Z : Zira “Scar is gone… but Zira’s still around To love this little lad Till he learns to be a killer With a lust for being bad!”

DAY 30

ZIRA

The Villainess from the 1998 straight to video sequel of The Lion King.

The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride

I know this movie did not get the best reviews and obviously this was nowhere near as great as the original but on a personal level, this film means a lot to me.

My cousin Derby and I used to watch this film over, and over, and over again. We were obsessed with the animals and the songs. We knew it was goofy but to be honest we all know it’s not the worst Disney sequel…I’m looking at you Atlantis.

And I’ve always compared these two films to Jurassic Park.

Next time you have the opportunity. Watch the beginning of Jurassic Park, then the beginning of The Lost World. Then watch the beginning of The Lion King and then Simba’s Pride. Watch both openings until the Title credit appears.
Jurassic Park and The Lion King both have such epic openings.
The music is powerful and the title credit intensely appears.
While both sequels seem like they’re not even trying to compete.
They know what they have to offer.

But I digress.

Lets dig a little deeper into Zira.

Zira is a devoted follower of Scar. She even names her second son Kovu which is Swahili for Scar. Zira was originally going to be named “Bianca” but there were two issues. One, filmmakers did not want people to get her confused with Miss Bianca. Two, Bianca was not Swahillian enough. Zira is Swahili for hate.

Speaking of mothers, actresses Bette Midler and Helen Mirren were both considered for the role of Zira, as well as the role of Sarabi (Simba’s mother).

One of the original ideas for the film was to have Simba killed by the Outlander lionesses…I personally am glad they did not do this.

Zira’s death was going to be very similar to Gaston. Remember how he was going to “commit suicide” after stabbing the Beast? Originally, Zira was to reject Kiara’s help and push herself off the cliff into the rushing waters below. They even animated Zira smiling as she falls to her death, even though she’s screaming.

Do you consider Scar and Zira mates? This was the original plan until Disney realized if Kovu and Kiara got together they would be second cousins and thus incest. So, Zira was written as a dedicated follower. Though some fans still consider them to be mates…

Scar is an official member of Disney’s Sinister Cats, while Zira is just an occasional member.

Thank you for Reading!
❤

And we did it!
I can’t believe I actually made it through.
😛

S : Scar “Oh, no, Mufasa. Perhaps *you* shouldn’t turn your back on *me*.”

Day 22

Scar

We all pretty much have our favorite Disney characters, including villains. It’s so hard for me to choose, since there are so many fabulous ones to choose from.  An easier but similarly hard choice is picking the most evil.

Judge Claude Frollo is one evil dude, but my money has always been on Scar.
The guy killed his own brother and attempted to kill his nephew, several times.

Pretty much everyone is aware that The Lion King was seen as Bambi meets Hamlet.
Remember back when I stated that I have two all time favorite Disney films?
One being Beauty and the Beast, for its outstanding storytelling and inner beauty.
The other would be Lion King. When I think back on a film that I identify the most with from my childhood it would be Lion King. I was too young to fully grasp Beauty and the Beast when it first came out. Belle immediately became my favorite Princess but it was The Lion King that I talked to my friends about on the playground.

So allow me to divulge a few backstory facts, about the most evil guy at Pride Rock.

Scar is Mufasa‘s younger brother. Scar is a nickname he gave himself, his real name is Taka, the Swahili word for “want”. (Clever that he wants to be King.)

The scar on his face was pretty much self inflicted. After it is announced that Mufasa would be the next king, Scar devises a plan to make his brother look foolish and unfit to be King. He tells Mufasa about a Cape buffalo named Boma who is hording the water at the waterhole. He then antagonizes Boma, lying that Mufasa is there on official King duties which means he has one of two choices, flee the area or fight. Boma chooses to fight but misses Mufasa and attacks Scar. Mufasa rescues Scar but not before Boma leaves his mark, the scar over his right eye.
Taka renames himself Scar as a reminder of his mistake.
This was all revealed in the first book in The Lion King: Six New Adventures, A Tale of Two Brothers

After his death, Scar is given more backstory in the Disney Junior show, The Lion Guard. The show follows Simba’s second born, his son, Kion. In the series, The Lion Guard made up of a team of lions who protect the Pride Lands and the Circle of Life. The leader would have the mystic power known as Roar of the Elders. The team is led by the second born child of the King. Which means, Scar once led The Lion Guard. Of course he let the power get to his head and used the Roar of the Elders for evil, killing the other members of the Lion Guard. As a result, he loses the power completely and drops into a depression. 

Some Fun Facts from the Film

Scar was originally going to be a rouge lion instead of related to Mufasa. However, creators felt it was much more interesting to have Scar in the family. The reason for Mufasa and Scar looking so dissimilar is that he was never drawn to be related to Mufasa or Simba.

Actors, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Ray Liotta Tim Curry, and Malcolm McDowell were all considered for the role of Scar. The role eventually went to Jeremy Irons, who was hesitant to accept doing a comedic role right after winning an Oscar for Reversal of Fortune. His performance inspired writers to blend his character from the film, Claus von Bülow into Scar and animator, Andreas Deja into fusing Irons’s facial traits with Scars.

Jeremy Irons threw his voice out while performing, “Be Prepared.” It was during the part when he sings, YOU WON’T GET A SNIFF WITHOUT ME! Voice actor, Jim Cummings (Voice of Ed) had to finish the rest of the song.

Scar is the first and so far only Animated Disney Villain to commit murder onscreen. All other villains have done so through back story or off screen.

So it’s fitting that Scar also has the most violent death scene of any Disney Character.

Thank you for Reading!
❤

See you Monday!
🙂

G : Gaston “He’s no monster Gaston. You are!”

Day 08

Gaston

Be Warned there are some Spoilers for Beauty and the Beast.
(1991 & 2017 respectably)

Beauty and the Beast is one of my all time favorite Disney films. Tied for first, in fact.

Everything about the film is just beautiful and, dare I say, perfect.

Gaston is not your typical villain. He does not posses magical abilities. Aside from hunting, he doesn’t murder anyone. He’s not an Ice Queen like Snow White’s Step Mother or Overly Dramatic like Ursula.
I think what makes Gaston such a great villain is how human he is.

It’s like what Clopin says in The Hunchback of Notre Dame,
“What makes a Monster and what makes a Man?”

On the surface, Gaston is the whole package.
Good Looks, Strength, Charming, and having a great voice doesn’t hurt.
The whole town loves him, that is except of course, Belle.

The most terrifying part of Beauty and the Beast is just how persuasive Gaston truly is.

Belle is educated but different. Different isn’t good and just like in real life, people tend to believe a Good Looking Gaston over an enlightened Belle.

He has the whole town wrapped around his finger.

Some Fun Facts:

There was no Gaston character in the original fairy tale. The “villains” were Belle’s snobby sisters. A true antagonist was introduced in the 1946 French film Beauty and the Beast, a man similar to Gaston with the name Avenant.

And speaking of, Avenant, Disney considered making a sequel to Beauty and the Beast with Gaston’s brother “Avenant”. But this idea was changed to Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas. Do you wish they went with the sequel?

Gaston is the only Disney Villain who shares the same eye color with the film’s protagonist: Beast. (Remember their eye color?)

Remember Prince Charming in Shrek 2? Actor Rupert Everett auditioned for the role of Gaston back in the ’90s. Directors, Gary Trousdale & Kirk Wise didn’t think he sounded arrogant enough. Other actors who were considered were Donny Osmond and Patrick Swayze.
Personally, I’m very content that they went with Richard White.

Gaston was originally going to commit suicide at the end of the film. He was to stab the Beast once in the leg and then after stabbing him in the side Gaston was to deliberately push himself off the side of the building to his death, while laughing maniacally. Thankfully, this was considered too dark for children.
I think having Gaston fall to his death while crying out in fear is his perfect demise.

And speaking of deaths, Gaston was originally going to survive the fall with only a broken leg. It would have been the wolves that would finish him off…
What do you think? Do you wish they kept that part in?

Beauty and the Beast (2017)

You know how the song, Gaston is a little different? Those lyrics were actually written by the late Howard Ashman back for the 1991 film but were never used.

And speaking of which, there is a line in which Gaston states, when he’s hunting, “he shoots from behind / doesn’t care if it’s fair.” Which is exactly how he “kills” the Beast.

According to IMdb, “In an interview for Entertainment Weekly (March 14, 2017), Luke Evans says Gaston was a Captain and at the age of 16 he protected the village of Villeneuve from Portuguese marauders in 1740. This explains why the townspeople love and admire him and why they would believe him if he calls something a threat. Le Fou also fought in the war with him hence the reason for Le Fou’s devotion to his captain.”

Don’t forget to head on over to Instagram for a look at Gaston’s mug.

Thank you for Reading
❤

See You Monday!
😀

E : Evil Queen “What wouldst thou know, my Queen?”

Day 06

Evil Queen

The Villain or should I say, Villainess that started it all.

One of the more stylish of Disney Villains, the Evil Queen is completely obsessed with her looks. Makes sense since her only desire is to be Fairest of them All.

Walt Disney decided to make Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs into his first animated film because he liked the classic tale and thought it was the perfect debut film for his animation studio. According to IMdb, Walt Disney was also inspired after he saw a major presentation of the 1916 silent film version of Snow White starring Marguerite Clark while he was working as a paperboy in Kansas City.

During filming, Walt Disney and the animators considered using two voice actresses one for the Evil Queen and one for her as the “Old Hag”. That is until Lucille La Verne, the voice actress for the Evil Queen proved that she was up for both tasks. How did she achieve such a raspy, evil voice for the hag? Simple. She took out her dentures!

The Evil Queen was never my favorite. I found her to be a little flat in Queen form and absolutely terrifying as a Hag. But now I have respect for the Evil Queen.
She’s a major Ice Queen 😉
What are your thoughts?

Fun bit O’ trivia!
The scream you hear when the Old Hag plummets to her death?
You can hear that same scream when Maleficent plummets to her death in Dragon Form in Sleeping Beauty.

Don’t Forget to CHECK out INSTAGRAM!

Thank you for Reading!
❤

See you tomorrow
🙂

2017 Blogging from A to Z April Challenge

Can you believe its April already?
Well, almost.

Time for another A to Z Blogging Challenge.

I know you probably assume that I should be all giddy and over the moon with joy with anticipation for our upcoming little bundle.

Well, I am extremely happy excited, don’t get me wrong.

But for some reason, I’ve been in a bit of a Bad Ass mood lately.

Perhaps its the life growing inside me?

But seriously, I’ve been listening to a lot of Disney Villain songs lately,
“Poor Unfortunate Soul”, “Be Prepared”, “Friends on the Other Side”…

Good Villains are so intriguing.

Good Villains raise the stakes.

Good Villains are People you Love to Hate.

So, this April be prepared to learn a little more about your favorite Villains.

They could be Disney Villains, Comic Book Villains, Villains from Movies and TV.

Anyone is up for grab this month.

30 Days of Villains.

Are you Ready?

….I hope I am!

Oh, and don’t forget to check out my Instagram for a few pictures to go with these Posts!

See you tomorrow!
Thank you for Reading.
❤

U : Ursula “Well, it’s time Ursula took matters into her own tentacles.”

Let’s start this week off with a villain we love to hate,
Ursula
The Little Mermaid was the first fairy tale adapted Disney film since Sleeping Beauty over 30 years prior. The original story is much like the Disney version. Ariel is the youngest daughter of the Sea King who wishes to live on land…that’s where it kinda veers off course. Ursula is there, though she’s refereed to only as the Sea Witch and is more neutral than a real villain. Human nature vs. Mermaid nature is the real enemy. Disney decided to make Ursula a more traditional villain and the main antagonist.  Originally, Ursula was to be King Triton’s disgruntled sister. She was also thought to be another sea creature, such as a rockfish or lion fish. They thought she should have a snake like appearance with lots or spikes. But once the production team watched a documentary on octopi, they realized their multiple arms added to their commanding and ominous appearance making for the perfect Sea Witch.
Ursula is not something Disney made up, her appearance comes from an actual species from folklore known as a cecaelia. Her appearance, actions as well as her choice in lackeys were also based on another Disney villainess, Madame Medusa from the 1977 film, The Rescuers. Which coincidentally, is the last Disney film to be nominated for an Academy Award. Ursula’s basic appearance, however, was based on John Waters casting favorite and well-known Drag Queen, Divine. Sadly, Divine passed away in 1988 during the film’s production. While the character was being written Bea Arthur was in mind, but she turned the role down due to her commitment with The Golden Girls. Elaine Stritch was eventually chosen, however, her acting turned out to be incompatible with Alan Menken and Howard Ashman’s lyrical style. Eventually Pat Carroll was cast as Ursula. Carroll later stated that it was a dream come true to be able to play a Disney character. She went on to play Ursula’s sister Morgana in the The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea.
Ursula is the first main antagonist to have her very own villain song in a Disney film. Usually such songs were sung by henchmen, such as The Siamese Cat Song from Lady and the Tramp. Less threatening villains, such as Hi-Diddle-Dee-Dee sung by Honest John and Gideon in Pinocchio and protagonists, like songwriter Roger Radcliffe’s Cruella Deville. Poor Unfortunate Souls kicked off a new tradition, paving the way for  Be Prepared, Friends on the Other Side and Mother Knows Best, to name a few. Most Disney characters are killed off screen, such as Gaston and Mufasa falling to their deaths. Ursula is one the few to get a more visual and gruesome death, along with Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty, Scar from The Lion King and Clayton from Tarzan.
The Little Mermaid is a very special film for my mom and me. We bought matching sweatshirts on our very first trip to Disney World and this past DisneyRun, which, due to circumstances my dad couldn’t join us. We didn’t realize the theme until we picked up our bibs, and how appropriate that The Little Mermaid would shadow our mini Girls weekend. Ursula is also in my definite top three favorite Disney villains, and when considering just how wickedly evil and fun, she’s probably number 1. But I have a pretty intense system when ranking Disney villains. What about you?
Who are some of your favorite villains you just love to hate?
When Ursula is making the potion for her transformation into human, she uses a butterfly. The butterfly she uses is of the genus known as Vanessa. This is the name Ursula uses as her alter-ego. This leads to the question, did Ursula tamper with all of her “clients” and thus everyone she dealt with ended up in her garden?
Thank you for Reading!
I hope you have a wonderful Week .
Don’t forget to check out my Instagram, Annie and Ursula are over there recreating a rather intense scene.
❤