Disney movies have always captured our hearts with magical stories of love, friendship and magic.
But like every sunrise has a sunset, every Disney movie has a villain.
And it is the presence of these memorable villains that adds a twist to the plot and helps develop these stories.
From catchy songs like Scar's "Be prepared" to Ursula's amazing eyebrows,
From the evil schemes to the poor servants.
Disney villains have become an integral part of our cinematic experiences.
So maybe you know their songs by heart, or quote their sentences,
But do you really know them? Their origin story? Do you know why Maleficent turned from a good fairy into a reclusive witch? How did Cruella turn from a young fashion designer into a puppy killer?
Let me shine a light on the dark side of Disney... and you'll see that behind every super villain, there's a poor unfortunate soul and a dark color palette.
The first on the list and probably one of my favorites is Scar,
Although the original animated film does not mention, or even explore Scar's origin story,
You can find a version of such a story in the live action movie of "The Lion King" which was released in 2019.
In the movie Scar is Taka, Mufasa's younger brother, and Simba's own uncle.
Taka is portrayed as a mischievous and jealous young lion who feels overshadowed by his older brother's power and status as a future king.
This jealousy and resentment towards Mufasa fuels Taka's lust for power and eventually leads to his transformation into Scar.
And the famous scar that eventually became his name? After a confrontation with a group of hyenas, Taka gets a scar on his face, which becomes the source of his new name, Scar.
This physical scar also serves as a reminder of his emotional scars and fuels his bitterness and thirst for revenge against Mufasa.
And we will continue with the person I already mentioned and perhaps the most beautiful villain in the Disney movies, Maleficent.
She is known to us from the movie "Sleeping Beauty" which was released on the big screen in 1959, she is depicted as an evil witch who curses Princess Aurora who falls into a deep sleep on her sixteenth birthday.
And in 2014 Maleficent got a movie that is all about her.
The film offers a sympathetic portrayal of the character, shedding light on the events that shaped her into the iconic villain seen in the cartoon classic.
It explores themes of betrayal, redemption and the power of love, and presents Maleficent as a complex character with many dimensions and a tragic backstory.
The film is directed by Robert Stromberg and features Angelina Jolie in the lead role.
In the film, Maleficent is shown a powerful fairy that resides in the Moors, a magical realm bordering a human realm.
As a young fairy, Maleficent forms a close friendship with a human boy named Stefan.
Over time, their relationship develops into a romantic relationship, but their paths diverge when Stefan's ambition to become king pushes him to betray Maleficent.
And I'll leave the rest to you to find out when you see the movie or you Google it.
Let's dive under the sea for a moment, and talk about Ursula - the sea witch, the sharp business woman, with octopus arms,and the powers to grant you everything you ever wanted, at the cost of your soul of course.
Ursula was drawn and designed according to the legendary character of the drag queen Devine
Don’t be mistaken Ursula like many Disney villains wasn't always an evil witch who took advantage of the good faith of her clients.
In the 1989 cartoon The Little Mermaid, Ursula's backstory is briefly mentioned, and she is said to have been banished from the kingdom. However, her backstory is further explored in the animated television series The Little Mermaid, where it is revealed that Ursula was once a member of King Triton's court until her use of dark magic led to her banishment from the kingdom.
There are several other references to Ursula's backstory, but one of the most detailed is perhaps from the book "Unfortunate and Poor Souls: The Story of a Sea Witch" written by Serena Valentino.
In the book Ursula is King Triton's younger sister who was betrayed by him as a child because she chose the form of an octopus instead of a mermaid's tail, she was banished and raised as a human in the town of Ipswich with an adoptive human father. Eventually Ursula returned to the sea when her adopted father was killed by the townspeople for protecting her, and I'll leave the rest for you to discover if you want to read the book.
Jafar - the failed wizard from Aladdin, Jafar, who first appeared in the Disney animated film "Aladdin" released on the big screen in 1992, is the main villain of the film and is described as the royal vizier of Agrabah, the city where the story takes place.
Jafar's origins, as depicted in the original film, are not explicitly explored in detail. However, in 2019, Disney released a live-action adaptation of "Aladdin" that provided additional backstory for Jafar.
In this version, it is revealed that Jafar was originally a simple street thief who aspired to power and control.
He searches for a magical object known as the "Cave of Wonders" and its hidden treasures to fulfill his ambitions. The film explains that Jafar's thirst for power and his desire to become Sultan stem from his humble origins and his desire to escape poverty.
It is important to note that different adaptations or retellings of the Aladdin story may have their own interpretations of Jafar's origins, as Disney has created a number of spin-offs, sequels, and television series related to the original film. Therefore, the details of Jafar's origins can vary depending on the specific version or adaptation being viewed.
The strangest evil, hard to love, and hard to understand.
Damn, she wanted to murder puppies!! She is none other than Cruella de Vil, from the movie "One Hundred and One Dalmatians."
She was written in the movies as simply evil, without a backstory, and for no particular reason.
Cruella was a character lacking empathy, presented as a spoiled rich woman and not really developed beyond being the villain in the story.
Fortunately, with the success of the movie "Maleficent," Disney's villains became popular in their own right, and she, like Maleficent, got a movie that explores her character a little more, giving doubters an opportunity to understand and even pity Cruella for what she has become.
The film takes place in London and tells about Cruella's early life when she was still known as Estella.
Estella showed a special sense of fashion and style at a young age, but because of her black and white hair, children used to make fun of her, and adults saw her as a strange girl.
When Estella's mother dies in a tragic accident, she has to learn to take care of herself. And so, little by little, act after act, Estella loses herself and finds Cruella.
And don't think I forgot Captain Hook from "Peter Pan" Although the original story of J.M. Barrie doesn't mention anything about the captain's past, Some writers made sure to answer the question: Why is Captain Hook so terrible? James Bartholomew Hook, commonly known as Captain Hook, was born into a wealthy British family during the Victorian era. At a young age, Hook went on a voyage with his father, who was a sailor.
Their ship was attacked by a crocodile, and during the chaos, Hook lost his hand trying to protect his father.
The crocodile, later known as "Tick-Tock," swallowed the hand, leaving a scar in Hook's mind and body. Hook developed a deep fear and resentment towards alligators, especially Tick-Tock, who became a constant presence in his life, always lurking in the water, ticking his clock-like heartbeat.
Hook's fear and hatred of the crocodile eventually expanded to anything that reminded him of the youth and innocence that had been taken from him, as Peter Pan became the embodiment of everything he loathed. Throughout his adventures, Captain Hook became known for his elaborate attire, including his red coat, feathered hat, and, of course, the famous hook instead of a hand.
While Captain Hook's backstory has been rewritten and expanded upon in various adaptations, the main elements of Captain Hook's character usually revolve around the loss of his hand, his fear and hatred of Peter Pan, and his life as a mighty pirate seeking revenge.
Lewis Carroll's Kingdoms: "The Red Queen" and "The Queen of Hearts" If you didn't know until now, are two completely different characters.
The Red Queen is from Lewis' book "Through the Looking Glass,"
while the Queen of Hearts is from "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland."
The Red Queen is assertive, while the Queen of Hearts is tyrannical, short-tempered, and known for her obsession with beheading.
The Red Queen is the ruler of the chessboard world, and the Queen of Hearts is the ruler of Wonderland.
The Queen of Hearts, the one who loved beheading, red roses, and games, can be found in the Disney cartoon from 1951, while the Red Queen can be seen in the film directed by Tim Burton in 2010.
The background story of the Red Queen as it appears in the Tim Burton film: The Red Queen was once a young princess named Erasbeth.
As a child, she had a normal-sized head, but due to an unfortunate incident involving her younger sister, the White Queen, a lie, and a magic potion, her head grew abnormally and took on a heart-shaped appearance.
This change had a profound effect on the Red Queen's self-esteem and led to her insecurity.
The Queen of Hearts has not received enough attention from writers, nor from Lewis Carroll himself and does not have much backstory.
One of the background stories that can be found about her is actually from the TV series "Once upon a time," in the series called He Cora Mills where she is described as a poor girl with superpowers who just wants to become great, and for everyone to recognize her.
Over the years, the villainous Disney characters have become popular in their own right, and there are a number of brands that bear their name, Among them, "Council of the Wicked," "Disney's Dark Divas," "Disney's Wicked Cats," and more. These sub-brands bring together the many Disney villains we all know and guarantee that as long as we pay for products with villains on them, we can continue to explore their lives in depth.
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