I thought I had finished doing Disney-themed Pokemon nicknames (at least through the generations I was familiar with) but while watching Disney movies with my daughters, I thought of plenty more--we're pretty much always watching a Disney movie. I felt like I had too many new ones to fit in another blog post, so here's a sampling of the new nicknames I came up with.
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. ;)
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.
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
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 6is 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.
I went to school to be a film critic (Didn't pan out-turns out nobody was hiring) and if you get me on the topic of movies I will talk your ear off about actors, lighting, history, costumes, anecdotes from sets and anything else that is completely useless in a zombie apocalypse.
I want to share with you now 10 movie moments that I think of often and love with all my heart.
Spoilers, probably.
10: The Posession (Beetlejuice)
From the moment Catherine O'Hara opens her mouth and "Deo!" comes out I am laughing and invested. Honestly this entire movie is living in my head rent free, and the musical is moving in. No matter how many times I've seen this movie, the jump scare at the end with the weird shrimp cocktails always gets me jump.
9: Cuban Pete (The Mask)
I promise this isn't just going to be a list of musical moments, but this one has to be mentioned.
Back in the 90's Jim Carey was one of the biggest actors in Hollywood. I loved his movies, and my favorite to this day is The Mask. This scene is ripped right out of Looney Tunes, and frankly if I was a cop I would be dancing right along, spell or no.
8: The T-Rex Appears (Jurassic Park)
I was about 7 when the OG Jurassic Park hit theaters. Already wanting to be a paleontologist, I was captivated by the idea to see real dinosaurs on the big screen. To this day I have nearly every shot memorized of the T-Rex emerging from her paddock and attacking the jeeps.
Two fun facts about this scene:
1: The glass on the jeep's skylight wasn't supposed to cave in but the animatronic broke through on the kids so their screams as they try to keep the glass between them and the Rex are real.
2: When the Rex steps onto the road the paddock is level ground, allowing the Rex to walk through, but when she knocks the jeep into the paddock there's a cliff. Stephen Spielberg said to keep it in despite the discrepancy because the action was more important than keeping the shots consistent.
7: Piggy and Joan Rivers (Muppets Take Manhattan)
Muppet movies get big name guest appearances, all happy to play character roles with their favorite Muppets. One of my favorites (I could make a Muppet list all on its own) is Miss Piggy with the legendary Joan Rivers. The usual dirty talking Rivers tones it down for this scene, but is still happy to give Piggy relationship advice to lure back her frog.
6: Nightcrawler vs Secret Service (X2: X-Men United)
Before we had the whole MCU and DCEU craze, we had the X-Men movies. On our second outing to the X-Men universe one of my favorites made a stunning cinematic debut by single-handedly taking out the entire Secret Service at the White House to assassinate the president. Luckily he got his mind back before he could, but the sequence is still one of the best superhero fight scenes in cinema-even including all the Marvels.
Yeah, I said it.
5: Ain't got no body! (Young Frankenstein)
A scene that always cracked me up as a kid, Dr. Frankenstein is exploring his grandfather's legendary labratory. Looking at replicated heads on a shelf, they come across the freshly dead sample being Igor, the doctor's assistant, who breaks out into song. You don't want to know how many times I've put my head on a shelf/counter/table and done the same thing.
4: Duel of the Fates (Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace)
Yeah come at me, but this scene rocks.
3: Part of Your World reprise (The Little Mermaid)
About time Disney made it on this list (Though I could also make a list of just Disney movies). Here we have this beautiful moment when Ariel just saved Eric and they're together on the beach. The sunlight shines through the storm clouds as Ariel sings the reprise, musing whether they'll ever be together forever. It's Disney animation at its finest, beautiful, mesmerizing and just a nice time.
2: Spider-Man Returns (Avengers: Endgame)
I was not okay at the end of Avengers: Infinity War. In Endgame, Hulk uses the Infinity Stones to get everyone back, which is amazing in and of itself, but the real emotional blow comes when Spider-Man reunites with Tony Stark on the battlefield. Spider-Man is doing his normal adorkableness, while Stark stares at him in awe, realizing that after five years it worked. He's undone his greatest failure. The hug gets me every. Single. Time.
1: You can call me... Joker (Batman)
This scene has defined my life. Ask anyone and they'll tell you I have an obsession with villains, bad guys and monsters and I can trace it all back to here: The introduction of the Joker. Jack Nicholsen starts out in silhouette giving us a hint of what's to come, playing it straight faced until he steps out into the light revealing that grin and that laugh... Heath Ledger was good but man... This scene tho...
I could honestly make the same list for Disney, horror, super heroes, TV, anime and musicals. All I need is a reason.
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.
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!"
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!
