On...The Most Misunderstood of All

Last week, I wrote (more than I had intended) on Disney's recent shift toward engaging their audience more in the rides and attractions at the park. Storytelling has always been a unique aspect of the Disney theme parks, so this evolution makes sense in a lot of ways.

During my August trip, I couldn't help but notice this shift. And one of the places where I noticed it the most was during the new Villains show at Hollywood Studios, Villains Unfairly Ever After. The show is tucked into a back corner of Studios, near Tower of Terror and Rock n' Rollercoaster, and was formerly the site of Lightning McQueen's Racing Academy (which I actually never saw...😬). It is an indoor attraction, which honestly might have changed my mind about the Racing Academy...

Somehow, I managed to avoid spoilers on social media/online, so I went into this show completely blind.

Here's the official blurb from the Disney website:

Enter the realm of the Magic Mirror—where dozens of villains are trapped! They want the Mirror to reveal the truth: which villain has been treated the most unfairly of them all?

I am super excited to take my mom and my daughter back in a couple of months, as they're both big Villains fans. Three specific villains are featured in the show, and you get a clue as to who they are as you walk up to the building. (And yeah, it's also clearly laid out on the website but again, I avoided ALL spoilers and information about this show.)

The doors opened about 5-10 minutes before the show started, and the theater filled pretty quickly. Sitting around in line waiting for a show to start/to hop on a ride is nothing new in Disney, especially Hollywood Studios. Waiting for a show like the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular or the Beauty and the Beast show can get a little dicey since those theaters are outside (in the often muggy Florida heat) and you're sitting on a bleacher seat staring at a motionless stage waiting for the show to start. (At least for the Frozen Sing-Along you're inside and get a cushy seat -- but still, motionless stage.)

Here, the show kinda starts when you sit down: the stage is surrounded by screens, and there's constant motion. The smoke is swirling, hazy outlines and eerie eyes randomly appear before fading away, the music is just a little frenetic:

These are the villains trapped in the realm of the Magic Mirror -- where, I presume, they go when they die in their respective films? That part's not clear, but its a cool way to set up the story before a single word is spoken. And it all works to keep the audience if not fully engaged, at least distracted, while they wait for the show to start.

We open with the Evil Queen intoning the iconic line -- "Magic Mirror, on the wall..." -- but we stop short of the next line. Instead, the Magic Mirror cuts in, longing for the days when "only one villain summoned me, a queen with a question."

Now, here's where things start to get interesting.

The Magic Mirror says to the audience: "You know how it goes." He starts to repeat the Queen's line, then, at the end, says "Your turn."

And the audience, now a part of the show, is invited to answer the question, finishing the line with "Who's the fairest one of all?" (The Mirror then muses on the definition of the word "fair," which I found interesting...he points out that "once upon a time it was" defined as beautiful, "but these days, villains are preoccupied with who's been treated most unfairly of them all." It's the premise for the show, of course, but is a nice little nod to the fact that being "the fairest of them all" doesn't always, or doesn't necessarily, mean "the prettiest" as we usually take it to mean.)

Then the Magic Mirror launches into a musical number (very on brand for Disney) and, okay, so I wasn't completely unspoiled. I had heard this song before, but I didn't know it was associated with this show.

And it's a legitimate bop. Like, I caught myself singing this song for the rest of the afternoon. (At least until I rode Runaway Railway. IYKYK.)

Anyway -- the point of the song is basically that Magic Mirror is annoyed and overstimulated by all of the villains constantly hounding him to declare them the most unfairly treated. As he makes clear, he "can't judge, I just reflect" so he's outsourcing the work to us, the audience:"it's up to you to tell them what you see .. please make a choice so they'll stop asking me!" He clarifies that he can only answer the Evil Queen [when she asks] so "I need you to intervene."

It's a clever way to bring the audience into the show, right? Instead of just passively watching the show, we have a secondary task: to listen to the pleas of each villain who makes their case and "determine" which one is "most misunderstood of all."

We start with Cruella. Honestly, IMHO, this was the most engaging part of the show. The energy is upbeat, the visuals are striking, and Cruella has...3 costume changes? Maybe 4 if you count the fact that her coat from the first outfit has a change of its own.

Anyway, Cruella makes her case, asking us: "Is it my fault I have a flair for fashion? Or that the puppies stirred my passion? Great artists are always so misunderstood! It's enough to make one see spots!"

And to answer her question: Yah, girl. It's kind of definitely your fault that PUPPIES "stirred your passion." *says the dog-lover.

But the coolest part -- and why it's my favorite -- is that when Cruella says "spots," the smoke bubbles float down from the ceiling. It's like the villain version of Elsa making it Snoap in the Frozen Sing-Along, and I am here for it. I am an absolute sucker for snow / bubble effects, and while I recognize it's meant to distract us while Cruella has her costume change, I'm not even mad. It's just so magical.

MAGICAL.

Up next is Hook!

This one was an odd choice for me. I mean, if you're asking me to list Iconic Disney villains, Hook doesn't crack the top 5. I get that the requirements for inclusion were probably (1) human and (2) has a song, but I would have probably advocated for Gaston (the potential here alone!) or Dr. Facilier (BANGER song). Granted, it's probably to make a case for being misunderstood if you make a Faustian bargain with voodoo spirits, but Gaston would be a solid choice.

Hook doesn't really make a case for being misunderstood -- he's largely comic relief, and offers you a free tattoo if you join his pirate crew. He definitely got the least amount of cheers (in the 2 shows I saw).

THAT honor was reserved for Maleficent -- understandably.

Her video is a little longer, but only because when I was watching it back, I thought the whole sequence was just visually stunning, especially with the way they added in scenes from the 1959 film.

And that haunting cover of "Once Upon A Dream"? Not quite the Lana del Rey version, but still. Shivers.

But Maleficent's case is probably the weakest, IMO? She asks us, "Haven't you ever been forgotten? Left off the list? Omitted from a grand affair that the entire kingdom is attending, except you?" Which...don't try to justify or rationalize it, ma'am. You are the Queen of Evil precisely because you cursed a baby girl to die just because you didn't get an invite. That is Evil, and sometimes, you just want a villain to be evil.

She then goes on to claim that she's been "woefully misinterpreted" and muses, "wasn't it my curse that brought Sleeping Beauty the gift of true love? I suppose you could say that the happily ever after of Princess Aurora was my doing! Doesn't anyone ever think of it like that?" Which, LOLZ. That is some epic mental gymnastics right there, ma'am. It was Merrywether who mitigated the curse and downgraded "Death" to "Magical Sleep That Can Be Ended With True Love's Kiss." I mean, maybe she can get credit for the assist, but it wasn't really her doing.

Now all three villains have made their case as to why they're misunderstood. Magic Mirror reappears for the final time (he's popped up in between each villain, for cohesion), and there's a bit with Hades and Jafar as all of the villains from Disney's canon appear in the mirrors.

It's a really cool sequence, and I keep rewatching the full video to try and catch all the villains who pop up. There are some pulls from deep within Disney lore: my girl Yzma is there (although she's having a bit of a moment!), Madam Mim from The Sword in the Stone; the Sheriff of Nottingham from Robin Hood, Professor Ratigan from The Great Mouse Detective, Willie the Giant from Mickey and the Beanstalk....

At this point, Magic Mirror is getting overwhelmed again. So he "turns" to the audience, as if just remembering we're there and says: "You...yes, you! I beseech thee! Answer them! Choose the most misunderstood!" (I think someone from the audience yells out "Jafar" here...which...hot take, but okay.)

He continues:"But how? Many spoke, but few were seen; though villains in the mirrors gleamed. But these 3 passed through the glass...Yes! Choose from them, that is your task! This is your moment, YOU are the judge. Clap, stomp and scream, show who you love! And when you do, the smoke will rise as you choose the most villainized!"

And again: here's a cool part. As Magic Mirror recaps each of the villains who have made their case, the audience gets a chance to show their support. You can hear them cheering -- although, honestly? I think its more for who their favorite villain is and less for who's actually 'misunderstood'...I'm pretty sure Maleficent gets the loudest/most cheers (the woman next to me was a FAN), then Cruella, and poor Hook doesn't get much. (Like, sorry Hook. You're not everyone's favorite pirate...pretty sure that honor belongs to Captain Jack.)

Then Magic Mirror says: "the smoke in the mirror never lies, you have revealed the most villainized. Magic Mirror on the wall, who's most misunderstood of all?" There's a dramatic pause -- and the audience continues to show out names! again, the woman next to me: Big Maleficent fan -- and Mirror reveals...

Captain Hook!

I swear the disappointment in my theater was palpable. 🤣

But, to be fair, in this case, I think Hook may be the most misunderstood of the three. Not the best villain, but probably the most misunderstood.

So, yes. The audience isn't actually a part of the show -- the winner is pre-determined, or on a rotation of sorts. I saw the show a second time, and Cruella was declared the most misunderstood.

But that's part of the innovative fun of it: the show is different each time you see it. Much like the Frozen Sing-Along which is my absolute favorite show at Studios. The performers change, the winner changes, even the 3 villains could conceivably change over time, rotating out. Again, the potential with Gaston is so much fun, Ursula could show up...Yzma would be fantastic! You could create an entirely new show with very little overall change. The Magic Mirror narration would be largely the same, and the costumes and screens would change, but the bare bones of the show would stay.

This was definitely a fun show, and a valuable addition to Studios. The synergistic tie-ins are there -- the stores were stocked with Villains merch and Hollywood Scoops had a Hades float (even though he wasn't a major player in the show....yet) and a Maleficent cone. I hope we get to see new villains in the future.