not a fan of her voice actor. You could take her character out and the movie would be exactly the same.
Feel free to share your lists or to comment on mine. I really don’t detest any of them and can see value in them all. Great characters by a great studio, Disney! Did I miss anyone? I figured Wendy, Penny, Jenny were more girls than women or adolescents. If I included Elastigirl (which maybe I should?) she would be around #10).
My post on the Disney princesses was such a hit I decided to tackle the Disney men- a much thinner pool to draw from but a few good one’s mixed in.
I decided to use this graphic as my guide because I couldn’t count every man say Geppetto or Kuzco so here goes:
I did add Kristoff from Frozen, and Milo from Atlantis: The Lost Empire because they are such central characters, and subbed out Phoebus for Quasimodo because I feel you get to know Quasimodo much better in the movie.
1. Prince Phillip- tough, brave, impetuous, dancer, dreamer, warrior
2. Aladdin- good friend, dreamer, smart, learns to be humble and honest.
3. Flynn/Eugene- Starts out confident, fun-loving, adventurous, learns to be kind, honest, and less cynical.
5. Li Shang- Do I need to say much more than this picture? He’s definitely the hottest Disney man IMO. But he is also tough but kind. He learns to forgive and has a nice smile.
6. The Beast- We never get a name for Beast but Beast. I guess some say his name is Adam? He has the biggest transformation of any Disney man. He starts out a monster and turns into a gentleman who gives up all for Belle.
7.. Jim Hawkins- Free spirit, adventure seeker, loyal to Mom and friends
8.. Kristoff- Honest, Will tell you what he thinks, Loving, Good friend to Sven.
10. Tarzan- Innocent, sweet, simple, brave when needs to be, loyal, fun loving, exciting.
11. Hercules- Confident, a desire to make others happy, brave, a little bland especially compared to Megura
12. Milo- Adventurous, Determined, Honest. The characters around him have much more personality.
13. Roger- Musical, Fun loving, Welcoming, Don’t know him well but seems like a good husband and man.
14. John Smith- Now we are getting into the thin gruel. He is at least inquisitive and has an open mind. He listens but pretty bland.
15. Peter Pan- Can’t be too hard on Peter because he’s just a boy but the way everyone fawns all over him is annoying. He’s cute and fun but not my fav.
16. Naveen- Confident, learns to be loyal, but he seems kind of a womanizer at beginning and I’m never quite convinced he changes.
17. Charming- Most of what we learn about him is in this look and a yawn earlier. We do hear how impetuous and hesitant to settle down he is from his father and the Duke.
18. He comes, he sings. He comes back and kisses and leaves with the girl. Doesn’t even have a name but The Prince.
What do you think of my list? I would love to hear suggestions of other lists for the next 2 weeks. Put down your order below or critique away! 🙂
So we have 2 weeks till Big Hero 6 premiere and I will post my Frozen review this weekend (I intend to watch it 5 or 6 times to do a very good job)
In the next 2 weeks I will also be posting lots of top 10 lists culminating in my complete rankings once I see Big Hero 6. This should be a lot of fun and I would love it if you would share your lists in the comments each time.
Of course, it goes without saying it is just my opinion and most of these are nitpicking. Out of 53 movies I will give 20 movies an A category grade, 30 with a B or higher (which is pretty remarkable when you think about it) so I like them all but minute differences lead to my rankings.
I thought I would start with ranking the official Disney Princesses because I love the princess movies. These are not all the women, or even princesses in Disney Canon, that will be another list. However, I am including Anna and Elsa in Frozen because they are considered princesses in waiting (they have a coronation ceremony and everything).
Some people gripe about Mulan being included but that doesn’t bother me because there are no princesses in China. If there were she would have been made one in the movie for sure. She certainly shows all the qualities of a princess so it’s fine with me.
This list also includes Merida from Brave, which I have not reviewed, because she is an official Disney Princess. Also, this is a ranking of the princesses themselves not the movies they are in.
RANKING DISNEY PRINCESSES
1. Belle- smart, thoughtful, compassionate and brave
2. Ariel- free spirit, not afraid to take risks, loyal, impetuous
3. Cinderella- hard worker, good friend, kind, optimistic
4. Tiana- hard worker, dedicated, loyal, goal setter, soft spoken but bold
5. Rapunzel- optimistic, naive but smart in own way, inquisitive, fun-loving and hopeful
6. Mulan- Loyal, brave, strong, determined, a fighter
Michael Phelps of the Chicago Tribune said about Wreck-It Ralph:
“You’ll either love it or you’ll admire it, while wishing it would calm down and, I don’t know, maybe pick up a book for a while”
I think that is so true and unfortunately I fall into the latter category. I want to like this movie because a lot of other people love it but it just doesn’t do anything for me. I know, I know. Don’t hate me.
The Production-
The idea behind Wreck-It Ralph is to combine Who Framed Roger Rabbit for video games and Toy Story in a traditional arcade video game world.
Naturally to make the movie they had to license properties from all kinds of video games like Sonic, Pacman, and Super Mario Brothers. However, the main bulk of the movie is spent in new lands so for someone who knows nothing about video games most of these cameos did nothing to excite me. (unlike seeing Bugs Bunny and Mickey together in WFRR).
They created 4 main worlds or settings for the movie. There’s Ralph’s game a traditional 80s arcade game, a train depot in between worlds in the power strip, a . halo =like game called Hero’s Duty and a massive section of the movie in Sugar Rush, a play on Sugar Crush (another game I’ve never played before).
These worlds are beautifully created but kind of like Treasure Planet once I got used to them, they stopped being as spectacular. I wish they had gone through a lot of games in rapid fire succession so you spent 10 minutes in one game, 10 in another instead of nearly an hour in Sugar Rush.
The power strip depot
I kind of wish they had gone with songs and traditional Disney music. It would be fun to see what they would come up with. Instead, they went with a soundtrack featuring Owl City, AkB48, and others and it was completely unmemorable to me .
Wreck-It Ralph is directed by Rich Moore of Simpsons and Futurama fame and you can sense their influence but without near as many jokes.
The voicecast is good with John C. Reilly great as Ralph. However, I am in the minority that is not a fan of Sarah Silverman. I find her incredibly grating and annoying in this movie.
The Story-
The first 20 minutes of Wreck-It Ralph go quite quickly (the movie is too long. 101 minutes which is longer than the typical Disney film) .
We begin with Ralph who is the bad guy in an old 80s style arcade game.
But Ralph is fed up being the bad guy and even goes to a 12 step group to deal with his frustration. I don’t know any of these games but it is a funny scene nonetheless.
Finally on the anniversary of the game Ralph is slighted from the party and bolts. He is told at the party that he will never win a medal and be part of the team like Mr Fix-it is. So his goal is to get a medal.
This is a little bit of a problem because he gets the medal very early on so the last hour of the movie is a series of delays to get back to his game and be crowned the hero.
But he starts out in a land called Hero’s Duty because he hears they give out medals. He meets a hard talking fighter named Sergeant Calhoun voiced effectively by Jane Llynch (who must have had a blast finally not playing a comedic part)
The design is cool in Hero’s Duty but as a non-fan of these types of games it gets old quick.
Then they get to Sugar Rush and WAY too much time is spent in this Candyland world. It is bright and colorful but after a few minutes I grew weary of the color scheme and especially of Sarah Silverman’s Vanellope von Schweetz.
Basically Vanellope is a glitch and if she dies she will not be brought back in the next game. This is why King Candy (a pretty good villain) has forbidden her from racing in the Sugar Rush race. She, like Ralph, is pushed to the outskirts and so they bond. I feel like these interactions between Ralph and Vanellope take forever and the whole time I know exactly what is going to happen. There is even that moment where the teammates misunderstand each other and storm off pouting.
The world is neat to look at but I fee like it isn’t that neat. I’ve seen similar worlds in everything from My Little Pony to Care Bears to the Barbie movies. And I just felt like the characters were so predictable.
Eventually we get the big race, a confrontation with the bad guy ala Ben Hur in Sugar Rush (although his secret did surprise me). It turns out Vanellope is actually a princess and not a gliche and Ralph returns the hero.
Unfortunately 7 of these characters have very brief screen time
Movie Review/Conclusion-
I suppose this movie is like Sword and the Stone- a movie everyone else seems to get but doesn’t do anything for me. The animation is better than Sword in the Stone for sure but the story is predictable and nothing new to me. There aren’t near enough jokes and some of them are lost on me, a non gamer. We also get Sarah Silverman who drives me nuts. I mean I love Fran Drescher but I don’t want her in an animated movie. To me Silverman is equally shrill. And I just think her ‘sweet little girl who belches’ routine gets old fast (they resort to the potty humor far too often in the movie).
I did enjoy the first 20 minutes and the premise has potential. I wish they had spent time in more lands, zipping around like the doors in Monsters Inc. Things get bogged down in Sugar Rush when a change of scenery could have kept me interested. Also, instead of introducing all these characters and then giving them one line I wish more of them were built up. In Toy Story we feel a kinship with all the toys not just Woody and Buzz. I didn’t get that type of character development in anyone but the 3 leads here.
That said, I can see why others enjoy it, especially if you are a big gamer you will understand a lot of the inside jokes (although my brother is huge into video games and he agrees Wreck-It Ralph is overrated). I have a lazy eye so video games have never caught my interest.
I like the lead character of Ralph and John C. Reilly is very good. Jane Llynch also does a good job.
So some things to like but overall just not my cup of tea I suppose.
(Like I said, don’t hate me!!)
In the end, it’s just not made for me and that’s ok. Not everything needs or should be made for my interest and tastes. I can deal with that.
Overall Grade- C ( I have Sword in the Stone a C- so I’ll give this one higher)
You might be thinking. ‘wait a minute Rachel, you’ve already reviewed Winnie the Pooh’? And you would be right but I already reviewed Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh which was released in 1977 and is one of only 7 films I’ve given an A+ too. Today we aren’t talking about that film but the 2011, Winnie the Pooh. While not as strong as 1977, Winnie the Pooh has its own appeal and magic and I enjoy it.
As I mentioned in my Consider the Audience post one of the things that makes this Winnie the Pooh special is it is made for little kids. Toddlers in fact, and any mother who has sat through Barney for the millionth time will tell you what a rarity quality for small children is. The original is made for slightly older children, or at least the Heffalumps and Woozles is a little scary for the smallest of children. It’s also a little bit longer and small children have a shorter attention span, which is why not many movies are made for the demographic, mostly just TV.
If the movie is not for you maybe you should ask yourself the question ‘maybe it just wasn’t made for me?’. Most movies can’t be everything to everyone. I don’t think there is anything wrong with a sweet, short, simple movie made to entertain toddlers.
Oh and did I mention I love the music by Zooey Deschanel and Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, the team behind Frozen! I consider Winnie the Pooh to be one of the underrated, hidden gems of the Disney Canon. Not as good as the first but still a lot to love considering it is for a different demographic.
The Production-
Wow there was nothing on this movie. Very few production details anywhere I looked. The few things I found is veterans Stephen Anderson and Don Hall directed. Burny Mattinson, a Pooh veteran, was a lead storyboard artist and they hired a new cast including Jim Cummings as Winnie the Pooh and Tigger, Tom Kenny as Rabbit and Craig Ferguson as Owl.
Here is the trailer
For the music they had new songs except for the title Sherman Brother’s song which is sung by Zooey Deschanel. I love the new intro.
Some critics didn’t like the length but again that’s actually its big selling point. 63 minutes is perfect for a little child. Plus, the original was only 11 minutes longer, so is that really such a big deal? Winnie the Pooh went in against a Harry Potter movie but it still did ok. Made 44.7 mil in theater on budget of 30.
The animation is lovely and it is great to see 2D back again with Disney as much as I enjoy the computer generated movies.
The Story-
There are 2 stories, instead of 4 that make up Winnie the Pooh. Our first story is helping Eeyore find his tail. The writing is very sharp and I found myself laughing throughout.
The gain tries a number of different possibilities for Eeyore’s tail but nothing is working. Finally they decide to ask Christopher Robin.
Christopher’s eyes follow the anime big eye look we saw in Tangled and other films which bothers some but not me.
They don’t have much luck finding a suitable tail when the day is done. The next morning they find a note from Christopher
The smart one of the group, Owl, determines Christopher has been taken by the Backson and is in trouble! We get a charming song that isn’t too scary for little kids but still nostalgic for adults. I’ve sat with little kids watching this number and they just love it!
So the gang goes out to find the Backson
There’s interactions with the narrator just as in the original and 4th wall jokes that are very dry and funny. You also have characters behaving like little children such as when Piglet cuts up the rope to save the gang.
We also get a cute song where Pooh dreams of honey.
Eventually Christopher returns and explains the confusion and we get our gang back together again. It’s as simple as that!
Movie Review/Conclusion-
Let me again reiterate, this movie is not for everyone but I don’t think it is trying to be. What it is trying to be, a simple movie for very young children, it does very well. It’s sweet and Winnie the Pooh continues to mean childhood in 2011 as it did in 1977.
There are enough little jokes and play on words like when Owl says ‘issue’ and the gang thinks he’s say ‘achew’ and blessing him. That’s clever and funny. It’s a soft, simple, short movie that parents will enjoy and their little one’s will fall in love with.
The music is a great folksy take on Winnie the Pooh and the animation is bright and colorful. I love that it doesn’t shout at your kids or use hip lingo or stories meant for older kids. It gives simple stories and let’s their imaginations go wild. I can’t imagine a little girl or boy that wouldn’t love Winnie the Pooh. It’s bright and colorful and full of warmth and charm.
If I was going to fault it I’d say some of the new voices aren’t perfect but I don’t hate them either. They are just ok. Also they could have made the Backson story a little shorter to fit in one more plot device.
But I really do love it and hope they make more feature films for Winnie and company. Of course, I’ve liked all the Winnie the Pooh movies, Disney Canon or not (I had 3 siblings over 10 years younger than me so I got used to watching small children’s programming and understanding what was quality and engaging for them and what is not. Winnie the Pooh is).
Curious George is another great choice for very small children if you are looking for suggestions.
I did a youtube collaboration with The Lawn Gnome and we both created our Top Forgotten Animated Movies: http://youtu.be/_cmeJCpFDpU
I think you guys will enjoy it and would love your feedback. What do you think of my list? What would you pick?
Here is my collaborators list. It’s very different from my own so I think you will also enjoy it. Would love to see my awesome commenters give him some feedback.
“I am excited that with Tangled a whole new generation will have a Disney princess experience. I hope Disney keeps up the good work and doesn’t rely only on the brilliance of Pixar.”
That was my thoughts back in 2010 when I saw Tangled. I loved it then, and I love it now. Even though it won’t be my #1 movie, I have to admit if I made a movie, Tangled is the type of film I would like to make.
As Disney’s first attempt to make a romantic comedy (which I love. see my defense here), I love everything about it. It gets the opposites attract, romantic banter, witty dialogue, action, and terrific characters of a Princess Bride but then it adds beautiful music, tons of humor, gorgeous animation, and one of the great Disney villains. I watched it again tonight but I really didn’t need to because I pull it out every couple of months and give it a watch. It’s the best!
The Production-
There are a lot of reasons Tangled works so well and a lot of that has to go down to choices they made in production. Remember how I said every choice they made in Brother Bear drove me crazy? This is the exact opposite.
For starters, they went traditional fairytale, updated it a little but not as much as Princess and the Frog. Most of the updates they chose had to do with making the film appeal more to boys instead of traditional Princess movies, and each of these choices makes it a stronger romantic comedy.
For example, Flynn narrates the film which means we get to see a lot of his character, making the romantic comedy tension all the more palpable and satisfying. I can totally see Flynn being played by romantic comedy greats like a Cary Grant, Matthew Mcconaughey, Harrison Ford or even Chris Pratt in Guardians- all suave and debonair but really good at heart. Classic and tough to pull off (Mcconaughey failed many times!)
We also get ruffians and thugs which appeal to both girls and boys and they are fabulous.
They were so smart in the script also because Rapunzel is so likable. She does her best to be optimistic and hopeful while basically being a terrified prisoner. That is very likable person. In some ways she is like Cinderella in that way. She is also the ultimate homeschooler- self educated in every way 😉
And the villain, Mother Gothel, is one of Disney’s best. Here Disney had the guts to make a mother evil, and not only that but she uses the very ‘maternal’ nature of mothering to manipulate her daughter. If you really think about it it’s kind of twisted- brilliantly twisted!!
I don’t have any proof this but I wonder if they used Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods as inspiration particularly for Mother Gothel.
In the play Gothel (or the Witch) is even more manipulative and sings a song called Stay with Me to make sure Rapunzel knows how devastated she will be if she is left alone. Another song is called The Witches Lament and I think you will see similarities between it and Mother Knows Best:
In the Sondheim version she is even kind of bitter with Rapunzel for not appreciating all she did for her. A true sociopath. You get pieces of that in Mother Gothel with wicked humor I love!
The other thing about Mother Knows Best which makes it amazing is it is just 2 characters on a black background for most of the song and yet I am totally engrossed. That’s impressive!
The music was written by the great Alan Menken so no reason to assume he couldn’t have used Sondheim as an inspiration. Lyrics are by Glenn Slater who also has a broadway background.
The rest of the songs feel more like The Lion King or Tarzan with a pop vibe but I really love them.
The fact Tangled wasn’t even nominated for Best Animated Film shows what a joke the Oscars really are. I get why Toy Story 3 would win, and I love How to Train Your Dragon but they only nominated 3 films that year and they didn’t have room for Tangled? The previous year they nominated 5!
The voice cast is all great with Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi, Donna Murphy, Brad Garrett, Ron Perlman, and Jeffrey Tambor.
The Story-
I thought I would try something different for this review. I found this video- the story of Tangled in 60 seconds and it basically does just that!
Let’s go over a few of the songs.
After our introduction to the story by Flynn, we meet Rapunzel with When Will My Life Begin and it does what Menken and Ashman used to do- like the song Belle in Beauty and the Beast it introduces a ton of narrative within the song, while creating an incredibly appealing lead character. As an audience we feel connected to Rapunzel quickly.
Next is Mother’s Knows Best which I talked about before. Flynn arrives and needs to make a deal with Rapunzel to get his satchel of a stolen crown back (classic romantic comedy plot device a bargain, deal, bet, swap gimmick to get story going and force leads to be together).
We also get introduced to Maximus, the rigid Kings guard horse, who is hilarious in his dogged behaviors and determination.
Romantic comedies always have engaging side characters and for a story about a thief and a girl in a tower I think they came up with a lot of them and unlike Princess and the Frog they don’t make the movie feel cluttered but are included just enough.
Some of those side characters are the roughians and thugs which brings us our next great song I Had a Dream. Perfection!
Eventually they break free and end up almost drowning, Flynn finds out about her hair and they finally make it to the lights.
This scene with the lanterns is one of the best in all of Disney and in 3D it was breathtaking (I saw it twice in 3D and I have a lazy eye so I usually hate 3D!)
We then get a terrific final act with Mother Gothel continuing to manipulate Rapunzel. This Mother Knows Best Reprise is so chilling and well sung by Donna Murphy.
The ending is so well done and just like a good romantic comedy should we want things to work out so badly for Flynn and Rapunzel but it seems hopeless until the bitter end. Flynn and Rapunzel understand each other better than any other Disney couple and I have more confidence in their marriage being a success. It’s one of the great Disney couples.
The perfect way to end a romantic comedy with a couple laughing and kissing!
Movie Review/Conclusion-
I really have little criticism for this film. As I’ve made abundantly clear in this review I love all the choices they made. I love the romantic comedy storytelling. I love Flynn and Rapunzel. I love the side characters and I LOVE the villain.
The music is great, animation stunning especially the lanterns, the humor all works. I guess if I was going to nitpick I’d say the eyes could have been a little smaller. That’s it.
For me it is a quick top 10 favorite and probably the Disney I could and do rewatch the most frequently. I love it!
Overall Grade- A+
Oh and Disney is coming out with Into the Woods at Christmas I believe . Yippee!!
15. Yzma- Emperor’s New Groove– One of the funniest villains. She’s got style and is a spazz.
14. Prince John- (Robin Hood) It kind of pains me to have him so low but there are so many great villains. This is another funny villain who is constantly sucking his thumb and crying for Mommy. And yet he’s incredibly ruthless to all the people. He’s probably the villain who does the most harm for the greatest number of people (Gaston, for instance, pretty much only hurts Belle and The Beast). He’s also got that great English dry wit
13. Shere Khan and Kaa (Jungle Book)- Really the success of these villains has to do with the voice talent. Sterling Holloway plays against type as the hypnotizing Kaa who oils his way around the room and Shere Khan voiced by George Sanders is very creepy and deeply voiced villain.
12. Evil Queen (Snow White) Another one that pains me to see it so low because she is so great but there are 11 I like even better. Her transformation is amazing and she is so vain even being queen isn’t enough for her. She isn’t content until she is better than everyone else in every way.
11. Ratigan- (Great Mouse Detective)- the most James Bondlike villain of any of the Disney villain. Not satisfied with a simple solution he makes everything as complicated as he can. Amazing voice performance by Vincent Price, one of first great villain songs and hilarious to have a villain named Ratigan who becomes enraged when called a rat.
