Top Ten Disney Animated Villains

Clockwise from top left: Aladdin (1992), Sleeping Beauty (1959), The Little Mermaid (1989), Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), 101 Dalmatians (1961), and centre Pocahontas (1995)

Inspired by Maleficent's release last week, I thought it was time to look at some of the best Disney animated villains. My Top Ten lists have no particular ranking, but who do you think should be on top? 

Comment below or tweet @TicketStubBlog.

1. Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty (1959)

"Now you shall deal with me, O Prince - and all the powers of Hell!"

Putting a curse on a royal baby just because you weren't invited to her christening is pretty extreme. But despite her menacing and evil actions, Maleficent is one of the best loved villains in Disney's history. She is elegant and authoritative making her one of the most intimidating characters.
Take a look at her best bits in the video below:

2. Governor Ratcliffe in Pocahontas (1995)

"This is MY land and I make the laws here! And I say anyone who so much as looks at an Indian without killing him on sight, will be tried for treason and hanged!"

A greedy governor searching for gold in the New World, Ratcliffe is a selfish leader. The song 'Mine, Mine, Mine' sums this up nicely. Although he has two comical sidekicks - his pug Percy and the ever-so camp Wiggins (who is actually voiced by David Ogden Stiers who plays Ratcliffe) - the Governor is incredibly serious and violent in his claim for land and gold.
Check out Savages below:

3. Cruella De Vil in 101 Dalmatians (1961)


"My only true love, darling. I live for furs. I worship furs! After all, is there a woman in all this wretched world who doesn't?"

Cruella has got to be one of the best dressed villains on the list. Fashion is key to her evil traits as she becomes obsessed with getting the dalmatians' spots for her designs. Her hair and outfit has become iconic - a great fancy dress idea for your next party.
I loved Glenn Close's version of Cruella in the live action movie - a great family film recommendation.

4. Claude Frollo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)

"And look what else I've caught in my net. Captain Phoebus, back from the dead. Another 'miracle', no doubt. I shall remedy that."

Frollo has got to be up there with the best worst Disney villains. I never quite realised how creepy and desperate Frollo's desire for Esmeralda is until re-watching the song Hell Fire below.
Seriously messed up stuff. 

5. Jafar in Aladdin (1992)

"You're speechless, I see. A fine quality in a wife"

I love Jafar's sarcastic comments in the film but he is most menacing when he transforms into an almighty power and giant snake. Check out the climax to the film below (here be spoilers):

6. Ursula in The Little Mermaid (1989)

"Now I am the ruler of all the ocean! The waves obey my every whim!"

Poor unfortunate Ariel...she signs Ursula's deal to be human but at a price - for her enchanting voice which originally seduces the prince, Eric. Ursula transforms herself into a human too - only to take Eric away from Ariel using her stolen vocals with the aim of ruling the sea. What a bitch. 

7. Evil Queen in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

"Magic Mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?"

This is the original Disney animated villain. Sometimes known as Queen Grimhilde, the Evil Queen set the mark for villains in the first full length animation Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. I was pretty petrified of the Evil Queen as a kid. Especially with her transformation scene into the wicked hag: 

8. Gaston in Beauty and the Beast (1991)

"We're not safe 'til his head is mounted on my wall! I say we kill the Beast!"

Gaston seems like the leading man, but he is far from it. The arrogant bachelor not only fails at getting Belle to accept his awful proposals, he tries to send Maurice into the asylum and attempts to kill the Beast with an angry mob behind him.
We'll be having none of that, thank you!

9. Wicked Stepmother in Cinderella (1950)

"After all, we did make a bargain, didn't we, Cinderella? And I never go back on my word."

Another bitchy villain to add to the list. Lady Tremaine, otherwise known as the Wicked Stepmother, will do anything to make Cinderella unhappy. Eleanor Audley, who voiced the Wicked Stepmother, went on to voice one of the previous villains on this list - Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty.

Image: disney.wikia.com

10. Scar in The Lion King (1994)

"Out of the ashes of this tragedy, we shall rise to greet the dawning of a new era...in which lion and hyena come together, in a great and glorious future!"

Possibly the most evil character on the list? Scar murders his own brother to take the throne. That's rather villainous if you ask me. Jeremy Irons has the powerfully dark voice to match Scar's scheming nature. Be Prepared is the best example of this. Especially with the striking image, reminiscent of Nazi propaganda, of the marching hyenas obeying to Scar on top of the cliff.
For me, he is the best evil Disney villain. 

Who did I miss? 

Who is your favourite?
What makes a good evil villain?

Let Ticket Stub know in the comments and on Twitter @TicketStubBlog

May Film of the Month

May is over and another Film of the Month is due! This month I saw an all time Tarantino classic, a bunch of superheros fighting it out and one very evil queen seeking revenge. Who will be on top for May Film of the Month? Find out below, but first - here is the usual rating system:

* = Poor. Why did I even bother?!

** = OK. Could have done better.

*** = Good. Recommended though don’t feel bad you don’t get to see this one.

**** = Excellent. Not quite perfect but highly recommended.

***** = Masterpiece. You’d be a fool not to see this film.

Do you agree with my ratings? Let me know in the comments below or tweet @TicketStubBlog

Click on the film titles to be directed to their respective IMDB page.

X-Men: Days of Future Past

My friend, Emma, and I had intended on seeing Godzilla this particular evening but it was sold out. Therefore, we chose to see X Men: Days of Future Past and we were not disappointed - mainly because Hugh Jackman started the film completely starkers, (yes that is getting an extra star). Jokes aside, the story was tense and thrilling - just what you want from an action movie. The effects are awesome, especially the scene involving Quicksilver - you'll know it when you see it - a completely memorizing and memorable moment. Michael Fassbender was splendid in this too and I was very happy to see my favourite Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage with a spiffing 1970s mustache. Highly recommended.

Rating: ****

Maleficent

Angelina Jolie was made for this role. She has the presence, authority and looks that make Maleficent one of the most menacing characters. Similarly, the film itself is visually gorgeous. Stunning set design pieces, especially with the castle and thorny forest, make it a very lush and magical land. But is it style over substance? There are twists to the Sleeping Beauty (1959) story which I liked - particularly with the true love's kiss which reminded me of Frozen (2013). I did enjoy the film but it was not a complete knockout. The fairies were rather annoying and unfunny and I would have liked Maleficent to be a little bit more dark. Having said that, it certainly has made me want to re-watch the original Sleeping Beauty. A good solid film which will be popular with Disney fans.


Rating: ***




Pulp Fiction (1994) - 20th Anniversary Screening

Unfortunately, I will not be including this film in the Film of the Month choice as Pulp Fiction has been out for 20 years now! My brother and I headed to our local cinema to see the Tarantino classic in its 20th anniversary year. I hadn't seen the movie for over 5 years and it made the world of difference seeing it on the big screen with the soundtrack on full blast.

I'm going to keep an eye out for these old films in cinemas because it is great to see them exactly how they were intended to be seen - surround sound, a giant screen and a dedicated audience to watch.

Of course, I am going to give the film a very high rating as I love it. No doubt I'll be recommending it as a Sunday Classic and Soundtrack Saturday on Ticket Stub in the future.

Rating: *****

So Ticket Stub's May Film of the Month is...

X Men: Days of Future Past

Do you agree?

What films have you seen this month?

Let me know in the comments or tweet @TicketStubBlog

Trailer Tuesday: Maleficent (2014)

Disney released this glorious new poster today for Maleficent (2014)
Image: metro.co.uk

Trailer Tuesday is back and this time with Disney's widely anticipated Maleficent.

Starring Angelina Jolie in the title role, the film is a live action remake of the classic Sleeping Beauty tale, however this time we follow Maleficent's perspective of the story. 

This is Robert Stromberg's directorial debut. He has previously worked as production designer on pictures such as Alice in Wonderland (2010) and Oz the Great and Powerful (2013). 

His magical and fantastical vision should therefore bode well for Maleficent. 

Other actors to look out for include: Peter Capaldi, Imelda Staunton, Miranda Richardson and Juno Temple. The special effects look spell-binding and, looking from the trailer and new poster released today (see above), Jolie fits the aesthetically beautiful yet pure evil nature of Disney's most iconic villain. 

I absolutely love Lana Del Rey's haunting version of Once Upon A Dream in this trailer. 

Hopefully there will be more soundtrack gems and Maleficent will live up to the hype when it is released in the UK on 30th May 2014.

What do you make of this trailer?

What films are you excited about for the rest of 2014?

Comment below or tweet @TicketStubBlog