Le meilleur Disney c'est...

Mary Poppins on est d'accord ?

Magicien d'Oz c'est pas un Disney ?

Alice au pays des merveilles

Le roi lion

Ensuite c'est la petite sirène et Pocahontas

Ce reeeeeeeveeee bleeuuuuuu

C'est Peter Pan.

Le roi lion !

J'avais adoré la belle et la bete, la petite sirène et Aladdin perso.

Mais, oui, Mary Poppins c'est très très haut.

Ceci

La Petite Sirène.

Trop de choix pour le titre de meilleur Disney pour le coup.

A Disney Villains Retrospective, Part 14: Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty)

In the comics, Maleficent rarely appeared. One story has her putting Aurora to sleep again with seemingly no cure. Ludwig von drake proves to be an unexpected time traveler hero. Another story has her and Madame Mim kidnap the christmas spirit. The fial one has Maleficent's head goon reform and become Santa's bodyguard. One italian story was the Disney retelling of th neverending story. Mickey must save the world from the nothing, a thing threatening to wipe them out. Maleficent tries to let nothing succeed even if it wipes her and her friends out as well. It's still a victory over the heroes to her eyes. At the end Mickey succeeds and Maleficent ends up being taken by the nothing. In the manga kilala princess, story follow a girl named Kilari through various Disney franchises meeting princesses along the way. When she meets Aurora it's been 1 year since Philip woke her from her enchanted sleep. As the kingdom celebrates, a mysterious women named lady maleficent visits with a rare rose as a gift. This is actually Maleficent. After Kilari stops Aurora from touching the rose, Maleficent bites her time a bit. Later on she reveals her true form and makes more poison thorns grow around the castle. Kilala is pricked and fall into the enchanged slumber. Her love interest kiss her awake and Maleficent is wiped out on spot. In the kingdom keepers, Maleficent acts as the main villain alongside Chernabog. In 2008 a short sequel to the original movie was published called Maleficent This one takes place 2 years after Aurora's awakening. A lunar eclipse takes place which apparently weakens some fairy's powers and the spells they cast.
Because of this, Diablo the raven turned previously into stone is able to break free again. He finds her mistress staff and pecks it which is enough to bring Maleficent back from the dead. Maleficent turns all of Aurora's kingdom into stone except for Aurora. The princess asks her to put her to sleep in exchange for freeing the rest of the kingdom. Once restored, prince Philip fights Maleficent once more and this time tricking her dragon form into biting her own tail poisoning herself and saving Aurora. Later on in 2017 a short prequel was published called " a message dfor Maleficent "

Maleficent has a strong presence in the Disney parks. Disneyland opened in 1955 during Sleeping Beauty's lenghty production. Although the movie itself wouldn't come out until 1959, Walt Disney chose it to represent the park as a whole to drum up the excitement for the movie and to put an attraction inside the castle with a walkthrough added inside the wallls, who is telling the story of Sleeping Beauty. The first version focused on Maleficent and the scarier aspects of the story. Maleficent is first seen standing over Aurora who just collapsed after pricking her finger. Diablo is perched on Maleficent's shoulder flapping his wings. Guests pass a serie of barred doors and looking through the keyholes they can see the goons staring back at them. An effect done by placing mirrors in the goon's eyes so they would blink when the guests blink. Maleficent is shown summoning her evil spirits and demons to celebrate her triumph. They get to see her torture room as well although no torture device is shown in the movie.The final corridor has Maleficent's shadow on the wall It ended up being removed since it scared childrens a bit too much. The walthrough was redesigned in 1977. The mostly 2 diemnsional characters were replaced with doll like versions. It was lighter in tone and Maleficent appeared less as a result. She can be een shouting at her goons for their incompetence, then she can be seen fighting the prince in her dragon form. In the late 1990s or early 2000s this dragon scene was covered up probably due to some malfunction.
The walkthrough was closed in 2001, which was largely due to the 9 / 11 terrorist attacks and the cost cutting that followed. In 2008 the walkthrough reopened and redone. The new version is based on the 1957 attraction with some scenes being direct reproductions like Maleficent standing over Aurora. A new scene shows her transforming into a dragon ready to take on Phillip. The keyholes with the goons however didn't return. The doors that held them did. They will now pop up from behind windows to scare guests. For a time Maleficent could also be found in the castle in Tokyo deep in its hidden dungeons. The cinderella mistery tour was opened from 1986 to 2006. Inside, guests would encoutner one villain after the next. The instigator of the whole event was the magic mirror from Snow White and the final villain to be fought was the horned king probably because the black cauldron has been previously released in theaters. The dark tone worked well for the attraction. Maleficent is seen on a portrait near the beginning and her goons appear at a foutain in the water and out of crevices. After that, guests pass her castle on the forbidden mountain with ghosts swirling around and lightning filling the sky. A large dragon can be encountered later on. A dance show was performed weeks before it opened for promotion. Maleficent was the main character appearing in a black and red robe, looking close to Mark Davis initial design. At the end, Mickey blasts her with a sword.


A Disney Villains Retrospective Part 4: Pinocchio Villains

Pinocchio features a large group of villains. In the original books, Pinocchio is seen as a fairy tale in the same vein as the Grimm stories; Written by Carlo Collodi, it was first published as a serial in an italian children's magazine in 1881. It's translated title was the story of a puppet. In the story, a magical piece of wood is carved into a marionette that comes to life. And quickly begins to make a nuisance of himself. Pinocchio Pinocchio torments his carver Geppetto and when a talking cricket lectures him, Pinocchio throws a hammer at the bug, killing it. After a few misadventures, Pinocchio is killed by a ruthless fox and cat. He was given the gift of life and squandered it so he deserved to die. Since the story was successfull, Collodi's publisher urged him to write more chapters thus Pinocchio was revived and the story became slightly more positive. Altough there was a happy ending and more emphasis on Pinocchio trying to gain humanity, and earn the form of a real boy, there were still some traumatic moments in the text. The liars that Pinocchio meets in the story at the beginning were originally an unnamed fox and a capped cat. The 2 pretend to be disabled with the fox feigning a limp and the cat feigning blindness. When they meet Pinocchio, the wooden boyhas come into a session of 5 gold coins. The greedy animals are cuick to calm him, telling Pinocchio that they will show him an enchanted field where he can plant the coins to make a money tree. It's obvious that they are not to be trusted but being a foolish child who shirks basic education, Pinocchio follows them to get rich quick. The fox and cat tell Pinocchio to meet them at a wooded area at midnight. When Pinocchio goes to meet them, they appear as disguisd as robbers in black cloaks and hang the puppet from a tree which was meant to be his death as stated earlier.

Les souvenirs.

A little later after being revived, Pinocchio encounters the animals again where they take him to the phoney field of miracles and have him bury the money. Of course they make off of it when Pinocchio is not looking.They aren't seen again until the end of the story where they truly have become disabled and impoverished as a result. They beg Pinocchio for help but Pinocchio laughs at their faces before continuying on his journey. In the Disney film when the fox calls himself Honest John, his real name is stated to be J. Worthington Foulfellow although it's never used in the movie. The cat is named Gideon. Honest John was voiced by Walter Catlett and the cat was voiced by Mel Blanc. Gideon had originally dialogues in the movie but in the end it was decided that the cat would be funnier if he was a mute, similar to what happened with Dopey the dwarf in Snow Shite. a few years earlier. Mel Blanc recorded a few hiccups but that ended up being the extent of his voice work for the movie. Honest John and Giden were basically written to be a vaudeville duo out. Since the scenes with them are funny, they come as the most likable villains of the movie. But looks are deceiving and Pinocchio was literally born yesterday. He is such a patsy that they are able to trick him twice without much effort. Gideon's first instinct to catch Pinocchio is to pull out his mallet and later tries to smash the cricket. In the scene where the coachman offers them a large payment for a special job, Honest John immediatly assumes they are supposed to kill someone and shows no hesitation in his willingness to murder. He seems to be taken aback when he is told that Pleasure Island is involved but only because he fears the police, not for any moral reasons. When it comes to selling childrens to slavery, they are your go to guys.
According to the unauthorized book " mouse under glass " there was giong to be a scene after Pinocchio escaped with Jiminy Cricket escape Pleasure Islande where they run into Honest John and Gideon one more time. When the bad guys run after Pinocchio, they run into the police instead and are finally arrested. This was cut for pacing reasons so like most of the villains in the movie, they get away with their misdeeds and make a sizable profit as well. The movie is quite realistic despite having some magic and talking animals. Sometimes evil people in the world get away with their crimes. It doesn't mean you should stop being a good person, if anything, it means you should find the strenght to be good in spite of this. Gepetto's cat, Figaro, proved to be popular enough to have a few shorts made about him. One cartoon called bath day had an alley cat resembling Gideon. Given that Figaro was the star of the cartoon, the Pinocchio connection was probably intentional. To be honest, Gideon isn't as cool as a conventional cat as in the Pinocchio movie. An audio adaptation of a christmas carol released in 1974. The 2 of them played the collectors for the poor who Evan Easter Scrooge chases away. In 1975 a book was published with the duo in a more fitting role with Foulfellow and Gideon acting as the taylors in an adaptation of the Emperor's new clothes who more or less gassed an entire kingdom with supposedly invisible clothes that don't really. Then there was the Emperor's new clothes story played by prince John from Robin Hood. In most of the comics, unlike in the movie, they rarely get away with their msideeds. A video game based on the movie came out in 1996 for the Super Nintendo, the Sega Genesis and the Game Boy.
Four Fellow only appears on level l1 spying on Pinocchio who plays as he heads to school. At the end of the level, the fox is waiting to lead you astray. Gideon actively hinders your progress meanwhile by running around and throwing flowerpots at you. Later, Gideon makes a completly random appearance in an underwater level. Both were initially to be seen in Kingdom Hearts. 358 / 2 days. The 2 can be seen at the Disney theme park sometimes mutable characters, sometimes in parades. Out of the Pinocchio villains they are the most common because they are the least threatening and the mose likable despite how bad they truly are. In Pinocchio's journey dark ride,they can be seen hanging out on Pleasure Island.
Stromboli. In teh adventures of Pinocchio, the character is called Mangiafoco. His translated name is the fire eater. He is the puppet master at the local marionette theater where Pinocchio goes on his own cord instead of going to school. In fact he meets the fire eater before he meets the fox and the cat. At the stage the puppet recognized Pinocchio as one of their own, even knowing his name. They stopped performing and invited the wooden boy on stage to celebrate, abandonning the show. Of course the audience is not happy and the fire eater punishes Pinocchio by using him fore firewood. See how pitiful and frightened he is, the fire eater feels compassionate, let Pinocchio go along with some gold coins which is what attract the fox and the cat in the plot. Stromboli in Disney however is harsh through and through. He pretends to be nice to Pinocchio at the beginning. But he is very quick to let his mask slips. He is voiced by Charles Judels. This is the turning point of the movie. The first part os the movie was very light. He makes it clear that Pinocchio will oerform until it drops at which case he will become firewoods. Stromboli is another villain of the movie who manages to get away with his misdeeds. He might have lost his main attraction but he still made some profit from him. In earlier version of the script, Stromboli was going to be based in a puppet theater in the village? Making him a traveller performaer added a sense of urgency to Pinocchio situation. The unused design of the puppet theater was utiliszed for the exterior of the Pinocchio dark ride at the theme park over 40 years later. Although he didn't appear in comics as much as the fox and the cat, the few times he appeared he appeared in his natural cruel fashion as an exploitative slave driver of his performers. He was seen also as the owner of flea circus, and tried once to steal Pluto to use him as an attraction.
He appears in the Pinocchio staring journey ride voiced by Ray Templin. He was featured in the Disney on parade tour showing in the 1970s as well, essentially Disney on ice without the on ice part. He appears at theme parks although not as common a sight as the other Pinocchio characters In the made for TV musical Geppetto, a different version of Stromboli was featured. Here he is performed by Brent Spiner who is the main villain and pursues Pinocchio throughout the story unlike the animated version. This Stromboli is a washed up performer although. When Pinocchio escapes Stromboli he immediatly hops on the coach to Pleasure Island. Stromboli sets out to get him back but is removed from the island so he waits instead for Geppetto and Pinocchio to return home from their adventures. He tries to reclaim Pinocchio citing his legally binding contact not signed. Geppetoo pleads to reconsider in a scene that does tug at the heartstrings despite of the rather cheesy movie. Steven Schwart's music is a thankfulness. In the end it's Geppetto's love for Pinocchio that prompts the blue fairy to change Pinocchio into a real boy thus making him worthless to Stromboli. However this Stromboli version might be the least threatening version of Stromboli here. He talks to his puppets as if they were real people and in the story Stromboli doesn't look like he has family or friends. He also has a bit more fun and crazy persona. It's a different but entertaining take on the character.

The most sinister villain both on the Disney version and on the original story. The donkey transformation usually stands out in the movie. In the book there is a secret world known as the land of toys where little boys are encouraged to be as much lazy and indulge in as much g rated hedonism as possible. After several months, the boys are transformed into donkeys and sold. The only adult identified in the land is identified as the little man, driving the boys there in his coach and showing up to collect them as donkeys later on. Initially he is decribed as pleasant and friendly. But his true colors are shown almost instantly when the donkey's driving, the coach refused to cooperate undoubtadly as past victims. The little man bites off parts of their ears. Despite seeing this, no red flag or warning bells goes off for Pinocchio or any of the boys. The last we hear of the little man is that he's become a millionnaire from the donkey trade in the span of only a few years. The little man was renamed the coachman in the Disney film. The land of toys was renamed into the Pleasure Island. He was voiced by Stromboli's actor Charles Judels. The dialogue between him and the fox where he proposes money for finding boys for him already reveals his true nature. For the kids however he keeps up the friendly facade. Jiminy Cricket sense that there is something uncooperative on that island. Just like in the book, boys are transformed into donkeys gathered by the coachman's henchmen and sold. The time it takes before the boys turn into donkeys here was much shorter than the 5 months in the book. On the pleasure island there were carnival rides, boatload of cigars, an entire mansion to demolish and more locations that we don't get to see. Some say the coachman wasn't even human, was here to lead wayward souls astray and then punish them.

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A Disney Villains Retrospective, Part 20: Edgar (The Aristocats)

The plot quite looks like the 101 dalmatians. It's an upbeat lightweight movie which is not necessarly a bad thing but important to keep in mind when discussing the villain. Edgar the butler is just as lightweight as this movie. The Aristocats has actually a lenghty history. These are a lot of details that aren't available and most of interviews to be found are from secondhand interviews or animation auction sites. Disney for whatever reason doesn't seem too interested in making the movie's full production public. The story was proposed to Walt in 1962 based on a children's book about cats trying to find a home in New York. It was merely the jumping off point. The setting was changed to Paris and the original idea was to do it as a live action 2 part TV special : a butler and a maid find out that they will inherit their rich employers money when she dies but the hitch is that she is leaving her money to her cats first and her servants second. They would have then tried to kill or rid themselves of the cats only for the mother cat to continue to stay out with them. For example one scene would have the servants digging a hole in the cellar to bury the cats. The mother cat would shut the door on them blocking them. Meanwhile they would hit a water main and find themselves trapped in the flooding basement. Also throughout the story, the mother cat would try to find homes suited for her kitten's unique house. Walt felt that the material with the kittens finding homes was the strongest aspect of the script and suggested it to be an animated feature. By the time the production was truly on the way, Walt was dead and many of the ideas he liked were dialed back or cut. The relationship between the servants went through a few stages acid their names. Originally the butler was named Pierre and the maid was named Suzette. A script fragment from 1968 shows the 2 having separate soliloquies where they were pine for each other. But doubt the other one feels the same way.

This is in line with the original pitch where they would be in cahoots with each other, trying to kill the cats and gain the fortune. This is also supported by some concept art presumably from the same time which shows them laughing behind their employer's back.

As the film develops, the characters change. The butler became Edgar and the maid became Elvira. One of the bonus features from the Aristocats shows an entirely different opening, featuring maybe the most effective version of Edgar as a villain. This story had Elvira coming across as a lovable character absolutly smitten with Edgar.. Edgar is drawn as a bit more handsome and and just a tad bit more sinister

He grumbles to himself about having to serve the spoiled cats, planting the seedsin our head that he is already resentful of this position. He would overhear what Madam saying that him and Elvira would inherit their fortune. He is excited until he hears that he will have to share the money with Elvira. Taking advantage of the maid's affection, Edgar would launch into a love song called " how much you mean to me ". If he marries her, he will get all the money.

Only after he's proposed to Elvira does Edgar hears the rest of Madam's saying and learns that the cats will inherit the money first. Looking closely at the storyboards, the ones featuring a shorter and dumber Edgar, you see that the characters names were still Pierre and Suzette when the song was first written.

This Edgar does elicit a bit of sympathy at first. It would be rather undignified to be a servant for a bunch of cats, but when he uses Elvira as a tool for riches, he becomes reprehensible. They could have kept this version of the character who was neutered in the movie. Ultimatly, Elvira was dropped from the plot. They had Elsa Lanchester in mind for her and Boris Karloff in mind for Edgar. The 2 had memorably appeared in " the bride of Frankenstein " as the titular bride and the monster so it could have been fun to have them together again. One of the other ideas for Edgar seems to have root in Jekyll and Hyde. In the alternate's opening, Madame's lawyer warns that her and Edgar must not know about the will because greed can corrupt an otherwise good person. This is followed up by a shot of a devilish Edgar instantly consumed by greed.

A script fragment found took it even further. The butler was to have talked to his reflection which would represent his evil side or his practical side as a call of itself.

The whole split personality business gave Edgar a dimension that we don't get to see in the final movie. I assumed it was cut because this isn't a movie about a good man being corrupted. First and foremost it's a movie about a bunch of cats wandering through Paris.

In the movie in 1970 when we meet Edgar, he seems like a remarkably patient fellow. Right off the bat we see him put up with Toulouse climbing up his face while he is driving. If he has any resentment towards the cats, it doesn't show unlike in the alternate opening where his mask slips a little. While his employeer, Madame Adelaïde Bonnefamille is truly a kind person. It doesn't mean that Edgar's job is necessarly an easy one. He is clearly a hard worker and crafty kittens are most likely a handful. It really does seem that Edgar cares about the Madame and her cats, at least as much as the butler can. Aside from the cats, he is the closest thing that Madame Adelaide has to a family. And she seems to appreciate it. Her leaving her fortune to her cats amouts to a mix of being sentimental and eccentric is a bit much but it's coming from good place. I think the biggest opportunity missed with Edgar comes in how they handle the scene where he learns about Madame's will. In the earlier draft, we see him instantly consumed by greed, making a devious face not unlike the coachman from Pinocchio. His first move before hearing about the cats is to seduce Elvira so he will have access to even more money. Couple that with Georges Hautecourt's line about how greed can corrupt a good man and the split personality idea, and you have a wonderfully scummy villain to root against. Not only that but him finding about the cats after proposing to Elvira almost feels like an act of karma. In the final film, Edgar's reaction is less slimy. He blows a kiss to Madame and does a little dance of joy. It's still out of greed but most of us probably would. And the news about the cats rightfully stings. After all, what cats can even do with money? That's where it gets a little hazy. People point out that as the cat's butler, Edgar would technically be in control of most of their fortune. He is a human. That would make sense.
But the Aristocats never make it clear how animals and humans coexist. In " Lady and Tramp ", the pets are just pets, animals act like animals for the most part. In the Aristocats, altough the titular cats are still pets, we also have cats that walk on 2 legs and play musical instruments. They are anthropomorphic enough that maybe these cats can control their finances if need be. Edgar frets about the cats having 9 lives, meaning that they may outlive him. That's an underheaded idea. However, assuming that Adelaide dies within a few years, 3 of these cats are still kittens, meaning that Edgar have to wait up to 15 years to get his money. And if one of those cats have kittens, would he have to wait for any longer? It's quite unfair. Some can say this ties into the idea about how greed can corrupt a good man but they don't seem to lean that way in the movie. We have soe hints of a darker side to Edgar as the film goes on. Obviously he drugs and abandons the cats. It's unclear if he meant to kill them before getting waylaid but given that he thinks that they have 9 lives, I don't think he would see the point in. Later he brags to his horse Froufou about his kidnapping making headline news. The idea that he is so pleasde with his crime that he has to tell someone even if it's just his horse should count on something. There is not a trace of guilt in his face. Then a day or 2 after he takes the cats, we see Edgar slacking on the job, smocking a cigar and breaking out the champagne. Madame is in the other room in deep depression from losing her pets. At this point it's harder to pity Edgar. Edgar is more of a desperate fool than anything. He doesn't plan anything in advance. He hears about the will and a few moments later, he is already preparing to drug the cats. When he is in panic at the cats returning, he throws them in a crate mark for Timbuktu, probably the first place that came to mind.

There is a good chance they would have suffocated before they reached their destination. But I don't think Edgar even considered that. He was just improvising at that point. Edgar eventually ends up unconscious in the crate himself. A strong point of Edgar is his animation. When he is in butler mode, he is as prim and proper as they come. When he is alone,he is able to really let his feelings out. In these scenes, Edgar wears his heart on his sleeve, rapidly going through a succession of intense emotions. His body language and facial expressions are a joy to behold. Hie voice actor, Roddy Maude-Roxby is also having a good time hamming it up. Roddy apparently had a long career in British comedy. The scene where Edgar is chased by a pair of hound dogs is a lot of fun. The movie director Willie Reitherman had previously supervised the Peter Pan scene withs with Hook in the crocodile. The scene was so popular in test audiences that late into the production, a second scene with Edgar and the dogs was added althought the second chase doesn't live up to the madcap fun of the first one. Altought Edgar is not a popular villain, the Aristocats is a lightweight movie, it's sugary fluff and everyone cannot be like Maleficent or Cruella. It adds a gentle charm to it. A character like Edgar fits snugly into this film. Even when he is chasing O"Malley with a pitchfork he is just not that threatening. In early drafts we had a suitably wicked character that we could root against. In the final movie he appeared more sympathic than he was meant to be. About his last name, a lot of websites list him as Edgar Balthazar. I assume this was some name on a model sheet or mentioned behind the scene feature. But no evidence of this being his canonical name. Edgar made a theme park appearance. In 2019, Disneyland Paris had their jazz event.
At the Disney studios park, Edgar appeared in an interactive show. 2 comic books series were released : " O'Malley and the alley cats. " and " the Aristokittens ".They both ran from the early to mid 1970s with the Aristokittens lasting for 8 issues and the O'Malley serie lasting for 9. The placement of Edgar in these comics is inconsistent. Comics have their own continuity that can vary from story to story. Some stories have O'Malley but no Duchess and the kittens, but not living with them, they also have O'Malley seemingly knowing them before the events of the movie. In most of these stories, Edgar is just the butler, presumably before he knows about Madame's will. His appearances are sporadic as a result. He then often only appears in a panel or 2 . The story " Edgar, the cat catcher " has Duchess and O'Malley on a nightly stroll when they come across a pair of tramps, recognizing one as Edgar who was returned from Timbuktu. Edgar recognizes them right back and blames them for his current situation. He tries to kill them on the spot with a shovel but a police officer deters him. So Edgar goes to the mayor with phonic statistics, claiming that cats are overrunning the city. With a trickery he gets himself elected as an official cat catcher. This gives them the excuse to capture all the cats he's tangled with in the past. O'Malley gets the last laugh however. He seeks out the mayor's wife's prized kitten who agrees to help. The kitten puts himself in one of the Andrew's cages making it seem like the ex butler captured him as well. The mayor strips Edgar of his job. Edgar's notable appearance is another follow up to the movie in a later issue of " O' Malley and the alley cats '.
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Les MEILLEURS MÉCHANTS de DISNEY 😈

Parmi les meilleurs méchants de Disney : 1 : Jafar. Un bon méchant pour Disney c'est un personnage mémorable C'est souvent lui qui donne le ton et le rythme du film et sans lui l'histoire est oubliable. Jafar est vizir du royaume d'Agrabah, conseiller du sultan, qui voudrait devenir sultan à la place du sultan et près à tout pour cela. D'apparence posée et loyal, c'est un masque masquant ses ambitions et sa cruauté. Jafar est le méchant par excellence captant votre attention, celui qu'on adore détester. Il a poussé le concept jusqu'à bout entre sa démarche, son design, ses piques sarcastiques et sa voix, celle de Féodor Atkine pour le doublage français. C'est l'antagoniste parfait pour Aladdin. C'est son miroir. Le jeune renégat au coeur noble contre le noble sans coeur. Il est là pour exposer la faiblesse du héro dans tout le film. Aladdin se fait passer pour un prince qu'il n'est pas, allant jusqu'à briser sa promesse avec le Génie et refuse de le libérer pour qu'on ne p uisse pas découvrir sa véritable identité. Jafar s'en rend compte, lui vole la lampe et révèle la supercherie, transformant même la chanson " Prince Ali " le sommet de la gloire du héro, en son hymne de défaite. Jafar apporte la morale de l'histoire. Aladdin s'en rend compte trop tard, unue fois envoyé à l'autre bout du monde. S'il avait été honnête, Jafar n'aurait jamais gagné. Avec la nouvelle puissance du Génie, le sorcier est imbattable et pour le vaincre Aladdin utilisera sa faiblese, se moquant de Jafar et disant que sans le Génie il n'est rien. Celui ci blessé dans son ego, demande au Génie de devenir le Génie le plus puissant de la Terre. Sans le savoir il vient de se condamner à devoir être piégé dans une lampe. Aladdin a retourné l'orgueil du sorcier contre lui même. Jafar chamboulle l'histoire, pointe les contradictions du héros et le pousse à se surpasser.
2 : Shere Khan. A toujours parlé de Scar, on oublie facilement son prédécesseur. Dès le début du film les loups se rassemblent et disent que Shere Khan est revenu chassé sur leur territoire. Ils le considèrent comme le protecteur de la jungle et déteste donc les humains. On le présente comme une menace mortelle telle qu'une horse de loup entière ne suffirait pas à l'arrêter. Mogli doit partir. Dans les 2 premiers tiers du film, Shere Khan est absent des écrans. Mais on parle toujours de lui comme d'une ombre funeste qui plane. On le voit au bout de 47 minutes de film, silencieux et déterminé, les yeux rivés sur sa proie, il est terrifiant. Sa voix posée couplée à l'air satisfait de celui ayant toujours 3 coups d'avance, on comprend pourquoi c'est le maître de la jungle. Le seul qui n'a pas peur de lui, c'est Mogli. C'est vrai que finalement on se rend compte que Shere Khan est loin d'être la menace invisible et quasiment invincible qu'on nous a vendu au début. Baloo l'attrape par le queue puis Mogli l'attache avec une branche enflammée et c'est suffisant pour le faire fuir. Une des règles du cinéma est que pour rendre un monstre plus terrifiant il faut le cacher. Shere Khan fait peur quand on ne le voit pas. C'est passé à la trappe dans l'adaptation en live action de 2016.
3 : Frollo. Dur de ne pas penser au juge du bossu de Notre Dame. Dès le début il est terrifiant, il tue une innocente et n'hésite pas a vouloir jeter son bébé au fond d'un puit. Heureusement l'archidiaque arrive et le force à l'élever. Frollo décide donc de le cacher en haut des tour de Notre Dame à l'abri des regards. Frollo est le miroir du héros Quasimodo. Quasimodo est quelqu'un de bien à l'apparence grotesque. Son père adoptif se présente comme un modèle de vertu alors qu'il ne fait que le mal. Le film nous dit de ne pas juger sur les apparences. D'abord c'est Esmeraldo qui aide Quasimodo et voit le vrai visage de Frollo. Ensuite c'est tout Paris à la fin qui accepte Quasimodo. Contrairement à Jafar, Frollo se pense comme quelqu'un de bien, sans défaut, pourchassant le mal au nom de Dieu. Il ne peut se concevoir comme une mauvaise personne. Jeter un bébé dans un puit? C'est le fils du diable. Massacrer des bohémiens car ce sont des hérétiques. Pour prouver qu'il est le meilleur il rejette constamment ses propres fautes sur les autres et les pousse vers le bas. C'est ainsi qu'il manipule Quasimodo. Il projette sa vision du monde sur lui et se présente comme son sauveur. Quasimodo doit donc se libérer de son emprise au travers de ses propres yeux. Au fond la vertu de Frollo n'est que mensonge. Dès le début, l'archidiac lui rappelle que quoiqu'il fasse les yeux de Notre Dame sont rivés sur lui. Mais il ne peut pas l'accepter. Ce paradoxe donne la chanson " l'infernal ", l'une des plus iconiques de Disney. Sa passion pour Esmeraldo en est la preuve : Frollo n'est pas celui qu'il veut être. Cette guerre contre lui même finit par le détruire. Il tente de tuer Esmeraldo puis Quasimodo, révélant son vrai visage, avant de subir la rétribution. La vraie morale du Bossu de Notre Dame au delà de ne pas s'en tenir qu'aux apparences c'est de ne pas refouler nos démons. Il faut les reconnaître et les comabttre sous peine de risquer de finir comme Frollo.
Cruella d'Enfer, créatrice de mode obsédée par l'idée de tuer une centaine de bébés dalmatiens pour s'en faire des manteaux. Elle les capture avec l'aide de 2 brigands, Jasper et Horace. Les chiens doivent s'enfuir. Cruelle les poursuit mais finit dans un gouffre. Son attitude, sa défiance, ses cheveux mi blancs mi noirs l'ont rendue iconique. Dans la suite, elle semble presque redevenir normale, remplaçant son obsession pour les fourrures par de l'art mais elle rechute recapture à nouveau tous les chiots. Cruelle apparait aussi en dehors de l'animation dans un certain nombre de spin offs.

Why Hopper is a Fantastic Villain [A Bug's Life]
He spend most of the movie trying to prevent his worst fears from coming to fruition. Hopper's greatest strenght is not the physical one but of the mental variety. He controls people by making them fear him, making them think that he is stronger than he actually is. In reality he doesn't have very much. He tricked people into thinking that he does so that he can control them. It's why he hates his brother because his brother's idiocy is one of the biggest threats to his illusion of power. He uses the grasshopper thumper to make the ants think that if they try to fight back, they will fight against these grasshoppers. Hopper also thinks that he is the greatest and that he is the one who deserves to be in control. But he doesn't have what it takes to fully be in control. So Hopper cheated his way on top by making up this lie that he is really all powerful. Hopper tries to back up his false power by bringing in his allies. However most of them are not very strong or powerful either. Hopper can only control people who are weaker or less intelligent than him which means that everyone who serves is weaker and less intelligent than him. But having stupid minions can be davastating. One of the greatest part of Popper's character is that he is fully aware of his weaknesses. that his illusion of control and power being broken and people seeing him for what he truly is, just a bully. Hopper doesnt want to only control the ants but also the grasshoppers who follow him. If they see the illusion they can abandon him and find a new leader instead.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHoxN0wVQIk Lord Shen - Kung Fu Panda's Greatest Villain (Kung Fu Panda 2)

I believe that Lord Shen is Kung Fu Panda's greatest villain. Tai Lung was more related to Shifu while Kai more related to Oogway. However, Shen has impacted Po's life and his past directly. Shen is Po's true antagonist. This is illustrated by the film's use of the ying and yang. They are the perfect opposites. What is appealing first with Shen is his design. The peacock is a beautiful animal, one that embodies both arrogance and beauty. And it was demonstrated with how it was animated, carefully illustrating his pride through his face but also through his feathers. Compared to Tai Lung, he is not a menacing animal. But Shen's mind and brutality makes up for it. Shen is different from Tai Lung. While Tai Lungs fights alone, Shen has an army. Tai Lung was a martial art master who excelled in hand to hand combat. And Shen was a very good martial artist himself but he also mastered the art of weaponr, using concealed knives, ropes, metal attachments to his talons and of course his most deadly weapon, his canonball fire. Tai Lung is ferocity power strenght while Shen uses his cunning to deceive and outsmart his opponents. For example he knew he couldn't defeat Master thundering Rhino in hand to hand combat so instead he shoots him with a cannon at point blank. The way Shen genocided the pandas was his first villainous act. The peacock is not after a legendary battle or a scroll. He wants to take over China and will do anything it takes to fulfill his goal. Shen saw a darker use for the fireworkds that lit up the city. His parents hired a soothsayer to predict his future. She told them that if he continued down his path, he would be defeated by a warrior of black and white. With this knowledge in hand, Shen killed an entire pandas village, ensuring that his destiny would not come true. That got him banished from the city by his parents with him swearing to come back one day for revenge.
Shen's story is the living embodiment of Oogway's line about how a person meet his destiny the way he wants to avoid it. Later on during the movie, knowing that a panda is on his way to his city shakes him to the core. He is afraid of destiny. His connexion with Po obviously makes him one of the greatest villain. Shen was the last remnant Po had with his past. During the film the panda is lost, searching for his true identity. This in't Po the dragon warrior but Po the panda desperatly trying to reconnect with his past. When Po and Shen meet for the second time, Shen knows that Po has post traumatic stress from his feathers and fan out his tail feathers is the first thing that Shen does when he sees Po.
Both are also linked by the theme of identity. The question the movie asks to both characters is : " Who am I ? " During Kung Fu panda, identity has been a theme carried for the whole trilogy. In this sequel it's even more apparent. 2 people whose are linked by an atrocity. Po's life began with it and Shen who life was seemingly decided by it. When the film ask this question to Shen, it also asks it indirectly to Po. The soothsayer said that the most important time was now. Po is able to realize and accept that the past does not define who he is.But Shen is not able to answer that question because his life has not been lived by Shen himself. His life instead has been lived by fear and by the past. Holding on his banishment by his parents and turning that into vengeance, Shen deprives himself of the answer. He doesn't have an identity beyond vengeance. This brings to Shen's demise and death, which solidifies Shen as the greatest villain of the series. Just after uncovering the truth that Shen is the one who killed his people and parents, Po never displays any rage towards Shen. Vengeance doesn't fuel him. When it comes to the time to just finish him off, Po just talks to him even though Shen taunted him about his parent's death before and robbed him of his biological family. Poa ccepts this and understands that he has a family and an adoptive father who loves him. He is able to look past this and see a peacock who feels betrayed and is so sad because of it. Eventually, during the final confrontation and follows, Shen's own creation fall into the peacock, and instead of trying to avoid death, Shen just closes his eyes and accepts his fate.
There are 2 different ways to interpret this. First is that destiny played its part as Shen was defeated by the warrior of black and white. On the other hand, Shen who has beben trying tll the movie to avoid his face actually succeeds. The prophecy said that it would be a warrior of black and white that would defeat him. But he wasn't killed by Po's hand. It was by his own. In that he was able to avoid his own destiny. Shen is also a victim of what Oogway calls the illusion of control. He was so afraid of his destiny that he tried everything to control it. But dying by his own hands meant that he was finally able to control something. Shortly before his death, Shen asks Po how did he found peace. He doesn't ask for Po's sake but for his own. The manner of which he says it is kind of heartbreakin becaues it illustrates Lord Chen's fatigue. He spent his whole life searching for peace and happiness. And instead of looking inwards, he looked to the material world to bring him peace. He though all of China would bring him joy. The soothsayer said to Po that in fact his parents loved him and that sending him away killed them. But vengeance sent Shen into a path of no return. Shen wanted vindication. Again Shen was searching for love, for his parent's adoration. When he wanted to build weapons, they feared him. When he wanted to cheat his destiny and wanted them to be proud of them, they banished him. So in his mind he trully believes that they never loved him, that he was hated all along. So when Po asked Shen what he wanted to be right now, he chooses death. Lord Shen knew he could never be satisfied, that he could never be healed or find peace. Or maybe he knew that in death, he would finally find peace. He wouldn't have to fear or run from his destiny.



https://www.youtube.com/w[...]?v=nArpkxLf_dw&t=621s Why Lotso is a Terrifying Villain [Toy Story 3]

Many of the best elements of Toy Story 3 resolve around Lotso. One of the things worth mentionning is that Lotso is one of the most cruel, despicable character put into an animated film. Yet he appears as a kind cuddly teddy bear and he loves hugs. But his love of hugs might have way more to do with always wanting everyone to be within his grasp than him actually liking one. He is a case of a villain that want to make other people to think that he is good and in this case, a lot of toys support Lotso here. Lotso is basically a criminal mastermind with an army of brainwashed soldierss and slaves at his fingertips. Lotso's control over other toys is a huge reason of why he is so scary and intimidating. Their eyes are his eyes and it's like you cannot escape his vision. He always knows what is happening in the daycare and if you upset him, he will know and act accordingly probably before you have any time to react. Escaping the place is almost impossible because of this factor alone. A scary thing about Lotsso is how he convinced the other toys that he is right and made them into villains as well even if they are not cruel like he is. They follow his means because they don't want to be seen as lesser. Lotso created an elite system where you can be right up next to him but only a few can hold these positions bue he makes the other toys believe that it's possible to one day be treated with enough respect if they survive the suffering long enough. This is why most of the toys are with him. Because they don't want to go back to be treated that way by young kids instead of being played with by the nice kids. And the oens who know the true horrors he inflicts are too afraid to speak out. They try to hide and accept their fate. Lotso does this by using logic to back up his flawed worldview making it more believable to those he tries to manipulate. He tells them that they are all destined to be thrown away and treated as garbage.

He projects his traumatic experience onto everyone else and convinces that the terrible things that happened to him will inevitably happen to everyone and because of this, he is the only one they can trust. Lotso's backstory is quite similar to Jessie's with how he was once loved by a kid, Daisy but later forgotten and abandoned though unlike Jesse his abandonmment was a mistake and not intentional. Worse still, Lotso tried so hard to get back to his owner only to find our the hard truth, that as a toy he is distinctly individual to a child. A child can only see the exterior of a toy and not who they are on the inside, through Daisy could have never known what replacing him would do and most likey it was not even her choice to replace him in the first place. Her parents just probably bought a replacement Lotso because she loved him so much and to her they are the same exact thing and she probably didn't know that Lotso was completly lost and abandoned, assuming that her parents simply found the old one, completly oblivious to the consequences. As Toy Story 2 showed us in the alternate Buzz Lightyear a toy can look outwardly the same as another yet grow to form their own distinct personality, as Lotso has here. So his abandonement struck harder due to his unique attachment to his child that she could never have known and on top of it all, it was the only one of the 3 toys left behind to be replaced which meant that Daisy's love was always shallow and fake and she never really loved him or any of the other toys as if she could so easily replace him then she could surely not value the others she didn't even replace anymore.
Lotso's experience is shaped by how a young child treats a toy, something vastly different from how an older child, teen or adult would treat the same toy because eventually people do grow attachments to specific toys that a replacement could never have. A toy you've had as long as you remember is not the same as the one you just bought the other day. This is part of why the dynamic between Lotso and Woody is so good. Because Woody knows for a fact that Andy loves his toys as more than just toys but as a personal part of his childhood and who he is and thus Woody refuses to give up on him Lotso denies the truth of what Woody claims because he was lost because his child could ever grow in attachment to him Lotso genuily believes that his worldview is correct. That is part of what makes him so dangerous but also what makes the struggle between him and Andy's toys so strong, as they eventually come to realize once again that Woody is right. The fact that Lotso's backstory is similar to Jessie's helps to tie the whole trilogy and its themes together by showing us even more ways in which these toys lives can be affected in way humans never consider. Secondly it shows us how strong Jessie really is, that she manage to move on and not let her trauma define her, finding happiness again with Andy and later Bonnie. While Lotso chose to instead becomes bitter and to never let go of his bad experiences, forcing them onto other people to make himself feel better. Lotso is not content with how horrible his life was and that no one seems to care or feel the same way he does. He doesn't want to accept that he was the only one who was replaced. He could never believe that someone like himself who was the most loved and had the closest thing to a special connection could be replace and no one else could be.
Because he was treated as trash, he has convinced himself that every toy will elso be treated as trash. And he has made his followers believe that this is true. This is often not the case for some toys who are genuily loved and respected but Lotso can't stand the idea that his life is or was worse than anyone else's. So to fuel his delusional worldview, he forces the other toys to experience a sample of what he claims. He does this by putting the other toys through the ringer in the caterpillar room. Watching other toys experience pain from kids who don't truly love them makes him feel superior for being played with by nice kids, the type of which he wished he had for an owner long ago. And he gets away with it on the basis of claiming it's only fair that the other toys such as himself get an easy job while the new fresh toys have to do the hard stuff. This also benefits him because he forces the other toys to experience the roughness of young children and question their potentially fragile existence. Lotso wants the other toys to believe they have no value because it's easier to manipulate a person who can't see their own worth or stand up for themselves than someone who does see their worth and can stand up for themselves. Lotso's doom and gloom trash talk ties back to the warnings of Stinky Petein Toy Story 2. How he warned Woody that if he chose to go back to his kid, he wouldn't last forever and would eventually be thrown away. All of this brings us to the truly dark side of Lotso when his manipulation and false kindness fails, the real monster comes out.
Lotso is a dangerously intelligent villain. He knows when the time of fakery is over and force is needed. Lotso's philosophy is that if you don't join him in his worldview then you must suffer until you understand the alternative. Lotso used Woody's hat to make the other toys believe he is even more dangerous than he is and he is already very dangerous. Another disturbingly realistic side of all of this comes in the form of Barbie and how Ken essentially saves her from the initial suffering by Lotso's hand and later from the prison, showing the unfair nature of reality that some people are spared suffering because of biases and personal connections that most people don't have. Unfortunatly for those who don't have such luxuries, they ar eput through some of the worst things a person can endure. Firstly and obviously the terrible playtime and when you are not suffering through the worst playtime of your existence, you are locked inside a cage and guarded, with virtually no freedoms remaining whatsoever. Even the ability to talk is all but taken away from you. The worst part of all of this is that Lotso hasn't changed their situation. They still must played with by the childrens who treat them terribly on a daily basis, only now they have no freedoms whatsover unless they convert to Lotso's way of life, or become so broken that they are little more than an emppty husk or just straight up trash and thrown away. But Lotso could easily change the toy situation for the worse as he does with Mr Potato head by putting him in what is essentially solidary confinement, this method being designed for those particularly oppoed to his views. Toys he can label as disturbers of the peace to justify his cruel actions. This is a tactic he uses only if he must. For doing so might make him appear less well meaning that he wants to appear.

This is part of the reason why he has his minion toys do most of the dirty work for him, so that he can use them as a spacegoat if someone claims he is cruel. He will just blame the other toys for being harsher than he intended. Lotso's methods are strong but clever toys like Buzz and Woody managed to get around his security or tight control. Even then Lotso managed to get to both of them, using tactics inspired by his low valuing of others to tamper with Buzz, forcefully treating him like a tool instead of a person. And doing something most likely unspeakable to the phone so eh can learn of the escape route and stop Andy's toys at all costs. Considering this phone has been through terrible things before and only at the end is broken by Lotso, I can only imagine the true horror Lotso is capable of when truly enraged. Even if you are smart or strong, Lotso can still get to you in the end, making him mure more terrifying. Additionally, Lotso's high security setup and system is just another branch of his extremely hard coded belief in his worldview. He wants the others to see the world the way he does so badly that he refuses to let them escape or view their existence in any way other than how he permits it. Unfortunatly, Woody and the others influence on the place would eventually lead to his downfall as cruel master of the daycare as Woody's genuine heartfelt belief in what is right and the love of all toys and their owners is able to convince most of Lotso's loyal followers to abandon their trust in him. Baby's rebellion is satisfying because he had been living as a sslave to Lotso and treated as worthless his whole life and finally chooses to reject that once and for all when Lotso disrespects the memory of the good times that he once had acting like they meant nothing.
However Lotso is not finished yet and drags Woody down with him. At the end, he fakes to be helpless and in need when they are on the path to their doom. He manipulates Woody's kindness to save himself. When the moment comes to him to repay that kindness, he leaves the toys for dead, deliberatly lying that he would help them only to save himself once again. But he didn't just leave them for dead to save his own cotton. But because saving their lives would validate Woody's wordviews that toys have value and meaning. Leaving them for dead however backs up his own point of view that toys are trash and were always destined to be thrown away and die. And that nothing worth comes from their existence. He values his own false wordview above the lives of other toys. In the final, Lotso is found by a man who simultaneously values him and wishes to keep him forever but also treats him like trash without realizing. He got what he wanted : the love of an owner and the ability to live ouf the rest of his life in his firmly believed wordview, suffering as a piece of junk in front of a truck with no worth or freedoms granted, but still loved too much to be let go.

Blanche Fesse et les 7 Mains

A Disney Villains Retrospective, Part 33: Ursula (The Little Mermaid)

The little mermaid story would be revisited during the 1980's during the production of the Great Mouse detective. The differences with the original story is that the little mermaid gets a name, Ariel and the creepy sea witch becomes an outright villainous threatening to enslave Ariel for life if she can't win the prince's love in 3 days. TO make matters worse, Ursula, the witch disguises herself as the maiden with the beautiful voice the prince has been searching for. For this disney animation, things turn happier for Ariel. Roy Clements and John Musker are talented directors but even they would admit that the greatest assets of the little mermaid success would be Howard Ashman and Alan Menken who wrote the songs, who even would write the story undercore. Ashman worked with the directors fine tuning the story and writing a few of the most effective scnes himself and he was also involved in the casting of the sea witch now named Ursula. Charlotte Ray was a big contender. Other were contenders but the role went to Pat Carroll toi voice Ursula. Pat Carroll had a career in voicing before and after the little mermaid. Ursula went through different shapes, sizes and even species. The original idea was to put a person with an unfriendly fish looking first half. But what creatures would it be? Concept art choosed her as scorpion fish, manay, puffer fish and more. Animator, Matthew O'Callaghan drew her as being aprt of an octopus which the main animator Ruben A. Aquino eventually goes for. He made sure the animators didn't just focus on the human half oof Ursula but also on her body as well. Ursula had 6 tentacles which made it easier for the animators to handle. If you count her arms, that puts it to 8 limbs. Aside from the initial Joan Collins'ss influence, some concept art by Dan Haskett, most artwork influence came from Divine, a drag reformer famous for his roles in John Waters movies.
Kathy Zielinski thought of Ursula as someone like Norma Desmond, the ex starlet from sunset boulevard. Both characters are divas and have fallen from grace and want to be back on top. They don't care about little people but need them. Norma wants blind adoration, Ursula wants fears. Pat Carroll saw Ursula as a former Shakesperean actress now stuck selling used cars. Actor Max Kirby was filmed for live action references doing a choreograph dance to poor unfortunate souls Disney shared a decent amount of footage of actors doing the same thing for Ariel and Eric. The Kirby material is currently unreleased. Ashman suggested as the story developed, that Ursula be Triton'd sister plotting for vengeance, waiting to rise and to rule the seas. But the directors decided it was too much exposition at the beginning of the movie. Ursula's backstory and relationship with Triton are left vague. We don't know why she got banished or whether or not she is a relative or royal family member. Ursula is such a strong character that she doesn't even need something like that. The directors realized this and let the animators have their fun showing off in all her tentacled glory. Another discarded idea for Ursula's introduction would have shown her business practises as a speckled nerdy mermaid named Harold who would make a deal to become irresistible to women. In return, Ursula wants a special flower. However the flower isn't in season so he can't find it. As punishment he joins her garden of Ring Pops. Harold would have a minor importance in this version. He is prominently seen when Ursula plan to enslave Ariel. After being banished from the kingdom of Atlantica, Ursula has set up in a deep dark corner of the ocean. She offers to people their greatest desires but there is always a big price to pay.

Based to what she does to Aril, and before that to Harold, Ursula always tip the scales in her favor and actively sabotage her customers. When they can't pay up, she turns them into the Ring wormlike Pops that make up her personnal garden. But what she really wants is to get back in the palace not just as a member of the royal court but as the queen. That way she will get her revenge on Triton and control the 7 seas. For that she needs to take advantage of a lovesick mermaid with no one else to turn to. Ursula never tries to hide her creepy nature. She lives in a whale skeleton but the artist went a few more extra miles and designed a giant sea monster skeleton instead. Just seeing that, we know that the people who still stick around are either desperate or foolish. Maybe some actually managed to pull that off but the chances are pretty slim against Ursula. An earlier version of the scene had Ursula harshly insulting the little mermaid when she comes to her lair, about how she got banished, with Ariel responding that she tried to overthrow her father. The scene was rewritten when they realized that if Ursula started off with that attitude even someone as desperate and vulnerable as Ariel would be liable to leave. Instead, even if Ursula makes a past agressive jab, the scene shows a more inviting sea witch at the end of their first encounter. Something repulsive yet alluring about her. We find ourselves getting drawn in alongside Ariel. That's why she has a very long line of victims. The character is written to be incredibly seductive both in physical and emotionnal sense. She tends to flirt with customers. Even her song with Ariel is quite sensual, shaking and shimmying around showing off that body language. Aside the final battle, this sequence is Ursula's moment to shine, especially with song. Initially, Ashman and Menken wrote a song called silence is golden with Ashman quickly decided wasn't good enough.
And they wrote poor unfortunate souls almost immediatly afterward. Silence is gold song isn't bad but it doesn't stack up to the other songs. It reminds of the song wrote for the " Little shop of horrors ". The cut song focus almost entirely on Ariel being mute as part of their deal. The cabaret style " poor unfortunate souls " meanwhile is a musical masterpiece. This is the scene where she makes her sales. She sings about how she is misunderstood and want the unfortunate people. The performance is compelling. It still has a verse about how silent won't be so bad but it's nestled into a bigger picture. The song grows more manic as Ursula puts pressure on Ariel to sign the contract. The animation follows suit with Ursula's faces and poses getting more and more exegerrated. We end on the incantations to turn Ariel human which was lifted from the previous silences golden. The visuals at the end with the smoke end pulling Ariel's voice out of her throat manages to be disturbing on a visceral level even though nothing graphic actually happens. Then there is Ariel's frantic swim to land practically drowning seconds after becoming human. Ursula doesn't want Ariel dead since she wants her to fail by the third sunset but she can't use a dead mermaid as bargaining chip with Triton. I assumed this was meant to leave her in a disoriented state but she was really going to die. Ursula would probably have help her to get on the surface in time. Ariel ends up doing better than what Ursula intended. She even seems impressed in spite of her frustration. Considering the stakes and her past, she wasn't going to play fair. So she uses Ariel's voice and turns into a lovely maiden to hypnotize prince Eric. Since he keep talking about the women with this mysterious voice that he wants to marry, no one seems too concerned when the bewitched prince calls for marriage immediatly.
In this disguise, Ursula calls herself Vanessa, a ressemblance with Ariel with darker hair and meaner features. All of this leads to an epic final battle with a superpowered sea. Initially the showdown wasn't going to be as big of a setpiece. Ursula would have grown a little larger with the power of trident but Ariel would have knock it out of her hands at one point. Using her tentacles, Ursula tries to both strangle and drown Eric. But Sebastian recovers the trident and gives it to the prince who either zaps her or throws it her like a javelin on the draft. Another idea was to have Ursula attack her with the trident but Eric touches it with a harpoon, electrocuting Ursula. It was exciting but not enough for CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg not enough. He apparently told the directors he wanted a more die hard finale. At the end Ursula uses the trident to transform herself into a giant. The kraken like monster creates a terrifying storm then start shooting at Ariel. Meanwhile the storm is so powerful that it brings a sunken ship to surface. Eric steers it right into Ursula piercing her through the gut. The directors of this movie previously did " The great mouse detective ". They learnt a lot from working with Ratigan. Ursula is now viewed often as an all time great disney villain. Flotsam and Jetsam, the two Ursula's eels are a pair of old pros, taking turn of speaking practically finishing each other sentence. They are rough looking creatures sharing a raspy voice. Patty Edwards is voicing them. There is still something smooth and enticing about them. Through their eyes is shown in Ursula's crystal ball back at the lair. The best comparision to think off might be Diablo, Maleficient's raven from Sleeping Beauty. Everything Ursula tasks them, they accomplish. They persuade her to visit Ursula, prevent Ariel and Eric from kissing. They might be the only ones Ursula is affectionate with, like pampered pets. Even the contract is decorated with the the illustration of the eels.

The fairy Flora means plants, the fairy Fauna means animals, and the ferry Merryweather means literally fair weather. Blessed by one fairy, the princess is gifted the beauty of stars, colors and roses. Reflective of her namesake, as the song says : " there will be springtime wherever she goes " . Blessed by another fairy, she is gifted the gift of song. This is visually represented with her connection to birds for song again unifies the princess with wildlife. They will share a song together, both being blessed with this gift. Before receiving her third and final blessing, a dark enemy upstages the fairies and interrupts the proceeding with a grand display. This enemy is the manifestation fo death with pale skin and yellow eyes being the visual signals of lifelessness, and with a bird of prey on her scepter almost as if he is ready to feed on the flash of her victims. The enemy is Maleficent, a name describing someone wicked who means to do supernatural harm in order to create disorder. Upon arriving, Maleficent derides the grandeur of the royal procession,and mocks the nobility with contempt. By calling the fairies rabble it's suggested that Maleficent was perhaps once among their ranks possibly even having hold a high position in the court. But now for some unknown reason she has been outcast So Maleficent visits to place a curse on the princess as she is determine to fulfill a dark prophecy. and undermine the previous blessings bestowed upon her. The curse on Aurora is implied to not be just directed at her but at the entire kingdom that she represents. The public displays of the curse is meant to be a condemnation of not just Aurora but of all her family and all those who live in the land. The curse goes as follow : before reaching his 16s, the princess will be slain.

A bewitched spindle of a spinning wheel will be her ultimate downfall. But Merryweather who didn't use her blessing yet, uses the opportunity to prophesy that " not in death but only in sleep " shall the spinning wheel curse the princess and that there shall be a " ray of hope " which is the kiss of true love that will reverse the curse and defeat Maleficent once and for all. The song here says : " for true love conquers all " The king decrees to burn all the spinning wheels and things are no longer worthy of celebration. Instead there is a loss, a burning destruction, as Aurora is taken away from the kingdom, harkening to the ever present " paradise lost " motif found in so many stories. The once magical life of Aurora blessed with stars, sparkles, and flowers is now mundane as she grows as a peasant in the deep woods away from her kingdom and shrouded in secrecy, not even knowing her own identify and purpose. On the other hand, Maleficent abode foudn among the forbidden mountains where she resides in a castle sitting on top sitting atop jagged towers under terrible clouds. Her domain is the antithesis of the joyful and sunny realm of Flora, Fauna and Merryweather. As anyone could have guessed, she has legions of swine, reptiles and goblins under her charge. Their shields shows images of snakes and their weapons are worn from what must be heavy use in pillaging and violence. Maleficent is show here to be the ultimate adversary of life and goodness. Her domain is hellish, lifeless, like a dark underworld like murky water or a dry desert. Contrast this to Aurora's forest cottage. Known as Briar Rose, is not at all wise to her true calling nor the danger that awaits her. Having been raised by the fairies, they discuss how to adorn Aurora upon her return to the kingdom, with one suggesting a blue outfit and the other a ping outfit.

All of this while maintaining their lowly peasant disguise just as the honor to princess herself is hidden behind the facade of Briar Rose. Now will walking among the birds in the woods, Aurora puts one of her blessing to use : her song calls to the woodland creatures as she is at peace with them. Some resemblance with that Edenic ideal from the beginning remains in her. Her song calls and reaches the ears of the prince also now grown, who long ago was betrothed with her. Phillip being the good prince of the land, wears red. Red can mean different things but here his garment is a symbol of a passionate and sacrificial nature while his white steed represents the purity of his purpose. In her song, Aurora desires the companionship she sees in nature. She observes that each bird belongs to their counterpart and she sings about a divine appointment in which she hopes to find her counterpart with whom she can join melodies. This song is understood even better in the light of her next verses which sings of the prince she knows she is destined to be with. The gleam in his eye is familiar to her for she walked with him " once upon a dream ". It's clear that deep inside, Aurora recalls that Edenic ideal from her infancy, the paradise lost, where all was right, where all the kingdom adored her where she was blessed with honor, majesty and betrothal to her perfect match. Her dream is both uplifting and disappointing for it is the joy of knowing where she is supposed to be, reigning with Phillip in love and honor. But it's also the sadness of recognizing it only as a dream.. as a shadowy mist of a reality that she can only see when she closes her eyes. But yet all fauna are intent on bringing to life the truth of her dream as they lead him to her and as they typify his appearance. They stand as a sign representing someone real.

Standing beyond the brush, the prince beholds the princess and reveals himself to her surprise. In an awkward encounter, Aurora hesitates. But the prince, understanding her dream to be prophetic, steps according to her dance and joins her in the song. It's here the magic suddently enters the story again. The fairies, desiring to properly celebrate the princess, use their divinity to accomplish what they couldn't by themselves. This is a singpost back to how things should be, ultimatly, as the magic returns just as the princess's dreams finally comes true. Unfortunatly this alerts the attention of the powers of darkness who hav elong awaited to strike the princess with the prophecised curse from long ago. Even more conflict aries when Briar Rose is told of her true origin. Being ignorant of the forces at work, she disassociates her from her calling, believing the meeting in the forest to be all there is to her dream. But still, the greater intention at the beginning was the unification of the 2 kingdoms, Phillip's and Aurora's which would bring everlasting peace and prosperity to all. This is the greater concern which is reflected in the drunken argument between the 2 kings. Though played off as a goofy scene, we are meant to get the sense that they will be either unified or there will be war. Phillip sees Aurora, the honored princess, as a peasant girl. He cares not for her wealth or her status but only that she dreamed of him and he of her. The blessings betowned upon her by the fairies preserve the beauty of Aurora for Phillip for her song ultimatly drew him to her. Despite her seemingly low position, he knows that they belong together. He doesn't care to marry a princess. He cares to marry her. But Aurora is disillusioned. Having met her prince but not knowing it, she is grief stricken and unwittingly set up for destruction. Maleficent preys on Aurora in the dark hallway placing Aurora into a trance.

Like a snake waiting in tall grass, Aurora is drawn up to the dark tower by Maleficent away from her guardian gairies. She is turned zombie like as though death is upon her. Maleficent summons the tool of Aurora's demise and draws her in. Maleficent, the mistress of all evil, seems to have won. Shrewd and cunning, she berates the fairies as lowly and simple and revels in the curse of the princess laughing as she retreats back to her dark tower. Aurora now Sleeping Beauty is virtually lifeless, suspended in an ageless sleep. In response in an unexpected action, the fairies spread the curse of Maleficent to all the kingdom on behalf of Aurora. As she sleeps so will all her people. Until the hope of her salvation comes true. The song says : " one day he will come riding out of the dawn. " The only hope is the ray of light that was prophesied at the beginning which is the kiss of true love. But before knowing what he has to do, the royal prince is ambushed by Maleficent and her ghouls, bound and taken to the forbidden mountain. Her Phillip is locked away in the dark castle's vault while the kingdom sleeps, seemingly without hope. Yet helped by the divine powers of the fairies, the prince is freed from the dungeon and called to action. The good fairies and is properly equipped to face Maleficent and heroically save the kingdom from eternal sleep.The prince is armed with the " shield of virtue " and the " sword of truth " As the film states these are the righteouness that will triumph over evil. " The truth and the virtue culminating in true love are the solution which ultimatly defeats Maleficent and reverse te curse on the princess.Bearing the symbol of the cross on the shield the prince wages war against evil to rescue his bride. Aided by the fairies, falling stones are turned into bubbles and flying arrows are turned into flowers. All the work of the enemy are turned into things of beauty and whimsy and rendered powerless.

Et j'en passe.



Phillips gallops away as the witch joints in the fight, sending forth her spells from the roof of the dark tower. She traps him in a thick forrest of thorns which Phillip hacks away with his sword of truth until he meets the enemy at the very gate of the kingdom. Unleashing " all the powers of hell " Maleficent turns into a dragon and bellowing green fire, she embodies the surest symbol of malevolence and chaotic destruction. Here she is the chaos dragon, the deceiver of the world, the great adversary. While Phillip meets the dragon upon the rocks, just as defeat seems imminent, the words of the fairies go as follows : "Thou sword of truth fly swift and sure. That evil die and good endure." And when the sword flies, at last the dragon is slain falling as she is pierced in the heart, a dragon defeated. Phillip ascends to the castle to find Aurora. At last the ray of hope spoken of in the beginning is made manifest. He kneels beside his peasant love now made a princess again and grants her the kiss of true love. For laying down his own life, Phillip charged chargef forth against Maleficent, fought with virtue and truth at his side and defeated the dragon of hell. In light of this, the kiss of true love comes as no surprise fpr Phillip risked his life for her sake. And at last the princess beholds the princce of her dreams. As intended from the beginning the kingdoms once restored are unified.
The key to understand fairy tales is to try to understand them on their deep spiritual level. Here how they reflect the story of humanity as a whole as an overarching narrative. Fairy tales help us to better understand our common struggle as well as our ultimate destiny. Fairytales after all when told and interpreted right are pure mythologies. They are mythologies probably in a different way in which you might initially think. In that case if you think of words like legend if you think about mythology, you get it wrong. For something to be mythology does not mean that it's not real, that it's not really relevant to the human experience, but more importantly that it represents reality in a much greater and significant way than simple explanataion and exposition can. Our modern culture focuses eavily on explanation and exposition. But alas, fairytales are wasted on this focus. Fairytales direct our attention to higher and more essential senses of being, that shape our consciousness and helps us meditate on the deepest mechanisms that are at work in the world. They point us towards ways of seeing the human story as though we are looking at it through a dream in a way in which our imagination are enabled to help us to better understand our place and our destiny. When examining it on a mythological level, Sleeping Beauty presents that even though paradise was once lost, with virtue, truth and true love, the dragon can be slain. The eyes of everyone can be opened and the bride can finally inherit the kingdom alongside her bridgegroom. Paradise lost can once be restored again. Therefore, the union of Sleeping Beauty to the heroic prince symbolically represents the union of humanity to the Divine. It's mythologically showcasing that day when at long last, the dragon is slain and 2 blessed coutnerparts, 2 realms, can come together as one, to signify the dawning of the new world, one of everlasting peace.