Every day Disney goes further astray the wishing star‘s light. And there’s one big reason for that: a staggering lack of animated villains. The studio has only produced a handful of films with real villains in the past fifteen years as Disney fans often point outThat means we’ve lost a glorious entertainment staple in the Disney villain song. The big musical number is an essential part of most great villains’ identities; it often shows the audience all their glorious brutality in action. Between 2000 and 2023, Disney only gave us five villain songs, and only three of those since 2010 – “Mother knows best” in Confused, “The Backson Song” in Winnie the Pooh, And “Shiny” in Moana. (‘Love is an open door’ in Frozen is technically a duet with a villain, but it’s not a villain by definition.)
But hope is not lost: the villain song is on the rise again. Disneys Wish gave us our first real villain issue in 13 years “This is the thanks I get?!” Moana 2The film’s fiery “Get Lost” doesn’t quite count, as Matangi reveals himself as Moana’s ally, but it’s stylized and presented as a villain song. Mufasa: The Lion King also includes a full villain song: “Bye bye,” sung by Mads Mikkelsen as white lion antagonist Kiros.
Unfortunately, “Bye Bye” (just like “This Is the Thanks I Get?!) is a pathetic machination of a bad guy song that manages to make the bad guy fewer threatening. ‘Bye Bye’ is a solid candidate for worst villain song ever – a remarkable feat if the yodelling song by At home on the Range consists. It’s also a valuable reminder of how great Disney villain songs used to be.
Since the company’s first villain song, Pinocchio‘S “Hello-Diddle-Dee-Dee,” providing a musical showcase for a film’s great evil is one of the best expressions of Disney’s musical legacy. Before the Disney Renaissance (1989-1999), they were generally shorter and smaller in scale. The villains didn’t even have to sing them – see the jazzy classic “Cruella De Vil,” “The Fake King of England”. Robin Hood, or The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad‘S ‘The Headless Horseman.’ They often felt more like an afterthought than a centerpiece, though they still initiated all kinds of delightful villainy, like Captain Hook’s propensity for murder. Peter Pan‘The Elegant Captain Hook’ or the unlimited rage of the Queen of Hearts in ‘Who’s Been Painting My Roses Red?’
During the Renaissance, however, they became large, dynamically choreographed Broadway-style numbers, and an essential aspect of Disney’s animated films: memorable examples appear in The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin (as reprise), The Lion King, PocahontasAnd The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
There’s no one way to have a successful villain song, but all the great ones firmly establish the antagonists’ characters and show what makes them truly diabolical. “Poor unhappy souls” And “Friends on the Other Side” show how masterful Ursula and Dr. Being a facilitator in manipulating their prey. “Cruella De Vil” shows how odious Cruella is before we even have the pleasure of seeing her. “Hellfire,” perhaps the greatest Disney villain song, but the darkest of them all, in which Judge Frollo reveals the unquenchable lust for Esmeralda that has driven him to unimaginable evil, and contrasts this with his strict, austere religious beliefs.
These songs don’t have to be dark or downtempo: cheerful songs like ‘The Headless Horseman’, Beauty and the Beast’S “Gaston,” The sword in the stone‘S “Crazy Mrs. Mim,” And The great mouse detective‘S “The greatest criminal mind in the world” (featuring a chorus of lackeys joyfully celebrating the idea of Ratigan drowning widows and orphans) all yield smug portraits of cruelty.
While great villain songs help us understand what makes a villain tick, we learn next to nothing about Kiros through “Bye Bye.” We only get a vague idea of his personality in the lyrics about how the moon “doesn’t obey / and neither do I.” Kiros wants revenge on Mufasa, who killed his son. But the most threatening thing he can offer is a childish taunt: “I’ll be the last thing you see / Before I force you goodbye.”
The Lion King is famously anchored by Mufasa’s tragic death, so it’s not like audiences should be treated with such a gentle touch. The pronunciation of “goodbye” is painfully indifferent, as if even Kiros doesn’t believe in what he’s saying. And if Kiros can’t deliver his half-baked threats with any conviction, why should we believe he has any chance of killing Mufasa?
Songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda makes the mistake of focusing “Bye Bye” not on the villain, but on Mufasa. Nothing in the song suggests what makes Kiros himself mean, dangerous, or unique and compelling as a character. In “Bye Bye,” it feels more like Kiros is caught up in an emotional moment that drives him to murder, rather than a character proud of his plans or his villainous roots.
The lyrics make no mention of Kiros’ talents: no mention is made of his ferocious claws, muscles, or sharp, piercing teeth. The obnoxious, childish threat to “goodbye” Mufasa feels more like a petulant aside than a genuine intention. Since “Bye Bye” tells us nothing about Kiros or what he’s capable of, there’s no reason to argue with him, or even care about him.
Villain songs have been a vital opportunity for Disney storytellers to push the boundaries and break taboo subjects: where else could a Disney character complain about the fact that his own sexual desires are repulsing him? They helped Disney grow creatively while allowing audiences to indulge in some of the darker emotions that Disney films usually avoid. “Bye Bye” feels especially disappointing when you compare it to the classic Lion King song “Be Prepared”, in which Scar reveals his plans to take down Mufasa and Simba (explicitly saying he will kill them) and how he will take control of Pride Rock and take his rapacious hyena minions to the Promised Land to take.
Miranda’s song feels like a spiritual successor to “Be Prepared,” but woefully misses the spirit. The snarling “goodbye” seems intended to echo Scar’s snarl, but his 1994 song is full of genuine malice and terrifying imagery that is deliberately reminiscent of Germany’s Third Reich. There’s no comparable visual creativity or daring in the screen scenes of “Bye Bye,” which reduces the number to a pack of lions circling and leaping about.
In ‘Be Prepared’ we come to understand Scar’s cunning, seething hatred and manipulative charisma in equal measure. In “Bye Bye” we see a lion shouting “bye-bye” several times. That’s all the more surprising when you consider that Miranda wrote a solid villain song in “Shiny,” which successfully establishes the obsessions and menacing qualities of the giant crab Tamatoa. Communicating all of that through song is particularly important, as the song is this little villain’s only chance to… er, shine. But ‘Bye Bye’ is a pale imitation of what came before it.
It feels like Disney villain songs have become an exercise added more out of obligation than inspiration. But these figures deserve more. They’re a big reason why classic Disney villains are so popular and memorable. They break up the parade of protagonist I-want songs and comic relief songs and serve as playful excursions into kid-safe misery in creative ways. If Disney’s songwriters aren’t interested in what makes villain songs such a wonderful part of the studio’s canon, maybe we’re better off without them after all.