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.
😛

T : Talia al Ghul “Father has only truly respected one other man. The detective. The one known as the Batman.”

Day 24

Talia al Ghul

Daughter of supervillain Ra’s al Ghul
(His most famous of offspring).
Talia has been featured as both,
anti-hero and supervillain
in her own right.

Talia made her comic book debut in Detective Comics #411 (“Into the Den of the Death-Dealers!”) in May 1971. She was created by Denny O’Neil, Bob Brown and Dick Giordano. Funny enough, her father made his comic book debut in the June 1971 issue of Batman #232.

In the 1992 Graphic Novel, Birth of the Demon, Talia’s mother was revealed. Ra’s met a part-Chinese, part-Arab woman at Woodstock. The two fell in love and had Talia. Unfortunately, she later died from a drug overdose and Ra’s felt she was unworthy of revival in the Lazarus Pits. (This origin isn’t always followed since Talia has never really been portrayed as having Arab or Chinese descent.

Talia has occasionally been Batman’s love interest, which resulted in their child, Damian Wayne. (though personally, Catwoman is Batman’s true romantic interest!)

Like Batman, Talia has no superpowers, but she is a skilled assassin, successful businesswoman due to her high intellect and is excellent in hand to hand combat. And like her father she has the ability to extend her lifespan through the use of the Lazarus Pits.

Talia appeared in four episodes of Batman: The Animated Series. She makes a tragic reappearance in the third season of Batman Beyond, episode five, Out of the Past. A surprisingly young Talia visits the elderly Bruce Wayne offering him a dip in the Lazarus Pits. Later, it’s revealed that Talia had sacrificed her life for her father. It was Ra’s who has been occupying Talia’s body and he wanted to trick Bruce into giving up his body.

 The Dark Knight Rises

Thanks to Christopher Nolan creating characters for his Batman trilogy, like Rachel Dawes and John Blake–the big reveal of Marion Cotillard’s character being Talia al Ghul was a success. At least for me, I remember being angry while watching the film and Bane was revealed to be Ra’s al Ghul’s son. I was so frustrated, thinking to myself, “What are they doing!? Ra’s had a daughter not a son!” I was too wrapped up in the movie to see the twist right in front of my face!

Though there was a hint at her true identity during the charity ball scene. Miranda Tate says, “you must invest if you wish to restore balance to the world.”
In Batman Begins, Ra’s al Ghul says, “Only a cynical man would call what these people have ‘lives,’ Wayne. Crime, despair… this is not how man was supposed to live. The League of Shadows has been a check against human corruption for thousands of years. We sacked Rome, loaded trade ships with plague rats, burned London to the ground. Every time a civilization reaches the pinnacle of its decadence, we return to restore the balance.”

Another clue is that both Miranda and Bane have the same triangle scar. Bane has it on the side of his head and Miranda has it on her back. Hinting at her membership in the League of Shadows.

Thank you for Reading!
❤

See you tomorrow!
😉

P : Phantom of the Opera “Let the dream begin, let your darker side give in to the power of the music of the night.”

Day 19

The Phantom

What is the measure of a true villain?
or to quote another Musical,
“Are people born wicked, or do they have wickedness thrust upon them?”
Is the Phantom a true villain?
I won’t go into depth on that subject now, it’s just something to mull over.

---

The Phantom of the Opera was originally a French novel entitled, Le Fantôme de l’Opéra written by Gaston Leroux. The story was originally published in the Le Gaulois (a French newspaper founded in 1868 by Edmond Tarbé and Henri de Pène). Le Fantôme de l’Opéra was first printed from 23 September 1909 to 08 January 1910.

Leroux was inspired by historical events at the Paris Opera (The Palais Garnier) which occurred during the 19th century. In the real Palais Garnier there is indeed a mysterious lake underneath the Opera House, however, it’s not nearly romantic and has since become a training ground for firemen practicing underwater maneuvers. The infamous chandelier also has some history to it. A counterweight fell from it at one point killing a construction worker.

As well as a mythical tale revolving around a former ballet student’s skeleton in Carl Maria von Weber‘s 1841 production of the German Opera Der Freischütz. (Though there has been no truth found behind the existence of a real skeleton being used during productions of the play.)

The two most famous adaptions are the 1925 silent film version of The Phantom of the Opera, starring, Lon Chaney as The Phantom and of course, Andrew Lloyd Webber‘s 1986 Broadway Musical. (Fun Fact: the 1925 was not the first film version, a German film was made in 1916 entitled, Das Phantom der Oper starring Nils Olaf Chrisander as Erik the Phantom. Unfortunately, This is considered a lost film, since there are no known copies of the film still in existence today.)

Coincidentally, a “talkie” version of the 1925 film was released in 1930, which too has become a lost film.

Universal kept Lon Chaney’s Phantom makeup extremely under wraps so as to keep his big reveal a complete surprise. It worked, most people found Chaney’s makeup quite grotesque. Actor Gregory Peck claimed that this was his earliest movie memory, the makeup frightened him so much that his Grandmother allowed him to sleep in bed with her that night (he was 9). We can thank Chaney for his look, he crafted the make-up himself.

CATS was the longest running Broadway Musical in history, until The Phantom of the Opera took the title. Both Musicals were composed and produced by Andrew Llyod Webber.

Webber considers the scene in which the Chandelier crashes to the stage to be the most theatrical moment he’s ever conceived.

For more facts on Webber’s Phantom check out an earlier post from October: DRAWLLOWEEN 21 : “NOT QUITE PERISHED, MY LADY LOVE, ALTHOUGH SOME DAYS I WISH I HAD.”

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.
❤