Everyone loves a good Disney musical, hell, most people even love mediocre Disney musicals. That feel good happy ending that many production companies might make overly sugary, Disney can always pull off with class. However, usually, the most memorable numbers in the movies go to the villains, rather than the heroes. Here are some of my favourite Disney Villain songs!
Doctor Facilier – Friends On The Other Side
Aladdin is probably one of my favourite movies from the Disney Renaissance, but Jafar never gets any particularly great songs there so he doesn’t get on the list. However, Doctor Facilier’s ‘Friends On The Other Side’ always did remind me of the Genie’s ‘Friend Like Me’. Both songs are about magical deals, they’re heavy on props and they both have great surreal colour palettes.
Ratigan – World’s Greatest Criminal Mind
It’s unfortunate that Basil Of Baker Street is one of the lesser known Disney musicals. It has a great story, the visual aesthetic is dark and unique and it’d be a surefire hit if released in the modern Sherlock loving age. On top of that, it features one of the best Disney songs in my opinion, sang by none other than Vincent Price. Oh Ratigan! Oh Ratigan!
Scar – Be Prepared
For most people my age, The Lion King was the first Disney movie they remember seeing in cinemas, if not the first movie they watched on the big screen full stop. For most people, the imagery for Scar’s hyena army was lost on them at a young age… but it’s really pretty obvious when you watch it after growing up a bit. Those were goose-stepping Nazi hyenas!
Gaston – Gaston
Beauty and the Beast always caught me off guard with the hero’s sad ending…Gaston was the hero here, right? A paragon of manliness, loved by the entire town, the life of the party, with a resume almost as large as the man himself. After all, no one sings like Gaston!
Ursula – Poor Unfortunate Souls
Ursula’s performance while persuading Ariel to give up her voice for the man she loves is one of the greatest examples of why you should read the fine print. It’s also totally suited for the stage and if you ever get a chance this is something you should totally see in the theatre. (On that note, this also applies to The Lion King)
Racism – Savages
This duet between Ratcliffe’s settlers and Pocahontas’ tribe has some extremely powerful lyrics and has a message that more people should pay attention to. Both groups are going to war for the simple reason that they’re different, not for land, or revenge; This battle is just because of perceived differences.
Count Frollo – Hellfire
You guys remember that Disney song about sex and murder and burning people to death, right? The Hunchback of Notre Dame doesn’t number among my top Disney movies, but Heaven’s Light/Hellfire is by far my favourite Disney song. The visuals and lyrical imagery are just as powerful as Savages here and Disney really went out on a limb to put something so adult in nature. We often see heroes making a choice between something they really want and what is right. We see it less often with villains, so it’s pretty chilling to see one struggle with his own inner turmoil.
What are some of your favourite Disney songs? Hero or Villain, let us know in the comments!
