Scar, Shame, and the Second Temptation

    I have always enjoyed the movie "The Lion King" and have often had chance to listen to and enjoy the music. The heartache and redemption in Simba's journey make it one of my favorites. In reading Sister Runia's recent general conference talk, I found a lesson from the movie that I thought I would share here.    

    At one point, shortly after the death of Mufasa, Scar shamed Simba into thinking that Simba was responsible for the death of the king. He then told Simba to run away, to hide. This is similar to what Satan does to Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. After getting Adam and Eve to partake of the fruit of the tree of good and evil, Satan tells Adam and Eve to hide. Sister Runia talks about repentance and how Satan seeks to shame us when we make a mistake and encourage us to hide. Elder Whiting talks of what he calls “the second temptation” which is hiding ourselves after we sin. Just as Scar was not seeking to help Simba by telling him to run away, Satan is not trying to help us when telling us to hide. The Savior suffered all things for us in the garden and on the cross, but he is not suffering now except when we don’t use His power. 

    Repentance has become a favorite part of the doctrine of Christ and of the gospel of Jesus Christ since I heard President Nelson talk about it in April 2019.

 “Too many people consider repentance as punishment —something to be avoided except in the most serious circumstances. But this feeling of being penalized is engendered by Satan. He tries to block us from looking to Jesus Christ, who stands with open arms, hoping and willing to heal, forgive, cleanse, strengthen, purify, and sanctify us.The word for repentance in the Greek New Testament is metanoeo. The prefix meta- means “change.” The suffix -noeo is related to Greek words that mean “mind,” “knowledge,” “spirit,” and “breath.”Thus, when Jesus asks you and me to “repent,” He is inviting us to change our mind, our knowledge, our spirit —even the way we breathe. He is asking us to change the way we love, think, serve, spend our time, treat our wives, teach our children, and even care for our bodies.Nothing is more liberating, more ennobling, or more crucial to our individual progression than is a regular, daily focus on repentance. Repentance is not an event; it is a process. It is the key to happiness and peace of mind. When coupled with faith, repentance opens our access to the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.”

    I get it, Simba would not have met Pumbaa and Timon and discovered his love for grubs if he wouldn’t have run away but he also wouldn’t have suffered the shame of thinking he had killed his father. Similarly for us, we when make mistakes and sin, as we all do, let us take the advice of Sister Runia and when Satan or the negative voice inside your head tells you to run away or hide, say “Not today Satan!” And turn to the one who stands with open arms to receive and help you, Jesus Christ.

The Best Disney Villain Songs

Disney villain songs are some of the most iconic and memorable numbers in animation history. They set the stage for the antagonist’s motives, drip with charisma, and, in many cases, serve as a musical masterclass in manipulation. While songs like Be Prepared from The Lion King embrace full-fledged villainy, most of the best Disney villain songs share a common, insidious trait—they gaslight the protagonist into doubting their own reality. 

1. Gaston – Beauty and the Beast

Gaston is the ultimate egotistical buffoon, and his titular song is a hype anthem of self-delusion. In this tavern singalong, his loyal lackey, LeFou, reassures him that he’s the greatest man in town—nay, the world!—as Gaston recovers from the shock of being rejected by Belle. The manipulation here? The entire village is swept into his warped reality, where Belle’s lack of interest is framed as her problem, not his. Instead of self-reflection, Gaston chooses self-aggrandizement, setting the stage for his descent into full-fledged villainy.

2. Be Prepared – The Lion King

The exception to the gaslighting trend, Be Prepared is a rare villain song where Scar isn’t trying to manipulate the hero—he’s manipulating his own goons. This song is an outright declaration of treachery, complete with Nazi-inspired imagery and Shakespearean grandeur. Scar is already a lost cause, fully embracing the dark side and plotting his ascension to the throne. There’s no subtle deception here—just a villain reveling in his own genius.

3. Out There / Hellfire – The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Frollo is the king of religious hypocrisy, and his two songs, Out There and Hellfire, perfectly capture his brand of psychological warfare. In Out There, he convinces Quasimodo that the outside world is cruel and that he should be grateful for his prison-like existence. It’s classic gaslighting—twisting concern into control. Later, in Hellfire, Frollo turns that manipulation inward, blaming Esmeralda for his own desires and spiraling into self-righteous villainy. These two songs are a chilling look at how gaslighting isn’t just a tool for villains—it’s a mindset.

4. Mother Knows Best – Tangled

Gothel’s entire method of working is built on gaslighting, and Mother Knows Best is her magnum opus. She weaves a tapestry of fear, mocking Rapunzel’s dreams while pretending it’s all for her own good. Every lyric is designed to make Rapunzel doubt herself and believe that Gothel is her only source of love and protection. This song is so effective that even when Rapunzel starts breaking free, she still struggles with the belief that Gothel might have been right. That’s some top-tier emotional manipulation.

5. Poor Unfortunate Souls – The Little Mermaid

Ursula doesn’t just gaslight Ariel—she cons her. Poor Unfortunate Souls is a masterclass in the art of the villain sales pitch. She frames the deal in a way that makes it sound like Ariel is the one making the right choice, twisting the truth just enough to make giving up her voice seem reasonable. The best part? Ursula presents herself as a benevolent benefactor, acting as though she’s doing Ariel a favor when, in reality, she’s setting her up for failure. By the time Ariel realizes the truth, she’s already too deep in the contract to back out.

6. Dos Oruguitas – Encanto (Wait, what?)

Okay, hear me out. Dos Oruguitas isn’t a traditional villain song, but if you think about it, Abuela is the antagonist of Encanto. The song plays during the most tragic moment in her backstory, painting her actions as understandable, even noble. But let’s be real—she spent years emotionally repressing her family, making Mirabel feel inadequate and convincing everyone that their worth was tied to their magical gifts. Dos Oruguitas gaslights us into sympathizing with her, excusing years of emotional damage because of one moment of loss. See? Villain song.

Conclusion

Disney villain songs are at their best when they don’t just showcase evil but actively manipulate both the protagonist and the audience. Whether it’s Gaston twisting reality, Gothel feigning love, or even Encanto subtly framing Abuela’s past to justify her actions, gaslighting is a powerful storytelling tool. And if you still don’t believe Dos Oruguitas is a villain song—well, maybe you just weren’t paying attention. ;)

PS: Don't forget to check out our ongoing playlist of Disney villain songs.

LDS Geeks Podcast #35: Disney Songs (4)

Happy Valentine's Day! They're a bit sappy at times, but Disney has some great love songs. So check out our latest Disney song podcast episode. And check out our ongoing playlist of Disney love songs here.

--Spencer

Listen to Episode 35 on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube

Check out Spencer's recent blog posts: click here

Check out Russell's recent blog posts: click here

Show Notes:

00:15 - Introduction
        "Friendship Lessons" by Russell
01:39 - Spencer's Recommendation: Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man
        Available for streaming on Disney Plus
05:42 - Russell's Recommendation: Harry Potter and the Curse Child
        "Potter and Friends" by Russell

09:27 - “Can You Feel the Love Tonight?” from The Lion King

14:33 - "I See the Light" from Tangled
17:50 - “I Won't Say I'm in Love” from Hercules

22:29 - “That's How You Know” from Enchanted
25:10 - “A Girl Worth Fighting For” from Mulan
28:34 - Conclusion

LDS Geeks Podcast #27: Disney Songs (2)

Spooky season has begun. Despite the fact that neither of us are into horror (though I'm enjoying Agatha All Along), Russell and I got together to discuss some notable Disney villain songs. Perfect additions to your October playlist. And check out our ongoing playlist of favorite villain songs here.

--Spencer

Listen to Episode 27 on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube

Check out Spencer's recent blog posts: click here

Check out Russell's recent blog posts: click here

Show Notes:

00:10 - Introduction

01:43 - Russell's Recommendation: Star Wars Gangsta Rap
            Listen on YouTube

03:47 - Spencer's Recommendation: Halloweentown
            Available for streaming on Disney Plus
06:31 - Halloween costumes
09:40 - "Be Prepared" from The Lion King
13:52 - "Mother Knows Best" from Tangled
22:08 - "Hellfire" from The Hunchback of Notre Dame
27:45 - "Poor Unfortunate Souls" from The Little Mermaid
32:06 - "Shiny" from Moana

34:37 - Closing Thoughts
36:11 - Conclusion

5 Moments Disney Broke the Fourth Wall

A couple weeks ago Marvel released Deadpool & Wolverine, a triumph for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In honor of the merc with a mouth, who’s famous for breaking the fourth wall, I was thinking about some of the best moments of Disney characters (villains and heroes) breaking the fourth wall. There are obviously a number of others who comment on aspects of the Disney franchise, or like Winnie the Pooh characters addressing the narrator or Jiminy Cricket telling the story of Pinoochio, but I’m going to focus mostly on the characters who speak directly to the camera. So let’s have some fun with those moments.

Kuzco (Emperor's New Groove)

The most obvious of all Disney fourth-wall-breakers is Emperor Kuzco the llama. Granted, he’s also the narrator, so I suppose that’s already kind of breaking the fourth wall. But there’s the iconic moment in which Kuzco stops the movie in order to remind us who the protagonist is in the movie (him, not Pacha). But then again Emperor’s New Groove is absolute nonsense (and that’s why I love it).

Timon and Pumbaa (The Lion King)

I think one is the most well known of the Disney fourth-wall moments (besides Kuzco). There’s this moment during “Hakuna Matata” in which Pumbaa was about to say he farted. Apparently that was a bad word for kids back in the 90s, because Timon stopped him saying “Not in front of the kids.” As a kid most of us probably thought he was referring to Simba, but as we grew up (and the internet pointed it out) we learned that “kids” (plural) referred not to Simba, but to the viewers. 

Tamatoa (Moana)

After Maui and Moana escape from the giant crab and return the heart, we have a happy ending with Moana returning to her family. After the credits finish rolling, we get this post-credit scene with Tamatoa still stuck on his back moaning and groaning until he comments to the camera that someone would help him if he were as charming as Sebastian (from The Little Mermaid). It’s a cute callback to the classic princess movie.

Genie (Aladdin)

After Aladdin releases his new friend from the lamp, there are plenty of funny moments with the Genie with Robin Williams and his beautiful comedic timing. He references other Disney movies and future events that ancient Arabia wouldn’t know anything about. There are two points in particular where he tries to interact with the audience. At one point, amidst trying to convince Aladdin to be honest with Jasmine, Genie is playing chess with the magic carpet; he loses the game and says, impersonating Rodney Dangerfield, “I’m losing to a rug.” And then of course there’s Genie’s abrupt interruption as Aladdin and Jasmine fly away at the end of the movie.

Olaf (Frozen 2 and Olaf Presents)

In Frozen 2, there’s a moment during “Some Things Never Change” that Olaf looks directly at the camera and says “You all look a little bit older.” Granted, he has some kids run past him immediately after the line, so he could be referring to them, but there’s still a moment that he seems like he’s talking to the viewer, who would naturally be a few years older compared to viewing the first movie at its release. There’s also the series of Olaf Presents shorts in which he tells various Disney stories to the camera. That could be breaking the fourth wall or he could have an audience there (like the enchanted forest people during Frozen 2 or the other snowmen in the post-credit scene). 

There are plenty of other Disney moments breaking the fourth wall of course, like Hades, Doofenshmirtz, and others who are more self-aware than anyone would think to allow in a Disney movie. Let us know which fourth-wall-breaking moment is your favorite in Disney or any other franchise too. And a hearty welcome to the X-Men arriving in the MCU!

10 Disney Scenes that Live Rent-Free

So with the success of my last rent-free post, I figured I'd do one exclusively for my favorite mega-corporation: Disney! 

So here's my ADHD/caffeine/sugar fueled journey through the Disney animated universe! :D

So This Is Love and The Transformation (Cinderella)

I love the 1950 animated Cinderella movie to death, so this movie gets two slots. The first one is when Fairy Godmother transforms Cinderella's dress. The animation alone is just incredibly beautiful, and after everything Cinderella's been through this was a deserved glow-up. 

The second is the song So This Is Love. I will find myself singing this in the shower when I'm in a good mood. And yes, I know that Cinderella and the Prince exchange maybe three words before they dance and then fall in love but the song is just so pretty and also indicative of how Cinderella is appreciating what she's feeling in the moment. The animation is also beautiful in this scene (Seriously can we please go back to watercolor backgrounds?) and I love Lady Tremaine getting blocked at every opportunity. 

9: Part Of Your World Reprise (The Little Mermaid) 

I already mentioned this in my other post but I don't care this is a good enough scene to mention twice. 

8: Ohana Means Family (Lilo and Stitch)

No they're not all songs, some of them are moments. And of course, Lilo and Stitch is going to be on this list. 

This is near the end of the movie where Stitch convinces the alien ambassador to let him stay on Earth. Stitch explains in his limited English what family is, and how he has found a family in Lilo and Nani. 

It's little and broken, but still good. 

Yeah, still good. 

7: You Came Back (Beauty and the Beast)

Beast's death scene is so full of emotion. Beast is surprised that Belle came back, and here Belle is finally able to understand that she does love the Beast. She had already loved him but I don't think she realized it until now. It is in this moment that the Beast finally understands what it means to love and be loved in return. 

6: Dress in Drag and do the Hula (Lion King)

So far all these moments have been romantic, poignant, and general feeling tuggers. This one though is none of that. It's just a quick line and an impromptu musical number that makes me giggle every time. I use it whenever I can, which if you're creative can be quite often. 

Also this is literally the only time I like Timon and Pumbaa

5: Happy Happy Birthday (The Emperor's New Groove)

Can we all just agree that The Emperor's New Groove just nailed it? I love everything about this movie but Yzma is my kindred spirit. An angry old lady who is done with everyone and this scene is a perfect example of that. As a distraction, Kuzco sends the servers at the little diner to sing happy birthday to the villain and her reaction is just glorious. 

4: Party Crashing (Sleeping Beauty)

Nobody can make an entrance like Maleficent, the Dame of All Evil. When we first meet her she's crashed Princess Aurora's christening, put out because she wasn't invited. She's a terrifying presence, without ever really saying anything overtly threatening, just being there is enough to make everyone's skin crawl. This is how I want to enter every room for the rest of my life. 

3: Todashi is Here (Big Hero 6)

At the core of Big Hero 6 is grief, something that everyone can or will some day have to relate to. Hiro is trying to extract vengeance on the people responsible for his brother Tadashi's death. In one scene Baymax reveals that he has videos of Tadashi trouble shooting his robot, showing Hiro that his brother lives on through his creation and the memories Hiro has of him, and that by turning Baymax into a weapon of vengeance dishonors his memory. This is also when Hiro breaks down crying, truly embracing his grief. 

2: Senior Psychopath (Aladdin)

Another moment that makes me giggle is when Aladdin comes back from his trip to the North Pole to find the palace in chaos and under Jafar's evil control. When Aladdin meets up with the Genie, well the scene speaks for itself.

1: I Won't Say (I'm In Love) Hercules

Ugh I think everything on Disney+ lives rent free in my head honestly, these are just 10 that I could think of right now. I didn't even touch Out There, God Help The Outcasts and Hellfire from The Hunchback of Notre Dame, or Tarzan, or every scene with Cruella DeVille, so I'm going to put up the song that I sing to myself often to remind myself that just because I've been burned before it doesn't mean that I'll be burned again. 

Plus this song tho

-JOE

Disney Dads

As Father’s Day approaches, I have noticed that there has been a lot of Father’s Day memes involving Darth Vader. I will admit some of them are funny but do you have to cut off your child arm to become father of the year? If anything, it says a lot about Luke forgiving him and helping him to become a Jedi again. In this post we will look at different Disney fathers that should be recognized more than Darth Vader as this holiday approaches.

Pacha: Emperor’s New Groove

When I think of excellent fatherly characters Pacha comes to mind. He goes out to meet the emperor, Kuzco, to change his mind to keep his family home as well as his villager’s home from being destroyed. Pacha is a hard worker with his duties of being a father, a llama herder, and the leader of his village. Pacha is best described as a family man, his wife and kids love him and his isn’t a dumb dad like most dads portrayed in media in the 2000's. When Pacha met Kuzco he felt that he was a spoiled brat. But when Kuzco became a llama, instead of taking the easy way out and abandoning Kuzco and having Yzma rule, he helped him--- hoping that the emperor’s attitude would change like a father would with a wayward son.

George Banks: Mary Poppins

George Banks loves his kids throughout the movie, but it never registered to his children because of how he showed his love. He wanted his children to become successful so they wouldn’t have financial problems when they become adults, which is what all parents want but his approach was not the best. He wanted them to become so successful that they could not enjoy being children. However, as George's professional life turns upside-down, he realizes the ultimate value of his family and makes real changes in his life. As he walks to his job, in one of the most beautiful scenes in cinema, you see the fear he has about the future but, as his ties to his job are finally cut, we also see the resolve develop within him to make some real changes in his life.

Mufasa: Lion King

Instead of celebrating Darth Vader on Father’s Day how about focusing on another role that James Earl Jones had where he was a sacrificing father, like Mufasa. Mufasa was king of Pride Rock. He had a good work and home life balance teaching his son and being king. He taught Simba to respect all creatures, but also having fun playing games on Zazu. He sets boundaries to protect his son, but also encourages him to explore. When his son disobeyed he reprehends him, but also forgives him. The most notable quality Mufasa has is he sacrificed himself so his son could live.

Mando: The Mandalorian

I get it--- you're probably a Star Wars fan and love all the memes that have been generated over the years. Father’s Day is another Star Wars day for you. Well thankfully Disney has created a new unorthodox father in Star Wars, Mando. After he captures and delivers Grogu to his client he goes against the code for bounty hunters and rescues Grogu and essentially adopts him until he finds a Jedi to teach him. When they finally find Luke, it was a sad departure for them because of their relationship as father and son, but Mando wanted what was best for Grogu and lets him leave. Of course, he wouldn’t stop being a father and tries to visit Grogu bringing gifts.

Goofy: Disney

Speaking of unorthodox parents, we couldn’t ignore Goofy: a single father. Goofy may be silly but he is also a wonderful role model for a father. With a teenager going through angst, he manages to show kindness and compassion making him aspirational for fathers. He works a demanding job, so they are financially stable. When his son, Max, is struggling he plans a father-and-son trip to lift his spirits because he cares about Max’s emotional health. He lets his son be an individual and takes interests in Max’s hobbies. He trusts his son completely, he allows Max to choose stops along their road trip. Even when Goofy suspects that Max is changing their road trip destination, he gives Max the responsibility of being the navigator because of that trust. Finally, he pays attention to his son’s feelings and gives him space. If you don’t believe me watch “A Goofy Movie”.

Scott Lang: Ant-Man

When divorce happens it hard for a father to be fully invested in their children. In Ant-Man we see Scott Lang doing his best to be a father while respecting his former wife's boundaries. After being released from jail he wants to be part of his daughter’s life and tries to be law-abiding by working at Baskin Robbins even though he has an engineering degree. He wants to make his daughter proud and be a good example for her. He becomes Ant-Man at first because of his thieving skills, but transitions to being selfless. He helps Captain America and saves Janet Van Dyne from the quantum realm. In Avenger’s Endgame we see Scott come out of the quantum realm to find his daughter aged by five years. We see the depression on his face when he realized how much of his daughter’s life he has missed.

Agustín and Félix: Encanto

This one is cheating a bit because I couldn’t choose which of these fathers to talk about. They are both good examples of being part of their children’s life. Agustín is sympathetic and understands how it feels not belong in the family and tries to comfort his daughter Mirabel when she obtains no magical gift. We see in the movie that he pays attention to all his daughters’ feelings. For example, when Luisa loses her strength and runs away saddened, he chases after her. We don’t know much about Félix, but he is also present with his children and supportive to his wife, presenting a positive attitude even when it rains.

Mr. Incredible: Incredibles

We couldn’t end the list without the most recognized superhero father, Mr. Incredible. After the first movie Mr. Incredible, Bob Parr, learned to keep his selfish interests in check and become involved with his children more. Instead of giving up on helping his son, Dash, on his homework, he learns how the new approach and helps Dash. He also cares about his children’s feeling by helping his daughter, Violet, talk to her crush by taking the family to the diner where he works. It turned out horribly, but he does the most honorable thing a father can do, apologize to his daughter for making things worse.

These are just eight honorable Dads we decided to mentioned in this post, but Disney has produced more decent fathers. Here is a list of honorable mentions.

• Marlin: Finding Nemo
• Pongo: 101 Dalmatians
• James: The Princess and the Frog
• Carl: Up
• Geppetto: Pinocchio
• Héctor: Coco
• Mr. Potatohead: Toy Story
• Vision: Avengers
• T’Chaka: Black Panther

It's Not Easy being Green

Continuing with our green theme, I want to expand on the idea that Mike wrote about in his Sailor Jupiter post-why are so many villains associated with the color green? 

Well, it depends on the villain. 

The Fires of Envy

When Maleficent unleashes her fury her flames are green. When Scar sings about how he's going to usurp Mufasa the flames around him are a bright lime green. The phylactery (Horcrux to you non-Dungeons and Dragons fans) held by Rasputin in Anastasia pulses with an eldrich green, despite being from hell itself where you think it would glow red. In the case of these charming despots and monsters green is symbolizing the burning envy they feel for the heroes and the world around them. When they need to show that they want what someone else has, they take a match to some copper sulfate and let it burn (Yes that's the actual chemical that can make a fire turn green-try it sometime!)

Envy burns. It consumes. It is a need for something that must either end in the obtaining of it or the destruction of both. Green fire here works well for the analogy since it too burns and gives the audience a decent visual representation of the villain's inner feelings. Let's take Maleficent for example. Her motivation for being the Dame of all Evil is a bit unclear at first glance. She's not invited to a party so she's going to tear the kingdom apart over it (And yes, we're going with the animated Sleeping Beauty here because Maleficent' s intentions in Maleficent are this whole other thing)? If we take her green flames into account we get a far clearer picture of her issue: She wants to be acknowledged as an equal. She's obviously powerful, probably more powerful than the gender reversed Three Stooges we're supposed to like, and yet she doesn't even get a token invite to the party. That's not only rude that's just hurtful. Maybe if she was invited Aurora would've been blessed with something useful, like a personality or basic common sense. Either way she's envious of those who were invited and acknowledged as equals without question. She deserves a seat at the table and is ticked that she didn't get it. 

The Color of Money

Accompanying envy is greed, its lovely wife and business partner. While envy is for something that someone has, greed is a bit less specific in the intention. Greed is what Ursula has when her weird watery smoky hands reach out for Ariel's voice. Greed motivates the Shadow Man as he turns his friends from the other side onto changing Prince Naveen into a frog. Greed  is the look in Lady Tremaine's emerald eyes as she looks at her daughters and imagines manipulating them onto the throne with the Prince instead of her far more qualified and deserving stepdaughter, Cinderella. The villains want something, and while certain characters may have what they want they aren't as concerned with the person as they are with the power they wield, or the person is just a stepping stone to their true goal. 

Take Ursula, who we know has an obvious beef with Triton (In the play they're brother and sister and there was this whole inheritance dispute thing but we'll go with the movie for clarity sake though totally listen to the play's soundtrack). Ursula isn't jealous of Ariel, she doesn't want to be Ariel. She's a bit more jealous of Triton, but her real goal is to take what she feels she deserves, the triton. Ariel and her father are just stepping stones to getting her hands on it, especially since the first thing she does with it is start causing widespread mayhem throughout the harbor. She could've easily killed Ariel and Triton, but just toyed with them because her ultimate goal was momentarily accomplished. 

Horrifying Power

Now we've got to talk about Bruno (You see what I did there?). His future sight is seen as green energy swirling through sand, while his eyes glow green just like a villains. If you didn't know who he was or what the plot of the movie was you could easily see his color scheme and mistake him for a villain, but instead he's not. The green here indicates that his power is dangerous magic, something that isn't fun or playful like growing flowers or making healing empanadas. It's gazing into the shifting future and trying to interpret fragments of signs before they happen. 

Here green indicates dangerous power, similarly to Maleficent' s flames and Ursula's smoky hand trick. Another more interesting example is Cruella De Vil, in the animated 101 Dalmatians. When she walks into the Darlings home she's seen smoking a cigarette with green smoke drifting around her. The smoke is sickly and is different from when Roger smokes his pipe-which has black and grey smoke. Hers is the indication that her presence is something foreign, something so different to the Darlings that she obviously doesn't belong. Even her cigarette can't behave like everyone else's because she is not like anyone else around her, especially in morale, and that makes her scary. 

Visual Shorthand

A quick technical note about why green is used so often has to do with coding. It was mentioned before that green has the connotations with greed, sickness and envy, and that's something that most Western audiences would know when they walk into the theater. Films have only so long to get across different ideas, character motivations, ideals, plot elements etc. and will often rely on visual clues to help the audience know who everyone is without having to go into a lengthy backstory if they don't need to. Is your villain envious or greedy? Give them something green to show that off, preferably flames because they look cool, especially in a dark lair or at night when they're doing evil deeds. Need to show that the magic is otherworldly and powerful? Color it lime green like the entire thing is sponsored by Cricket, that'll show that what the characters are messing with isn't of this world. 

Green: It's not just for leprechauns. 

-JOE

Olaf Presents...

Frozen II was a really great film. But can we all agree that the best part of that movie is Olaf? ("I don't even know a Samantha!") And Olaf's best segment was when he retells the events of Frozen to the Northuldra people. Josh Gad, as Olaf, was so popular that he was asked to recap so many things, including Star Wars, Endgame, and even 2020! Disney got the bright idea to have Olaf retell five other movies in pure Olafian style! Here are the best parts of each short.

"The Little Mermaid" Parental summary: "You'll be half a fish and you'll like it, young lady!" Best character synopsis: "Hey, I'm Octalady. Gimme your voice for some legs!" Grossest funny gag: Ariel sings, and spits out her larynx, hairball style. And then Octalady eats it.  Dramatic Olaf: "Papa's an emaciated shrimp." Summed up: "Now I'm married an have feet."

"Moana" Exposition: "I stole a rock, which unbeknownst to me was actually the heart organ of a giant, raging lava lady who knocked my hook into the ocean, which takes place before the events of this story." Potty humor: "Peeing in the ocean. Hehe!" Breaking the 4th wall: "I know everyone here probably knows this already, but in case you don't, 🎶I am Moana!🎶"

"The Lion King" Relatable caption: [OLAF SINGING IN FAKE ZULU] Dose of reality: "I, Mufasa, rule in equity and justice over all my subjects. And also eat some of them!" Questionable summary: "I must run away now. And eat bugs!" Details, please!: Mufasa: "Simba!" Simba: "That explains everything!"

"Aladdin" So THAT'S why it's special!: "This is no ordinary lamp because it's filled with a magical, blue, smoky man!" HISHE line: "If only your dad had full authority to literally change any of the rules he came up with in the first place." Winking nod to Robin Williams: "Now you have to live in a pot forever and learn a few modern impressions."

"Tangled" Easter Egg nod: "A story about a close personal friend of mine."  Running gag: Olaf's toothy smolder Setting summary: "A mysterious tower to hide from vindictive horses in." It's true, though: "Look! New parents who aren't soul-crushing monsters!"

Long live Olaf. And let's hope he comes back for a second season of Olaf Presents where he retells Beauty and the Beast, Hunchback, Zootopia, and Wreck-It Ralph. What a warm hug that would be!