villains have the last laugh
Image from Disneys Sleeping Beauty, Maleficents exit form the baby shower
Looking at the characterisations of jafar and then more broadly across all disney animations, all these villains seem to possess traits that are… well… stereotypically ‘gay/queer’.
I did a bit of research into disney and its ‘gay’ villains and I learned that disney was creating these villainous characters following the american film industries first ‘self censorship’ program. in the late 20’s early 30’s the american conservative movement targeted the film industry over their moral failings and godless nature.
This resulted in the creation of the ‘Hays Code’ in 1934. Setting out the rules for what was and wasn’t allowed on screen. It stopped film makers portraying homosexual characters in a positive light. although they could depict queer stereotypes, as long as they were the villains.
These characterisations worked well with the wider audiences because homosexuality at that time was criminal and despised. The ‘queer’ tone of voice and graceful movements became the slimy, perverse and unnatural.
This was all happening right around the time disney was making Snow White. Their very first villain was the ‘Evil Queen’ it’s right there in the name!
Disneys ‘Evil Queen’, from Snow White - Camp memes follow our Queen
But if we look deeper at these characters, there are qualities for us to love, and many gay people have loved and embraced these characters. personally, i have maleficent as my Disney login avatar. They are always stylish, grand and know how to make an entrance. They are driven and don’t care what others think of them. They are outsiders, living on the fringes of these fantastical worlds.
A lot of them, like Ursula, maleficent, ratigan and jafar have suffered in their early lives, somehow finding the strength to come back bigger, better and more powerful. There’s alot of similarities here with the origin stories of many gay men and women including myself. Growing up being shunned, bullied and beaten down. being An outcast means having to find that inner strength to keep putting one foot in front of the other until… Gradually you find that power, you find yourself, you are driven to put those experiences behind you and thrive. to Be proud, standing up for oneself and learning to laugh again and find the enjoyment in life. you might have noticed, All the villains have truly fabulous laughs. the villains want to live safely in a world of their own creation. while their methods maybe suspect, if we look below the surface, we can see some heroic traits in these characters. beyond these deeper sentiments, hell… they are just fabulously camp, dramatic and deliciously entertaining.
It’s interesting to note, how disney has been reviving these villains, expanding their backstories and showing us that they were never really villains at all. Just horribly misunderstood or mistreated. Look at the live action film makeovers cruella and maleficent got. Even Disney has finally realised that the villains had all the fan love. That happy princes and princesses are vapid and one dimensional. they possess No substance, no sand in the oyster. it’s the complex nuanced characters that make the pearls.
Hazah to the villains! you poor unfortunate souls…
Disneys Maleficent, from Sleeping Beauty
look for the pinky finger…
Ursula from ‘The little Mermaid’ is said to have been based on Divine,
the drag queen who starred in many of John Waters films.
Disneys Scar, from The Lion King
Pop that pinky scar, and those seductive eyes meow
Disneys Captain Hook, from Peter Pan
it’s the pinky sisters, we can see this pose is almost a template
“it looks like maleficent got invited to the party after all,
and really isn’t that all she ever wanted”