The other day we discussed Disney hero sidekicks, but the real fun
comes from the villain sidekicks! They are there to help the villains
with their plans, and to fill a role that the villain lacks (usually in
the comic relief area). Serious villains have goofy sidekicks while the
goofier the villain usually the scarier the sidekick. Let’s not waste
any time let’s dive right in…….
RichB:Let’s talk about a nasty pair of sidekicks which are often forgotten.
#10.Desoto and Roscoe (Oliver & Company)
These Doberman’s meant business! It seemed to be a rule that the goofier
the villain, the more serious the sidekick. And these guys were not
kidding around. They spoke with soft Italian accents and were just
menacing. When they chase our heroes, you really feel they are in
jeapordy! These guys are a bit underrated, but are totally worth
remembering!
Well Les after the other day I am dying to see your choices. What is your first?
LES: Well, I gotta applaud your choice, as many people seem
to forget all about Oliver & Company(likely because it’s the film
right before “The Little Mermaid,” but I digress…Yeah, Desoto and Roscoe
were definitely intimidating and a good match for their master, Mr.
Sykes(Robert Loggia) For my #10, I’m going with a robot with an
attitude
#10 GO-4(WALLe)
This little robot does the dirty work for AUTO, the automatic
pilot who’s following an emergency protocol to keep the Axiom from ever
returning to Earth(despite the fact that EVE just brought proof that the
environment is becoming livable again). While this character could’ve
been done as emotionless, you really get a sense he gets a sinister kick
out of being mean.
RichB:I really should see this movie, I was turned off by the fact
there is no dialogue a bit of it (with ADD that could make me bored real
fast) but that doesn’t mean it wont work. Good choice my friend!
#9.Magic Mirror (Snow White)
There was a time when Disney would use the Magic Mirror for all kinds of
things like hosting TV specials and introducing attractions in the
theme parks. And why not? It’s a creepy character. What is the story
anyway? Is it a living mirror? Is there a man trapped in there? And
before anyone comments, I have never watched Once Upon a Time. And how
in the world does he know that Snow White is the fairest of them all?
Ever notice if he just lied and said it was the evil queen, the whole
story would have never happened?? This is a mirror with not heart or
soul and that is what makes it creepy.
LES: AH Magic Mirror, yes, I used to watch “The Wonderful
World of Disney” every Sunday night, and I remember a few of them using
Magic Mirror(The one where he showcased villains was hysterical as
Madame Medusa was the current Disney villain at the time…) Well, he’s
magic mirror for a reason. He knows who the fairest of them all
is…why?…BECAUSE HE’S MAGICAL LOL! Ok, for my #9, I’m going with a candy
character.
#9 Sour Bill(Wreck-It-Ralph)
The right hand candy of King Candy(Alan Tudyk), this perpetually
gloomy sour ball is a laugh riot who perfectly counters King Candy’s
giddy enthusiasm. Plus, I LOVE the scene where Ralph pops him in his
mouth as an interrogation technique.
RichB:That sounds interesting! As I noted this is another I have yet
to see but his collab is really making me curious about what I have
missed.
#8.Molt (Bugs Life)
I commented that Desoto and Roscoe are examples of a serious sidekick to
compliment a goofy villain. This is the opposite. Since Hopper is dead
serious, Molt is a goofy kind of sidekick. Richard Kind makes this
grasshopper likeable, and we understand that he isn’t really evil he
just has to obey Hopper. In the end he is redeemed actually, which is
really no surprise since it’s clear through the whole movie he isn’t
really a bad guy. More of a spineless wimp.
LES: Yeah, that’s another tradition of Disney and
Disney/Pixar: The sidekick trapped in a relationship to serve the
villain who’s too afraid to leave them. Good pick on that one. For my
#8, I’m going with 2 bumbling thieves.
#8 Horace and Jasper(101 Dalmatians)
Remember when you said some of the sidekicks are funny to make
up for the maliciously evil villains? Well here’s two REALLY good
examples of that. These two could’ve been the inspiration for Marv and
Harry(The “Wet Bandits” in “Home Alone”). They’re like an old married
couple in the way they argue with each other. They’re bumbling and
stupid, but they do seem to enjoy doing their jobs.
RichB:The only problem with these two is that they don’t outshine the
villain. Everyone remembers Cruella but people don’t remember these
guys as easily. They were good and memorable (they even got into the
“House of Villains” dance number) but for me, not the best example of a
Disney sidekick. But that’s just me my friend.
Some sidekicks need a gimmick, like my next choice :
#7.Alpha (Up)
Another Doberman? Well, yeah but this one has a gimmick. All the dogs
have devices that allow them to talk. But a malfunction makes Alpha
sound like a chipmunk with a squeaky voice. It works because rather than
making the character goofy, Alpha is a dead serious threat. And the
voice makes logical sense (well, in the movie’s universe anyway) so
while we laugh when we first hear it, but the end the voice is not what
we are focusing on and we take him seriously.
LES: Yeah, Alpha is a pretty good villain sidekick, and the
voice is a humorous touch too. I’m kind of curious if Russell and Mr.
Fredrickson kept him after they “inherited” the Muntz blimp. Ok, for my
#7, I’m going to choose a dumped upon valet.
#7 Lawrence(The Princess and the Frog)
The valet of Prince Naveen, this guy was power hungry to get out
from under his master, and the Shadowman, Dr. Facilier gave him his
chance. And BOY did he ever take it, using the voodoo talisman and the
blood of Naveen, he underwent a transformation to take his place. He
really reveled in his new power and fought vociferously to keep it.
RichB:I’ve seen how cool the villain was and the firefly Ray almost
made my last list, but i had no no idea about this character. Sounds
like a real awesome one!
#6.Experiment 625 (aka Reuben) (Stitch! The Movie)
I won’t lie, this is the slot I had the hardest time filling. This guy
wasn’t even in he original movie. And if you watched the TV series as I
did you forget that he’s a villain because he’s such a laid back and
lazy character. But the truth he is Gantu’s sidekick and seems to be
mostly there to point out what a loser Gantu is. Though he is smart and
does provide valuable information. But he is still a fun character and
does get a redemption in the only ok Leroy and Stitch.
LES: Ok, I’ll concede he’s a fun character(with a serious
infatuation with sandwich making). I’m not sure if I’d consider him a
good sidekick, as he doesn’t seem to do a whole lot, but he’s definitely
fun to watch.
For my # 6, I’m going with a consummate suck up.
#6 LeFou(Beauty and the Beast)
OMG! This guy wouldn’t know what to do with himself if it
weren’t for Gaston, the master he serves. He worships this guy! He
also takes delight in bullying anyone Gaston tells him to(The scene
where he goads Maurice into talking “crazy” before the asylum master is
quite cruel). Plus, he gets, hands down, one of the best villain
sidekick songs ever “Gaston.” “Nooooo One’s Slick as Gaston…or as Quick
as Gaston…No one’s got a swell cleft in his chin like Gaston” LMAO!
RichB:Man, only #6? This guy is one of the silliest villain sidekicks
ever and the why he worships Gaston is just…..I don’t have a word for
it. He is just great, even if he is a bit dim witted, and it’s
impossible not to love this guy! I like that Gaston does seem to like
the guy, of course he uses hims mercilessly like any good villain would.
The only complain is that his ending is kind of weak, he deserved a
more fitting exit.
#5.Stepsisters (Cinderella)
(just looking at this pic and I hear “Oh Sing Nightingale” in my head)
What can you say about Anastasis and Drizella? It isn’t bad enough that
Cinderella has to deal with the meanest stepmother ever. But Lady
Tremaine’s two daughters are two horrible people. They fight, they
bicker, and they refuse to give Cinderella a break! These characters
were pretty stock in the classic movie, which is why i was glad to see
the otherwise horrible sequels try to develop Anastasia’s character. She
isn’t evil just insecure, and does not follow her mother’s orders
happily, and Cinderella shows her she can have a happy ending also.
Drizella is not as lucky as she tends to migrate more toward her awful
stepmother and refuses to change her ways (though she does accept that
her mother may not be perfect). Those sequels were awful but it was nice
to these two become characters rather than caricatures. As for the
original, it’s always fun to listen to their petty bickering.
LES: YEP! Anastasia and Drizella are simply HORRIBLE to poor
Cinderella and quite irredeemable in the first film. Having daughters,
I did see the sequels and I, too, did appreciate what they did for
Anastasia…which makes here sort of a reformed villain of sorts. For my
#5, I’m going with a woman who is turned on by power.
#5. Mirage(The Incredibles)
The right hand woman of Sindrome, Mirage is a lot like those
femme fatales of the James Bond films. She’s mysterious, not what she
first appears to be, and is alluring and quite loyal to her master…that
is, until he gambles with her life, but that’s another story. I like
her character arc through the film.
RichB:Another movie I never saw. I know, shame shame. I am glad that
they gave that character an “arc” and she wasn’t just there to, well, be
there.
#4.Si and Am (Lady and the Tramp)
I already talked about Aunt Sarah so it seemed only fair to give some
attention to the other instigators of the movie. Si and Am are Siamese
Cats (duh) and just love mischief! They aren’t cute, they’re damn
creepy! It’s pretty clear they like sucking up to Sarah to make sure
that other get the blame for the mean things they do. In this movie that
includes trying to kill a fish and stealing milk from a baby!. It’s
funny because they only really get that one scene in the movie, they
never appear again! That shows how memorable they were that everyone
remembers them, rather than Aunt Sarah who had more screen time and was
truly responsible for the harm that befalls Lady in the movie. I know
that scene always stood out for me, it’s a great scene in a…mediocre
movie in my opinion. (and yes I still count Sarah as a minor villain
since there really isn’t one primary antagonist in this movie).
LES: “WE are Siameeeese if you pleeeeease…..” Yep, I
remember them, my friend. They are quite diabolical in their mean
deeds. You just want to see a pit bull come along and bite their heads
off with a satisfying SNAP!…er…I mean…yes, they are pretty evil. OK!
MOVING ON!….My #4 is an Australian lizard.
#4. Joana(The Rescuers Down Under)
This is a villain sidekick who’s both menacing and funny as
hell. The “pet” Goana of Percival C. MacLeach(George C Scott), Joana is
pretty much at the top of the food chain in her environment(Save the
crocodiles at the end of the film, but I digress…). She loves lording
over all the poor trapped creatures MacLeach will skin as a poacher.
She also loves to eat eggs, which gives the film a hilarious scene where
she steals a whole lunchbox full one egg at a time while MacLeach is
contemplating how to get Cody to tell him where the Great Golden Eagle’s
nest is. Extremely expressive, she’s a great character.
RichB:I knew about the good guy we talked about last time but not this one, another one I have to check out.
Let’s go from a Goana to Eel’s with my #3 choice….
#3.Flotsam and Jetsam (Little Mermaid)
I am not sure why these two are so memorable. They are Ursula’s
underlings and seem to enjoy every bit of it. They are slimy and evil
and you wonder why Ariel even agrees to go with them to see Ursula. She
does say no, but in a moment of teenage rebellion does go because she is
mad at her father. That seems totally believable. The other scene I
think everyone remembers them for is when Eric and Ariel are about to
kiss, and they keep it from happening by tipping the boat over. With
just these two scenes we see that without these two, Ursual’s plans
would have ended quickly. She seemed to actually care for them, as we
saw when they were finally killed. As awesome a villain as she was, and
she really was, she needed the two and they were fantastic sidekicks who
did what they were told successfully!
LES: Yeah, those two were really good sidekicks who were
very good at their jobs. I salute that choice. For my #3, I’m going
for one of the goofier sidekicks.
#3. Kronk(The Emperor’s New Groove)
If you don’t laugh at this guy, there’s something wrong with
your funny bone. He’s amazingly thick(bulky and headed) and makes for
some really funny exchanges with his boss, Yzma(Eartha Kitt). Getting
Patrick Warburton to voice him is the frosting on the cake.
I ADORED these two villains. Kronk was a dope but Warburton was able
to make his so funny and likable. The way their chemistry worked was
just fantastic, and this may be the one Disney movie I laughed my a**
off while watching. It’s almost as if they new the movie wasn’t very
much so they went out of their way to make the voices memorable, I even
like David Spade and John Goodman as the good guys.
While Kronk was a goof you could never take seriously, my next two are three sidekicks you’d better take seriously!
#2.Shenzi, Banzai, And Ed (Lion King)
Most of the sidekicks to villains are not respected, they are obstacles
(or comic relief). They are either dolts who just blindly follow the
villain, or are smart but it’s still clear that the villain is the one
in charge. These three are the exception! The Hyena’s are taken dead
seriously. Mufasa warns Simba not to go anywhere near them, Simba almost
loses is life because of them, and even Scar knows that he has to watch
his words to keep them on his side. If not he could be in trouble…which
is what happens in the end when his doubletalk catches up to him and
causes the Hyena’s to turn on him. And results in one of the nastiest
villain deaths in any Disney movie (Hopper from Bugs Life was a bit
nastier). Yeah they are goofy (especially Ed) and a little dim at
times…but don’t push your luck with them!!
So you may wonder, if I liked Shenzi, Banzai, And Ed so much then why
aren’t they #1? It’s because of that one scene where they had to be
stupid to keep the movie going. Of course that’s the scene where they
let Simba run away, even though we’ve already established how nasty they
can be. I’m not saying it’s a bad scene at all. I get that we need that
moment to keep the plot moving, but it’s a contrivance and hurts the
characters in the end. So who is my #1?
But first we need to discuss your #2 Les. So what will it be my friend?
LES: Well, I do have to say BRAVO on Shenzi, Banzai and Ed.
You’re absolutely right that they’re a genuine threat at all times.
For my #2, I’m staying with goofy sidekicks.
#2. Mr. Smee(Peter Pan)
Captain Hook’s faithful shipmate, Mr. Smee is just so much fun
to watch no matter what is going on. He’s just so jubilant and
passionate in his desire to help Hook catch Peter Pan and not get killed
by the crocodile. He’s also incredibly obtuse(as evidenced by the
scene where a seagull lands on Hook’s head during a shave and Smee
mistakes it for Hook’s head, for instance). Bill Thompson voiced this
character and every line was golden.
RichB:Mr.Smee is one of those characters that is almost more popular
than the main villains. Almost. Not sure what it was but everyone seems
to love this guy. I swear when they did the live action Hook movie Bob
Hoskins had the animated character in mind. Fantastic choice my friend!
And now, I present my #1. It’s a character who I think may be the perfect villain sidekick of all!
1.Iago (Alaadin)
Yep, Iago (from the original movie) was a fantastic villain sidekick who
hits every single note you can. He’s mean and nasty himself, we know
Jafar is the boss but Iago isn’t just blindly following him like LeFou
followed Gaston. He’s actually smart and not a blithering idiot, coming
up with good schemes for Jafar. He does work for the villain and even
enjoys the rewards, punishing the Sultan later with crackers. And when
usually the competent sidekicks are also dark or mean and not very
amusing…Iago is sarcastic and funny, with some of the best lines in the
movie. Heck how many times does the sidekick share the final fate of the
villain, as happens here when both get captured in the magic lamp in
the end? Gilbert Gottfried put his heart into this character and he was
just so memorable. So much so that his role expanded in the TV series
and sequel films. He was even added to the Tiki Tiki Room in Disney
World (before a fire destroyed the animatronic and the original Tiki
Tiki Room was restored which was a good thing since everyone in the
world but me hated that change). Iago is a classic villain we loved to
hate. And yes they ruined the character later by making him a good guy,
but man was he fun in that first movie.
Ok Les, I can’t wait! Who is your choice?
LES: YES! Iago is definitely one of the best villain
sidekicks ever. Gilbert Gottfried did just as much with this character
as Robin Williams did for the Genie. He’s just so unforgettable and
deliciously nasty you almost root for him instead of the hero! Ok, for
my #1, I’m going back to the classics.
#1 Lucifer(Cinderella)
YEP! The original evil cat was the pet of Lady Tremaine. The
way he takes such malicious glee in being mean to poor Cinderella and
her mice friends makes those Siamese cats from “Lady and the Tramp” look
like amateurs. Even something as simple as waiting until Cinderella is
almost done polishing the marble floors to jump in the fireplace ashes
and tramp over the entire floor leaving dirty paw prints are an absolute
delight to him. In the final scenes where the mice are desperately
trying to get the door key to Cinderella before the Grand Duke leaves
after testing all eligible maidens in the house with the fated glass
slipper, Lucifer takes childish glee thwarting mice attempt after mice
attempt to get past him. All in all, he’s magnificently bad.
RichB:Oh yes! I mentioned him the other day (which in hindsight was a
huge mistake since he is clearly a sidekick not a secondary villain. Oh
well). There is just something about this kitty which elevates him into
a memorable character we all hate! He just loves the horrible things he
does which makes us all love to hate him!
Les, thanks for doing this with me since I can safely there are a lot
I would have missed otherwise. Hope we can do another collab again real
soon!
LES: Thanks a lot richb. I hope we can do another collaboration soon, as well, my friend. Peace.
Disney villain sidekicks are truly in a class all their own! Even at
their worst they are still fun and memorable. That’s it for now my
friends, till next time be good to yourselves.
No comments:
Post a Comment