Disney Finally Roots for the Villains
When Snow White made her theatrical debut in 1937, many viewers exited the theater talking about the Evil Queen.
Since then, the concept of the Disney Villain has become integral to the success of all the most iconic projects.
Whether Maleficent breathes fire, Thanos snaps his fingers, or Hans nearly tricks Anna, the outcome is the same.
The story is better because the protagonist overcomes a worthy foe. And over the years, many fans have fallen in love with the black hats.
That’s why fans have clamored for more of these interactions at Disney theme parks and cruise ships.
After generations of those requests going unfulfilled, something has changed recently.
Photo: Omelete
Disney finally wants you to root for the villains. Let’s discuss this hallmark change in the company’s approach.
A Broken Promise
Photo: Disney
By the time Disney’s Animal Kingdom opened in 1998, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was already more than 50 years old.
So, it’s not fair to blame everything on a single theme park decision there.
Photo: Disney
Still, for many fans, the build-up to that park signifies the start of a quarter-century of disappointment.
As a reminder, Disney initially announced that Animal Kingdom would include fictional animals as well as real ones.
Tree of Life
You’ll still find dragons and other mythical creatures on some of the signs at the park even though they never came to pass.
Disney had promised a themed land called Beastly Kingdom, which would have contained two sections.
Photo: Walt Disney World
One portion would have highlighted mythical “good” creatures like unicorns, an idea that would have delighted younger fans.
For many Disney adults at the time, the signature part of Beastly Kingdom would have been the other part, the dark half, if you will.
Photo: Disney
Here, evil characters would have reigned supreme. The signature E-ticket attraction would have been a dark tower roller coaster.
This ride was to feature a malevolent dragon lording over a hoard of treasure.
It would have been a real-life version of Dragon’s Lair as a roller coaster.
While everyone wanted to see how Disney pulled off a combination theme park and zoo, Beastly Kingdom would have been the main draw.
Photo Credit: Michael Eisner via Twitter @Michael_Eisner
Alas, then-CEO Michael Eisner made some financial missteps, which led to budget cuts at Animal Kingdom.
So, the theme park Disney unveiled wasn’t quite the one park officials had promised.
Disney
I’ll add that it was a clearer premise with the zoo as the focus, but fans always lamented the absence of Beastly Kingdom.
Disney promised it as a later expansion, but tomorrow never came.
Villainy Through the Years
Photo: Disney
The remarkable part of the loss of Beastly Kingdom is how much it set back the premise of in-park villainy.
Even though Disney executives recognized the high demand for Disney Villains, we went decades between ventures.
Fans repeatedly expressed their desire for more villainous activities at the parks, yet they remained few and far between.
Sure, you’ll find Maleficent imperiling Mickey Mouse during Fantasmic!, and the occasional character interaction remains.
During the 21st century, we’ve had several prime examples of Disney Villains at the parks.
The first is the mainstay, the Boo to You Parade, which features the unforgettable (and catchy) lyrics, “It’s good to be bad.”
Disney Springs Halloween PhotoPass
Every Halloween season, Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party sells out all its dates, which speaks to the popularity of the premise.
During this event, Disney hosts rare character meetings with unique options like Haunted Mansion’s Gravediggers.
Photo: Disney
Other Disney Villains frequently appear, and even the Dapper Dans transform into the Cadaver Dans. It’s a charmingly dark experience.
Disneyland later added its own version, the Oogie Boogie Bash. It, too, constantly sells out.
Oogie Boogie Bash
In 2016, Disney tried something else, a limited-time character experience known as Club Villain.
Dr. Facilier from The Princess and the Frog hosted this event, which also included appearances by the Queen of Hearts and Maleficent, among others.
Photo: Disney
While Club Villain proved popular at first, Disney only hosted it in 2016 and 2017.
Nobody’s quite sure why Disney stopped the event, although the suspicion centered on the introduction of a new after-hours event.
Villains After Hours was basically the Halloween party hosted in the spring.
Fans didn’t care about the calendar. They simply wanted to interact with their favorite Disney Villains in an exclusive setting.
Disney
So, this event also proved popular, but the pandemic threw a wrench in the idea.
A Philosophical Change
Photo: Disney
I haven’t touched on a key sticking point here. The reality is that Disney has carefully crafted its brand.
When you think Disney, you imagine plucky heroes and heroines outwitting nefarious foes, enabling good to triumph in the end.
(David Roark, photographer)
Disney’s entire business model relies on this premise, which makes celebrating the villains antithetical.
I’ve always suspected that’s why park officials have proven averse to the concept of a permanent park presence for Disney Villains.
Credit: Disney
Recently, Disney has softened on that perspective, though. It began at a couple of Walt Disney World resorts near Magic Kingdom.
At Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, Storybook Dining at Artist Point with Snow White sounds like a meal for heroes…and it is.
Photo: Disney
However, the Evil Queen also holds court during the dining experience, and her line is always the longest
More recently, Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort modified its lounge into a nightly experience.
Photo: Disney
Top of the World Lounge – A Villains Lair provides an inimitable view of Magic Kingdom’s nightly fireworks, but that’s only part of the appeal.
All the food and drinks here are themed to Disney Villains, with the menu so popular it’s more expensive now than before the change.
People keep voting with their wallets, and what they’re telling Disney in no uncertain terms is that they love the villains, too.
Finally, after a century of storytelling, Disney has listened.
Disney Wants You to Root for the Villains
Photo: Disney
On December 1st and December 3rd, Disney provided more details about its upcoming show at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Here’s the Instagram post about Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After. You can watch the clip here:
View this post on Instagram
So, 2025 marks the changing of the guard at Disney. No longer will management shun the potential of villainous encounters.
Instead, Disney has (correctly) decided that it’s long past time to give the people what they want, which is more villainy.
Photo: Disney
In truth, the new Villains show is no more than an appetizer for what comes next.
At some point around 2029, Villains Land will open at Magic Kingdom.
Photo: Omelete
While this place will debut more than 30 years after Beastly Kingdom should have, it’s definitely the spiritual successor.
While we don’t know exactly what the themed land will include, Disney has revealed the 13 characters who will appear. They are:
- Captain Hook
- Chernabog
- Cruella de Vil
- The Evil Queen Version I
- The Evil Queen Version II
- Hades
- Jafar
- Lady Tremaine
- Maleficent (Human Form)
- Maleficent (Dragon Form)
- Mother Goethel
- Queen of Hearts
- Yzma
While we can quibble about a few notable absences, Disney probably cared more about the 13 referenced than anything else.
Photo: OC Register
Park officials can always add more Disney Villains later as desired, and I presume it’ll work like Avengers Campus.
Whenever a new Marvel program debuts, those characters inevitably appear at the park. I’d expect the same with Disney Villains.
Disney
But the story remains Disney’s dramatic position reversal.
Suddenly, Disney wants us to root for the villains. And it’s exciting when a company this old and set in its ways changes its opinion.
Disney
Disney is finally listening to its fans who want to root for the bad guys.
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