It should come as a surprise to no one that the greatest era in Walt Disney's Feature Animation department is arguably the most beloved era of a single company's film making in motion picture history. After all, not only was Disney at the height of their creative development, but the studio continued to release hit after hit, without any glaring failures in anyone's eyes. To many who are reaching adulthood today,. these films are what we grew up on. My first film watching experiences were at least five of the top movies pictured above. These films have had a profound impact on how we act, how we think, and how we tell our life stories.
But which of these high ranking movies is the most superior? How can one masterpiece be better than another? That is what I will be focusing on for the next several posts. Which film was the most structurally sound, which was the most superior in one area, and ultimately, which was the best. Feel free to argue for one of your movies on this list or if you think my list is incorrect, but please understand that this is all opinion based, so it doesn't make someone stupid if they agree or not.
Here is how the list will be determined. All 10 films of the Disney Renaissance will be judged on the following categories:
Hero
Heroine
Villain
Supporting Cast
Songs (The Rescuers Down Under gets a pass here)
Musical Score
Animation
Story
Special Effects
Theme/ Message
Each film will be scored on a 1-10 scale. The higher points you score for a category, the greater the chance is that film is ranked the best. But please note that just because a film could get two or three 10's in a row, doesn't mean that it is guaranteed a victory. Keep a close eye on the consistent films.
This Round: The Villains
The nefarious and diabolical schemers of Disney Lore were at their strongest levels in the nineties. We got wickedly fabulous sea witches, brash and arrogant hunters, murderous uncles, and power hungry sorcerers. As these villains have fast become part of popular culture, they need to be treated with every amount of care the heroes and heroines received. This was a fairly simple list to put together, but still had a few villains on the outside looking in...
10. Clayton (Brian Blessed) (Tarzan)
.jpg)
Unfortunately, there had to be a weakest villain and the most easily predictable villain fell into the slot of least wicked for our tastes. Clayton wasn't an original villain, but he also wasn't so evil he warranted our hate. He was simply a greedy hunter who wanted money. But even Clayton lacked the entertainment value someone like Governor Ratcliffe had or McLeach had. When a villain's scheme isn't original and his overall appearance nothing too intimidating, your movie begins to falter. Tarzan is often cited as the film of missed opportunity, with Clayton being the prime example. Considering Disney had recently done a film based on Africa, they could have followed that route and kept the humans to their bare minimal, but Disney was running on empty at this point, and what we see is what we get...
+1 point
9. Shan Yu (Miguel Ferrer) (Mulan)
Yet another missed opportunity from Disney to bring to life a gripping and malicious villain. Shan Yu is pretty much left to being a hulky, brutish warrior who has pretty much no personality. We see for a few scenes that he felt challenged by the Emperor's Great Wall, but beyond that, he's just not interesting enough to be a serious villain for Mulan to stand up against. He serves more or less as an obstacle than a true menace. Unlike someone like Jafar or Scar, who serve as serious dangers to both their respective foe's physical and mental wellbeing, Shan Yu more or less serves as Mulan's final rest of ascension. Nevertheless, he still is an immense test to pass. I just wish there was more to him than this...
+2 points
8. Governor Ratcliffe (David Odgen Stiers) (Pocahontas)
Coming off of a string of sensational villains dating back to Ursula the Sea Witch, Ratcliffe was a serious disappointment. Whereas each of the previous villains had their own interesting designs and malicious quirks, Ratcliffe more or less just falls back into that "greedy white guy" territory that is so generic and boring that you expect the max effort out of Disney. So, why is Ratcliffe higher than Shan Yu or Clayton? Well, you have to thank Mr. Stiers for that. A well versed Disney voiceover actor, Stiers brings a certain entertainment value from Ratcliffe that would have otherwise warranted Clayton. His songs are very entertaining, his greed forces him to take drastic measures in trying to get what he wants, and his racist and arrogant attitudes are all birthed within his desire for power of money. He is entertaining enough to warrant a pass on this list, and that is fairly good in my eyes...
+3 points
7. Percival C. McLeach (George C. Scott) (The Rescuers Down Under)
George C. Scott blesses us with yet another strong performance in his final decades as an actor. McLeach may not be an Ursula or a Jafar, but he certainly can hold his own in the ring of the lesser villains of the Disney Renaissance. Motivated by not only greed, but a pure lust to bring about the capture and eventual extinction of the Golden Eagles of Australia. He has no need to worry about rangers or the little boy he'd kidnapped, because McLeach is always thinking one step ahead of everyone he encounters, except for the mice that ultimately do him in. He is so wicked, he even blatantly lies to Cody just so Cody could take him to Marahute's nest. Evil comes in all shapes and sizes, but McLeach's predictability is somewhat refreshing, because like Ratigan, he knows he's evil and he loves every single minute of it,
+4 points
6. Gaston (Richard White) (Beauty and the Beast)
You need an thesaurus just to figure out how many character phrases this brash hunter deserves. Similarly to how McLeach is willing to do anything to get what he wants, Gaston is more than ready to surrender all humanity he possesses in order to get what he seeks, be it Belle's hand in marriage or the Beast's pelt on his wall, even put Belle's father in an insane asylum. But it's his arrogance, his selfish and negligent nature, and ruthless ways he acts that make Gaston stand out from the others. That, and of course his appearance. Gaston looks as though he would be the one saving the day at the end of any older Disney Fairy Tale, but Belle can see through him, and it's his inability to see any flaws in his ways and himself that drives Gaston to his death in the end. All I can say is, I love to hate Gaston.
+5 points
5. Ursula (Pat Carroll) (The Little Mermaid)
The only female villain of the Renaissance is arguably one of the best the company has come out with. The wicked sea witch is cutthroat and truly devious when she makes deals with anyone her eels bring to her, often making sure she has every single advantage when compared to her clients, ultimately coming out with the real reward in the end. Her intense hatred for King Triton and all he stands for pushes this wicked witch into doing everything in her power to have her tentacles wrapped around Ariel's every movement, using the girl as a pawn in her game to achieve dominance over the entire ocean. Yet, Ursula still has to cheat in order to get her way, driving her out as a villain and forcing her to take drastic measures in order to maintain her control over Ariel and Triton. As Ursula plunges the ocean into the depths, she is unable to understand Ariel and Eric's feelings for each other, and that is what ultimately destroys the Sea Witch.
+6 points
4. Hades (James Woods) (Hercules)
Like Megara, Hades is just another one of those bizzare choices the creators of the film used to tell a different story from what their predecessors did. James Woods plays the Lord of the Underworld as a sleazy Hollywood agent with SERIOUS temper issues. Hades is arguably the most entertaining villain Disney has ever had in their pipeline, his mood swings and sassyness allows him to garner countless amounts of fans, myself included. In fact, Hades is probably the only villain everyone wanted to win in the end. Hades only weakness is is shortsightedness in planning for his takeover of Mount Olympus, allowing for Hercules and his friends to thwart his plans on countless occasions. And, let's not forget his deal making. Unlike Ursula, Hades keeps his word about everything. Guess which hero he makes a deal with that doesn't keep his end of the bargain?
+7 points
3. Jafar (Jonathan Freeman) (Aladdin)
If Disney's take on the ultimate James Bond style villain isn't Top 3 worthy, I don't know what is. Jafar is an unprincipled and ruthless sorcerer who's schemes for power and control contniue to get larger and more expansive. Originally seeking only to rule all of Agrabah, Jafar's greed and lust for power drive him towards seeking to rule the entire universe. But Jafar's greed and arrogance comes at a horrific price, as he is unable to see through his fate when he sought to become an all powerful Genie. For Jafar, it is the fate he deserved to the fullest when he is imprisoned in the genie's lamp with Iago for all eternity. And in traditional villain form, Jafar blames all of his shortcomings on other people and events, which ultimately gets him thwarted for good in the film's sequel. But in Aladdin alone, Jafar represents everything about power and riches that Aladdin despises, causing the friction the two have to be some of the best in all of Disney.
+8 points
2. Scar (Jeremy Irons) (The Lion King)
If Jafar represents everything Aladdin despises about the rich and powerful of Agrabah, everything Scar does to make Simba despise him is worthy of a golden medal. Scar absolutely despises both his nephew Simba and his brother Mufasa, just for being in his way of ruling the Pridelands. What does he do? Why, plot murder of course. Scar plunges his nephew's life into absolute darkness when he murders Mufasa and blames the poor lion cub. Simba goes off into exile, allowing Scar to assume the throne unchallenged. And it's not even like Scar was planning on being a good king. During his reign, Scar allows his hyena lackeys to completely decimate the Pridelands into a state of absolute turmoil. Scar is sly, sneaky, and quick to think up a sinister plot that would drive his enemies into the shadows. Luckily for the Pridelands, Scar's greed and fear of Simba's wrath ultimately destroys him, when he blames his hyenas for Mufasa's death. A good thing to. Scar is absolutely heartless.
+9 points
1. Judge Claude Frollo (Tony Jay) (The Hunchback of Notre Dame)
It's one thing to want to illustrate how much power and control you have over your enemies. It's another thing entirely to do so in the pursuit of a girl. Frollo is a modern day radical Republican, willing to do horrific and evil things to innocent people, but quickly retreats to the defense of doing it for God and the church when cornered about his sick lust and greed. Frollo is also a multiple offender: He plans the mass genocide of an entire race of people, kills an innocent woman, tries to drown her baby, locks him away in a Bell Tower, belittles him for his appearance, slaughters his men at will, lusts over women, and kidnaps them, only willing to offer their freedom for sex. JESUS CHRIST, DUDE! There is a thing called overkill. Look into it. Frollo is an absolutely wicked being, doing the work of the Devil under the guise of Christ.
+10 points
Standings:
1. The Hunchback of Notre Dame 24 pts
2. Aladdin 24 pts
3. Beauty and the Beast 23 pts
4. The Lion King 19 pts
5. The Little Mermaid 18 pts
6. Hercules 17 pts
7. Mulan 12 pts
8. The Rescuers Down Under 10 pts
9. Tarzan 10 pts
10. Pocahontas 8 pts
Next round, we tackle the sidekicks, the henchmen, and the rest of the supporting casts of each of these movies. The separation between these heavyweights is about to begin....
Come on Scar is the top cat of the villains from the Disney renaissance. I sincerely respect your opinion of Frollo being as the number one contender. Sure he can do unspeakable things like abusing Quasimodo but he is more of a religious type than a figure of political speech.
ReplyDeleteThe thing that pushes Frollo over Scar for me is the fact that he honestly believes what he was doing is right. Scar was just willing to do anything to grab power, which is impressive. But Frollo actually believes he was doing the right thing and was a soldier for God and doing the will of his lord.
Delete