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!

Monday, October 24, 2016

Disney Villains and the Seven Deadly Sins, Part Two

Welcome to another installment in the list of Disney villains and the Seven Deadly Sins. There is only one installment this time, but it is a big one.

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#3: GREED
As Gordon Gekko once said, "Greed is good." Those are definitely words that these would-be treasure hunters live by, as they seek their fortunes in gold or jewels or... dead animals?

LONG JOHN SILVER
  • FILMS: "Treasure Island" (1950)/"Treasure Planet" (2002)
  • ACTOR/VOICE ACTOR: Robert Newton/Brian Murray
  • SUPERVISING ANIMATOR: Glen Keane
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Both available separately
  • In both Disney versions of Robert Louis Steveson's classic swashbuckling tale, Long John Silver is depicted in contradictory terms: on the one hand, he's orchestrating a mutiny to overtake the ship; on the other hand, he becomes something of a father figure for young Jim Hawkins. But is their relationship just a ruse for Silver to get his hands on the treasure map? Or will his true feelings for the boy outshine his true nature?
  • OCCUPATION(S): Cook
  • PARTNER(S) IN CRIME: His fellow mutineers
  • QUOTE: From "Treasure Island": "Fortune sits on the shoulders of him what schemes." From "Treasure Planet": "That treasure is owed to me, by t'under!"
  • FINAL VERDICT: With Hawkins' help, Silver escapes in a lifeboat.

EDGAR
  • FILM: "The Aristocats" (1970)
  • VOICE ACTOR: Roddy Maude-Roxby
  • ANIMATOR: Frank Thomas
  • This butler to Madame Bonfamille manages to get along well with her cats - until he learns that they are to receive her inheritance before he does. Naturally, he is not about to take this lying down and tries to catnap them so he can keep the inheritance for himself.
  • OCCUPATION(S): Butler
  • GOTTA SING-SING: A twisted take on "Rock-a-Bye Baby"
  • QUOTE: "Cats inherit first? And I come after the cats?! It's not fair!"
  • FINAL VERDICT: The crooked butler is kicked by Frou-Frou the horse into a trunk intended for Madame Bonfamille's cats, which is promptly taken away to Timbuktu.

PRINCE JOHN
  • FILM: "Robin Hood" (1973)
  • VOICE ACTOR: Peter Ustinov
  • ANIMATOR: Ollie Johnston
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Available
  • While the king's away, the prince will play - and the people of Nottingham will be forced to pay. "P.J." wallows in gold-encrusted richness while his minions tax the poor out of house and home. Their only hope is that meddlesome Robin Hood and his band of Merry Men, who threaten to crash Prince John's selfish little party for good.
  • OCCUPATION(S): Would-be monarch
  • PARTNER(S) IN CRIME: Sir Hiss, the Sheriff of Nottingham
  • QUOTE: "This crown gives me a feeling of power! POWER! Forgive me a cruel chuckle, heh-heh-heh, power..."
  • FINAL VERDICT: The treasonous mama's boy and his pals are sentenced to hard labor in a penal rock quarry.

ARISTOTLE BOLT
  • FILM: "Escape To Witch Mountain" (1975)
  • ACTOR: Ray Milland
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Available
  • This eccentric multi-millionaire has a passion for the paranormal. To that end, having caught wind of twin siblings with psychic powers, he vows to exploit them for his own gain. After they escape his grasp, he will not rest until he has them back once more.
  • OCCUPATION(S): Land baron
  • PARTNER(S) IN CRIME: Lucas Deranian
  • QUOTE: "I'm a vengeful man, Deranian. I don't make idle threats."
  • FINAL VERDICT: Just when it looks like Bolt has the twins in his clutches, they escape in a flying saucer, and he has no choice but to give up in humiliating defeat.

MADAM MEDUSA
  • FILM: "The Rescuers" (1977)
  • VOICE ACTOR: Geraldine Page
  • ANIMATOR: Milt Kahl
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Available
  • She may not have that cool turn-someone-to-stone stare like her mythological namesake, but this Medusa can still strike fear, especially if you're an orphan. This owner of a skid row boutique intends to move uptown, and she has set her sights on the fabled Devil's Eye diamond to get the job done. Too bad she's afraid of mice.
  • OCCUPATION(S): Pawnshop proprietor
  • PARTNER(S) IN CRIME: Mr. Snoops, pet crocodiles Nero and Brutus
  • QUOTE: (to Penny) "You get down there and find the big diamond, or you will NEVER SEE THAT TEDDY AGAIN!!!"
  • FINAL VERDICT: Last seen sinking into the bayou, with her crocodiles, having apparently turned on her, snapping at her heels.

DOC TERMINUS
  • FILM: "Pete's Dragon" (1977)
  • ACTOR: Jim Dale
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Available
  • The last thing that quack medicine man Doc Terminus expected to find to find in the town of Passamaquoddy (besides a tongue twister of a town name) was a real-live, fire-breathing dragon. He salivates at the potential windfall that the magical beast could provide for him and his phony remedies. But first, he must actually capture Pete's dragon...
  • OCCUPATION(S): Medicine man
  • PARTNER(S) IN CRIME: Hoagy, the Gogan clan
  • GOTTA SING-SING: "Every Little Piece"
  • QUOTE: (when Pete tells him that Elliott goes to whoever needs him) "I need him!"
  • FINAL VERDICT: The not-so-good doctor is literally blown out of town by Elliott.

PERCIVAL C. MCLEACH
  • FILM: "The Rescuers Down Under" (1990)
  • VOICE ACTOR: George C. Scott
  • SUPERVISING ANIMATOR: Duncan Marjoribanks
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Available
  • Poacher by trade, McLeach specializes in rare, exotic animals, and Marahute, the great golden eagle, is certainly one of the rarest and most exotic creatures he has ever hunted. He just didn't bargain on the pluck of a young outback boy and some mice (?!) out to protect the winged wonder and her nest of eggs.
  • OCCUPATION(S): Hunter
  • PARTNER(S) IN CRIME: Joanna the goanna
  • GOTTA SING-SING: A twisted take on "Home On the Range"
  • QUOTE: (lowering Cody toward a river full of crocodiles) "Now, this is my idea of fun!"
  • FINAL VERDICT: Crikey! When McLeach goes over the waterfall of a crocodile-infested river, he falls to his doom, mate!

GOVERNOR RATCLIFFE
  • FILM: "Pocahontas" (1995)
  • VOICE ACTOR: David Ogden Stiers
  • SUPERVISING ANIMATOR: Duncan Marjoribanks
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Available
  • Avarice is practically his middle name; all he wants to do is find his own "gold of Cortes" to prove himself in King James' court, and if he has to slaughter savages and pillage their land to do it, so be it. Of course, he leaves most of the heavy lifting to his underlings, because of a crick in his spine.
  • OCCUPATION(S): Governor
  • PARTNER(S) IN CRIME: Wiggins, Percy (in a roundabout way)
  • GOTTA SING-SING: "Mine, Mine, Mine"
  • QUOTE: "I am very well aware this is my last chance for glory. But mark my words, Wiggins: when King James sees the gold these peasants unearth, success will be mine at last."
  • FINAL VERDICT: Having accidentally shot Captain John Smith, Ratcliffe is arrested, put in chains, and shipped back to England in disgrace.

CLAYTON
  • FILM: "Tarzan" (1999) 
  • VOICE ACTOR: Brian Blessed 
  • SUPERVISING ANIMATOR: Randy Haycock 
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Available
  • A perfect example of the square-jawed "great white hunter", Clayton serves as the jungle guide to the Porter expedition in their quest for gorillas to study. But he has other plans for the apes, which are anything but scientific, and he's not about to allow some loin-clothed barbarian stand in his way.
  • OCCUPATION(S): Safari guide, hunter
  • PARTNER(S) IN CRIME: An army of unscrupulous sailors
  • QUOTE: (to Tarzan) "Rounding up your little ape family will be all too easy!"
  • FINAL VERDICT: Quite possibly one of the most gruesome in Disney history: in his final showdown with Tarzan, Clayton accidentally hangs himself in a tangle of vines.

LYLE ROURKE
  • FILM: "Atlantis: The Lost Empire" (2001) 
  • VOICE ACTOR: James Garner 
  • SUPERVISING ANIMATOR: Mike Surrey 
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Available 
  • Like Clayton before him, Lyle Rourke, the leader of the Atlantis expedition and a former explorer and mercenary, doesn't really want to come to study of the city's existence. He only went to steal and exploit the very artifact that protects the city, without which the city would be doomed to elimination. Not that he cares much, and he won't let anyone get in his way, not even his own expedition team.
  • OCCUPATION(S): Expedition commander, mercenary 
  • PARTNER(S) IN CRIME: Helga Sinclair
  • QUOTE: "I love it when I win." 
  • FINAL VERDICT: In trying to fight off Milo Thatch while trying to make off with the sacred crystal, Rourke accidentally breaks part of the crystal. Milo uses a fragment of it to make his enemy one with the crystal and then dissolve into nothingness.

HECTOR BARBOSSA
  • FILM: "Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl" (2003) 
  • ACTOR: Geoffrey Rush
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Available
  • Their lust for treasure led Barbossa and his motley crew to a cove, wherein was located a chest full of cursed gold doubloons. Now the only way to escape eternal walking death is to retrieve every single piece and put it back in the chest. This is a task they'll do anything - kidnap, ravage, not give a hoot - to complete.
  • OCCUPATION(S): Former ship's first mate, now ship's captain
  • PARTNER(S) IN CRIME: The crew of the Black Pearl
  • QUOTE: "You best start believing in ghost stores, Miss Turner - you're in one!"
  • FINAL VERDICT: The curse is finally lifted - just as rival Captain Jack Sparrow blasts Barbossa in the chest with his pistol with the one shot. 

ALAMEDA SLIM
  • FILM: "Home On the Range" (2004) 
  • VOICE ACTOR: Randy Quaid 
  • SUPERVISING ANIMATOR: Dale Baer
    HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Available 
  • He's the "real rip-roarin' deal to those who moo", a fancy-pants cattle rustler with his sites set on buying up the entire territory. Armed with a hypnotic knack for the art of yodeling, Slim foolishly crosses the wrong critters: a determined trio of bovine bounty hunters out to save their farm from his dastardly designs.
  • OCCUPATION(S): Ranch hand, land baron 
  • PARTNER(S) IN CRIME: The Willie Brothers (his nephews), Mr. Wesley, Rico
  • GOTTA SING-SING: "Yodel-Adle-Eedle-Idle-Oo"
  • QUOTE: "Five thousand cattle in the side pocket."
  • FINAL VERDICT: Roughed up by the barnyard animals, Slim is arrested and hauled off by the sheriff.

CHARLES MUNTZ
  • FILM: "Up" (2009)
  • VOICE ACTOR: Christopher Plummer
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Available
  • A childhood hero of Carl Fredricksen's, he has left for South America to find a specimen of a rare bird. But he has spent so much time in there that his greed and cowardice have taken him over and robbed him of his sanity. He will not let anyone, not even an older version of a fan of his and a young accomplice, interfere with his plans.
  • OCCUPATION(S): Inventor, scientist
  • PARTNER(S) IN CRIME: Dug (at first) and a pack of other dogs
  • QUOTE: "Having guests is a delight! More often I got thieves who come to steal what's rightfully mine."
  • FINAL VERDICT: In murderously pursuing Carl's party between the zeppelin and the flying house, Muntz gets tangled in the strings of some stray balloons and falls to his doom.

And thus ends the third deadly sin. You can go back and look at the first two in this link below: Disney Villains and the Seven Deadly Sins, Part One. Stay tuned - there's more to come!

Saturday, October 22, 2016

Disney Villains and the Seven Deadly Sins, Part One

With Halloween right around the corner, I thought it would be great to provide something to talk about: namely, Disney villains and how they connect with the Seven Deadly Sins of old. This is based on an old (as in decade-old) article from LaughingPlace.com: http://www.laughingplace.com/w/legacy/News-ID509740.asp/.



A great actor once said that it is always more fun to play the bad guy. After all, what better character than the villain to let loose and, if not chew the scenery, at least destroy it?

Disney's stable of villains have always had something of a cult following, a special fondness in the hearts of many, even though they were trying to skin puppies, devour our heroes, or even destroy whole cities. Villain merchandise is everywhere in the parks, where they are the unofficial stars of the popular Fantasmic show. There was even a whole book devoted to them, written by famed animators Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston.

Why are we so fascinated with this dark side of Disney? Maybe it's because we can't really care for the protagonist without a suitably hissable antagonist, a carryover from all forms of entertainment, whether they be literature or drama or mainstream motion pictures. After all, what would David be without his Goliath? Or Sherlock Holmes without his Prof. Moriarty? Or Bugs Bunny without his Elmer Fudd? Or Luke Skywalker without his Darth Vader? Or maybe we see in these villains sides of ourselves we have kept hidden, allowing these outrageous characters do things we would never dream of; a vicarious trip into the shadows of our own souls. Or maybe it's just what that great actor had felt: they're more fun.

From Lady Macbeth to Hannibal Lecter, from the Wicked Witch of the West to Goldfinger, from Bill the Butcher to Lex Luthor, bad guys have always been big - bigger than life, in fact - and Disney's heavies are no exception.

So in celebration of All Hallow's Eve, Pixie Dust Pastiche will devote this post and the following posts to come to those no-goodniks and ne'er-do-wells, and match them with the Seven Deadly Sins of old that they so readily embrace - and we so eagerly relish. It will go in order, starting with the least deadly sin and work up to the most deadly sin of all.

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#1: LUST
Lust? In a Disney film? Absolutely, when the bad guy (or girl) wants what (s)he can't have (i.e., the good girl (or guy)).

MORTIMER MOUSE
  • FILM: "Mickey's Rival" (1936)
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Mickey Mouse In Living Color; Best Pals: Mickey and Minnie
  • In their long years of courtship, Mickey has had only one true competitor for the affections of Minnie, and his name is Mortimer. Smug, egotistical, and downright obnoxious, he is everything that Mickey is not, and his cowardice is exposed when Minnie is endangered. Needless to say, Mickey steps in to save the day.
  • QUOTE: "Well! If it ain't my old sweetie, Minnie Mouse!"
  • FINAL VERDICT: He leaves Minnie to fend for herself against an enraged bull he has so taunted, but he would return in Mickey comics and, some 60 years later, on shows like MouseWorks, House of Mouse and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

DONALD'S DOUBLE
  • FILM: "Donald's Double Trouble" (1946)
  • VOICE ACTOR: Leslie Denison
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: The Chronological Donald, Part Two; Best Pals: Donald and Daisy
  • Like with Mickey and Minnie, Donald has had at least one true competitor for Daisy, and he looks a lot like Donald himself, albeit with a posh voice, similar to Ronald Colman. It seemed simple enough: Donald would like his duplicate to win her back for him after she doesn't want anything to do with him anymore. But the double actually falls for her himself and takes her on a date to an amusement park. Donald, needless to say, is not happy.
  • QUOTE: (to Daisy) "Darling, we'll paint the town vermilion."
  • FINAL VERDICT: Both Donalds have no choice but to beat a retreat from the park to avoid a humiliated Daisy's wrath.

VICKY ROBINSON
  • FILM: "The Parent Trap" (1961)
  • ACTOR: Joanna Barnes
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Available
  • What can a glamorous socialite-cum-gold digger do? She's hooked a handsome and, more importantly, rich landowner, but no sooner does she start to reel him in to the altar than not one but two of the fiancee's bratty daughters arrive on the scene to scuttle this loathsome deal. Then, to make matters worse, the landowner's ex-wife also muscles in, and she is not exactly the spinster that the would-be hubby made her out to be. And now what - camping??
  • OCCUPATION(S): Socialite
  • PARTNER(S) IN CRIME: Her mother, a very different Mrs. Robinson
  • QUOTE: "First change I make in that household, off she goes to a boarding school in Switzerland."
  • FINAL VERDICT: Doused with honey, licked by bear cubs, a humiliated Vicky angrily calls off the engagement and leaves in a huff.

BARNABY
  • FILM: "Babes In Toyland" (1961)
  • ACTOR: Ray Bolger
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Available
  • This leering, would-be Lothario wants Mary Contrary all to himself. The problem is, she is to marry Tom Piper. This problem seems easy enough to resolve: he just dispatches his dimwitted lackeys to dispose of the boy. Naturally, the plan fails, and Barnaby ultimately must battle a shrunken Tom and an army of toy soldiers in Toyland.
  • OCCUPATION(S): Lothario
  • PARTNER(S) IN CRIME: Gonzorgo and Roderigo
  • GOTTA SING-SING: "Castle In Spain"
  • QUOTE: (trying to woo Mary through aforementioned song) "You'll eat nothing but cake,/You'll drink naught but champagne,/You'll be in on the take,/In our castle in Spain."
  • FINAL VERDICT: Having shrunken Tom, Barnaby is inadvertently shrunk himself and is quickly defeated by Tom in a sword duel.
GASTON
  • FILM: "Beauty and the Beast" (1991)
  • VOICE ACTOR: Richard White
  • SUPERVISING ANIMATOR: Andreas Deja
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Walt Disney Signature Collection release now available
  • He's the golden boy of his provincial town, the guy that girls go gaga for, and, oh yes, every last inch of him is covered with hair. So why can't Gaston nab the beautiful Belle for his wife? Must be all that reading that she does. No matter; with an ego to match his physique, he is confident he will win her over - if it's the last thing he does.
  • OCCUPATION(S): Pub proprietor, hunter
  • PARTNER(S) IN CRIME: LeFou, Monsieur D'Arque, all the local yokels in town
  • GOTTA SING-SING: "Gaston"
  • QUOTE: "Were you in love with her, Beast? Did you honestly think she would love you, when she could have someone like me?"
  • FINAL VERDICT: In duking it out with the Beast over Belle atop the Beast's castle, Gaston loses his footing and falls to his doom.

CLAUDE FROLLO
  • FILM: "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" (1996)
  • VOICE ACTOR: Tony Jay
  • SUPERVISING ANIMATOR: Kathy Zielinski
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Available
  • The poster boy for Disney lust, Frollo has set his beady eyes on the voluptuous Esmeralda, a "burning desire" that haunts his very soul. He finally finds a use for his abused foster son Quasimodo, manipulating him into finding the gypsy for him so he can burn her at the stake. What better way to show a girl that you love her?
  • OCCUPATION(S): Judge
  • PARTNER(S) IN CRIME: Phoebus (at first), an army of soldiers
  • GOTTA SING-SING: "Hellfire"
  • QUOTE: "The gypsies live outside the normal order. Their heathen ways inflame the people's lowest instincts. And they must be stopped."
  • FINAL VERDICT: Notre Dame itself seemingly comes to life to squelch his evil for good, sending him to fall to his doom.
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#2: GLUTTONY
Whether it's for supremacy or just what the protagonist tastes like, these antagonists are all starving to death. Bloodthirsty? You have no idea.

THE BIG BAD WOLF
  • FILM: "Three Little Pigs" (1933)
  • VOICE ACTOR: Billy Bletcher
  • ANIMATOR: Norm Ferguson
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Available
  • Given the hit song about him, you'd think ol' Big Bad would get a little more respect, or at least a few pork rinds. All that huffin' and puffin' and blowin' down of houses must take a lot out of a wolf, not to mention all those "clever" disguises (like an innocent sheep or a Fuller Brush man) that take some talent to pull off as well. And what dedication: he comes back for more in not one, not two, but three follow-up shorts.
  • OCCUPATION(S): Predator
  • PARTNER(S) IN CRIME: His three cubs (in subsequent shorts)
  • QUOTE: "By the hair on your chinny-chin-chin, I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house in!"
  • FINAL VERDICT: Unable to blow down the Practical Pig's brick house, the wolf tries to gain access to the house by sliding down the chimney - right into a pot of boiling water in the fireplace, sending him howling for his life. But he would keep coming back again and again to try and get a taste of the pigs...

THE WOLF
  • FILM: "Make Mine Music" ("Peter and the Wolf" scene) (1946)
  • ANIMATOR: John Lounsbery
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Available
  • Certainly one of the most ferocious creatures in Disney lore, this wolf is also the only villain ever to share title billing with the hero of their story. He's a hungry one, too; he wants to gobble up all of Peter's friends. But hey, that's only natural for a carnivorous predator.
  • OCCUPATION(S): Predator
  • FINAL VERDICT: Young Peter is the local hero when he successfully captures the beast by lashing him to a tree.

BR'ER FOX AND BR'ER BEAR
  • FILM: "Song of the South" (1946)
  • VOICE ACTORS: James Baskett and Nicodemus Stewart
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Still not available (and may never be)
  • The Abbott and Costello of Uncle Remus, these fumbling fools are actually their own worst enemies. In their constant pursuit of the scrawny Br'er Rabbit (who would hardly make much of a meal for either of them, much less both), they constantly trip each other up, putting their collective foot in the tar, so to speak.
  • OCCUPATION(S): Predators
  • QUOTE: Br'er Fox: "I got 'im! I sure's got 'im! I got the little rabbit this time for sure!" Br'er Bear: "I'm gonna knock his head clean off!"
  • FINAL VERDICT: Bamboozled by Br'er Rabbit's "laughing place" scam, both fox and bear wind up on the wrong side of a hive full of bees.

MASTER CONTROL PROGRAM
  • FILM: "TRON" (1982)
  • VOICE ACTOR: David Warner
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Available
  • Having rebelled against ENCOM's mainframe computer, the corrupt Master Control Program is planning on ruling the computer world itself, one program at a time (talk about your computer viruses). Meanwhile, its user, Ed Dillinger, has stolen Kevin Flynn's video game creations and rewrote them as his own. Now Flynn is out to put a stop to this... even if it means getting sucked into the computer realm to play games for dear life to do so. But the MCP and its partner Sark aren't about to let some user sabotage their plans...
  • OCCUPATION(S): Computer program
  • PARTNER(S) IN CRIME: Ed Dillinger, Sark, red programs
  • QUOTE: "End of line."
  • FINAL VERDICT: During the final showdown between Tron and Sark (who now has the MCP's powers after being mortally wounded), Flynn leaps into the core of Master Control and distracts it long enough for Tron to hurl his identity disc into the one break in the tower's barrier and derezz it (and Sark with it).

BIG BOY CAPRICE
  • FILM: "Dick Tracy" (1990)
  • ACTOR: Al Pacino
  • HOME VIDEO RELEASE: Available
  • The Godfather of Four Color crime, "Big Boy" attained his nickname, not from his big pronouncements, but by metaphorically devouring his opponents, as in a mobster massacre to rival St. Valentine's. Now he's back in business and on top of the world, ma, "leetle friend" a-blazin'. But, oh, mother of mercy, could Dick Tracy spell the end of Big Boy Caprice?
  • OCCUPATION(S): Crimelord
  • PARTNER(S) IN CRIME: Itchy, Flattop, Mumbles and the rest of the mob
  • QUOTE: (to his fellow gangsters) "You get behind me, we all profit; you challenge me, we all go down! There was one Napoleon, one Washington, one me!"
  • FINAL VERDICT: In his final showdown with the pesky goody-two-shoes Tracy, Big Boy falls to his doom.


Thus ends the first part of the look at Disney villains and the Seven Deadly Sins. There's more to come, so stay tuned!

Monday, August 29, 2016

Superstar Goofy

The Olympics are over now, but that doesn't mean they can't still be honored. In honor of that, the Disney Studio had produced a pastiche film in 1972 for the Olympics that year (held in Munich) known as "Superstar Goofy" (sometimes referred to as "Olympic Goof"), a collection of sports-themed Goofy cartoons (plus one Donald Duck cartoon). It was released mainly overseas in Europe and Australia, but would not be released stateside until 1976, just in time for the Olympics that year (held in Montreal).

The list of cartoons includes (with one exception, all are Goofy shorts):
  • The Hockey Champ (1939; Donald Duck short)
  • How To Ride a Horse (1941; originally released as part of The Reluctant Dragon)
  • The Art of Skiing (1941)
  • The Art of Self Defense (1941)
  • The Olympic Champ (1942)
  • How To Swim (1942)
  • How To Play Golf (1944)
  • Double Dribble (1946)
  • Tennis Racquet (1949)
  • Goofy Gymnastics (1949)
  • Aquamania (1961)

It also features clips of "The Goofy Sports Story" and "Goofy's Cavalcade of Sports", two episodes of the old Disneyland TV show. This program was later released in some form or another on home video, also only in Europe.

Presented below is a gallery of posters from this program:

And here also is a trailer for this program (in Spanish, however):

In conclusion, I would just like to say, see you in four years, Olympic games (back) in Tokyo! And to you, Goofy, we salute!

Monday, August 1, 2016

Mickey's Parade frozen treats!

As summer drags on, cool off with a parade down memory lane - Mickey's Parade, that is, with frozen treats a-plenty: popsicles and ice cream bars, all Disney-themed:


There even was a commercial for these frozen treats:

Unfortunately, Mickey's Parade is long gone. That means no more ice pops or sprinkle cones. Only the Mickey Mouse ice cream bars are still around, and then only at the Disney parks, and without the cute Mickey faces on them.

Credit goes out to this site for support: http://www.joelfletcher.com/creative-process_files/making-mickeys-parade.html. Visit this site to see how they brought the Mickey's Parade commercial to life.