If you'd asked 8-year-old us who the worst person ever to exist was, it would probably be a toss up between Jafar and Ursula from Aladdin and The Little Mermaid.
20 years later, not much has changed – until we read this Twitter thread which argues that Disney villains are actually the true heroes of the animated films.
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Related: 17 Disney villains ranked in order of utter wickedness
According to actor Zelda Williams, the bad guys in Disney movies aren't actually as universally terrible as you're led to believe, arguing that they're actually portrayed in a bad light, and are totally misunderstood.
In a series of Twitter threads, she picked apart iconic films from your childhood, putting forward points about why the likes of Captain Hook, Scar and Ursula are given a bad rap.
First off, Ursula from The Little Mermaid:
"Ariel is a bored snob who literally sings about having everything but it not being enough. She saves a man'a life, who she then stalks & decides to 're-meet' (since he doesn't even remember what she looks like), but in order to do so, she'll needs magic, so who does she call? Ursula helps her in spite of Ariel's snooty royal family exiling her and her rad AF eel buds to a cave. She doesn't even make the task HARD. Like, hello, Ariel knows how to write! She signed her name! She didn't have to play illiterate as well as mute! Not to mention Little Mermaid takeaway: snobby hot rich chicks always get their way, while the harder working talented magical ladies who don't fit particular (dumb) beauty or age standards will often be unfairly mistreated & shunned by certain society. Ursula was a BAMF, and a babe. Onwards!"
As for Scar from The Lion King?
"Enter Simba, another snooty royal who's told from a very young age that he owns the entire planet (which isn't unrealistic. At all.). He immediately starts annoying his smarter uncle Scar, and btw, who wouldnt be peeved at a world that's nicknamed you after a visible injury?! And yes, Scar ended up overthrowing the monarchy, but most societies had to in order to modernise! He and the hyenas made a new democracy! It was bumpy, but when new, improved Simba returns matured by time abroad, the pride is better for it! And the burn helped new plant growth.
"Lion King takeaway: the hyenas were grossly mistreated & forced to live in horrible conditions and only Scar saw their promise and got them to unionise. He also created a whole new government while Simba was off being a stoner. PS, don't nickname people after their injuries. NEXT."
Next up, Maleficent:
"I don't even know where to begin with Maleficent other than LOOK AT THIS FABULOUS FAIRY! A fashion icon with amazing dental hygiene. Yes, she overreacted to not being invited to a party, but EVERYTHING WORKED OUT FOR THE BEST IN THE END, AMIRIGHT?! Also, Dragon drag. Also, how's Maleficent the weirdo of Sleeping Beauty when the Prince is just walking around entering condemned properties and kissing dead chicks?! Also, fun fact, but Ravens are super intelligent and can speak better than parrots, so extra rad points to Mal. NEXT!"
Zelda also had things to say about Jafar from Aladdin, Hades from Hercules and more of your Disney faves. Has your opinion been changed for good?
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Dusty Baxter-Wright is an award-winning journalist and the Entertainment and Lifestyle Director at Cosmopolitan, having previously worked at Sugarscape. She was named one of PPA’s 30 Under 30 for her work covering pop culture, careers, interiors and travel, and oversees the site’s Entertainment and Lifestyle strategy across print, digital and video. As a journalist for the best part of a decade, she has interviewed everyone from Louis Theroux and Channing Tatum to Margot Robbie and Ncuti Gatwa, while she has also spoken on Times Radio and BBC Radio. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram here.
