The spotlight usually shines on the heroes, the warriors, or the morally good characters in Disney Movies. In the Disney classic, The Little Mermaid (1989), Princess Ariel was the star of the movie as she made a dangerous deal to have a chance to walk on land. In Alice in Wonderland (2010), viewers followed Alice, who became the hero of the tale, as she entered a magical land with a talking caterpillar and The Red Queen.
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Maleficentand Cruella are currently the only two live-action films that explore the origins of well-known characters and how they came to be vile or diabolical. There are Disney villains that fans can't wait to explore more of in a future live-action movie or TV series. Until then, there are a few current movies and TV series that place more focus on the adventures or mishaps of the villains.
'101 Dalmatians' (1996)
Before Emma Stone wore Cruella De Vil's stylish outfits, Glenn Close depicted the wicked character in the 1996 film 101 Dalmatians. Cruella De Vil was a fashion designer and Anita's (Joely Richardson) boss. Anita and Roger (Jeff Daniels) got married, and one of their dalmatians gave birth to 15 puppies. Cruella's plan was to capture all the puppies (as well as use a few more puppies) and sew a fur coat from their skin.
101 Dalmatians andCruella(2021) offered a different take on the backstory of the characters, but still placed them in the forefront of the movie. According to Rotten Tomatoes, 101 Dalmatians scored a 41% rating on the Tomatometer, and a 40% rating from audiences.
'Hocus Pocus' (1993)
300 years passed since they were hanged, these three witches were thought to be dead. The Sanderson sisters: Winifred (Bette Midler), Mary (Kathy Najimy), and Sarah (Sarah Jessica Parker) maintained their appearance by taking the lives of children. After 300 years, Max (Omri Katz) lit up the Black Flame Candle to prove that the story of Sanderson's sisters was not true. Once the candle was lit, the sisters rose from the dead.
Hocus Pocus (1993) was more enjoyed by audiences than critics. According to Rotten Tomatoes, Hocus Pocus received a 38% rating from critics and earned a 71% score from audiences. The sequel to Hocus Pocus, Hocus Pocus 2 is believed to premiere in October 2022.
'Maleficent' (2014)
The classic Disney princess fairytale, Sleeping Beauty, told the story of how an evil fairy cast a curse on Princess Aurora, where Aurora would fall under a sleeping curse after she pricked her finger on a spinning wheel's spindle. In the 2014 movie, Maleficentdelved into Maleficent's (Angelina Jolie) backstory and her history with King Henry (Kenneth Cranham), ruler of the human kingdom. King Henry wanted to capture the Moors Kingdom (where Maleficent was from), and used a close ally of Maleficent in an attempt to kill her. Furious with what King Henry's plans were, Maleficent paid a visit to the kingdom to curse his daughter Aurora.
Maleficent proved to be a more favorable film among audiences than critics. According to Rotten Tomatoes, Maleficent scored a 54% rating on the Tomatometer, and a 70% rating from audiences. The sequel to Maleficent, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (2019) was more enjoyed by audiences than critics where it scored a 39% rating on the Tomatometer, and a 95% rating from audiences.
'Cruella' (2021)
In Cruella (2021), Cruella originally went by Estella. It wasn't until after she faked her own death that she went by Cruella De Vil. As a young girl, her mischievous acts always got her into trouble. At a young age, she lost her mother in a tragic accident. The Baroness (Emma Thompson) hired Estella as a fashion designer after seeing her latest piece. However, Estella noticed that she owned the necklace that her mother gave to her before she died. To steal the necklace back, Estella disguised herself as Cruella and made a grand entrance at The Baroness's party.
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According to Rotten Tomatoes, Cruella scored a 74% rating on the Tomatometer and a 97% rating from audiences. This might not be the end of Cruella's story as screenwriter Tony McNamara and Craig Gillespie are planning to return for Cruella 2.
'Descendants 2' (2017)
The original cast from Descendants reprised their roles in Descendants 2 (2017). Carlos (Cameron Boyce), Mal (Dove Cameron), Evie (Sofia Carson), and Jay (Booboo Stewart), the children of the infamous villains were now living on Auradon among the other characters from fairy tales. When Mal decided she didn't fulfill the expectations of what was required of her, she returned to Isle of the Lost where Uma (China Anne McClain), Ursula's daughter, was in control.
In Descendants 2, Mal had to decide between risking her friend's life or stealing a magic wand. Descendants 2was enjoyed by both critics and audiences. According to Rotten Tomatoes, Descendants 2 received a 71% rating on the Tomatometer and a 70% rating from audiences.
'Descendants 3' (2019)
McClain reprised her role as Uma in Descendants 3 (2019). Whereas Dr. Facilier (Jamal Sims), Hades (Cheyenne Jackson), Lady Tremaine (Linda Ko), and Mr. Smee (Faustino Di Bauda) were introduced as a new group of villains. Hades was Mal's father who attempted to follow Mal back to Auradon by escaping the barrier that enclosed the Isle of the Lost.
Even though there were more characters than in the previous movies and more threats, Descendants 3 didn't top its first movie. Descendants 3 scored a 78% rating on the Tomatometer and a 67% rating from audiences according to Rotten Tomatoes.
'Descendants' (2015)
Cruella De Vil, The Evil Queen, Maleficent, and Jafar are all villains in their own stories, but what about their children? Disney's original movie, Descendants (2015) centered on Cruella De Vil's son, Carlos De Vil, The Evil Queen's daughter, Evie, Maleficent's daughter, Mal, and Jafar's son, Jay. They lived on the Isle of the Lost their entire life, but when Belle's son, Ben (Mitchell Hope), made his first proclamation to allow them to live in Auradon.
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Descendants was the first of the series that introduced viewers to the main characters' backstories. With catchy songs and sharing lessons worthy to remember, Descendants, scored a 90% rating on the Tomatometer and a 67% score from audiences according to Rotten Tomatoes.
'Loki' (2021- )
Loki's first appearance was in the movie Thor (2011). In Thor, he was seen as Thor's power-hungry brother, who wanted to be the next ruler of Asgard. In 2021, Disney premiered its TV series that focused only on Loki, but rather than unraveling Loki's childhood issues, it focused on the events after Avengers: Endgame (2019). In Loki (2021-), Loki (Tom Hiddleston), stood in front of the Time-Variant Authority (TVA) and waited for his sentence for disrupting the natural order of events.
With only six episodes in season 1, Loki scored a 92% rating on the Tomatometer and a 91% rating from audiences according to Rotten Tomatoes. Season 1 left viewers with a cliffhanger, but, rest assured, Loki will return for season 2, but the release date is yet to be confirmed when.
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