Disney is an exception when it comes to a villain anthem. Whether it’s a sly ape, a cunning lion, or a grandiose Sea Witch, the villains in Disney musicals have the most memorable songs. Sometimes, a dash of sarcasm, sometimes a superiority complex.
Here are the top five Disney villain songs throughout history.
Table of Contents
Be Prepared | The Lion King
Tim Rice‘s brilliant poetry highlights Scar’s “meticulous planning” and serves to highlight the villain’s superior intelligence and cunning character. This song has a different structure than previous Disney villain songs, which usually have a verse-chorus structure. It is delivered more rhythmically and is more like a spoken-word story. He explains his strategy just before it is put into action with a sinister tone that switches between a soft and seductive delivery for lines like “it’s clear from your vacant expression, the lights are not all on upstairs” and a harsher, more intimidating tone for lines like “even you can’t be caught unawares.”
Mother Knows Best | Tangled
One of the finest casting choices Disney has ever made is Donna Murphy portraying Mother Gothel in Tangled. She vocally embodies the character’s psychologically duplicitous strategies, transforming a protective maternal figure into a monster out to deceive.
On the surface, the song appears to be full of counsel and direction, but Mother Gothel’s wish to keep her daughter alone and cut off from the outside world is hidden in the song’s words. Her dramatics are simply so delicious — the signs of tiredness at the thought of the “big bad” beyond, the slight rise in her voice to suggest that a question is rhetorical, and the small appearances in the shadows to imply the unforeseen horrors Rapunzel would encounter outside the tower. Brilliantly done.
I Wanna Be Like You | The Jungle Book
King Louie the Orangutan has evil intents with “Man’s Red Fire,” thus it counts even if he doesn’t quite match the Disney villain mold. King Louie serves as a supporting adversary, yet Louis has a charming flare and contagious energy thanks to the jazzy swing style and bouncy speed of the song. He has such a hold over you that you can’t help but tap your feet.
Poor Unfortunate Souls | The Little Mermaid
The persona has evolved over the past few decades into a cultural symbol and a source of inspiration, despite the fact that “Poor Unfortunate Souls” is a song about villains. She is a rare example of a full-figured evil in Disney mythology and shows that one does not have to be weak to inspire terror. To focus with absolute accuracy on her target, one need not be a size zero. Ursula is transformed into a femme fatale by Pat Carroll’s echoing voice and frequently guttural line delivery. Because she shouldn’t be, she isn’t as delicate or respectable as Mother Gothel. When you can be powerful, why be prim?
Gaston | Beauty and the Beast
Instead of singing his own villain song, the conceited and haughty Gaston is treated to a stirring number by his obedient right-hand man LeFou and the locals.
The song makes light of the self-importance of the clumsy bad guy while precisely capturing the villain’s arrogant mentality. The overstated adulation, Gaston’s conviction that he is deserving of everything because he is conventionally handsome, and the discrepancy between what viewers at home and the locals know about the character all contribute to making fun of the brute.
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