#brimstone and treacle | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

twistedtummies2 · 8 months ago

Text

Top 15 OTHER Disney Villain Songs

A couple days ago I went over my Top 15 favorite villain songs from animated Disney movies (not counting Pixar or previously non-Disney properties). However, as anybody who knows Disney is doubtlessly aware…yeah, they’ve got a LOT more you can look at than just those movies. Disney has expanded its mighty empire of media to all kinds of outlets: animated television, direct-to-video features, video games, musical theatre shows, and live-action screen productions. Just about every outlet, somewhere and at some point, has featured its fair share of villainous musical numbers. While the majority of these tunes aren’t as renowned as any of those in the theatrical animated pictures, some of them are pretty good villain songs in their own right, and I feel they deserve to be recognized. So, I’m going to go over just a few of those musical numbers today: terrifying and traitorous toe-tappers that come from all across Disney’s expanded media. Once again, I should point out, I won’t be including things from Marvel, LucasFilm, or other such properties that have sort of fallen under the Disney banner over time: these will be for things that were always directly Disney-related. With that said, however…just about anything goes. From the theme parks to the silver screen, these are My Top 15 OTHER Disney Villain Songs.

15. The Happiest Home in These Hills AND Every Little Piece, from Pete’s Dragon.

This entry is the one and only entry on this countdown where I decided to count two songs instead of just one, both from the same feature. Why? Well, not only BECAUSE they’re from the same feature, but because both are actually pretty similar in terms of tone and approach! “Happiest Home in These Hills” is sung by the Gogans - a rowdy family of violent mountain folk who have become the abusive surrogate family of our titular character, Pete, right at the start of the film. It is merrily performed by them as they hunt down a runaway Pete through the forest. The Gogans are the secondary villains of the story; the main baddies show up later. They are Dr. Terminus, a wiley con artist, and his right-hand stooge, Hoagy. When the two find out about the titular dragon, Elliot, they plot to capture the creature and chop him up, using and selling his body parts to make a fortune. (YIKES.) Both songs have this sort of “overlay” of being chipper, catchy ditties that have an upbeat tone…but when you really look at the lyrics and what’s going on, it’s actually VERY messed up in both cases. Songs like this can be hit or miss, and it’s weird how both primary sets of villains in the movie get such numbers. I like both songs, and I couldn’t decide which one I really enjoyed more, so I decided to just lump them together.

14. Brimstone & Treacle (and its Reprise), from Mary Poppins: The Musical.

The original movie of “Mary Poppins” doesn’t really have a villain to speak of. The closest thing one could argue fits is the creaky old Bank Chairman, who acts as Mr. Banks’ boss, and even he doesn’t really count. In the stage musical, however - which takes more from the books than the film, really - things change. Enter Miss Andrews: a nasty old hag who is the antithesis of Mary Poppins. While Mary can be strict and prim, Miss Andrews is just pure nightmare fuel: a foul-smelling woman who delights in tormenting children for the very slightest offenses, her “Brimstone & Treacle” elixir a direct contrast to the “Spoonful of Sugar” philosophy Mary has. While her time in the story is brief, Andrews makes quite the impression, as it’s revealed that she was Mr. Banks’ nanny AND the Chairman’s nanny when they were each children (which explains QUITE a lot, I fancy). When Andrews first appears, she sings the titular song as a means of justifying her actions: claiming, essentially, that one has to be cruel to be kind. Later, the song is reprised, as the two nannies face off, with Mary using her powers to humiliate and defeat the wicked old screw, and revealing her for who she really is: a bully with no soul. In the original staging, Mary even goes so far as to BANISH MISS ANDREWS TO HELL. I am dead serious. I…would be utterly SHOCKED at this, but frankly, I say good riddance to the sadistic witch!

13. Who’s Afraid of the Big, Bad Wolf? From The Three Little Pigs.

Hey, no reason I can't include songs from the old cartoons, is there? It is pure iconography and stubborn catchiness in the popular consciousness that lands this little ditty on the countdown. This classic song BARELY qualifies as a villain song, when you really look at it: it’s really just the same few lines repeated over and over, but somehow it’s managed to become just as recognizable and well-remembered as many, MANY other Disney Villain Songs, and Disney songs, in general! People quote it all the time, reference it constantly, and so on. I think it’s the irony of the tune that makes it so memorable, above all else: In the original cartoon, when the Pigs sing this song, it’s usually either just before or just after the Wolf attacks them. In the former case, it serves as slightly humorous foreshadowing: “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf? Let’s see if YOU are!” essentially. In the latter case, it’s kind of funny, because the Pigs were very, VERY clearly afraid only SECONDS ago. Personally, I’m a little more afraid of Virginia Woolf…but that’s another story.

12. Yo Ho (A Pirate’s Life For Me), from Pirates of the Caribbean.

Yep, a song from the Parks! I also considered including “Grim Grinning Ghosts” from The Haunted Mansion, but I decided against it because, while that song is certainly a “spooky” song, I don’t really think it’s a “villain” song. The ghosts aren’t singing about doing evil things, they’re basically just having a nice after(life)party. This song, however, I DO think qualifies as a villain song. Yes, it’s a fun tune - bouncy and merry and all that good stuff - but the lyrics literally have the pirates singing about how much they enjoy being absolutely awful scoundrels. They make no secret of the fact they’re crooks and thugs, and just revel in their own mad antics. It’s a humorous sort of villain song, but it’s still villainous in its lyrical content, and even its context! In the ride, the pirates are singing this WHILE BURNING DOWN AND RANSACKING A CITY. If that doesn’t make this famous little sea shanty a villain song, I don’t know what else will do it!

11. The Frigate That Flies, from The Pirate Fairy.

TOM HIDDLESTON SINGS. Did I get your attention with that? Good! In “The Pirate Fairy” - one of several prequels to Peter Pan made as part of the “Tinker Bell” film series - our main villain is…who else? Captain Hook! Of course, he’s not CALLED Captain Hook YET. Here, he’s simply “James.” In the movie, James and his crew of pirates manipulate an outcast fairy called Zarina, planning to use her powers to make their pirate ship fly, and thus allow them to go anywhere in the world and steal anything they want. However, for the first half of the film, Zarina and the audience are unaware of James’ villainy (I don’t think saying he’s the villain is really a spoiler, for various reasons, hence why I didn’t bring it up earlier). When we first meet the pirates, they sing this jaunty shanty as a way of celebrating their impending victory, as they make plans for what treasures they’ll go after. Much like the two tunes I mentioned from “Pete’s Dragon,” the song is very upbeat and humorous, which makes the underlying menace of these thieving scoundrels (and their later-revealed manipulation) all the more intriguing. For me, though, the highlight is when Hiddleston, as a young James, sings: he somehow makes lines like, “No wicked deed cannot be done!” sound so pure and wholesome, it’s absolutely insane. Not a tune many people are likely to recall, but definitely one worth looking up.

10. It’s Our House Now! From Mickey’s House of Villains.

If you’re a major Disney Villains fan, chances are you’re EXTREMELY aware of this song and its source material. “House of Villains” was a TV movie spin-off of the series “House of Mouse”: the show focused on the cartoonish happenings inside a Toontown nightclub, run by Mickey Mouse, where…basically every single2D animated character in Disney history (and even a few characters from the Parks, surprisingly) would congregate to eat, drink, be merry…and watch various cartoons, with the stories of each episode really just being framing devices that happened around the presented shorts. In this Halloween special, literally ALL of the Disney Villains - both major and minor - join forces. Led by Jafar, they take over the House of Mouse at the stroke of midnight (what better time?). As they lock all their nemeses up in the backrooms, and throw Mickey and his friends out into the streets, the villains all band together to sing this short but very fun song, rejoicing in their success. While the song is great, and it’s really, REALLY cool to see SO MANY VILLAINS all onscreen at the same time…my one complaint with it isn’t so much the song itself so much as the context. And it’s really my major problem with the special as a whole. See, once the villains take over the House of Mouse…well…nothing happens. Like…literally. The cartoons they share don’t take on a more villainous theme, they…don’t seem like they’re doing anything especially illegal or diabolical, when you really think about it. Literally all that seems to REALLY change is the lighting turns red and Jafar becomes the host instead of Mickey. (pauses) Like…that’s it? That’s really it? You have characters like Hades, Ursula, Captain Hook, and so on all working together and…all they do is sing, dance, and then just go back to watching cartoons like nothing happened? LAME. Again, the song itself is fine, and it’s a shining moment in Disney Villain history as far as seeing all the baddies together…but it’s REALLY a shame that all this story and the song itself led up to was…absolutely freaking NOTHING, really. I don’t know what I expected, exactly, but just about anything would have been more interesting than the final result.

9. Do What You Gotta Do, from Descendants 3.

Ah, the Disney Channel Musicals…I guess I couldn’t avoid THEM entirely, could I? As just about anybody can tell you, most Disney Channel Musicals are essentially cookie-cutter products that amount to the same thing: a bunch of teenaged stock characters trying to “stick it to the man” and singing pop-style songs that range from “okay, that’s actually pretty fun and catchy!” to “someone silence this vapid excuse for music IMMEDIATELY, please.” Needless to say, not a fan of a lot of these…and the Descendants films are no exception. These movies focus on the lives of the sons and daughters of many classic Disney Villains…and those sons and daughters are mostly teenage stereotypes, with the actual villains mostly depicted being about as out-of-character as it gets. I really WANT to like these movies, to be honest, and I know the series has its fair share of fans…but for me, these are just so utterly, UTTERLY disappointing. I will say this though: there ARE some good songs strewn throughout all the films, and given the subject matter, nearly ALL of them can qualify as villain songs. I debated what tune I’d place here - other options which arguably would have been more fitting were “What’s My Name?”, “Queen of Mean,” and “Evil Like Me.” (Because even if I can’t stand Kristin Chenoweth as Maleficent, I’ll admit that WAS a catchy song.) After some consideration, I went with the arguably more controversial “Do What You Gotta Do,” from the third film of the series. This old-time-rock-and-roll-style duet is sung by our main protagonist, Mal - the daughter of Maleficent and Hades - and her father…whose name I just mentioned. :P Hades is played by Cheyenne Jackson, and is admittedly one of the villains I felt was handled okay in this reimagining, which is part of why this song gets the vote. The song takes place when Mal tries to get something from Hades to help her on her quest, which leads to a confrontation between the two, as Hades left Mal and her mother many years ago, and the two have had almost zero contact since then. The fact that Mal has joined the heroes’ side doesn’t really sit well with the Lord of the Underworld, either. Hades tries to convince Mal to give him a second chance, not out of any real desire to connect with his child, but mostly because he wants to leave the island he’s trapped on and find new ways to commit evil schemes. Mal, however, is onto him, and is in NO mood to do him ANY favors, under the circumstances. While not STRICTLY a villain song in the typical sense, I felt it qualified enough to gain some recognition, and it’s also quite possibly my favorite song out of all these films. Therefore, I selected it for the coveted placement on this list. I can’t stand the movies, but this melody and sequence is a fun one.

8. I Want It All, from High School Musical 3: Senior Year.

I don’t remember enough to say if the “High School Musical” movies INVENTED the formula for the Disney Channel Musicals, but I think I can safely say they became the debatable gold standard for every single one that followed. Pretty much every Disney Channel Musical after these films has felt like it was basically the same story and characters, just with little tweaks here and there to give them their own unique gimmick, so to speak. While I really didn’t like the first or the second film of the series, I will admit that a.) all of the movies in the franchise have their fair share of fun tunes, and b.) call me crazy, but…I legitimately kind of like the third film. I wouldn’t say it’s perfect, or one of my favorite movies ever, but it’s a slight guilty pleasure for me. I could go into the reasons why, but that would probably take all day: suffice to say, it stands to reason, with that in mind, that my choice of villain song from the trilogy would come from that picture. “I Want It All” is unironically a GLORIOUS villain song, in my opinion: it’s catchy, has a great sense of humor, but also has this wonderful vein of manipulation and even underlying danger. The setup is that the main antagonist of the series - Sharpay Evans, who I can only describe as a G-rated version of Regina George - creates a scheme to sabotage her rivals, so she can get a special scholarship. To this end, she turns to her brother and former henchman from the past two films, Ryan. However, Ryan has seen the light by now, after several years of Sharpay’s knavery, and refuses to take part in whatever villainy she has in mind. So, Sharpay decides to try and persuade Ryan to join her in one last plot. How? By using the one thing she knows she and her sibling share: delusions of grandeur. Sharpay enthusiastically entices Ryan with the idea that, if he helps her this one final time, they could both benefit, and the results could catapult them to stardom. Ryan resists at first, but eventually he’s lured in by the temptation. Not only is the song really fun, but it shows some intelligence on Sharpay’s part: we’ve never really seen her manipulation on display in a MUSICAL form before, and it actually makes sense this would work, since while Ryan may be more or less reformed, it’s known that he’s a bit of an attention-seeker…and also isn’t necessarily the brightest bulb in the bunch. Plus, being an over-the-top, musical-loving thespian sort myself, I can’t deny that the ambition and flamboyance of the number speaks to me in its own way.

7. Tree of Life, from The Lion Guard.

There are MANY great villain songs in “The Lion Guard” (and many great songs in general…seriously, the people behind the music for this show really brought their A game to it). Some marvelously fun tunes I considered that didn’t make the cut were “Outta the Way,” “Panic and Run,” “Let’s Bring Back a Legend,” “When I Led the Guard,” “Lions Over All,” “You Best Not Mess With Mama,” and “Beware of Poa.” I ultimately decided, however, to go with this tune, and not only because of the ironic title (although that certainly does give it some extra points). The song is performed by the central antagonist of Season 3 of the show: Makucha the Leopard. Makucha was a recurring villain in a couple episodes of the first two seasons, but it was in the third and final season where he really stepped up his game, becoming the leader of an army of villains out to take over a mystical place called the Tree of Life. Why does he do this? One word: gluttony. Makucha is interesting because his entire motivation is based around the fact he’s a giant greedy guts. He’s not out to take over the tree for power or glory, and even though he convinces others to join his cause by offering them a chance at revenge on the Guard, among other possible benefits…all that is secondary or even tertiary to him. In this song, he makes it very clear what his plan is: he wants to take over the tree for the simple and singular purpose of eating every single animal he can catch there. That’s it. I don’t know why, but the fact this character becomes such a threat, gathering a whole army to his side and becoming the main climactic antagonist by the end of the series, with such a simple and basic motive is kind of fascinating to me: other villains were ravenous before Makucha in this franchise, certainly, but most of them were either followers of greater foes, or had other motivations besides their hunger that were more prominent, or both. Makucha is just a voracious pig of a leopard, who takes delight in eating animals that are rare or one of a kind in particular, which would be something the Tree of Life is absolutely teeming with. The song has a fun rhythm and some good lyrics, but what I think sells it most is the performer: Makucha is voiced by Steven Blum, of all people, and he’s a surprisingly good singer. He sells this number deliciously, and I think that, above all else, is what gives this tune so much credit in my books.

6. You’re Only Second Rate, from The Return of Jafar.

As I think I said in my previous list, while I do love the “Prince Ali” reprise Jafar sings with such maniacal and mincing passion in the original film, I’ve always felt it’s a little sad that he never got a full and proper villain song all his own in the movie. Thankfully, later Aladdin spin-offs and materials have amended this problem: in the Junior Edition stage show, for example, Jafar originally had a song entitled “Why Me?” In later editions, as well as the Broadway musical, he and Iago gained a duet called “Diamond in the Rough.” And there are several other Jafar-related tunes you’ll find in other places. However, in my opinion, the very best is this one: in the sequel to the original film, Jafar got his own belated musical spotlight. Now with the powers of a genie at his disposal, the villain gets into a sort of magical spitting contest with Genie, and soundly defeats the comical blue fellow, mocking him relentlessly the entire time. The lyrics are wild, the visuals - considering the budget - have a lot of creativity to them, and it’s just great to have Jafar get a song all to himself that allows him to do what he does best: derisively mock people while losing his mind. A somewhat underrated entry in the villain song catalogue for Disney, in my opinion.

5. Snuff Out the Light, from Kingdom of the Sun.

This song is unique on the list, and if you don’t know about it already, you might be a bit confused. For example, you may be saying, “Hey, why is there an image from Emperor’s New Groove here? And what is Kingdom of the Sun?” Well, to make a long story short: “Kingdom of the Sun” was the movie that BECAME “The Emperor’s New Groove.” Originally the film was planned to be a sort of more “traditional” Disney movie, with a plot that combined elements of “The Magic Flute” and “The Prince and the Pauper,” with the familiar Aztec-or-Incan-inspired aesthetic motif that the final film had. However, somewhere along the line, the project changed…but one thing remained the same: the villain, Yzma. At least, a few things about her remained the same: her design was largely kept about the same (albeit handled by a different animator), her name was the same, and her voice actress - Eartha Kitt - was also the same. However, the character’s role in the story did change: in the final film, of course, Yzma is the Emperor’s advisor, and is depicted as a mad scientist who wants to - of course - take over the world. Originally, however, Yzma was a witch, who commanded all the creatures of the night, and her goal was to try and gain eternal youth. In this original version, she had a villain song…but when the film’s script and plot changed, the song was removed, as it no longer had a place in the story. While Yzma would get some other songs in later spin-offs, such as “Feel Like a Million” and “Yzmopolis,” her original song - in which she conjures an army of the night after making a deal with the demon Supei - is ironically her greatest moment in music, in my opinion. While I do like the final result of the film, it’s a shame such a brilliant song never got to see full fruition.

4. My Lullaby, from The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride.

“Tree of Life” was great, but when it comes to Lion King-related villain songs…well, let’s face it, nothing beats “Be Prepared.” BUT, I dare say this tune comes relatively close. In the direct-to-video sequel to the Lion King (which is actually one of the better Disney sequels out there, though still not as good as its predecessor), this song is performed by the utterly demented Zira: a former follower of Scar who acts as the mother to the dark lion’s chosen heir, a mysterious young cub named Kovu. After an encounter between Kovu and Simba’s daughter, Kiara, Zira begins to work out a long-reaching plan to take over the Pride Lands: as Kovu goes to sleep, she plots to train him to be an assassin, who will kill Simba, trick Kiara, and allow her return to power. The resulting “lullaby” is frankly one of the most bloodthirsty and sadistic villain songs not just from any Disney movie, but frankly just in general. Zira is basically fantasizing a bloodbath the entire song through, imagining the murder of Simba and his family and the glory Kovu will bring to her and her pride. It’s a delightfully dark and twisted tune…but in my opinion, it has one major stumbling block: the visuals. The setting, angles, colors, and even the “pattern” of the scene - where interjections from other characters take place, how they happen, when certain shots occur, etc. - all feel EXTREMELY close to “Be Prepared.” It’s pretty obvious that’s the intent, but I wish the visuals had taken a few more risks and gone for a more original approach. There’s a few good moments, mind you, and the song itself is fantastic, but it is a nitpick I cannot overlook.

3. Professional Pirate, from Muppet Treasure Island.

I debated whether or not to include the Muppets, but they’ve been part of Disney much, MUCH longer than Marvel or Star Wars, and this film was released under the Disney banner, so…eh. I’ll give it a pass. “Muppet Treasure Island” is quite possibly my favorite Muppet movie. While other films like “The Great Muppet Caper” are great showcases for the Muppets, and “Muppet Christmas Carol” is a fine adaptation of a classic story I love, this film is BOTH of those things, in my opinion, and balances the elements in a way that I think is more…well…balanced. This song is performed by the great Long John Silver: our central antagonist who leads a band of mutinous pirates on a quest to retrieve long lost treasure. Silver forms a bizarre bond with the main hero of the story, Jim Hawkins: the young boy who discovered the treasure map. In this song, after kidnapping Jim (and while some of his gang work on taking over the ship in the meantime), Silver and his closest confidantes (most of whom are Muppets) try to convince Jim to join their side. They claim that pirates really aren’t as bad as people think…with the irony being that, throughout the song (and the movie as a whole), they’re shown to be completely false in these claims. What I love about this song - aside from the fact it’s…well…just a darn good song, frankly - is two things. One, Silver is played by Tim Curry. Automatic win. Two…Silver actually MEANS what he’s saying. What’s interesting about the character in the Muppet film is that he genuinely and truly believes in a sort of “honor among thieves” mentality: he’s quick to turn on Captain Kermit-I mean, Smollett, but when it comes to the other pirates, he only seems to turn on them or get nasty when they aren’t following his personal code of honor. He also admits that he genuinely cares about Jim, and the two form a sort of father/son bond, which gets strained as the film goes on. He’s genuinely sincere in everything he’s saying, which makes the irony of the truth both hilarious and kind of tragic: it’s telling that, at the end of the film, he reiterates some of the lyrics from this song by saying to Jim, “You’re honest, brave, and true. You did learn that from me.” Jim’s response, “I learned it from my friends, Mr. Silver,” has to cut him to the quick.

2. Ready As I’ll Ever Be, from Tangled: The Series.

This song is very similar to “Savages” from Pocahontas. (Which makes sense, since I THINK this was written by the same people; feel free to correct me if I’m wrong, I very well could be.) Only about half of the song PROPERLY belongs to the villain, but it’s the villain who really drives the song and context of the scene, so I think it counts. “Ready as I’ll Ever Be” occurs in the final episode of season one from “Tangled: The Series” (which would later be retitled “Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure”). The villain of the hour is my favorite character from the show, Varian: a young alchemist who - for a LOT of reasons - has kind of gone off the deep end into crazy-ville, and kidnapped Queen Arianna - Rapunzel’s mother. The heroes form a plan to attack Varian from two different routes - one side trying to sneak into his castle hideaway and ambush him, while the other leads a frontal assault - but Varian, who is one step ahead of the heroes, is making his own preparations. There’s a lot of gret things about this song, but it really is Varian who sells it: first of all, he’s played by Jeremy Jordan. Again, like the previous pick, automatic win. Second of all…Varian is maybe 15 years old, at best, when he does all this. And it is taking an ARMY, and a LOT of strategy, to even TRY and beat him. And it’s made pretty clear that both of those attempts from either side are not going to be as successful as they hope. Something about those facts ALONE just makes the whole song, situation, and the character himself SO fascinating to me: the tension, determination, and desperation of the song are only intensified when you realize it’s literally a battle of the villain against the world…and, shortly after this number, the world nearly LOSES. Later villains would follow Varian, as well as later villain songs, but for me, none of them ever TOPPED this moment. It’s my favorite song in the entire series, and for good reason. That reason, in a nutshell, is Varian.

1. I Put a Spell on You, from Hocus Pocus.

If any “other” Disney Villain song arguably equals the iconic status of nearly any from their animated movies, I think it’s fair to say this would be it. Which is ironic, since the song isn’t even native to the film. “I Put a Spell on You” (originally the work of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins) was a staple of many a Halloween-themed music compilation long before “Hocus Pocus” came out…but nowadays, it’s hard to think of the song, for most people, without specifically thinking of the version performed in the film by the wicked and wonderful Sanderson Sisters: the trio of soul-sucking witches whose devilish antics are the crux of the story. The Sisters - played by Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker - have the power to hypnotize people with their siren-like voices. They use this to their advantage when they find themselves at a Halloween costume party, where the parents of their victims are all dancing the night away. The witches perform the song to cast a spell on the rest of the partygoers, keeping them under their thrall for the rest of the night, and have a rockin’ good time while doing it! For many, it’s the most famous scene in the entire film, and the sequel tried to replicate it with a similar scene, which had the Sisters singing a cover of “One Way or Another” by Blondie. That scene was fine, but nothing can really top the original. It’s arguably become just as well-known as songs like “Hellfire” or “Poor Unfortunate Souls,” and for that reason above all else, it easily takes the top spot on this list. Case closed.

HONORABLE MENTIONS INCLUDE…

Things Are Not What They Appear, from Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World.

Don’t Fall in Love, from Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas.

Chow Down, from The Lion King: The Musical.

Run, from The Jungle Book Groove Party.

Petey's King of France, from Mickey, Donald, and Goofy in The Three Musketeers.

Impress My Professor, from Phineas & Ferb. (Dr. Doofenshmirtz has a LOT of songs, I chose this one simply because it was the first I thought of.)

#disney #list #countdown #best #favorites #disney villains #villain songs #animation #tv #film #movies #theatre #disney parks #top 15

16 notes · View notes