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

[waltography]

Um, I wasn't joking. My nephews in particular are very young and incredibly impressionable. They don't understand the difference between cheering for people ironically (or whatever you would call this) and actually celebrating people.

I don't begrudge people who feel differently, but for the particular people in my family, this is a no. It's just too dang confusing for them.

Do you avoid Pirates of the Caribbean too? If not, why?

 

[LittleBuford]

Not the children in MY family. I'm not speaking in generalities; I'm talking about MY nephews! And they wouldn't get it! I don't know that they're representative of the rest of mankind's children, but I imagine they are not THAT unusual.

You wrote "Glorifying Villains is not in our family's playbook of raising children." Whether you intended anything by it or not, such a statement comes across as expressing a more general (and somewhat judgemental) ethical stance that goes beyond your own family.

Fantasmic? Any dark ride? Every film with a traditional villain?

Yes, it's traditional for the villains to get their comeuppance. My point was that Disney has long represented the villains in a lighthearted manner, encouraging fans (young and old) to engage with the characters in ways that are fun and interactive, whether getting the Evil Queen's authograph or wearing Maleficent's horns. The new show seems consistent with this longstanding tradition.

 

[LittleBuford]

The applause / approval factor is what makes this a bit different, I think. There’s a lot of psychological study behind how humans respond to watching others receive approval.
The “likes” factor, if you will.

Honestly, I think the show will be fine for a lot of kids. My son has no idea who the villains even are. For kids who are familiar with the movies, some won’t put two and two together (like “Hey, we’re cheering for that lady who likes to make coats out of kidnapped puppies”) and will just roll with it, some will already have the perspective to know that the villains can be taken as over the top archetypes and not literally. But for those who might take the wrong message from it? I don’t see anything wrong with their families skipping this one.

I don't think the show is meant to have a message as such. It seems very much in the same silly vein as a British pantomime.

But yes, individual families are free to do what works best for them. I wouldn't have said anything had I not understood the post to be implying something more general.

 

[brb1006]

Um, I wasn't joking. My nephews in particular are very young and incredibly impressionable. They don't understand the difference between cheering for people ironically (or whatever you would call this) and actually celebrating people.

I don't begrudge people who feel differently, but for the particular people in my family, this is a no. It's just too dang confusing for them.

Also, I stand by what I said about Villains not being something to celebrate. I'm not saying it's satanism (not sure where that came from), but I do think it's a misguided approach to theme park content featuring Villains. If they end up actually making a Villains Land, I want the Villains there to actually be VILLAINS, not tragic, misunderstood anti-heroes. It would be so much more satisfying to defeat Maleficent than root for her. And I don't want some stupid "Resistance vs First Order" role-playing in there either. Just put me in a cauldron, carried by bats, and let my watch Prince Philip take that dragon down (and yes, I'm referencing Dragon Tower from Beastly Kingdom).

What about the lower tier Disney Villains like Edgar from The Aristocats and Madame Mim from Sword in the Stone? Compared to other Disney Villains, they're the tamest and least evil compared to the likes of Maleficent, Hades, and Ursula.

 

[LittleBuford]

Can't forget Madame Mim who comes across as mischievous and goofy.
View attachment 860050

And whose punishment is nothing more severe than an infection requiring a bit of bedrest!

 

[UNCgolf]

Yikes, that looked truly awful.

But I had no expectations that it would be any good (as I've said repeatedly, I think "Villains" is a bad concept in general), and it's not like someone is going to force me into the theater and make me watch it. Better than sitting empty; at least if some people enjoy it it'll get them out of the park for 15 minutes.

 

[Agent H]

And whose punishment is nothing more severe than an infection requiring a bit of bedrest!

 

[Giss Neric]

If this show bombs, will that hurt our chances for Villainsland coming to fruition? I hope not. This is why I think they should have waited. Seems like a bad way to showcase their plan for villains by bringing a lackluster, uninspired show to the parks.

They probably would make changes entertainment wise, but scraping a whole land nah.

 

[Giss Neric]

Wait, is Cruella, Hook and Maleficent going to be the 3 main cast all the time? It's not going to be alternating daily like Hades, Jafar and Evil Queen etc?

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

Wait, is Cruella, Hook and Maleficent going to be the 3 main cast all the time? It's not going to be alternating daily like Hades, Jafar and Evil Queen etc?

Sadly......Yes.

 

[abaker1975]

I just watched the video and I'm astonished how poor and boring I find this show.

It seemed boring with not a lot of infectious atmosphere. Really the best Disney can do?

 

[IMDREW]

This not working has nothing to do with villains as a whole not being able to work. This is just a very misguided and half baked attempt. I hope it’s a wake up call at least.

 

[Gusey]

For me, the Hades, Jafar and Evil Queen felt like a full enough segment to justify them as real performers rather than screens. That's the section that felt the most flat to me, no pun intended

 

[GhostHost1000]

Would be a good theater for Muppets 3D if they are going to ruin RnRC and put Muppets there as well. Make it a Muppets themed corner of the park

 

[TheGenXer]

What a surprise. The usual crew here tripping over themselves to trash something they haven’t even experienced. Meanwhile, the non jaded on YouTube seem to love it. What a sad, sad place this has become.

This ain’t meant to be an E Ticket. It’s a cute little temporary show in a swing space. And it’s mostly intended for children, not 50 year old keyboard warriors.

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

 

[DisneyHead123]

I don't think the show is meant to have a message as such. It seems very much in the same silly vein as a British pantomime.

But yes, individual families are free to do what works best for them. I wouldn't have said anything had I not understood the post to be implying something more general.

The thing is, typically when people take a moralistic stance regarding Disney, it involves cultural hot topics that shall not be named here. So I get why you’d be suspicious. But a zero tolerance stance for applauding animal abusers, even if they’re fictional? I mean that’s further than I would go, but I’m not against other people taking that stance. Honestly, at a philosophical level I think that’s fine. The poster is not saying the kids in their family can never see villains, they’re saying they cannot see villains being applauded. I guess by way of comparison, imagine if the local mall had real life criminals accused of similar crimes doing a fun, wacky fashion show where you applauded them. I would not support that. I think the posters point is that to a child, it’s hard to know if they can tell the difference. As adults I think the villains become more like symbolic archetypes to us, but kids are literal. Like I said, more zero tolerance than I would go and I think the poster might be overthinking it, but I don’t disagree with the underlying premise.

 

[LittleBuford]

I mean that’s further than I would go, but I’m not against other people taking that stance.

Nor am I, as I tried to make clear when I wrote:

But yes, individual families are free to do what works best for them. I wouldn't have said anything had I not understood the post to be implying something more general.

 

[Tha Realest]

So with the reception this show is getting so far, to the extent it serves as a proof of concept for Villains Land…how are we feeling about that project now?

 

[lazyboy97o]

So with the reception this show is getting so far, to the extent it serves as a proof of concept for Villains Land…how are we feeling about that project now?

It’s not a proof of concept.