Latest news with #DisneyVillains:UnfairlyEverAfter
Miami Herald
21-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Two New Shows Just Premiered at Walt Disney World, and They're Pure Magic
Walt Disney World in Orlando just premiered two much-anticipated stage shows at Disney's Hollywood Studios - and they're fresh, innovative and spectacular. "The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure" and 'Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After" are both now open at the park. While vastly different productions, each is filled with Disney nostalgia and immersive special effects, including the use of dazzling lighting, state-of-the-art sound design, stunning costumes, spot-on casting and more. Our family was there for the new shows' debut on May 27, 2025. Here's everything you need to know about the performances and how to be among the first to see them. The new shows are at Disney's Hollywood Studios: a fitting spot because both are based on hit Disney movies, and Hollywood Studios celebrates the imagined worlds of cinema. "The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure" can be found in the park's Animation Courtyard, across from the limited-time dance party "Get Animated" and near Star Wars Launch Bay. "Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After" is on Sunset Boulevard, just steps from the fan favorite Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith. SheBuysTravel tip: If visiting this summer, make sure to head to Animation Courtyard early to enjoy a host of dynamic "Cool Kid Summer" themed events, including ongoing character meet-and-greets, games, crafts and jump rope performances. I attended the performances with my husband and three children (ages 5, 5 and 8). Both productions are upbeat and funny, and strike a wonderful balance of appealing to both kids and adults. Since both are based on widely seen Disney classics, everyone in our family was able to follow the storylines. "The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure" is colorful, lively and imaginative. "Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After" features a few spooky moments (an onscreen dragon "breathing" fire across the stage), but the villains are presented as charming and mischievous. Both productions are fast-paced and action-filled, so there isn't really time for either to become scary. In "The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure," my kids went wild when iridescent bubbles filled the theater during a rousing rendition of "Under the Sea." The puppetry is also incredible (and performed so invisibly that the show's many illusions are never broken). While "Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After" puts the spotlight on three villains, nearly 60 other Disney antagonists are also featured on "mirrors" that surround the stage during the show. My kids loved spotting Wish's Magnifico, Aladdin's Jafar and Beauty and the Beast's Gaston, among others. SheBuysTravel tip: If traveling with young ones, keep your eyes on the show's many "mirrors" and try to name all the other Disney villains as they appear. While neither of the two new shows offer Lighting Lane access yet, both theaters offer continuous scheduled performances and high-capacity seating for each show. Standby lines should move quickly after an initial wait, and "The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure" is expected to begin offering Lightning Lane access soon. Showtimes for "The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure" are currently running from 9:15 a.m. to 7 p.m., and showtimes for "Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After" are scheduled from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. SheBuysTravel tip: To bypass crowds, stay at a Disney Resort Hotel (or a select Disney partner hotel) and enjoy 30-minute early entry to all four theme parks. This will allow time to ride a few rides first, then get in line for the shows. "The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure" replaced the prior "Voyage of the Little Mermaid," a show housed in the same theater from 1992 to 2020. While both shows were inspired by Disney's 1989 film, the newest production is fully reimagined, creating an all-new theatrical experience. "Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After" is in the space formerly occupied by the Cars-themed show Lightning McQueen's Racing Academy from 2019 to 2024. The theater has been dramatically renovated, with plush seating, a wide stage and an elaborate set. The attraction is thought to kick off the future Villains Land, a new themed area coming to the Magic Kingdom. There are many terrific live shows at Walt Disney World . The newest productions join the ranks of other family-friendly theater performances at Disney's Hollywood Studios, including Disney's Beauty and the Beast – Live On Stage and For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration. Two of my other favorite shows are at Disney's Animal Kingdom: the epic larger-than-live musical show Festival of the Lion King, and the puppetry-filled extravaganza Finding Nemo: The Big Blue… and Beyond! SheBuysTravel tip: For all the stage shows at Walt Disney World , get in line early to get the best seats. While you still may gain entry close to showtime, the closest seats are filled quickly by those first in line. Mom's Guide to Visiting Walt Disney World's Hollywood Studios with Preschoolers and Small ChildrenMagic Kingdom Must-Do's: Essential Experiences for Preschoolers and Young ChildrenHow to Make the Most of Walt Disney World's EPCOT with Preschoolers and Young ChildrenInsider Tips for Visiting Walt Disney World's Animal Kingdom with Preschoolers and Young ChildrenDisney World FAQs for First Time Visitors (and Veterans!) The post Two New Shows Just Premiered at Walt Disney World, and They're Pure Magic appeared first on She Buys Travel. Copyright © 2025 SheBuysTravel · All Rights Reserved
Asharq Al-Awsat
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Asharq Al-Awsat
When Did Disney Villains Stop Being So Villainous? New Show Suggests They May Just Be Misunderstood
Cruella de Vil wanted to turn Dalmatian puppies into fur coats, Captain Hook tried to bomb Peter Pan and Maleficent issued a curse of early death for Aurora. But wait, maybe these Disney villains were just misunderstood? That's the premise of a new musical show at Walt Disney World that has some people wondering: When did Disney's villains stop wanting to be so ... villainous? The live show, "Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After," debuts May 27 at Disney's Hollywood Studios park at the Orlando, Florida, resort. In the show, the three baddies of old-school Disney movies plead their cases before an audience that they are the most misunderstood villains of them all. "We wanted to tell a story that's a little different than what's been told before: Which one of them has been treated the most unfairly ever after?" Mark Renfrow, a creative director of the show, said in a promotional video. That hook - the narrative kind, not the captain - is scratching some Disney observers the wrong way. "I think it's wonderful when you still have stories where villains are purely villainous," said Benjamin Murphy, a professor of philosophy and religious studies at Florida State University's campus in Panama. "When you have villains reveling in their evil, it can be amusing and satisfying." Disney has some precedent for putting villains in a sympathetic light, or at least explaining how they got to be so evil. The 2021 film, "Cruella," for instance, presents a backstory for the dog-hater played by actor Emma Stone that blames her villainy on her birth mother never wanting her. Other veins of pop culture have rethought villains too, perhaps none more famously than the book, theatrical musical and movie versions of "Wicked," the reinterpretation of the Wicked Witch of the West character from "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz." The blockbuster success of "Wicked, " which was based on the 1995 novel "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West," sparked the trend of rethinking villains in popular entertainment, Murphy said. "With trends like that, the formula is repeated and repeated until it's very predictable: Take a villain and make them sympathetic," he said. The centuries-old fairy tales upon which several Disney movies are based historically were meant to teach children a lesson, whether it was not to get close to wolves (Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs) or trust strange, old women in the woods (Hansel and Gretel, Rapunzel). But they often made marginalized people into villains - older women, people of color or those on the lower socioeconomic scale, said Rebecca Rowe, an assistant professor of children's literature at Texas A&M University-Commerce. The trend toward making villains more sympathetic started in the late 1980s and 1990s as children's media took off. There was a desire to present villains in a manner that was more complicated and less black and white, as there was an overall cultural push toward emphasizing acceptance, she said. "The problem is everyone has swung so hard into that message, that we have kind of lost the villainous villains," Rowe said. "There is value in the villainous villains. There are people who just do evil things. Sometimes there is a reason for it, but sometimes not. Just because there is a reason doesn't mean it negates the harm." Whether it's good for children to identify with villains is complicated. There is a chance they adopt the villains' traits if it's what they identify with, but then some scholars believe it's not a bad thing for children to empathize with characters who often are part of marginalized communities, Rowe said. The Disney villains also tend to appeal to adults more than children. They also appreciate the villains' campiness, with some "Disney princesses" gladly graduating into "evil queens." Erik Paul, an Orlando resident who has had a year-round pass to Disney World for the past decade, isn't particularly fond of the villains, but understands why Disney would want to frame them in a more sympathetic light in a show dedicated just to them. "I know friends who go to Hollywood Studios mainly to see the villain-related activities," Paul said. "Maybe that's why people like the villains because they feel misunderstood as well, and they feel a kinship to the villains."
Washington Post
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
When did Disney villains stop being so villainous? New show suggests they may just be misunderstood
ORLANDO, Fla. — Cruella de Vil wanted to turn Dalmatian puppies into fur coats, Captain Hook tried to bomb Peter Pan and Maleficent issued a curse of early death for Aurora. But wait, maybe these Disney villains were just misunderstood? That's the premise of a new musical show at Walt Disney World that has some people wondering when did Disney's villains stop wanting to be so ... villainous? The live show, 'Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After,' debuts May 27 at the Disney's Hollywood Studios park at the Orlando, Florida resort. In the show, the three baddies of old-school Disney movies plead their cases before an audience that they are the most misunderstand villain of them all. 'We wanted to tell a story that's a little different than what's been told before: which one of them has been treated the most unfairly ever after,' Mark Renfrow, a creative director of the show, said in a promotional video . That hook — the narrative kind, not the captain — is scratching some Disney observers the wrong way. 'I think it's wonderful when you still have stories where villains are purely villainous,' said Benjamin Murphy, a professor of philosophy and religious studies at Florida State University's campus in Panama. 'When you have villains reveling in their evil, it can be amusing and satisfying.' Disney has some precedent for putting villains in a sympathetic light, or at least explaining how they got to be so evil. The 2021 film, 'Cruella,' for instance, presents a backstory for the dog-hater played by actress Emma Stone that blames her villainy on her mother never wanting her. Other veins of pop culture have rethought villains too, perhaps none more famously than the book, theatrical musical and movie versions of 'Wicked,' the reinterpretation of the Wicked Witch of the West character from 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.' The blockbuster success of 'Wicked," which was based on the 1995 novel 'Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West,' sparked the trend of rethinking villains in popular entertainment, Murphy said. 'With trends like that, the formula is repeated and repeated until it's very predictable: take a villain and make them sympathetic,' he said. The centuries-old fairy tales upon which several Disney movies are based historically were meant to teach children a lesson, whether it was not to get close to wolves (Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs) or trust strange, old women in the woods (Hansel and Gretel, Rapunzel). But they often made marginalized people into villains — older women, people of color or those on the lower socio-economic scale, said Rebecca Rowe, an assistant professor of children's literature at Texas A&M University-Commerce. The trend toward making villains more sympathetic started in the late 1980s and 1990s as children's media took off. There was a desire to present villains in a manner that was more complicated and less black and white, as there was an overall cultural push toward emphasizing acceptance, she said. 'The problem is everyone has swung so hard into that message, that we have kind of lost the villainous villains,' Rowe said. 'There is value in the villainous villains. There are people who just do evil things. Sometimes there is a reason for it, but sometimes not. Just because there is a reason doesn't mean it negates the harm.' Whether it's good for children to identify with villains is complicated. There is a chance they adopt the villains' traits if it's what they identify with, but then some scholars believe it's not a bad thing for children to empathize with characters who often are part of marginalized communities, Rowe said. The Disney villains also tend to appeal to adults more than children, as well as members of the LGBTQ+ community who have felt marginalized in the past, with some 'Disney princesses' gladly graduating into 'evil queens.' Erik Paul, an Orlando resident who has had a year-round pass to Disney World for the past decade, isn't particularly fond of the villains, but he understands why Disney would want to frame them in a more sympathetic light in a show dedicated just to them. 'I know friends who go to Hollywood Studios mainly to see the villain-related activities,' Paul said. 'Maybe that's why people like the villains because they feel misunderstood as well, and they feel a kinship to the villains.' ___ Follow Mike Schneider, author of 'Mickey and the Teamsters,' on the social platform Bluesky: @ .
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
When did Disney villains stop being so villainous? New show suggests they may just be misunderstood
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Cruella de Vil wanted to turn Dalmatian puppies into fur coats, Captain Hook tried to bomb Peter Pan and Maleficent issued a curse of early death for Aurora. But wait, maybe these Disney villains were just misunderstood? That's the premise of a new musical show at Walt Disney World that has some people wondering when did Disney's villains stop wanting to be so ... villainous? The live show, 'Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After,' debuts May 27 at the Disney's Hollywood Studios park at the Orlando, Florida resort. In the show, the three baddies of old-school Disney movies plead their cases before an audience that they are the most misunderstand villain of them all. 'We wanted to tell a story that's a little different than what's been told before: which one of them has been treated the most unfairly ever after,' Mark Renfrow, a creative director of the show, said in a promotional video. A sympathetic light That hook — the narrative kind, not the captain — is scratching some Disney observers the wrong way. 'I think it's wonderful when you still have stories where villains are purely villainous,' said Benjamin Murphy, a professor of philosophy and religious studies at Florida State University's campus in Panama. "When you have villains reveling in their evil, it can be amusing and satisfying.' Disney has some precedent for putting villains in a sympathetic light, or at least explaining how they got to be so evil. The 2021 film, 'Cruella,' for instance, presents a backstory for the dog-hater played by actress Emma Stone that blames her villainy on her mother never wanting her. Other veins of pop culture have rethought villains too, perhaps none more famously than the book, theatrical musical and movie versions of 'Wicked,' the reinterpretation of the Wicked Witch of the West character from 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.' The blockbuster success of 'Wicked," which was based on the 1995 novel 'Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West,' sparked the trend of rethinking villains in popular entertainment, Murphy said. 'With trends like that, the formula is repeated and repeated until it's very predictable: take a villain and make them sympathetic,' he said. Emphasizing acceptance The centuries-old fairy tales upon which several Disney movies are based historically were meant to teach children a lesson, whether it was not to get close to wolves (Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs) or trust strange, old women in the woods (Hansel and Gretel, Rapunzel). But they often made marginalized people into villains — older women, people of color or those on the lower socio-economic scale, said Rebecca Rowe, an assistant professor of children's literature at Texas A&M University-Commerce. The trend toward making villains more sympathetic started in the late 1980s and 1990s as children's media took off. There was a desire to present villains in a manner that was more complicated and less black and white, as there was an overall cultural push toward emphasizing acceptance, she said. 'The problem is everyone has swung so hard into that message, that we have kind of lost the villainous villains,' Rowe said. 'There is value in the villainous villains. There are people who just do evil things. Sometimes there is a reason for it, but sometimes not. Just because there is a reason doesn't mean it negates the harm.' Whether it's good for children to identify with villains is complicated. There is a chance they adopt the villains' traits if it's what they identify with, but then some scholars believe it's not a bad thing for children to empathize with characters who often are part of marginalized communities, Rowe said. The Disney villains also tend to appeal to adults more than children, as well as members of the LGBTQ+ community who have felt marginalized in the past, with some 'Disney princesses' gladly graduating into 'evil queens.' Erik Paul, an Orlando resident who has had a year-round pass to Disney World for the past decade, isn't particularly fond of the villains, but he understands why Disney would want to frame them in a more sympathetic light in a show dedicated just to them. 'I know friends who go to Hollywood Studios mainly to see the villain-related activities,' Paul said. 'Maybe that's why people like the villains because they feel misunderstood as well, and they feel a kinship to the villains.' ___ Follow Mike Schneider, author of 'Mickey and the Teamsters,' on the social platform Bluesky: @
Winnipeg Free Press
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
When did Disney villains stop being so villainous? New show suggests they may just be misunderstood
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Cruella de Vil wanted to turn Dalmatian puppies into fur coats, Captain Hook tried to bomb Peter Pan and Maleficent issued a curse of early death for Aurora. But wait, maybe these Disney villains were just misunderstood? That's the premise of a new musical show at Walt Disney World that has some people wondering when did Disney's villains stop wanting to be so … villainous? The live show, 'Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After,' debuts May 27 at the Disney's Hollywood Studios park at the Orlando, Florida resort. In the show, the three baddies of old-school Disney movies plead their cases before an audience that they are the most misunderstand villain of them all. 'We wanted to tell a story that's a little different than what's been told before: which one of them has been treated the most unfairly ever after,' Mark Renfrow, a creative director of the show, said in a promotional video. A sympathetic light That hook — the narrative kind, not the captain — is scratching some Disney observers the wrong way. 'I think it's wonderful when you still have stories where villains are purely villainous,' said Benjamin Murphy, a professor of philosophy and religious studies at Florida State University's campus in Panama. 'When you have villains reveling in their evil, it can be amusing and satisfying.' Disney has some precedent for putting villains in a sympathetic light, or at least explaining how they got to be so evil. The 2021 film, 'Cruella,' for instance, presents a backstory for the dog-hater played by actress Emma Stone that blames her villainy on her mother never wanting her. Other veins of pop culture have rethought villains too, perhaps none more famously than the book, theatrical musical and movie versions of 'Wicked,' the reinterpretation of the Wicked Witch of the West character from 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.' The blockbuster success of 'Wicked,' which was based on the 1995 novel 'Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West,' sparked the trend of rethinking villains in popular entertainment, Murphy said. 'With trends like that, the formula is repeated and repeated until it's very predictable: take a villain and make them sympathetic,' he said. Emphasizing acceptance The centuries-old fairy tales upon which several Disney movies are based historically were meant to teach children a lesson, whether it was not to get close to wolves (Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs) or trust strange, old women in the woods (Hansel and Gretel, Rapunzel). But they often made marginalized people into villains — older women, people of color or those on the lower socio-economic scale, said Rebecca Rowe, an assistant professor of children's literature at Texas A&M University-Commerce. The trend toward making villains more sympathetic started in the late 1980s and 1990s as children's media took off. There was a desire to present villains in a manner that was more complicated and less black and white, as there was an overall cultural push toward emphasizing acceptance, she said. 'The problem is everyone has swung so hard into that message, that we have kind of lost the villainous villains,' Rowe said. 'There is value in the villainous villains. There are people who just do evil things. Sometimes there is a reason for it, but sometimes not. Just because there is a reason doesn't mean it negates the harm.' Whether it's good for children to identify with villains is complicated. There is a chance they adopt the villains' traits if it's what they identify with, but then some scholars believe it's not a bad thing for children to empathize with characters who often are part of marginalized communities, Rowe said. Weekly A weekly look at what's happening in Winnipeg's arts and entertainment scene. The Disney villains also tend to appeal to adults more than children, as well as members of the LGBTQ+ community who have felt marginalized in the past, with some 'Disney princesses' gladly graduating into 'evil queens.' Erik Paul, an Orlando resident who has had a year-round pass to Disney World for the past decade, isn't particularly fond of the villains, but he understands why Disney would want to frame them in a more sympathetic light in a show dedicated just to them. 'I know friends who go to Hollywood Studios mainly to see the villain-related activities,' Paul said. 'Maybe that's why people like the villains because they feel misunderstood as well, and they feel a kinship to the villains.' ___ Follow Mike Schneider, author of 'Mickey and the Teamsters,' on the social platform Bluesky: @
