Characteristics of Antagonists in Disney Movies

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Movies have entertained crowds since the Lumière brothers first introduced their early version of “cinématographe” to the public in Paris, France at the Grand Café on the Boulevard de Capuchines in1895 (Walter). It was the Lumières’ early developments in cinematography that led to modern day feature films. While the technology and special effects may have changed through the years, the one constant in film remains the theme of protagonist versus antagonist; or good versus evil. Ever since Disney released its first animated picture, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937, Disney has made an art of perfecting the antagonist role in animated movies. Through the years Disney has demonstrated its agenda to serve as a moral compass to a young audience by introducing antagonist characters compelled by greed, jealousy and power.
Greed is an excessive desire for wanting more than what you already have; even if gained at the expense of others. Two of the Disney villains that exemplify greed are Cruella De Vil of 101 Dalmatians and Stromboli from Pinocchio. In 101 Dalmatians Disney makes no attempt to shield us from the evil nature of the antagonist Cruella De Vil (Cruella) as her name is comprised of ‘cruel’ and ‘devil’. In the movie, Cruella plays a high-brow fashionista so obsessed with making a fur coat out of the skin of young Dalmatians that she is willing to steal 99 puppies from their rightful owners and kill them to make her coat. In Pinocchio, Stromboli plays a puppet showman who burns his marionettes for firewood when they no longer attract a large paying audience. Stromboli stumbles upon Pinocchio, a stringless marionette who can sing and dance, which audiences adore. When Pinocchio wishes to return home, Stromboli not...

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...uction and despair when fueled by greed and jealously. As entertaining as the Disney movies are for children of all ages, ultimately, Disney’s platform is to help steer the morality of young impressionable minds.

Works Cited

101 Dalmatians. Dir. Clyde Geronimi and Hamilton Luske. Walt Disney Productions, 1961. DVD.
Aladdin. Dir. Jon Musker, and Ron Clements. Walt Disney Productions, 1992. DVD.
Cinderella. Dir. Clyde Geronimi, and Hamilton Luske. Walt Disney Productions, 1950. DVD.
Lion King. Dir. Rogers Allers, and Rob Minkoff. Walt Disney Productions, 1994. DVD.
Pinocchio. Dir. Norman Ferguson and Wilfred Jackson. Walt Disney Productions, 1940. DVD.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Dir. William Contrell. Walt Disney Productions, 1937. DVD.
Walter, Jonathan. “Pioneers- Lumière brothers.” Early Cinema. N.p., Mar. 2002. Web. 10 Nov. 2013.

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