Are we in the "Streaming Era" of Disney Feature Animation? Is the "Revival Era" finally finished?

[Miss Rori]

I feel like there are also some tone and visual commonalities to the “Gilded Era” films atop the diminishing trust in the company as a whole. Namely the massive refusal to kill villains, for example.

I'm not exactly sure it's a great idea to bring back killing villains. People got tired of villains falling to their deaths in the '90s, but at the same time, the heroes' hands have to stay clean. (Not least because, especially in these polarized times, implying to children that the only way evil people [or just people they think are evil] can be handled is by having them die can only end in tears.) Can't they be dragged off to jail, or redeemed? If they do die, why not in a noble sacrifice upon their realizing what they've done is wrong?

 

[Miru]

I'm not exactly sure it's a great idea to bring back killing villains. People got tired of villains falling to their deaths in the '90s, but at the same time, the heroes' hands have to stay clean. (Not least because, especially in these polarized times, implying to children that the only way evil people [or just people they think are evil] can be handled is by having them die can only end in tears.) Can't they be dragged off to jail, or redeemed? If they do die, why not in a noble sacrifice upon their realizing what they've done is wrong?

There have been quite a few that were dragged off to jail, really, though they weren’t as bad as the ones who were killed. Furthermore, the vast majority of the villain deaths are their own faults, the heroes only have blood on their hands in a few cases.

 

[Phroobar]

The evil queen’s fate is: Falls off the cliff when lightning strikes and is pecked by two vultures
Maleficent’s fate is: Slain by Prince Phillip
The bear’s fate is: Falls off a waterfall and dies
The Horned King’s Fate is: Consumed into the black cauldron
Ratigan’s Fate is: Fells off a Big Ben when it strikes 10
Sykes’s fate is: Gets hit by a train and dies

Here are 90's Disney Villains' deaths:
Ursula’s fate is: Impaled by Ship Mast while trying to kill Ariel; Impaled by the Trident,
McLeach’s fate is: Falls to his apparent death down a huge waterfall,
Gaston’s fate is: Falls off Beast's Castle to his death,
Oogie Boogie's fate is: His burlap skin is forcibly removed, causing his bugs to fall into a molten pit.
Scar’s fate is: Overthrown by Simba and killed by both the hyenas and the flames
Jafar’s Fate Is: Destroyed when lamp melts in a lava by his parrot
Frollo’s Fate Is: Falls off a cathedral & being burned alive
Hades‘s Fate is: Dragged into the River of styx.
Sa’luk’s Fate Is: Turned into a Gold Statue With the hand of midas.
Hopper’s Fate is: Eaten by baby birds.
Zira’s Fate is: Drowned into the River committing zira’s suicide.
Shan Yu’s Fate is: Blown up by fireworks with a massive missile
Clayton’s fate is: Fighting Tarzan, then gets hung by one of the vines and dies when it snaps his neck.

Here are the 00’s Disney Villain Deaths:
Morgana’s Fate is: Frozen in ice by a trident & sinks into the underworld sea
Rourke’s Fate is: Being Crystalized & gets shredded from a propellor after turn into a crystal monster
Scroop’s Fate Is: Falls into a ship & floats into the void of space
Syndrome’s fate is: Sucked into a jet turbine by his cape
Charles F. Muntz Fate is: Falls from a House & gets tangled by balloons.
Facilier’s Fate is: Sucked into the underworld of Voodoos to their unknown.

Here are the 10’s Disney Villain Deaths
Mother Gothel’s Fate Is: Ages and goes up in dust after Flynn cut Rapunzel's magic hair off and gets tripped out the window with Rapunzel's cut hair by Pascal
King Candy/Turbo’s Fate Is: Flies into a beacon and deleted it.
Mor’du’s Fate Is: Crushed by a falling meinhr.

 

[Miru]

For the sake of completeness

Ralph Clone Army: Accepted deletion after accepting Ralph’s decision.

King Runeard: Pushed off a cliff by enraged Northuldrans

 

[Phroobar]

For the sake of completeness

Ralph Clone Army: Accepted deletion after accepting Ralph’s decision.

King Runeard: Pushed off a cliff by enraged Northuldrans

Sad thing is I have to look up most of these villains to find out who they are.

 

[Miru]

Sad thing is I have to look up most of these villains to find out who they are.

Other than that, it’s been Marvel, Lucasfilm, and the tv shows, which is not ideal.

If you want to get technical, there was also Ernesto, but the film is in the Land of the Dead after all.

More disturbingly, Strange World is the first Disney film to play up a death so nonchalantly it almost seems like it’s being played for laughs, with Duffle.

On the other hand, it’s ironic that only two villains died in Walt’s lifetime.

 

[Phroobar]

Other than that, it’s been Marvel, Lucasfilm, and the tv shows, which is not ideal.

If you want to get technical, there was also Ernesto, but the film is in the Land of the Dead after all.

More disturbingly, Strange World is the first Disney film to play up a death so nonchalantly it almost seems like it’s being played for laughs, with Duffle.

On the other hand, it’s ironic that only two villains died in Walt’s lifetime.

I thought that list was incomplete. When I think about it, there were only two dead villains. The evil step mother was just shamed, Cruella Deville ran away and Captain Hook didn't get eaten. Disney sure did get violent with it's deaths in recent history.

 

[Miru]

I thought that list was incomplete. When I think about it, there were only two dead villains. The evil step mother was just shamed, Cruella Deville ran away and Captain Hook didn't get eaten. Disney sure did get violent with it's deaths in recent history.

And yet at the same time, the current defeats don’t feel satisfying enough. The feel less like “I’ll be back in perfect form next time, losers!” And more of that they’re simply being tossed aside and the possibility of them coming to an understanding that never happens. The last defeat with that “I’ll get’cha next time!” energy was Gantu’s.

 

[Twilight_Roxas]

I think during the pandemic WDAS would have decided to move Raya and the Last Dragon to Disney+ beginning the Streaming Era. Kinda like how WW2 began the Package Era.

 

[Miru]

The 2020s have had no villain deaths whatsoever unless you include Marvel/Lucasfilm, and even those tend to be pretty mild (IJ5, Black Widow, Eternals, NWH) or even redemptive deaths (Eternals, DS2, Shang-Chi, AM3) with a few exceptions.

Anyway, the era is certainly over, but it will take Moana 2 for me to figure out exactly when it ended.