15 Surprising Facts About Disney Villains
What makes Disney villains so intriguing? I’m not exactly sure what it is about evil characters that seem to attract so many of us. Maybe we manage to look past their dastardly deeds and see the good in them. Or perhaps we’re simply intrigued by the pure evil within them. Either way, we all seem to love them despite their plots against the heroines of our favorite Disney films.
Whether it’s the bumbling and comical Captain Hook or the wickedest of sea witches (you know who I mean), fans revel in their evilness. So, for fans of Disney villains, here are 15 interesting facts you may not have known!
1. The First Villain
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was Disney’s first full-length animated feature film making the Evil Queen the first villain and the one who started it all. She was even the first character to speak in a full-length feature film and it only seems appropriate that her firsts words were the iconic magic mirror summons. “Slave in the magic mirror, come from the farthest space, through wind and darkness I summon thee. Speak! Let me see thy face”.
2. Queen Grimhilde?
Did you know that the Evil Queen has an actual name? That’s right she does it’s Queen Grimhilde. (I think I know why she goes by the Evil Queen). She’s one of the most famous Disney villains!
3. Wait. What?
Lucille LaVerne changed her voice from the Evil Queen to the Evil Witch by removing her teeth and raising her voice an octave.
4. Double Duty
Eleanor Audley provided the voice to two of the evilest villains known to Disney…Maleficent and Lady Tremaine!
5. Deja Vu?
Disney villains, Gaston, Scar, and Jafar were made by the same animator, Andreas Deja. He is also known for working on the adult Hercules, King Triton, Lilo, and Roger Rabbit.
6. Flying Solo
Even though most characters are made by multiple animators Cruella De Vil was created by a single animator known as Marc Davis. Kudos to him for creating such an iconic looking character.
7. Staying Alive
Walt Disney requested for Captain Hook to live at the end of the film Peter Pan, because he believed that the viewers would enjoy the character and would be disappointed if he died.
8. Double Duty (Again!)
Since the original Peter Pan play, Captain Hook and George Darling have been parallels to each other in the story. Therefore, the same person usually played both characters. To keep up with this tradition, in Disney’s Peter Pan, Captain Hook and George were voiced by the same actor, Hans Conried.
9. I Did Not Know That
Conried was not the only voice actor to voice two characters in the same film. Jodi Benson who provides the voice for Ariel in the Little Mermaid also provides the voice for Vanessa, Ursula’s human form.
10. First Male Villain in a Princess Movie
The Evil Queen may have been the first villain, but Gaston was the first male villain to ever appear in a princess movie. There were of course many men who joined the evil ranks later, but it seems only fitting that the first male villain was the narcissistic and self-loving Gaston.
11. All We Are is Dust in the Wind
We all know that Mother Gothel from Tangled is ancient, but it was never clear how old she was. However, in the film she is dressed in clothes resembling the Renaissance era which would make her several hundred years old! (No wonder she turned to dust in the end.) Mother Gothel was also the first Disney villain to die of old age.
12. Who Knew?!
The film 101 Dalmatians is based off Dodie Smith’s novel “The Hundred and One Dalmatians”. In the novel Cruella has a husband. He wasn’t an essential character in the book, so he was cut from the film.
13. Can I Get a Translation Please?
Maleficent in Latin means evil-doing, so I think it’s safe to say that with her being the ‘mistress of all evil’ she has represented that name well.
14. All Rise
In Victor Hugo’s novel “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”, Frollo is a catholic priest. For the movie, the screenwriters decided to change him into a judge so that they did not offend any religious sensibilities. I found this surprising since most of the film is teaming with religious undertones.
15. Life Imitating Art – Or Vice Versa
John Ratcliffe is the only Disney villain who is based off a real person in history. Ratcliffe was Captain of the Discovery; one of the three ships that sailed to the new world in 1607.
Thanks for visiting MickeyBlog.com! Want to go to Disney? For a FREE quote on your next Disney vacation, please fill out the form below and one of the agents from MickeyTravels, a Platinum level Authorized Disney Vacation Planner, will be in touch soon!
Hello Disney Fans! Janie here. I was a Disney kid growing up and now that I am an adult I love it even more. Whether its movies, music, parks, or games I just can’t get enough of it. I visit Disney World at least twice a year and even when I’m not there it’s all I can think about!