Friday, October 28, 2016

Disney Villains and the Seven Deadly Sins, Part Five

This is it, the exciting conclusion of the connection between Disney villains and the Seven Deadly Sins of old! This is the deadliest sin of all...

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#7: VANITY
Foolish pride and the vain quest for perfection can easily lead to megalomania. If you have an urge for world domination, this is the spot for you.

THE QUEEN
  • FILM: "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" (1937)
  • VOICE ACTOR: Lucille LaVerne
  • ANIMATORS: Art Babbitt (Queen herself) and Norm Ferguson (Queen as witch)
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Walt Disney Signature Collection release available since February
  • She doesn't have a name per se, but if she did, no matter what it is, it would always fit the phrase, "Vanity, thy name is..." Obsessed with her own beauty (and threatened by Snow White's), she destroys it via a dark spell that transforms her into a haggard crone with a special gift for the fair maiden in the form of a luscious red apple.
  • OCCUPATION(S): Monarch
  • PARTNER(S) IN CRIME: The Slave in the Magic Mirror, the Huntsman
  • QUOTES: (as the Queen) "Magic Mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?" (as the witch; to Snow White) "Now make a wish and take a bite..."
  • FINAL VERDICT: Pursued by the Seven Dwarfs to the top of a high peak, lightning strikes and the Queen-as-witch falls to her doom.

THE TREMAINES
  • FILM: "Cinderella" (1950)
  • VOICE ACTORS: Eleanor Audley (Lady Tremaine), Lucille Bliss (Anastasia), Rhoda Williams (Drizella), June Foray (Lucifer)
  • ANIMATORS: Frank Thomas (Lady Tremaine), Ollie Johnston (the stepsisters) and Ward Kimball (Lucifer)
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Available
  • Lady Tremaine, the mother of all stepmothers, coddles and spoils her two homely daughters Anastasia and Drizella (not to mention that brat of a cat Lucifer) at the expense of stepdaughter Cinderella, who she has browbeaten into submission as their scullery maid. What more proof could there be of her inherent wickedness?
  • OCCUPATION(S): Socialites
  • GOTTA SING-SING: An off-key version of "Sing Sweet Nightingale", sung by Drizella
  • QUOTES: Lady Tremaine: (to the Grand Duke, about Cinderella) "Oh. Pay no attention to her." Drizella: (appalled at the idea of Cinderella at the ball) "Ha! Her, dancing with the Prince!" Anastasia: "I'd be honored, Your Highness. Would you mind holding my broom?" (both sisters laugh sadistically)
  • FINAL VERDICT: Although Lucifer supposedly falls to his doom out the tower window, the fate of the Tremaine trio is left unsaid in the film. However, that might have been for the best, since, in the original story, their eyes get pecked out by angry birds.

THE QUEEN OF HEARTS
  • FILM: "Alice In Wonderland" (1951)
  • VOICE ACTOR: Verna Felton
  • ANIMATOR: Frank Thomas
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Available
  • This loudmouth is practically bursting with rage, and woe to anyone who crosses her. It's ironic that she would be the queen of hearts, because she doesn't seem to have a heart of her own. Witness the revelry in her eyes when she whacks at that poor hedgehog in the bizarre croquet game or has some unfortunate done in for the most miniscule offense.
  • OCCUPATION(S): Monarch
  • PARTNER(S) IN CRIME: The King of Hearts, an entire deck of card soldiers
  • QUOTE: "Off with their heads!"
  • FINAL VERDICT: She, along with the rest of Wonderland, it seems, chases that foolish girl, Alice, out of the dreamlike realm

CAPTAIN NEMO
  • FILM: "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" (1954)
  • ACTOR: James Mason
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Available
  • The infamous captain of the Nautilus submarine wishes to create his own undersea utopia, and he's not above a little terrorism to make his plans a success. All the time underwater has driven Nemo mad... mad at the world, that is. He plans to unleash his discoveries (such as a little thing called atomic power) upon all of mankind, his idea of payment for all of its injustices.
  • OCCUPATION(S): Submarine captain
  • PARTNER(S) IN CRIME: The crew of the Nautilus
  • QUOTE: "I am not what is called a civilized man. I have done with society for reasons that seem good to me. Therefore, I do not obey its laws."
  • FINAL VERDICT: Mortally wounded, Nemo blows up his island fortress of Vulcania and orders the Nautilus to the ocean floor one last time.


CRUELLA DE VIL
  • FILMS: "One Hundred and One Dalmatians" (1961)/"101 Dalmatians" (1996)
  • VOICE ACTOR/ACTOR: Betty Lou Gerson/Glenn Close
  • ANIMATOR: Marc Davis
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Both available separately
  • Proof that wicked drama queens will never go out of style, the shock-haired, chain-smoking, fur-loving fashion diva Cruella de Vil continues to delight and outrage, even though her shenanigans are none too politically correct; she just wants to kill a bunch of cute dogs after all. In both her animated and live-action incarnations, Miss de Vil is the height of self-centered elaboration, but we love her for it just the same.
  • OCCUPATION(S): Socialite
  • PARTNER(S) IN CRIME: Horace and Jasper Badun
  • QUOTE: "I don't care how you kill the little beasts, but do it and do it now!"
  • FINAL VERDICT: In murderous pursuit of the Dalmatians, Cruella accidentally gets her fancy roadster T-boned by her henchmen's rickety old truck and is left adrift, howling, in a snow bank.

MAD MADAM MIM
  • FILM: "The Sword In the Stone" (1963)
  • VOICE ACTOR: Martha Wentworth
  • ANIMATOR: Milt Kahl
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Available
  • This wacky witch claims to be the most powerful magic maker in the land. All she has to do to prove herself is beat that goody-two-shoes wizard, Merlin. So a "wizard's duel" is proposed, with the mad madam herself providing the rules... all the better to break them. Alas, the tricky sorcerer goes and uses his head, inflicting upon Mim his own brand of "germ warfare".
  • OCCUPATION(S): Witch
  • GOTTA SING-SING: "The Magnificent Marvelous Mad Madam Mim"
  • QUOTE: "Sounds like someone's sick. How lovely."
  • FINAL VERDICT: Infected with Merlin's disease, Mim is left bedridden, sicker than a dog and helpless against sunshine.

PETER THORNDYKE
  • FILM: "The Love Bug" (1969)
  • ACTOR: David Tomlinson
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Available
  • At first, this snooty proprietor of a foreign car dealership in San Francisco wants absolutely nothing to do with a Volkswagen Beetle that seems to have a mind all its own. But when he discovers Jim Douglas driving it in a race, he intends to own the VW for himself, in an effort not to be shown up. Thorndyke's plans are forever trapped in high gear, but he'd better beware of Douglas and his VW Beetle pal.
  • OCCUPATION(S): Car dealer, racecar driver
  • PARTNER(S) IN CRIME: Carole Bennett (for a while), Havershaw, the staff of Thorndyke's dealership
  • QUOTE: (to Carole) "You keep your eye on your friend in the Bug, my dear - I'm going to squash him."
  • FINAL VERDICT: Thorndyke loses more than just a major race, the El Dorado, to Douglas and Herbie; he also loses his dealership, which is now under new management. He still works there, however, just as a lowly mechanic.

DR. HANS REINHARDT
  • FILM: "The Black Hole" (1979)
  • ACTOR: Maximilian Schell
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Available
  • Like Captain Nemo before him, Reinhardt is on a mad mission, one that has taken him to the end of the universe. Blinded by his insanity, he foolishly charters the spaceship Cygnus into the destructive black hole, hoping to find his own paradise on the other side
  • OCCUPATION(S): Spaceship captain
  • PARTNER(S) IN CRIME: Maximilian, a crew of drones
  • QUOTE: "The word 'impossible', Mr. Booth, is only found in the dictionary of fools."
  • FINAL VERDICT: Uh, good question. The ending of this movie is as perplexingly murky as the titular phenomenon.

THE SANDERSON SISTERS
  • FILM: "Hocus Pocus" (1993)
  • ACTORS: Bette Midler (Winifred Sanderson), Sarah Jessica Parker (Sarah Sanderson) and Kathy Najimy (Mary Sanderson)
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Available
  • These sibling witches had been hanged three centuries ago by the Salem community for sapping life from children so that they can stay young themselves. But now a newcomer in the neighborhood had inadvertently brought them to back to life by lighting a black candle. Now they have until sunrise the next morning to continue on with their plans to maintain their youth.
  • OCCUPATION(S): Witches
  • GOTTA SING-SING: "I Put a Spell On You"
  • QUOTES: Winifred: " You know, I've always wanted a child. And now I think I'll have one... ON TOAST!" Sarah: "I am beautiful! Boys will love me!" Mary: "I smell children."
  • FINAL VERDICT: In their last-ditch effort to suck out the lives of Max and Dani Denison, the sun rises and the three sorceresses are reduced to dust.

TRIP MURPHY
  • FILM: "Herbie: Fully Loaded" (2005)
  • ACTOR: Matt Dillon
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Available
  • Trip Murphy is a hotshot racecar driver with his own thriving multi-media company: endorsements, personal appearances, even his own video game. So he certainly isn't going to be shown up by a girl driving a Volkswagen. Oozing his own brand of smarmy charm, and like Peter Thorndyke some 35 years before him, Trip has an ego forever stuck in high gear, but he better watch out for the redhead in the vintage bug.
  • OCCUPATION(S): Racecar driver
  • PARTNER(S) IN CRIME: His brother Larry and lackey Crash
  • QUOTE: "I'm gonna exterminate this bug."
  • FINAL VERDICT: After losing the big race to Maggie and Herbie, Trip loses it and is taken away to the funny farm.

JADIS THE WHITE WITCH
  • FILM: "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" (2005)
  • ACTOR: Tilda Swinton
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Available
  • Jadis the White Witch, in the absence of its true ruler of Aslan the lion, assumes control of the land of Narnia and holds it under an eternal sleep. And she intends to keep it that way at all times. And at all costs.
  • OCCUPATION(S): Would-be monarch
  • PARTNER(S) IN CRIME: Magrium and a pack of wolves
  • QUOTE: "You know, Aslan, I'm a little disappointed in you. Did you honestly think by all this that you could save the human traitor? You are giving me your life and saving no one. So much for love. Tonight, the Deep Magic will be appeased, but tomorrow, we will take Narnia forever! In that knowledge, despair... and die!"
  • FINAL VERDICT: As the White Witch is about to kill the Pevensie siblings and their army, Aslan jumps her and mauls her to death in the face.

QUEEN NARISSA
  • FILM: "Enchanted" (2007)
  • VOICE ACTOR/ACTOR: Susan Sarandon
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Available
  • ANIMATOR: Andreas Deja
  • Reminiscent of the Queen in "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" and Maleficent in "Sleeping Beauty", this ruler of Andalasia, threatened by Giselle's likelihood to live "happily ever after" after marrying her stepson, sends Giselle via magic portal to New York City, but still finds love there. To remain in her position, Narissa vows to take matters into her own hands...
  • OCCUPATION(S): Monarch
  • PARTNER(S) IN CRIME: Nathaniel
  • QUOTE: "We're coming to the end of our story now. Are you at the edge of your seat, Giselle? Just dying to know how it ends? How about this: 'And they all lived happily ever after.' Well, at least I did."
  • FINAL VERDICT: Chased to the top of the Woolworth Building by Giselle, Narissa, now turned into a dragon, and with Giselle's new true love her captive, tries to do them both in at the same time once and for all, only to fall off the roof and to her doom.

THE RED QUEEN
  • FILMS: "Alice In Wonderland" (2010)/"Alice Through the Looking Glass" (2016)
  • ACTOR: Helena Bonham Carter
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASES: Both available separately, "Looking Glass" having debuted in August
  • In an upgrade from the loudmouth in the animated feature of the 1950s, Iracebeth the Red Queen has overtaken all of Wonderland, now called Underland, and is at great odds with her sister, Mirana the White Queen, besides. When the Red Queen learns that a much older Alice has arrived on the scene and threatens to overthrow her rule by the Frabjous Day... well, let's just say she just won't allow that to happen.
  • OCCUPATION(S): Would-be monarch
  • PARTNER(S) IN CRIME: The Knave of Hearts, the Jabberwocky
  • QUOTE: "How would you like to have your head hacked off?"
  • FINAL VERDICT: With the Jabberwocky vanquished, the White Queen banishes the Red Queen and the Knave of Hearts to the Outlands, never to return. But it seems Iracebeth holds even more sinister secrets as revealed in past history in "Alice Through the Looking Glass".

MOTHER GOTHEL
  • FILM: "Tangled" (2010)
  • VOICE ACTOR: Donna Murphy
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Available
  • Fearful of losing her youth and beauty, she tries to use a flower with healing powers, but when it gets taken away, she instead spirits away a young girl whose beautiful golden hair has those same youthful powers. Posing as Rapunzel's mother, Gothel "protects" her from the outside world to keep her "safe" and, more importantly, herself young. But when Rapunzel goes missing, Gothel is in a race against time to find her.
  • OCCUPATION(S): Parent
  • PARTNER(S) IN CRIME: The Stabbington brothers
  • GOTTA SING-SING: "Mother Knows Best"
  • QUOTE: "The world is dark, selfish and cruel. If it finds the slightest ray of sunshine, it destroys it."
  • FINAL VERDICT: Flynn Rider cuts off Rapunzel's hair, effectively cutting off Gothel's source of youth once and for all, causing her body to age so fast that she dies of old age.

HANS
  • FILM: "Frozen" (2013)
  • VOICE ACTOR: Santino Fontana
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Available
  • He seems like a good-looking guy, but Prince Hans of the Southern Isles is bitter about being the youngest in his family (he has no less than a dozen older brothers). He tries to win the heart of Princess Anna of Arendelle as a ruse to gain power over this kingdom and gain the respect he feels is due. In short, he has a heart so cold that it makes the heart of Anna's older sister, with wintry powers, seem absolutely hot by comparison.
  • OCCUPATION(S): Monarch
  • PARTNER(S) IN CRIME: The Duke of Weselton
  • GOTTA SING-SING: "Love Is an Open Door" (in duet with Anna)
  • QUOTE: "I've been searching my whole life to find my own place."
  • FINAL VERDICT: After Anna sacrifices herself to save Elsa from Hans' murderous machinations, Elsa undoes her winter spell, bringing Anna back, after which Anna tells Hans off once and for all before having him arrested for his crimes and sent back to the Southern Isles in disgrace.

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Oh, wait, there are a few more villains yet to be discussed, aren't there? Well, they are a special breed of sinners...

#8: EMBODIMENTS OF ALL EVIL 
These villains do not represent any one sin, but rather embody (in whole or in part) aspects of the ultimate evil: the devil himself.


PETE
  • FILM: "Steamboat Willie" (1928)
  • VOICE ACTORS: Billy Bletcher, Will Ryan, Jim Cummings
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASES: Various cartoon sets
  • Pete (AKA Peg-Leg Pete (AKA Black Pete)) has the distinction of not only being the "oldest" villain on this list (in fact, he actually predates Mickey Mouse by at least three years), but also the most diverse: beginning with Julius in the Alice Comedies, he was the constant archenemy of not only Mickey (beginning with "Steamboat Willie", where as the steamboat captain he basically makes the mouse do all the work), but also of other characters like Donald Duck, Goofy, Pluto and even Chip 'n' Dale over the years. Although starting out with sloth (as in "Steamboat Willie"), he added on more sins to his repertoire over the years, especially wrath (constantly menacing Mickey and company), envy (wanting something someone else like Mickey has), and greed (trying to gain fortune by any means necessary, such as robbing banks); hence, this joint entry, which was made to explain villains who represent more than one sin, since Pete has too many sins to narrow down to just one.
  • FINAL VERDICT: Pete eventually settles down for the "Goof Troop" series and its movie spinoffs, but is back in fine felonious form in the "MouseWorks" series and beyond. He settles down again for "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse", but once again reverts to form in the newest "Mickey Mouse" series (circa 2013).

THE MANY VILLAINS OF "PINOCCHIO"
  • FILM: "Pinocchio" (1940)
  • VOICE ACTORS: Walter Catlett (J. Worthington Foulfellow), Mel Blanc (Gideon), Charles Judels (Stromboli and the Coachman), Frankie Darro (Lampwick)
  • ANIMATORS: Norm Ferguson and John Lounsbery (Foulfellow and Gideon), Bill Tytla (Stromboli), Charles Nichols (the Coachman), Fred Moore (Lampwick) and Wolfgang Reitherman (Monstro)
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Walt Disney Signature Collection release coming January 2017
  • For a cute little wooden puppet, Pinocchio sure has a lot of enemies (like Pete, too numerous, in fact, to narrow down to just one, thus, again, this joint entry). Like Pete, these heavies all run the gamut of sins, from greed (the foxy J. Worthington Foulfellow, alias "Honest John", and his feline stooge Gideon) and lust (for fame, that is, with the vicious puppet master Stromboli) to wrath (the fierce Coachman), sloth (the lazy Lampwick) and gluttony (the briny behemoth Monstro).
  • OCCUPATION(S): Con artists for hire (Foulfellow and Gideon), puppet master (Stromboli), coach driver (the Coachman), bum (Lampwick), predator (Monstro)
  • GOTTA SING-SING: Foulfellow's "Hi-Diddle-Dee-Dee"
  • QUOTES: Foulfellow: (to Pinocchio) "Then you haven't heard of the easy road to success." Gideon: "Hiccup!" Stromboli: (to Pinocchio) "And when you are growing too old, you will make good FIREWOOD!" Coachman: "Give a bad boy enough rope and he'll soon make a jackass of himself." Lampwick: (seeing Jiminy Cricket) "Hey, who's the beetle?" Monstro: "Rooooooooooooar!"
  • FINAL VERDICT: All villains evidently go on to commit more crimes and atrocities, save for Lampwick, who receives his comeuppance by being turned into a donkey.

CHERNABOG
  • FILM: "Fantasia" (1940)
  • ANIMATOR: Bill Tytla
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Available
  • Pure evil personified, Chernabog reigns over Bald Mountain when night has fallen, coaxing the spirits of the dead out of their graves to bask in his unholy visage. Eyes aglow and bat-like wings blotting out the sky, this demon lords over his spectral and skeletal followers in their raucous celebration of the macabre.
  • OCCUPATION(S): Monarch
  • FINAL VERDICT: Church bells chime as dawn breaks, sending Chernabog withering back into his eternal resting place.

MAN
  • FILM: "Bambi" (1942)
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Available
  • Has there ever been a more insidious specter of evil in the world of a film than that of "man in the forest", as seen in "Bambi"? Although never seen, their presence is constantly felt, their violence forever imminent. Never has a single cinematic death as that of Bambi's mother, at the hand of man, ever been so traumatic or so immediate.
  • OCCUPATION(S): Hunter
  • PARTNER(S) IN CRIME: A pack of vicious hunting dogs
  • FINAL VERDICT: A destructive blaze, caused by a carelessly unattended campfire, destroys the forest, indicating that the destructive nature of mankind will never cease.

MALEFICENT
  • FILM: "Sleeping Beauty" (1959)
  • VOICE ACTOR: Eleanor Audley
  • ANIMATOR: Marc Davis
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Available
  • Just think: none of this would have happened if she had only been invited to that party. But the devilishly delightful Maleficent is only too proud to let this royal snub off the hook without due recourse, which she provides in the form of a cursed spinning wheel. And if all else fails, she can always turn into a fire-breathing dragon.
  • OCCUPATION(S): Sorceress
  • PARTNER(S) IN CRIME: Her pet raven Diablo, a mess of hideous goons
  • QUOTE: "Now you shall deal with me, O Prince - and all the powers of HELL!!"
  • FINAL VERDICT: Prince Phillip, who can't do much of anything without those three pesky fairies, flings his enchanted sword into the breast of Maleficent-as-a-dragon. Now all that remains of the grand sorceress is a black stain on the ground.

THE HORNED KING
  • FILM: "The Black Cauldron" (1985)
  • VOICE ACTOR: John Hurt
  • SUPERVISING ANIMATOR: Phil Nibbelink
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Available
  • With a skull-like mask for a face, topped by two mangled horns, plus cloven feet and a spiked tail, it is not difficult to liken the Horned King to the image of the devil of centuries-old lore. (Throw in that hacking cough and he's even more akin to a certain Lord of the Sith we're all familiar with.) He has but one goal: use the Black Cauldron to raise his own army of the dead and overrun all of Prydain.
  • OCCUPATION(S): Monarch
  • PARTNER(S) IN CRIME: Creeper, a bunch of brutish warriors, the aforementioned army of the dead
  • QUOTE: "Now I call on my army of the dead: the Cauldron Born. Arise, my messengers of death! Our time has arrived!"
  • FINAL VERDICT: When Gurgi makes the ultimate sacrifice to stop the zombie horde, the ol' Hornster is sucked into the cauldron itself and destroyed, PG-rating style.

OOGIE BOOGIE
  • FILM: "The Nightmare Before Christmas" (1993)
  • VOICE ACTOR: Ken Page
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Available
  • The classic childhood fear of the Bogeyman is envisioned here in the form of Oogie Boogie, a form that is a stitched-together bag of creepies and crawlies guaranteed to give you the willies. The big Oog likes to gamble with his prisoners' lives, and now, thanks to his trio of trick-or-treatin' disciples, his latest victim is none other than "Sandy Claws" himself.
  • OCCUPATION(S): Con artist
  • PARTNER(S) IN CRIME: Lock, Shock and Barrel
  • GOTTA SING-SING: "Oogie Boogie's Song"
  • QUOTE: "Are you a gambling man, Sandy?"
  • FINAL VERDICT: Oogie's evil is literally unraveled by Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of Halloweentown.

HADES
  • FILM: "Hercules" (1997)
  • VOICE ACTOR: James Woods
  • SUPERVISING ANIMATOR: Nik Ranieri
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Available
  • This big blue hothead has it in for his brother Zeus and plots to take over Mount Olympus with a little help from his friends. A clash of the Titans ensues, but, as the Fates predicted, if that wonder boy Hercules crashed the party, it would be all over. And when that happens, Hades strikes back at the hero's Achilles' heel, Megara, the hero's ladylove and Hades' former femme fatale.
  • OCCUPATION(S): Lord of the Dead
  • PARTNER(S) IN CRIME: Megara (for a while), Pain and Panic, the Titans
  • QUOTE: "Name's Hades, Lord of the Dead. Hi, how ya doin'?"
  • FINAL VERDICT: After rescuing Meg from the sea of lost souls, Hercules knocks in the Lord of the Dead, and the souls are more then happy to welcome their despised despot.

And thus concludes the multi-part look at the connection between Disney villains and the Seven Deadly Sins! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did creating this list. Happy Halloween!

Thursday, October 27, 2016

Disney Villains and the Seven Deadly Sins, Part Four

Welcome back to another installment of the comparison between Disney villains and the Seven Deadly Sins of old! Once again, there is only one installment this time, but also once again, it's a big one! Here we go...

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#6: ENVY
Many Disney baddies are green with this. Jealous of those who have the power (often regal), these no-goodniks will do their worst to gain their own.

RATIGAN
  • FILM: "The Great Mouse Detective" (1986) 
  • VOICE ACTOR: Vincent Price
  • SUPERVISING ANIMATOR: Glen Keane
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Available
  • When you are the self-proclaimed world's greatest rat criminal mind, you should expect to have the world's greatest (mouse) detective constantly throwing a wrench into your plans. Lifelong archenemies Professor Ratigan and Basil of Baker Street have squared off countless times before, but when the villain plots to go after the Queen, all bets are off.
  • OCCUPATION(S): Crimelord
  • PARTNER(S) IN CRIME: Fidget, Felicia, an army of rodent thugs
  • GOTTA SING-SING: "The World's Greatest Criminal Mind"
  • QUOTE: "Ooh, I love it when I'm nasty."
  • FINAL VERDICT: During his battle royale with Basil atop Big Ben, Ratigan falls to his doom into the mighty Thames far below

URSULA
  • FILM: "The Little Mermaid" (1989)
  • VOICE ACTOR: Pat Carroll
  • SUPERVISING ANIMATOR: Ruben Aquino
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Available
  • They weren't kidding when they called her, well, a witch. Ursula has it bad when it comes to revenge against King Triton, and she will go to the depths of the ocean to get it. The perfect opportunity arises with the mer-king's headstrong, land-loving daughter Ariel. With "just a little bit of magic", the mermaid's dreams come true - and so do Ursula's...
  • OCCUPATION(S): Former courtier, now sea-witch for hire
  • PARTNER(S) IN CRIME: Flotsam and Jetsam
  • GOTTA SING-SING: "Poor Unfortunate Souls"
  • QUOTE: "Beluga, sevruga, come winds of the Caspian sea. Larynxes, glacydis, ad max laryngitis la voce to me! Now... sing!"
  • FINAL VERDICT: Ursula is impaled on the bow of a sunken ship piloted by the little mermaid's true love, Prince Eric.


JAFAR
  • FILM: "Aladdin" (1992)
  • VOICE ACTOR: Jonathan Freeman
  • SUPERVISING ANIMATOR: Andreas Deja
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Available
  • Being the Royal Vizier is not good enough for Jafar anymore; he wants to rule Agrabah himself, and he knows that all he needs to succeed is a legendary magic lamp, provided he can find it. Enlisting the aid of a ragged street rat, how was he to know that that street rat would be his ultimate downfall? Or would it be his own lust for power?
  • OCCUPATION(S): Vizier
  • PARTNER(S) IN CRIME: Iago
  • GOTTA SING-SING: A sarcastic version of "Prince Ali"
  • QUOTE: (as Aladdin confronts him during the final showdown) "How many times do I have to kill you, boy?"
  • FINAL VERDICT: Jafar is tricked by Aladdin into having the Genie turn him into a genie himself, whereupon he is promptly confined to his own magic lamp and then drop-kicked into the desert.

SCAR
  • FILM: "The Lion King" (1994)
  • VOICE ACTOR: Jeremy Irons
  • SUPERVISING ANIMATOR: Andreas Deja
    HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Available
  • Forget the "little hairball" Simba, Scar is the one who just can't wait to be king. When all is said and done, he has allied with the scavenging hyenas, murdered his own brother, exiled Simba for dead, and sent the Pride Lands into ruin. But when Simba returns from the "dead", his not-so-loving uncle has got some explaining to do...
  • OCCUPATION(S): Predator
  • PARTNER(S) IN CRIME: Shenzi, Banzai, Ed and the rest of the hyenas
  • GOTTA SING-SING: "Be Prepared"
  • QUOTE: "Long live the king."
  • FINAL VERDICT: Simba leaves Scar to face the hyenas, whom he had unwittingly betrayed and who promptly dispatch on their former ally their own brand of jungle justice.

STINKY PETE
  • FILM: "Toy Story 2" (1999)
  • VOICE ACTOR: Kelsey Grammer
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Available
  • Sure, he's in mint condition, but at what cost? Years of sitting unwanted on a store shelf have slowly taken their toll on the sanity of Pete the Ol' Prospector. Now the Japanese museum that Al is sending the Roundup Gang to is Pete's last chance for glory, and no hand-me-down cowboy doll is going to stand in his way.
  • OCCUPATION(S): Toy, prospector
  • PARTNER(S) IN CRIME: Al McWhiggin (in a roundabout way)
  • QUOTE: "Your choice, Woody: you can go to Japan together or in pieces. If he fixed you once, he can fix you again."
  • FINAL VERDICT: Woody and the others send the Prospector to learn the true meaning of playtime, thanks to an unusually creative Barbie doll owner.

YZMA
  • FILM: "The Emperor's New Groove" (2000)
  • VOICE ACTOR: Eartha Kitt
  • SUPERVISING ANIMATOR: Dale Baer
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Available
  • Sacked from her cushy position as Emperor Kuzco's advisor, Yzma seeks revenge by poisoning him and usurping his rule. Alas, the plan backfires with a small potion mix-up, which turns the spoiled Kuzco into a llama who (thanks to her muscle-headed henchman) escapes. Now, to remain Empress, Yzma must take matters into her own bony hands...
  • OCCUPATION(S): Royal advisor
  • PARTNER(S) IN CRIME: Kronk
  • QUOTE: (responding to Kuzco's unexpected reaction to the "poison") "What! A LLAMA??? He's supposed to be DEAD!!!"
  • FINAL VERDICT: Let me put it this way: here, kitty, kitty, kitty...

RANDALL BOGGS
  • FILM: "Monsters, Inc." (2001)
  • VOICE ACTOR: Steve Buscemi
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Available
  • Basically, he just wants to make himself be the ultimate monster, the Top Scarer, and he'll become and stay that way, no matter what. When a human wanders into the Monster realm, Randall tries to make life miserable for Mike and Sully, and he's got most of the Monsters, Inc. staff on his side.
  • OCCUPATION(S): Scarer
  • PARTNER(S) IN CRIME: Henry J. Waternoose, the Child Detection Agency
  • QUOTE: (in response to his scaring Mike in the locker room) "What do you know? It scares little kids and little monsters."
  • FINAL VERDICT: During the chase through the doors, Mike and Sully lure Randall into one door (which leads to a bayou) and slam it shut. They then knock it off its hanger. The door goes plummeting to the floor and smashes to bits.

SYNDROME
  • FILM: "The Incredibles" (2004)
  • VOICE ACTOR: Jason Lee
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Available
  • Annie Wilkes ain't got nothin' on this "number one fan". It all started years ago when Buddy Pine saw his career as Mr. Incredible's sidekick "Incredi-Boy" cut short when Mr. Incredible soundly rejected him. Buddy's hero worship turned to hatred, fueling his warped genius into adulthood; his path littered with the bodies of real supers, Mr. Incredible and his family are next on his hit list.
  • OCCUPATION(S): Would-be superhero
  • PARTNER(S) IN CRIME: Mirage
  • QUOTE: (to Mr. Incredible) "Oh, I'm real all right. Real enough to defeat you! And I did it without your precious gifts; your oh-so-precious powers..."
  • FINAL VERDICT: While trying to kidnap baby Jack-Jack, Syndrome's cape gets snagged in his plane's engine and then... well, let's just say Edna Mode was right about capes.

CHICK HICKS
  • FILM: "Cars" (2006)
  • VOICE ACTOR: Michael Keaton
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Available
  • Bitter about his feeling number two compared to The King, Chick Hicks, a hotshot stock race car representing the Hostile Takeover Bank, is determined to win the Piston Cup at all costs, even if it means making a wreck of the competition, literally. And he will not be stopped by anyone, especially a new runner-up named Lightning McQueen, who has given him the nickname "Thunder" because it always comes after lightning.
  • OCCUPATION(S): Racecar
  • PARTNER(S) IN CRIME: His pit crew
  • QUOTE: (addressing Lightning McQueen) "Yo, McQueen! Seriously, that was some pretty darn nice racing out there - BY ME!"
  • FINAL VERDICT: After cheating his way to victory in the Piston Cup, Hicks' fans promptly turn on him and he is disgraced.

DR. FACILIER
  • FILM: "The Princess and the Frog" (2009)
  • VOICE ACTOR: Keith David
  • SUPERVISING ANIMATOR: Bruce W. Smith
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Available
  • This shadow man is so mad at feeling neglected by the rich and powerful that he subtly takes it out on Prince Naveen and his valet, Lawrence, by turning Naveen into a frog and entrancing Lawrence into helping him with his nefarious schemes to make off with the fortune of Naveen's intended. But when Naveen escapes, Facilier sends some demons after him, with the reward of the souls of all of New Orleans.
  • OCCUPATION(S): Voodoo witch doctor
  • PARTNER(S) IN CRIME: Lawrence, various shadow demons
  • GOTTA SING-SING: "Friends On the Other Side"
  • QUOTE: "Are you ready?"
  • FINAL VERDICT: Tiana refuses to give Dr. Facilier the talisman and destroys it instead, leaving the demons to take Facilier's soul as payment for a debt he owes.

LOTS-O'-HUGGIN' BEAR
  • FILM: "Toy Story 3" (2010)
  • VOICE ACTOR: Ned Beatty
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Available
  • Don't let his fluffy, cute, strawberry-scented appearance fool you. All those years of "Lotso" feeling unloved by his owner have taken their toll on him. Now at Sunnyside Daycare, he rules its toys with an iron paw. But he never counted on some new toys somehow ending up at the daycare, and he underestimated them besides.
  • OCCUPATION(S): Toy, prison warden
  • PARTNER(S) IN CRIME: The toys of Sunnyside Daycare
  • QUOTE: "You've got a playdate with destiny."
  • FINAL VERDICT: Lotso finds himself "loved" again, this time by a garbage truck driver who once had a Lotso of his own.


KING CANDY
  • FILM: "Wreck-It Ralph" (2012)
  • VOICE ACTOR: Alan Tudyk
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Available
  • This goofy-looking ruler of the game Sugar Rush is actually a reincarnation of the washed-up title star of the game Turbo. He yearns to have his place in the sun once again, and, not unlike the Master Control Program before him, will even resort to overtaking other games if that's what it takes. He just didn't count on another video game character trying to muscle in and make a "wreck" of his plans.
  • OCCUPATION(S): Monarch, race car driver
  • PARTNER(S) IN CRIME: Sour Bill, Wynchel and Dunkin, a swarm of Cy-Bugs
  • QUOTE: "Turbo-tastic!"
  • FINAL VERDICT: King Candy having been turned into a Cy-Bug himself, Wreck-It Ralph manages to mix Mentos rocks with Diet Coke lava, triggering an explosion of light that draws in and vaporizes all the Cy-Bugs, including the Candy one.


BELLWETHER
  • FILM: "Zootopia" (2016)
  • VOICE ACTOR: Jenny Slate
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Available
  • She is the proverbial wolf in sheep's clothing - without the wolf. She may seem content with her role as assistant to Mayor Lionheart, but in reality, she feels neglected and ignored, until it takes its toll on her sanity and she finally takes it out on all predatory mammals, which she considers a minority against the mass prey majority. But she never counted on a personal friend of hers, a rabbit and a prey animal like herself, to catch wise and sniff her out.
  • OCCUPATION(S): Assistant mayor, terrorist
  • PARTNER(S) IN CRIME: Doug, Woolter and Jesse
  • QUOTE: "Fear always works."
  • FINAL VERDICT: Officer Judy Hopps records Bellwether's rants of fear and hatred for all to hear and has her arrested.

Thus concludes another installment in the Disney villains/Seven Deadly Sins comparison! Only one more to go (hopefully)! Stay tuned!

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Disney Villains and the Seven Deadly Sins, Part Three

Welcome to another installment of the comparison between Disney villains and the Seven Deadly Sins of old! Let us continue on...

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#4: SLOTH
Lazy? These ne'er-do-wells would just as soon sit back and let others do their dirty work for them or kick back and revel in their ill-gotten gains.

ALONZO HAWK
  • FILMS: "The Absent-Minded Professor" (1961)/"Son of Flubber" (1963)/"Herbie Rides Again" (1974)
  • ACTOR: Keenan Wynn
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: All available separately
  • What kind of father would bet against his own son's college basketball team, even if that son has flunked in one of its courses? That would be Mr. Alonzo Hawk, a shady financier. When Prof. Ned Brainard's fabulous Flubber helps win the game, Hawk quickly gets to the bottom of this and swoops in and steals the prof's flying Model T, in hopes of cashing in on Ned's brilliant invention without lifting so much as a finger.
  • OCCUPATION(S): Financier, constructionist
  • QUOTE: (to son Biff in "Son of Flubber") "If you weren't so deductible, I'd disown you!" 
  • FINAL VERDICT: Prof. Brainard tricks Hawk into trying on a pair of Flubberized shoes, which send him bouncing in the air with no hopes of stopping. Eventually, he does manage to stop (with the help of the entire neighborhood), then tries to stop Brainard from flying the Model T to Washington, only to run afoul of the law. He must have been let off easy, for Hawk returns for more shifty schemes in "Son of Flubber" and "Herbie Rides Again".

SYKES
  • FILM: "Oliver and Company" (1988)
  • VOICE ACTOR: Robert Loggia
  • SUPERVISING ANIMATOR: Glen Keane
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Available
  • This loan shark is determined to have his money back from Fagin within three days, leaving Fagin to search high and low for that money. When he discovers that his new friend, a kitten, is now in the hands of a rich family, Fagin tries to hold the kitty for ransom, only for Sykes to kidnap the kitten's new mistress, a little girl, and hold her for ransom instead.
  • OCCUPATION(S): Loan shark
  • PARTNER(S) IN CRIME: Pet Dobermans Roscoe and Desoto
  • QUOTE: (to Fagin) "I lent you some money and I don't see it. Do you know what happens when I don't see my money, Fagin? People get hurt. People like you get hurt."
  • FINAL VERDICT: During the chase on the train tracks between Sykes and Fagin and his gang for possession of Jenny, Sykes' limo (with Sykes on it) collides headlong into an oncoming train.


NEVILLE SINCLAIR
  • FILM: "The Rocketeer" (1991)
  • ACTOR: Timothy Dalton
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Available
  • He may be a dashing movie star akin to Errol Flynn, but don't let that fool you. Sinclair is abetting sinister forces bent on nothing less than world domination, and knows that a rocket pack might be able to help them. He just needs to get that pack, and tries to enlist others to get it while he works the Hollywood scene.
  • OCCUPATION(S): Movie actor, Nazi agent
  • PARTNER(S) IN CRIME: Eddie Valentine and his mob, Lothar
  • QUOTE: "I want that rocket, Eddie. Not next week, not tomorrow, but now."
  • FINAL VERDICT: During the final showdown between Sinclair and Cliff Secord on the Nazi zeppelin, Sinclair takes the rocket pack for himself and takes off with it, not realizing until it's too late that it has a fuel leak. The resultant explosion not only costs him his life, but also the HOLLYWOODLAND sign its LAND letters.

HOPPER
  • FILM: "A Bug's Life" (1998)
  • VOICE ACTOR: Kevin Spacey
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Available
  • In a twisted bug-eat-bug take on the old Grasshopper and the Ants fable, Hopper is the leader of the pack of grasshoppers who force the ant colony to gather food for them while they all party south of the border. He threatens to stomp on any ant that gets in his way, especially the inventive Flik, who proves that it's not wise to underestimate an ant that's got high hopes.
  • OCCUPATION(S): Freeloader
  • PARTNER(S) IN CRIME: His brother Molt and the rest of the grasshopper gang
  • QUOTE: "It's not about food - it's about keeping those ants in line."
  • FINAL VERDICT: Hopper meets his humiliating end in the hungry beaks of a nest full of baby birds.
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#5: WRATH
Overwhelming anger and/or hatred, usually for another for another race or species, tend to influence these antagonists' nefarious schemes and shenanigans.


WILLIE THE GIANT
  • FILM: "Fun and Fancy Free" ("Mickey and the Beanstalk" scene) (1947)
  • VOICE ACTOR: Billy Gilbert
  • ANIMATOR: John Lounsbery
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Available
  • Willie was a simple giant. All he wanted was some companionship in his lonely castle in the sky. True, he went about it the wrong way, by stealing the Singing Harp from Happy Valley, thereby plunging it into famine. But to then have his home invaded by no less than three Jacks, who steal his food and the Harp? Fi indeed.
  • OCCUPATION(S): Monarch of sorts
  • GOTTA SING-SING: "Fe, Fi, Fo, Fum"
  • QUOTE: (singing) "Fe, fi, fo, fum. He, hi, ho, hum. I'm a most amazing guy, a most amazing guy am I..."
  • FINAL VERDICT: Having spotted Mickey and company making off with the Harp, Willie angrily chases them out of the castle and down the beanstalk, only to fall to his doom when they cut the beanstalk down. However, he must have survived the fall, because he has since been spotted, very much alive, in Hollywood.

THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN
  • FILM: "The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad" ("The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" scene) (1949)
  • ANIMATOR: Wolfgang Reitherman
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Available
  • Okay, all you conspiracy theorists out there, try this one on for size: is Brom Bones himself the Headless Horseman? Think about it: he had the motive (with that spineless Ichabod Crane out of the way, nothing would stand between him and the buxom Katrina von Tassel) and the opportunity; why else fill the timid schoolmaster's head with ghostly tales on that dark and stormy autumn night?
  • OCCUPATION(S): Ghost
  • PARTNER(S) IN CRIME: His black stallion, who bears a striking resemblance to Brom's own horse, Gunpowder
  • GOTTA SING-SING: "The Headless Horseman"
  • QUOTE: "Yaaaa-ha-ha-ha-ha-haaaaaaah!"
  • FINAL VERDICT: With Ichabod gone, Brom marries Katrina. As for the Headless Horseman, legend has it he still haunts Sleepy Hollow to this very day, always on the prowl for a "head to chop".

CAPTAIN HOOK
  • FILM: "Peter Pan" (1953)
  • VOICE ACTOR: Hans Conried
  • ANIMATOR: Frank Thomas
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Available
  • Humiliated by that blasted Peter Pan time and again, Hook writhes with unbridled fury at the mere mention of his name. And for good reason; it was Pan who lopped off one of Hook's hands and fed it to that accursed crocodile, who enjoyed that little appetizer so much he keeps prowling the area for a second helping. The elegant captain wants nothing more, then, than to exact revenge on that pixie-dusted punk once and for all.
  • OCCUPATION(S): Ship's captain
  • PARTNER(S) IN CRIME: Mr. Smee and the rest of the pirate crew
  • GOTTA SING-SING: "The Elegant Captain Hook"
  • QUOTE: "Good form, Mr. Smee? Blast good form! Did Pan show good form when he did this (raises hook) to me?"
  • FINAL VERDICT: Last seen swimming for his life, the crocodile chomping hungrily in his wake.

SHERE KHAN
  • FILM: "The Jungle Book" (1967)
  • VOICE ACTOR: George Sanders
  • ANIMATOR: Milt Kahl
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Available
  • The regally intimidating Shere Khan will not put up with the hated humans and their frightful "red flower" ("fire" to you) invading his domain. So upon catching word of a man cub in the jungle, he sets out to find him... and eat him, too. Talk about your "Wrath of Khan"...
  • OCCUPATION(S): Predator
  • PARTNER(S) IN CRIME: Kaa the snake, a not-so-trusty informant
  • QUOTE: "Now, I'm going to close my eyes and count to ten. It makes the chase more interesting... for me."
  • FINAL VERDICT: Grabbing the tiger by the tail, Mowgli ties a flaming tree branch to it, sending a terrified Shere Khan fleeing for his life.

JUDGE DOOM
  • FILM: "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" (1988)
  • ACTOR: Christopher Lloyd
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Available
  • There's something a little bit... off about His Honor. He walks stiffly, his color scheme is monochromatic, he speaks in a monotone and... hey, did his eyes just fall out of their sockets? Could it be that a deep-seated hatred for his own kind is the very reason he conjured up his diabolical schemes to wipe them all out, such as the dreaded Dip? Not to mention all that crazy talk about a freeway... humph, the very idea of a freeway in Los Angeles...
  • OCCUPATION(S): Judge
  • PARTNER(S) IN CRIME: The Weasels (AKA the Toon Patrol)
  • QUOTE: (revealing his true Toon form to Eddie Valiant, voice increasing in pitch) "Remember me, Eddie? When I killed your brother, I talked... JUST... LIKE... THIS!!!"
  • FINAL VERDICT: Doom is revealed to be a Toon himself and is "liquidated", Wicked Witch-style, by a blast of his own Dip.

SID PHILLIPS
  • FILM: "Toy Story" (1995)
  • VOICE ACTOR: Erik von Detten
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Available
  • Every toy's worst nightmare: a kid with an overactive imagination, way too much time on his hands, a magnifying glass, and seemingly easy access to explosives. Sid is the epitome of the schoolyard bully we all know from childhood, easily dismissed by us adults, but all those poor burned, battered, blown-up or otherwise tortured toys would beg to differ.
  • OCCUPATION(S): Garbage man (in later years)
  • PARTNER(S) IN CRIME: Pet pitbull Scud
  • QUOTE: (reading label on rocket) "'Extremely dangerous. Keep out of reach of children.' Cool!"
  • FINAL VERDICT: Spooked by Woody and the mutant toys, Sid seems to be well on his way to years of therapy for an irrational fear of playthings.


SHAN YU
  • FILM: "Mulan" (1998)
  • VOICE ACTOR: Miguel Ferrer
  • SUPERVISING ANIMATOR: Pres Romanillos
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Available
  • Never mind Attila, this guy is one honey of a Hun. A monstrous figure in act and deed, Shan Yu leads a bloodthirsty band to invade China in response to the challenge he infers from the construction of the Great Wall. Devilish in appearance and devious of mind, nothing less than total genocide of the offending country will please him.
  • OCCUPATION(S): Warlord
  • PARTNER(S) IN CRIME: The Hun army, his pet falcon Hayabusa
  • QUOTE: (to the Emperor) "Your walls and armies have fallen. And now it's your turn."
  • FINAL VERDICT: Thanks to Mulan's cleverness, he is rocketed into a powder keg of fireworks.

DOR-15
  • FILM: "Meet the Robinsons" (2007)
  • VOICE ACTOR: Ethan Sandler
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Available
  • DOR-15 (or, more simply, "Doris") is a peculiar piece of mechanical headgear invented by Lewis Robinson that malfunctioned and sided with Goob, AKA the Bowler Hat Guy, to get revenge on Lewis and prevent him from succeeding with taking credit for the memory scanner invention. Armed with the knack of mind control, DOR-15 and Goob alter the course of history, big time.
  • OCCUPATION(S): Headgear
  • PARTNER(S) IN CRIME: Goob (AKA Bowler Hat Guy)
  • FINAL VERDICT: Lewis goes back in time to warn Goob not to sign the fateful contract, because the many Doris replicas mass-produced will do him in. Lewis then vows never to invent Doris, causing the hat to become wiped from existence.

YOKAI
  • FILM: "Big Hero 6" (2014)
  • VOICE ACTOR: James Cromwell
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Available
  • Formerly Prof. Robert Callaghan, head of the San Fransokyo Institute of Technology's robotics department, a respected scientist, and Tadashi Hamada's teacher, a tragedy (namely, the loss of his daughter) caused him to assume the form of Yokai, a malefactor bent on vengeance. That means that his reign of terror is based on what he thinks is the right thing. Too bad a high-tech crime-fighting team known as Big Hero 6, formed by Tadashi's younger brother, don't agree with him, especially after he left Tadashi for dead.
  • OCCUPATION(S): College professor, supervillain
  • PARTNER(S) IN CRIME: Microbots
  • QUOTE: "I want my daughter back!"
  • FINAL VERDICT: His mask is destroyed and his daughter is rescued, after which he is apprehended for his crimes.

Thus ends this installment of the Disney villains and the Seven Deadly Sins. Five sins down, two more to go! Stay tuned!