DHS New Villains Show Coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Summer 2025

LittleBuford

LittleBuford

Well-Known Member
Ayla said:
There are issues with both. Trying to re-write these villains (in this particular show) as misunderstood, sympathetic characters is certainly eyebrow raising.
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That isn’t what the show is doing, as I’ve repeatedly pointed out. It’s meant to be camp and ironic, not a serious attempt at redeeming them. Cruella is described by the Magic Mirror as “ruthless, devious, and dressed to kill”. She doesn’t deny wanting to kill puppies for their fur, but offers a weak excuse for doing so. It’s meant to be a bit of silly fun—nothing more.
 
solidyne

solidyne

Well-Known Member
LittleBuford said:
I’m genuinely puzzled that you and others don’t think the show is representing them as evil. The “misunderstood” concept is being played for laughs, not to humanise them. It’s a camp musical in which Cruella justifies her grisly haute couture by exclaiming, “Great artists are always misunderstood!” No-one is meant to come away thinking, “Poor woman—she has a point”; we’re meant to have the same reaction as when Ursula in The Little Mermaid self-pityingly declares herself to be wasting away.
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I think perhaps that's why it works for the young adult crowd, who just waking up to ironic perspectives on things.

I can see how it is played for laughs here, especially with bumblers like Hook. (DeVil's dialogue was unintelligible, so I am not sure about her.) The "misunderstood" approach in the Maleficent films definitely was not played for laughs. It was 100% humanizing.

Viewed in a vacuum the show (if better executed) could be campy fun. I think some may just see it as incongruous with the same characters in other parts of the "Disney Universe."

Some may even generally object to the blurring of lines between good and evil, irony or no irony. I'm not in this group, but I am sympathetic to it.
 
LittleBuford

LittleBuford

Well-Known Member
solidyne said:
The "misunderstood" approach in the Maleficent films definitely was not played for laughs. It was 100% humanizing.
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This isn’t the Maleficent of the live-action films; it’s the Maleficent of the original animated movie. Her justifications are not be taken seriously, nor are we meant to sympathise with her except in the silliest of terms.

Have you ever had a character interaction with a villain? They say exactly the sort of thing they do in this show. Yes, such an approach makes light of their villainy, but not in a way that’s meant to redeem them.
 
HairyLegPirate

HairyLegPirate

Well-Known Member
LittleBuford said:
I’m very confused by your stance. Here you seem to be complaining that the villains aren’t evil enough in the show, whereas before, you seemed to be saying that you don’t think children should be encouraged to applaud characters for being evil.


If kids can make that distinction in relation to pirates, why wouldn’t they be able to make it in relation to villains?
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I personally loved all the villains growing up - they were my favorite characters as a matter of fact, something that was openly encouraged by my Dad. And yet despite this heinous influence, here I stand, neither a pirate captain or puppy murdering fashion designer, but a mere accountant wasting his time joining in on this dogpile of hypersensitivity on a Disney forum during the work day.

Boy howdy, did those bad guys mess up my psyche, let me tell you. Take me away, officer.
 
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solidyne

solidyne

Well-Known Member
LittleBuford said:
This isn’t the Maleficent of the live-action films; it’s the Maleficent of the original animated movie. Her justifications are not be taken seriously, nor are we meant to sympathise with her except in the silliest of terms.

Have you ever had a character interaction with a villain? They say exactly the sort of thing they do in this show. Yes, such an approach makes light of their villainy, but not in a way that’s meant to redeem them.
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I see your point, and the show feels that way. However, the word "misunderstood" has a specific connotation. If someone is misunderstood, it means their bad reputation is somehow not their fault. Their actions would be excused if only people understood why they did them.

You're suggesting that the "misunderstood" angle is not the overall message here from the author's perspective (as it is in the Maleficent film) but instead a feeble protest from the villains: "Oh, we're just misunderstood, you see!" Then we laugh along and say, "nice try, villains."

OK, I think I buy that, especially if I could ever discern the dialogue from this recording...

Anyway, if they were going for comic, then I still think simply voting "Who's the baddest of all" would be more straightforward. They could then brag about their misdeeds, and we'd root for them in a truly ironic way. (The way I loved Darth Vader when I was only 8.)

As it is, are we voting for the character that makes the best case for their innocence? Seems a bit convoluted for kids. But again, I think this show is for those with a protracted adolescence.
 
HairyLegPirate

HairyLegPirate

Well-Known Member
LittleBuford said:
At the risk of being labelled hypersensitive myself, I don’t think there’s any need to insult anyone.
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Fair, genuine apologies for any lines crossed.

It's just this kind of "won't SOMEBODY think of the CHILDREN" thinking is insulting to children's intelligence and ability to distinguish right and wrong. Yeah sure it's not fully refined yet at that stage of life, but treating a theme park show like it's gonna create a mass murderer because it encourages cheering for Cruella deVill is the kind of pearl clutching I can't help but roll my eyes at. Kids are generally smarter than that in my opinion.
 
Chi84

Chi84

Premium Member
HairyLegPirate said:
There's nothing to be confused about here, this is just a Karen whose pearls have been crushed in her bare hands from how hard she's been clutching them.

I personally loved all the villains growing up - they were my favorite characters as a matter of fact, something that was openly encouraged by my Dad. And yet despite this heinous influence, here I stand, neither a pirate captain or puppy murdering fashion designer, but a mere accountant wasting his time joining in on this dogpile of hypersensitivity on a Disney forum during the work day.

Boy howdy, did those bad guys mess up my psyche, let me tell you. Take me away, officer.
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Maybe delete the first sentence?
 
solidyne

solidyne

Well-Known Member
HairyLegPirate said:
[...] I personally loved all the villains growing up - they were my favorite characters [...]
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I did, too! However I did because I knew they were evil, and I could engage in a little role play. I knew that I wouldn't truly live as they do.

I didn't love the Stormtroopers because I sympathized with their unfortunate military conscription. I loved them because they looked cool.

The fantasy and play is easier when the lines are unambiguous. Irony and misunderstanding are best in more serious venues.
 
LittleBuford

LittleBuford

Well-Known Member
solidyne said:
I see your point, and the show feels that way. However, the word "misunderstood" has a specific connotation. If someone is misunderstood, it means their bad reputation is somehow not their fault. Their actions would be excused if only people understood why they did them.

You're suggesting that the "misunderstood" angle is not the overall message here from the author's perspective (as it is in the Maleficent film) but instead a feeble protest from the villains: "Oh, we're just misunderstood, you see!" Then we laugh along and say, "nice try, villains."

OK, I think I buy that, especially if I could ever discern the dialogue from this recording...

Anyway, if they were going for comic, then I still think simply voting "Who's the baddest of all" would be more straightforward. They could then brag about their misdeeds, and we'd root for them in a truly ironic way. (The way I loved Darth Vader when I was only 8.)

As it is, are we voting for the character that makes the best case for their innocence? Seems a bit convoluted for kids. But again, I think this show is for those with a protracted adolescence.
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I see your point, though I think the ironic use of “misunderstood” will be understood (!), or at least intuited, by pretty much everyone, young and old.
 
solidyne

solidyne

Well-Known Member
HairyLegPirate said:
Fair, genuine apologies for any lines crossed.

It's just this kind of "won't SOMEBODY think of the CHILDREN" thinking is insulting to children's intelligence and ability to distinguish right and wrong. Yeah sure it's not fully refined yet at that stage of life, but treating a theme park show like it's gonna create a mass murderer because it encourages cheering for Cruella deVill is the kind of pearl clutching I can't help but roll my eyes at. Kids are generally smarter than that in my opinion.
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I want to cheer (in fun) for the "bad guys." Even little kids can understand the difference between heroes and villains and can root for either.

The problem is cheering for villains as heroes.

(I now think that's not necessarily what is happening in this show; I am just trying to explain some objections.)
 
JD80

JD80

Well-Known Member
Moth said:
I think you should've led with this, and I agree with this point entirely.

Walk-On Star Tours is the only reason why DHS exists.

Anyways this show is booty, if this is a taste what Villainsland is going to be like, it tastes very sour, half-baked, slightly spoiled, and not appetizing. Just keep the island and boat nobody goes on and move on with our lives. I don't care for the boat or island as attractions but if something has to replace them and the unmatched atmosphere they bring, I'd rather it be Good instead of half-baked.
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Yall need to stop hyperventilating.
 
flynnibus

flynnibus

Premium Member
Wow, just watched the full video...

Would have zero interest in sitting through this. I mean, if you take away the backdrop... is this any better than a castle stage show? I'd say not. Just having 3-4 different villians come out and do a segment solo and disconnected feels so empty. It's something that I think you'd want as street level entertainment... more like the jack sparrow/pirates thing they used to do in Adventure land. Not a theater show.

When you strip away the stage.. which seems massive when you just throw one performer walking around for little purpose.. I mean... even the deck party on the cruise ships is better than this.

Swing and a miss Disney... swing and a miss...
 
Disgruntled Walt

Disgruntled Walt

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
No
Ok, it's clear people disagree with me about whether or not my own niece or nephews would understand the show. Let's drop that and get back to discussing this show for what it is: awful.

We're encouraged to come back again because it might not turn out the same way...but aren't there only three possibilities? And everything is pre-scripted (except for maybe a few seconds of dialogue each? at least in the Capt. Hook clip I saw), so it's not like we're getting to watch these actors riff on the villains' personalities. We also have to watch the Hades vs Jafar thing every time, and listen to the Magic Mirror's voice.

There are so many reasons to close this sooner rather than later. If it lasts all the way until Villains Land opens in 2032, we're in big trouble.
 

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