Halloween: Ranking the Citizens of Halloweentown

Screenshot of Behemoth, Mummy Boy, and Igor from ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’. Copyright goes to Touchstone Pictures, Skellington Productions, and Walt Disney Productions

Hey! Hallie here!

Happy Halloween! After a month of almost every post being Halloween themed, we’ve come to our last October post. And what better way to close off this Halloween season than to give some credit to the citizens of Halloweentown? So many of Halloweentown’s residents get ignored, which is a shame because so many of them have really awesome designs. Today I’m going to put some focus on these characters by ranking them based off of what we see of them in the movie. For this list, I’m keeping it strictly to the citizens that aren’t main characters. That means no Jack, Sally, or Oogie Boogie. I’m also limiting the list to twenty because of the amount of characters. Otherwise, there are quite a few of Halloweentown’s residents to go through. Let’s get started!

  1. Melting Man. Let’s be honest, this guy is kind of gross. The only thing he really does is accidentally get stuck to things. But he’s kind of nice about it! He never seems offended when someone (Jack) accidentally pats his head and needs to spend a few minutes getting his hand unstuck. He doesn’t say much, but he always seems attentive and interested in what others have to say. If only he wasn’t constantly dripping all over the floor.
  1. Igor. Igor literally eats dog treats. There is something very wrong with him. He doesn’t seem to be the brightest person in Halloweentown, but he’s most definitely helpful. He tries his best to please, especially Doctor Finkelstein who it seems he’s most loyal to. He’s also very eager. Almost too eager. But you have to appreciate his enthusiasm. Igor might not be the most welcoming looking member of Halloweentown, but you can’t deny the bright look in his singular eye.
  1. Devil. The Devil is pretty straightforward. He’s the Devil. There’s nothing much more to him than that. But he does try to contribute to all the endeavors Halloweentown gets up to. He’s not usually at the front of the crowd, but he’s somewhere near the middle. He’s trying his best and he’s mostly recognizable for it. He also seems to be pretty intelligent, although that could just be the convincing tone in his voice. And one would think he’s somewhat of an inspiration to Lock considering the fact that Lock dresses up as him every single day.
  1. Corpse Family. The Corpse Family consists of a mother, father, and small boy. You see Corpse Boy the most in the movie. He always seems to be clinging to someone leg or the mayor’s hat. This family is kind of adorable in a creepy way, but they’re also some of the more plain looking residents. Still, they seem to be a pretty welcoming family. They’re also all pretty enthusiastic about Halloween. You’ll see the Corpse Boy at the front of most of Halloweentown’s gatherings. This family strikes me as the type that would be first in line to greet you if you were to visit Halloweentown.
  1. Hanging Tree. The Hanging Tree doesn’t contribute a whole lot to everything that goes on in Halloweentown, but can you blame him? He’s kind of big and he needs to stand in the back of most rooms to get space. Plus, he’s really cool. The Hanging Tree is a terrifying face carved into a tree, with several of his closest (I would hope) skeleton friends hanging on his arms. They all have their own comments to make, but in the end they come together to make what is possibly the most intimidating citizen of Halloweentown.
  1. Wolfman. The Wolfman is pretty straightforward as well, but he’s also absolutely terrifying. His teeth are always bared and he could absolutely beat me up in a fight. Most people seem to want to stay on his good side, and you have to respect him for that. Especially since everyone in Halloweentown is already various degrees of frightening. He’s also one of the most vocal citizens in Halloweentown. Whether howling, or genuinely sharing his opinion, you’re sure to notice him in every scene he’s in.
  1. Doctor Finkelstein. Doctor Finkelstein gets an entire arc in the movie, but he’s all the way down here for being a creepy jerk. He’s very possessive over Sally, but only because he wants an assistant. In fact, he creates another assistant halfway through the movie to replace her with someone prettier and more obedient. He only seems to want a good looking girl on his arm. But he does get points for helping Jack throughout the entire movie. He provides him with scientific supplies and creates his skeletal reindeer. And he absolutely did something right when he created Sally.
  1. Cyclops. Cyclops is pretty small and, in some scenes, can easily be mistaken for one of the kids. He can also be pretty dramatic, which is kind of relatable. But he seems to be a pretty cool guy. He always seems in awe of everything that’s going on around him, which is probably because of how much his singular eye stands out. In a strange way he’s adorable and his excitement is contagious. I always appreciate looking over at him just to see his wide-eyed, slack-jawed expression.
  1. Mummy Boy. Mummy Boy is one of the kids, but he doesn’t have any parents that appear to be around. That doesn’t stop him, though. He’s always involved in what the adults are doing. In fact, he seems to be in charge of some of the towns practices, like sounding the alarm. His responsibility instantly earns him my respect. But he also spends some time with Corpse Boy just being a kid. I like seeing both sides of him. He deserves more recognition.
  1. Mr. Hyde. Mr. Hyde is three for the price of one. He wears a very large hat, which would be outrageous if it was seen anywhere other than Halloweentown. But he wears that hat for a reason. Underneath it is a smaller version of him with another hat. THAT hat holds yet another version of him with a large hat. Unfortunately, it stops there. Still, as the versions of him get smaller, their voices also get adorably lighter in pitch. Even without that aspect of him, his hair is the best in Halloweentown other than Sally’s. I wish I could have his curls.
  1. Clown. This clown proves that clowns are scary enough to deserve a place in Halloweentown. But this clown isn’t just in Halloweentown for his general frightening appearance. He can also TEAR OFF HIS OWN FACE. This is especially interesting when you realize his screechy voice becomes deep and intimidating when he does so. He was scary enough before he showed off that interesting ability. The Clown gets up this high on the list for surprising me with an extra ability that he didn’t even need.
  1. The Witches. Both Witches have major crushes on Jack. Honestly, me too. They are very loud and very opinionated, and they have every right to be considering they’re some of the only women in Halloweentown. There are only two of the Witches, which makes me think that Shock must be an honorary member. After all, you need three to create a coven. The Witches are some of the most important members of Halloweentown, and I can’t stop thinking about how cute it would be if that Shock thing was actually real.
  1. The Vampires. The Vampires have very specific looks to them that make them stand out. Every single one is different and yet, they create a very unified and terrifying look when they’re together. They also seem to be very helpful. They’re some of the most helpful citizens when Jack goes missing. They can also remove their eyes from their sockets, which is an interesting little feature. They won the award for Most Blood Drained in a Single Evening. You can’t really argue with that.
  1. Undersea Gal. Undersea Gal is easy to notice because of how deep her voice is. Her tone is very interesting and alluring. She also has a very unique design. She’s the only aquatic member of Halloweentown, so her green skin and gills make her stand out. She spends most of her time in the fountain, which seems to be the main, and only source of water in Halloweentown. She has a very commanding presence. Every time she’s on screen you can’t help but think that, if Jack wasn’t in charge, it’d probably be her.
  1. Behemoth. Behemoth is adorable. He isn’t very smart, but you wouldn’t be either if you had a giant axe lodged in your head. He still tries his best to be helpful, but he’s hopelessly terrifying. All he wanted to do was pet the Easter Bunny but the Easter Bunny ran away in fright. Evidentially I have a lot of feelings about that one part of the movie. Still, Behemoth is the kind of person you see being used by members of Halloweentown because he doesn’t have much brains of his own. He really needs a good friend and a good hug.
  1. Harlequin Demon. The Harlequin Demon has one of the most visually stunning designs of all the citizens of Halloweentown. His mouth is split into two parts that are only held together by what appears to be his tongue. He has three horns protruding from his head and what appears to be different types of feathers all over his body. He always struck me as the most interesting citizen to look at. Even better, he’s voiced by comedic legend, Greg Proops. What more could you want from a demon?
  1. Halloweentown Band. This band seems to be the most rational members of Halloweentown other than Sally. They see everything and try their best to help out anyone who they see is in need. They put up with Jack’s crazy antics, but they always have some sort of words of comfort for when he spirals out of control. They also look like they need a break. I expect all of them to look wearyingly at the camera after every scene where Jack presses them to do something ridiculous. Hopefully they’ll get the appreciation they need from the Pumpkin King to take a well deserved vacation.
  1. The Mayor. The Mayor is an excellent interpretation of every single politician ever. He’s two faced and constantly on edge. After something goes even slightly wrong, he needs the other citizens of Halloweentown to scrape him off the ground. He also doesn’t make much of the important decisions. He doesn’t even seem to know why he’s in charge of anything while Jack is calling all the shots. But he’s very encouraging. Also, the two sided face that he has is one of my favorite design elements of any character in this movie.
  1. Zero. Zero’s loyal and adorable. You can’t help but be drawn in whenever he’s on screen. He’s appears to be a ghost dog, but he’s much more than that. For one, he has a glowing pumpkin on his nose that gives him his own unique look. He doesn’t really know what’s going on for most of the movie, but he does know that Jack is sad. He does his best to cheer him up, even when Jack’s obsessive behavior gets a bit out of control. And he’s there for Jack the entire time. He only leaves Jack’s side when Jack gets sucked into Christmastown, and he’s terrified for Jack the entire time. Zero is one of the unsung heroes in ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’.
  1. Lock, Shock, and Barrel. This mischievous trio are, without a doubt, the most intriguing citizens of Halloweentown. They’re only children, but they’re mischievous nature lead them to turn on Jack and swear loyalty to Oogie Boogie even before the movie begins. They fight a lot, but they’re true loyalties lie to each other. They like the chaos Oogie Boogie sows, but they don’t care much when he dies. They help the Mayor find Jack in order to clear their names when Oogie Boogie is defeated. They backstab and trick almost every single character throughout the movie, which puts them in the position of being smarter than most of the other characters. And they get away with it. After everything they did to Santa, they avoid facing consequences. You don’t see the minions succeed while the villain fails very often.

So there’s my list. There are even more citizens of Halloweentown, so I’d recommend looking them up to appreciate some of them as well. After all, all of the Citizens of Halloweentown were very carefully designed and molded into figures that could be used for the stop motion animation style. The movie wouldn’t be the same if any of them were missing. Have a good Halloween, and make sure to stay home and stay safe! Starting tomorrow we’ll be back to our regular programming!

Don’t do anything fun until I get back!

Hallie

Disney: Sugar Rush

Promotional shots of characters from Disney’s ‘Wreck It Ralph’ (2012). Copyright goes to Walt Disney Pictures and Walt Disney Animation Studios.

Hi! It’s Annie!

One of my favorite parts of Halloween is, in fact, the candy, so I thought it would be fitting to go over the racers from this sweet fictional game depicted in Disney’s ‘Wreck it Ralph’. Sugar Rush was my favorite part of the movie and, probably because of that, I dove really deep into whatever lore I could find that they published. But also, this movie had one of the Disney villains that scared me the most in theatres. I absolutely hate bugs, so this one hit home. But, in the spirit of Halloween candy, I thought I would rank the main Sugar Rush racers and explain a little more about them! Please note that I am going to disregard the second movie in this installment because I really didn’t like it. Sorry. Also, I would like to mention that this article will be pretty nonsensical and is not to be taken too seriously. Ready? Set? Go!

  1. Vanellope Von Schweetz

Obviously, the princess…ahem, president….of Sugar Rush is the best. She’s the only one with a lot of character development, and she’s just adorable. She says it herself! Vanellope is based off of vanilla by name and looks just as sweet. Her adorable hair is covered in stray candy and is held up by a licorice tie. But mostly, she just has a great personality. She’s sassy, can hold her own, and is the bravest of anyone else in the game. Her determination is the cause of most of the plot points in the movie, and she proves herself time and again to be a caring and cute leader. Even if she teases everyone all the time, sometimes with death. We all know about Vanellope already though, so let’s move on!

2. Rancis Fluggerbutter

He’s the racer that represents peanut butter cups and chocolate in general, so I may or may not actually be biased. He is probably the racer that is focused on the most other than Vanellope, King Candy, and Taffyta which entirely has to do with a book that was released about him after the release of this movie. This book actually depicts Ranicis as a good guy who goes through his own bullying and eventually befriends Vanellope. Though he comes off as a brat at first, he’s the first in any published works to really discover the error of his ways and readjust the way he treats other racers. He truly does have a melty heart. (Are you sick of the sweet puns yet?) Also he wears a peanut butter cup on his head and those are probably what I eat most of on Halloween. Did I mention his kart is called the Kit-Kart? Now I’m hungry.

3. Minty Zaki:

Minty is dressed all in green and her theme is mints and candied apples. To be honest, I just really like her design. Her shoes are adorable and I’m a sucker for that green bow she wears. She does not have much time in the movie as she is not part of the major mean group, nor is she focused on in other books. But her kart is called the Veloci-rapper and that just might be my favorite thing that I’ve heard in a while. Also, can we talk about how shimmery her skirt is? I love her.

4. Crumbelina DiCaramello

She’s another one where I just love her design. She’s actually more Italian pastry based, which I find a really interesting addition to the racers in the game. But mostly she just looks like a giant cookie. And what do I love more than chocolate? That would be pastries. Also, unlike the other racers, she has this giant really cute hat that sets her apart. Her cart is called the Tira-Missile, which isn’t as great as some of the other names, but her pigtails and hat more than make up for the disappointing name.

5. Gloyd Orageboar

He has a giant pumpkin on his head and I’m not sure what says Halloween more than that. Well, that and the candy corn on his shirt. He is literally a Halloween themed racer. He is described as a prankster and he is actually one of the racers shown the least, which by default means he’s one of the racers the least awful to Vanellope! His kart is called the Kernal, which I don’t think is one of the best either but he definitely wins me over with his Halloween vibes. Also, his hair is the best.

6. Snowanna Rainbeu

She is entirely based off of snow cones, which aren’t really a candy and aren’t my favorite. She’s another one that wins me over with her design. He kart is called the Fro Cone which is awesome and she’s the only racer to be confirmed to be a music maker. Also, the fact that her nose is slightly red because of the cold is a really nice addition to her snow cone design.

7. Jubileena Bing-Bing

I don’t know what it was about her red pig-tails and peace sign, but she was one of the racers from this game that blew up the most after the release of this movie. It seemed like you couldn’t go to any Disney event without somebody randomly dressed up as her. She has a pretty plain cherry candy theme, but she has some of the most personality without saying anything. Her peace sign is meant to represent her love for peace and love, but with the way the racers treat Vanellope in the movie, she just comes off as a total liar. Though I will slightly forgive her because her kart name is the Cherriot, which I do like. I also really like the cherries hanging off of her skirt.

8. Adorabeezle Winterpop

We have finally gotten to the racers that I don’t like. She is based off of rocket pops and peppermints, but we already have a mint character and I don’t think her design is completely clear. I was kind of confused when I first saw her. Her kart is called the Ice Rocket which is a little on the nose and another kart title I don’t like as much. But she’s still cute! It’s really hard to be a Sugar Rush racer and not be cute, except for when you’re picking on other racers. I’m still mad about this, ok!

9. Taffyta Muttonfudge:

Of course I don’t like her! She was main mean girl who bullied Vanellope! But at least she was amusing to watch and I really like her white and pink colors. I guess there’s something to be said about her being the Sugar Rush racer other than Vanellope and King Candy who is focused on the most. I also really want her dress, jacket, and leggings. But she’s a jerk. She is strawberry candy themed and her kart is called the Pink Lightning which are both pretty unoriginal in comparison to other designs. And, once again, she wrecks Vanellope’s kart! But she’s voiced by Mindy Kaling, so you have to give her that.

10. Candlehead:

She is also one of Vanellope’s main bullies along with Taffyta and Rancis, but she has no pride. She’s constantly crying at everything, which seems pretty fake, and she throws Taffyta under the bus as soon as she realizes Vanellope is the princess. She knew what she was doing! Her theme is birthday cake and ice cream and her kart is called the Ice Screamer. I just think the name is unoriginal and that’s a lot of sweets crammed into one racer theme. She’s definitely the most annoying racer in Sugar Rush, that’s for sure.

11. Swizzle Malarkey

You look at him and just feel like he’s one of those really cocky douchebags. He’s just got that vibe to him. He is lollipop themed, but this is another design that feels a little unclear. His kart is called the Tongue Twister. I really can’t decide if I like that name or not. Really his green and blue color scheme doesn’t really match what most people expect from lollipops and I just don’t like that smirk. It seems malicious to me.

12. The Alternate Racers

What are the point of them? They just look like carbon copies of the other racers with slightly different colors. You almost feel bad for them. Almost. I mean, none of them stand up for Vanellope do they? (Was this article written by Ralph?)

13. King Candy/Turbo

He is unlucky number thirteen for a reason. Holy crap did he scare me when I first saw this movie in theatres. He actively tries to murder people after his identity is revealed. If you didn’t think that giant bug King Candy with fangs glitching and turning into giant bug Turbo was scary, you’re lying. He literally tells Ralph that he wants to kill him and the way his bug body moves still gives me nightmares. Not really…but still. I really hate bugs. He was a great villain though. The movie was able to pull off the twist really well, it was completely unexpected. And the Turbo reveal during the race was one of the best scenes in the entire movie. I will never forgive him for turning into a giant bug though. Even if he was a fun villain to watch. I am not kidding when I say this is one of the main Disney villains that never fails to scare me. I hope that’s not too pathetic. Remember, I can’t even watch horror films.

I love the first Wreck-It-Ralph movie and I really wish that the second movie hadn’t been just a huge Disney commercial. But my love of Vanellope has definitely translated into a love of the rest of the Sugar Rush racers. And now that I’m about to stuff my face with Halloween candy tomorrow, I couldn’t help but think of these adorable (and even Halloween themed!) racers. And also the Disney villain that scared the begeezus out of me the first time I watched that movie. Maybe this is a Halloween movie. Huh. Remember to eat a bunch of candy tomorrow and for the love of God please just stay home!!!!

See you across the pond!

Sincerely, Annie

Disney: ‘Tower of Terror’ Movie Review

Screenshot of Lindsay Ridgeway, Melora Hardin, Alastair Duncan, Wendy Worthington, and John Franklin from 1997’s ‘Tower of Terror’. Copyright goes to Zaloom/Mayfield Productions and Walt Disney Television.

Hey! Hallie here!

I’ve talked about both Haunted Mansion and Phantom Manor during this month, but I’ve neglected to talk about Disney’s other famously spooky ride, Tower of Terror. Tower of Terror has a basic story, which we’ll get to in a bit, but it’s story isn’t very detailed. So it made sense that in 1997, Disney decided to flesh out the story a bit more with a made-for-television film. Ok, so made-for-television movies don’t exactly have the best track record of being, well, good. Still, even with low expectations, I was interested to see what this movie would do with the Tower of Terror lore I already knew. So did this movie give me the interesting story additions I was hoping for? Yes and no. Let’s look into what it did right and what it did very, very, wrong. SPOILERS ahead!

The Good:

  • The way the original characters were used. The strongest part of the original Tower of Terror’s storyline are the characters we see as ghosts during the beginning of the ride. The only things we’re given about the characters come from one black and white video we’re shown during the introductory segment of the line. We know that only Hollywood’s elite stayed at the Hollywood Tower Hotel, further proven by the paparazzi taking pictures of each character as they enter the elevator. We know what the characters appear to be: A couple, a little girl, a strict woman, and a bellhop. That’s about it. This movie does much more for the characters. It focuses on the little girl, Sally Shine, who is revealed to be the reason why all of the characters were at the hotel in the first place. She was a child star, and because of her popularity, her birthday party was being held in the hotel for Hollywood’s elite to attend. The strict woman is Emeline Partridge, Sally’s nanny. For much of the movie it’s believed that she was the reason Sally died, but she was in fact not as strict as many believed. Carolyn Crosson and Gilbert London, the celebrity couple, weren’t quite together. They were obviously interested in each other, but Gilbert feared Carolyn didn’t care for him because he had seen her flirt with other men. Even the bellhop, Dewey Todd, was given a backstory. He wasn’t very good at his job, but he was desperately attempting to impress his father who worked in a high position within the hotel. Every character is given a deeper story and is properly explored in the movie.
  • Shooting on location. The sections of this movie that take place on the grounds of the Hollywood Tower Hotel were shot at Walt Disney World. The movie uses the actual ride, as well as the first room in the line, to further immerse the audience in the story. Even when the characters enter parts of the hotel that are obviously sets, rather than locations from the ride, it feels like it could be a room in the hotel because we had seen the characters walking through the actual hotel façade a second earlier. I enjoyed seeing the little details put into the line for the ride being used for the immersion of the movie.

The Bad:

  • The other story. This movie doesn’t focus on the characters or the lore we know from Tower of Terror. Instead it chooses to focus on a father-daughter duo and their familial issues. While the daughter is a bearable character who seems genuinely interested in the ghosts inside the hotel, the father is established as being selfish and overbearing early on in the movie. He attempts to hire an actress to play a ghost for pictures of the hotel so that he may make a tabloid story out of it. His story arc in the movie revolves around the fact that he’s lost relationships in order to write interesting news stories to relive his glory days. The movie focuses on these bad traits so that this character may learn from his mistakes by the end of the movie, but not only is his character unbearable for most of it, his story is the least interesting part of the movie. The ghosts provide some intrigue while his storyline only consists of him arguing with his daughter and his ex-girlfriend, and saying something vaguely offensive to anyone who isn’t those two. I was left wondering when the movie would return to the ghost characters whenever he was onscreen. The movie had an entire world to explore with what the Tower of Terror ride provided, but instead it decided to focus on a largely dislikable character with a boring story.
  • The drop. What’s the most prominent part of the Tower of Terror ride? Obviously, it’s the drop. Park guests see the lightning hit the elevator with the tower’s residents inside during the introductory video in the line. It foreshadows what’s about to happen to the guests once they get on the ride. The narrator directly states that what happened to those residents is about to happen to you. The destroyed elevator can be seen in the line as well. So I was very confused when the movie took out the falling elevator during the initial lightning strike. The characters simply disappeared and then became ghosts. In fact, part of the main plot is that the elevator stopped right before the level where the birthday party was being held. The entire reason why the ghosts can’t move on is because the elevator is still stuck there when the other characters enter the hotel decades later. The fact that this initial drop, which is a major part of the Tower of Terror, isn’t included in the movie is bewildering to me. There is an elevator drop that occurs during the climax of the movie, but it doesn’t fix the fact that the movie just decided to take out a major part of the Tower of Terror’s lore for no apparent reason.

So what’s my overall verdict? This movie was ok. It was kind of cute. It had some good ideas, but it stumbles quite a bit by deciding to insert and focus on characters that take away from the interesting parts of the movie. Everyone who wanted a Tower of Terror movie wanted a story to explain the characters and lore we were given. Preferably in the style of the original Twilight Zone. This movie does explain some things about the ghost characters, but in the end, they’re side characters. There isn’t enough of a focus on them and some of the initial lore is even taken away to better suit the movie. And if you’re looking for a Twilight Zone feel, you won’t find it here. This movie is very family friendly. There’s nothing particularly scary about it. Regardless, it has a satisfyingly creepy aesthetic and is a fun enough exploration of the ride. At the very least, if you’re interested in Tower of Terror, it’s a fun watch for Halloween!

Don’t do anything fun until I get back!

Hallie

Twins in Media: Twitches

Screenshot from ‘Twitches’ (2005) starring (left) Tamera Mowry and (right) Tia Mowry. Copyright goes to Disney Channel and Buena Vista Television.

Hi! It’s Annie!

More Halloween themed twins in media! When I was really young I used to watch ‘Sister, Sister’ starring Tia and Tamera, but for some reason this never extended to watching ‘Twitches’. I had always heard a lot about this one, but for years I just wasn’t interested. I really have to be in the mood to watch Disney Channel movies, and if I do it’s always the ones that I’m nostalgic for. But obviously, not covering roles played by Tia and Tamera in a twins in media post would be a crime. Their Halloween movie was absolutely perfect for this week, so I finally decided I had to sit down and actually watch the first ‘Twitches’ movie. To be honest…I didn’t have many expectations, but this isn’t really a movie I’d return to. Even though, I did think it was funny that my sister and I are twenty-one watching this for the first time while the characters are also twenty-one during the events of the movie. Regardless, this is one of the most interesting portrayals of twins I’ve seen in a movie in a while. But is it interesting in a good way?

The Good:

  • Separate actors. Tia and Tamera are two different people rather than one person playing two people! Yay! This is always an important distinction for me. I don’t care if the actors are twins (though it’s awesome if they are!), I would just like for two different people to be playing two different siblings. Having one person play two people fuels the idea that twins are the same or two halves of the same whole. We are two different people and having two people with slight differences in voice, appearance, and other realistic things actually gives the audience a glimpse into how different twins can actually be. My sister and I don’t actually think we look a lot alike and our voices are completely different. I have a slightly higher pitch to my voice than my sister does along with the way we speak being different. No twins, even if they are identical, are EXACTLY identical. Especially not in personality and mannerisms. For example, when I’m feeling anxious I bite my lip, play with my hair, and massively over-think. When my sister is anxious she’s more likely to clench her fists, choose something else to focus on, and try to move on.
  • Realistic reactions. This movie, unfortunately, is one of the many that has the separated at birth twin trope. However, I want to give props to their separate reactions when they figure out the other exists. Firstly, it isn’t all immediate joy. Secondly, they react completely differently to the news. While Cam is excited and has obviously grown up with a lot of the media’s ideas and tropes surrounding twins, Alex has a much more realistic reaction. It would be odd to find out you have a long-lost sister, and just because they’re related doesn’t mean they suddenly know each other. Though Cam’s reaction is based off of tropes, the movie points Alex out as being more rational and realistic about the situation. The reactions of the friends and family around them are also great. They don’t treat either character differently after suddenly discovering that the two are twins; they just check up to see how the situation is going. From experience, I can tell you that this depiction can be better than real life. I once didn’t tell friends in a class that I had a twin sister (not on purpose, it just never came up), and when they eventually found out, the way they treated me was definitely different. They no longer would check up on me and would just ask me questions about my sister all the time. Don’t get me wrong, I love talking about my sister. She’s awesome. But I don’t want to talk about her all the time. I’m really glad that most of the family and friends of the girls in this movie didn’t do that.
  • Different lives. They have different friends, even different family, and have different relationships with the new people they meet throughout this movie. Even when they know the same person, their relationship to that person is different. It’s always nice to see this distinction in the personalities of twins in media. They also have different hobbies which I really liked. One of them really liked drawing while the other was more prone to writing, which really reminded my sister and I of the two of us when we were younger.

The Bad:

  • Opposites. I love that they have different personalities, and this trope is certainly better than the hive-mind trope, but it’s still problematic. Because the next best thing for media if they can’t portray twins as exactly the same is, for some reason, treating each character like they’re each a half to a whole rather than whole people by themselves. Portraying twins as opposites is a good way to do this. Cam is influenced by the sun; she gets up early and has a more cheerful and emotional personality. Alex is influenced by the moon; she stays up late and has a more rational and laid-back personality. The movie takes every opportunity to point out that they’re opposites. Not different, but opposites. Portraying something as different and opposite of each other is very different.
  • Supernatural powers. Don’t get me wrong, I’m really glad they didn’t go with something stupid like twin telepathy. But the sun and moon opposite twin powers was still trope-y and definitely cheesy. Although, this is a Disney Channel movie so cheesy is what this kind of movie does best. I’m glad that they did point out through dialogue in this movie that these supernatural powers were not common among twins and sort of played that one off as a joke. That’s not what my problem is though. This, again, goes back to the ‘each is one half of a whole’ idea. I really dislike the idea that they are each fine on their own but their powers are only really strong if they do something together. If you look at the original symbol that their father used, it was both a sun and a moon. It’s supposed to be because their father split his powers in two for the both of them, but it is quite literally two halves of the same whole. It is one of the most literal definitions of this trope in anything I’ve ever seen. I would just like for twins to be portrayed as their own whole separate people and not like their twin is somehow possessing something that they are lacking as an individual. By all means, give twins supernatural powers! But please stop making them reliant on each other.
  • Separated at birth. You don’t have to have your characters separated at birth to make them different. Most twins grow up in the same household and are different people regardless. I know this is commonly used also for drama, I would just like to see more portrayals of realistic twins who grew up together and are still different people. Using this trope as much as it has been used adds another weird element to twins in the media. Twins aren’t in general a dramatic plot point or an odd happening. We’re just regular siblings who are slightly more likely to be close because we’re the same age. We’d like to be treated like regular siblings.

So, are these two a good representation of twins in media?

They’re ok. There’s nothing super great about them and there’s nothing really bad about them either. They have problems and there’s some things this portrayal got right too. This would have been better if they hadn’t made the characters so reliant on each other and kind of helpless without the other. I really like the idea of twins as witches, but it’s never done that well. Padma and Parvati in ‘Harry Potter’ would have been really good if they had been focused on more in the book and if they hadn’t been shoved into the same house and given matching outfits for the Yule Ball in the movie. I have yet to see twins as witches in a portrayal that I like, and it’s a little disappointing. Hopefully we’ll be able to see better portrayals of twins in media soon and that will spur some actual badass portrayals of twin witches.

See you across the pond!

Sincerely, Annie

Twins in Media: The Grady Twins

Screenshot of Lisa and Louise Burns as The Grady Twins in 1980’s ‘The Shining’. Copyright goes to Warner Brothers, The Producer Circle Company, Peregrine Productions, and Hawk Films.

Hey! Hallie here!

We’ve finally reached the week of Halloween, and that means more Halloween-themed twins to talk about! We’re starting this week out with the most popular spooky twins in Horror, The Grady Twins. These two don’t have too much of a background, but they’re so iconic that we couldn’t not talk about them for this series. Who hasn’t quoted “Come and play with us” at some point? These two are arguably the most recognizable part of ‘The Shining’, and are definitely one of the two most parodied and referenced elements of the 1980 movie. I don’t think I have to specify which Jack Nicholson scene takes the second spot. Their popularity has made it impossible for twin girls to go through their lives without at least being compared to them once. So let’s get into what we know about these two to determine how good of a representation of twins they are.

The Good:

  • Played by actual twins. In every adaptation of ‘The Shining’, The Grady Twins have been played by actual twins. Using actual twins for twin characters always makes them stand out, especially to actual twins. In movies that use one actress to play two roles, it’s always obvious that there are no differences between them. Whenever two different actresses portray twins everything feels more realistic. There’s no better way to take a twin in your audience out of your story than to present them with one actor or actress who is being used for two separate characters. Twins always have differences, even if they’re subtle, and the differences lend to more realistic characters and a more immersive story.
  • Slight differences. It’s unclear whether these differences were put in because the original book gives the girls ages as 8 and 10, but there are differences between the twins. Some have mentioned that there is a height difference, but I think the most telling difference is actually their dresses. One girls dress is shorter than the others. It’s not really a difference in fit either, because the skirt lengths are pretty obviously off. Considering that the girls were not twins in the original book, it’s possible this was done to point to their different ages. Still, as the movie treats the girls as twins, it’s important to point out that there were steps made to differentiate them. Even if it was a very, very, very, small difference.

The Bad:

  • Twins are creepy. These two characters were not necessarily twins when a casting call was put out to fill these roles. It was only when Stanley Kubrick saw Lisa and Louise Burns that he decided to go with a pair of twins because they would be creepier. Putting twins in ‘creepy’ roles such as this helps along the narrative that twins are abnormal. Of course, this isn’t true of twin characters that are written as two separate characters. But The Grady Twins wear the same outfit and say the same lines at the same time. It’s safe to say that much of the creep factor for these two came from a focus on the fact that they were twins. It’s a very good way to give society a reason to give twins a wide berth. In the very least, it doesn’t help normalize twins to audiences.
  • Synchronicity. The fact that they can say the same things at the exact same time, on purpose, is truly impressive. Because my sister and I can only do that on complete accident, and never twice in a row. Needless to say, it isn’t a very realistic trait to give twin characters. Of course, the scene would have been much less creepy without the girls speaking at the same time. The issue is that this is a trope that is used very often for twins and these two don’t escape it. In fact, this is a defining feature of The Grady Twins. Eventually, it would be nice if twin characters could express different thoughts without falling back on ridiculous tropes such as this one.
  • The same outfit. I mentioned earlier that their dresses are slightly different, but let’s be honest, these two are easily recognizable because they wear the same exact outfit. It helps them look even more like identical twins. I’m not saying that twins, and even some siblings, don’t wear matching outfits at young ages. But it most definitely doesn’t help audiences go out and treat twins like two separate people. The matching outfits add to a few very obvious twin tropes that are often used to make twins look both odd and exactly the same. To be completely honest, whenever I see twins wearing the same outfit in any movie or tv show, I’m pretty certain I’m about to see a very bad interpretation of twins. After all, if the costuming department didn’t find it important to make the twin characters appear different, the script probably didn’t either. The Grady Twins are a great example of this.

So are The Grady Twins a good representation of twins in media? Not really. They’re a pretty basic representation of the most used twin tropes in media. To be clear, there isn’t much information we’re given about The Grady Twins in any version of ‘The Shining’. Still, ANY twin characters that are presented to the audience as the same, whether it be physically or mentally, is going to be a bad representation of twins. Twins are nothing more than siblings who look more alike than most other siblings. Twins have different opinions and tastes, and we are just as unique of individuals as every other person on the planet. When it comes to The Grady Twins, I enjoy their creepiness with the hope that we don’t see more twin characters like them in media any time soon.

Don’t do anything fun until I get back!

Hallie

Halloween: Best Murder Mystery Movies

Screenshot from ‘Knives Out’ (2019) starring Ana de Armas and Daniel Craig. Copyright goes to Rian Johnson, Lionsgate, MRC, and T-Street.

Hi! It’s Annie!

Some of my absolute favorite movies to watch around Halloween are classic feeling murder mysteries. I just love a good murder mystery. There’s something about the cozy fall or winter atmosphere that most seem to have while still being horrifying. But also, who doesn’t love a good mystery? I love watching a movie and casting my guess throughout the movie as to who did it and what actually happened. Of course, they also definitely have Halloween vibes because of the murder and constant suspense. As someone who doesn’t like watching horror movies (and honestly wouldn’t be able to watch them even if I wanted to), finding alternative movies like this that still get me in the spooky mood is important. So, here we go!

Knives Out (2019):

This is quite possibly one of my favorite movies of all time. I saw this in theatres last year with some family and had no expectations going into it. I always know I’ll like a good mystery, but I’m never reminded of how much I really love them until I walk out of the theater after I’ve watched one. This was one of those occasions. Firstly, huge props to Daniel Craig, Ana de Armas, and Chris Evans for being more than amazing in this movie. But what really stood out to me about this movie was the immense kindness of the main characters. Marta Cabrera is the nurse of Harlan Thrombey, a very rich and kind old man. After his death, she spends most of the movie believing that she was the one who committed the murder. Unfortunately for her, the detective on the case, Benoit Blanc, takes an immediate liking and interest in her. As the movie goes on they both find that this murder is much more complicated than they originally thought. Marta Cabrera, despite believing that she is guilty, constantly chooses other people over herself and is rewarded for her kindness at the end of the movie. Benoit Blanc is smarter than you think he is and, in one hilariously memorable scene, goes off on the family of Thrombey for how horrible they all are. In a genre of movies that tries to focus more on making their characters cool, it was so nice to see characters who are so unapologetically kind over anything else. Not only that, but this movie will keep you guessing until the very end. Every time you think you’ve solved it, they throw another wrench into the plot. This movie will keep you on the edge of your seat and is funny and wholesome at the same time. Also, watching Chris Evans point at different people and say “eat shit” is worth watching the entire movie to see.

Murder on the Orient Express (2017):

This is a more recent movie as well with an all-star cast (Kenneth Branagh, Daisy Ridley, Josh Gad, Leslie Odom Jr., etc.) based off of the classic murder mystery novel written by Agatha Christie. If you’re looking for a truly confusing murder mystery, look no farther than this one. This one follows Hercule Poirot who is a world famous detective looking for a break when he stumbles on a murder mystery on the very train he is travelling on. Not a single odd character on the train isn’t suspicious and, as it goes on, you find that the people on this train may have more in common than you originally think. I had not actually read the novel before I saw the movie even though, when I knew I was going to see this movie, I was already dying to read the novel. I purposely waited until after so that I could go into this movie not knowing anything. I’ve always loved riddles, so I can be pretty good at guessing in murder mysteries. I was absolutely delighted when I couldn’t guess a single turn in this film and it all still came together perfectly at the end. This movie does not rely on particularly odd turns or supernatural happenings to trick it’s audience so thoroughly. Instead, it hides behind objects and feelings that would generally make an audience feel safe. If you haven’t read the classic novel yet (which I do highly recommend), definitely go into this movie before you’ve read the novel. You will come out of this movie feeling kind of stupid but in the absolute best way. Trust me, you won’t regret it.

Clue (1985):

Every year I grow increasingly more discouraged by how many people haven’t actually seen this classic comedy. This movie is based off of the famous board game of the same name and stars the absolute legend, Tim Curry, as well as Christopher Lloyd (yes, it is Doc), Madeline Kahn, Michael McKean, Leslie Ann Warren and several other amazing comedians. Like I said before, this is a murder mystery but it’s also a comedy. And it is one of the most hilarious movies you’ll ever watch. This movie is quoted so much in my house it’s insane. Several people are called to a mysterious residence in the middle of nowhere by a mysterious Mr. Body. They soon find out that they are all being blackmailed by Mr. Body and after someone turns out the lights, they find Mr. Body dead. From there you follow the entire party as they split up, run throughout the house chaotically, and scream. One of the best parts of this movie is that it has three different endings. Every version that you can buy or watch now will have all of the possible endings compiled at the end of the movie, but that wasn’t what the movie was like when it first came out. Theatres were randomly given an ending, inspiring initial chaos as their audience could not come to an agreement on how the movie ended. This chaos is perfectly reflective of the movie, and one of the many good reasons as to why you need to watch this movie. This is another one of my favorite movies of all time. It’s Tim Curry! How can you not?

The Play that Goes Wrong:

Ok, I know this doesn’t really count by any means, but I had to add it. This is not actually a movie, but it is instead a play about a play about a murder mystery. You can find clips of it online, sometimes they will release a full version of the play at certain times of year. But even watching the clips of this online is absolutely worth it. A small time theatre company has done a production of a murder mystery on a small budget and absolutely everything goes wrong. Though you can spend some of your watch of this attempting to determine who the murderer is, that isn’t really the point of this play. This is all about the comedy as thing after thing goes wrong and the “actors” find hilarious ways to keep the scenes going. If you want to watch a full version of ‘The Play that Goes Wrong’ you’ll probably find better luck with one their Christmas specials. My personal favorite of their works was the televised ‘Peter Pan Goes Wrong’. I’m not generally one for comedy that puts people in precarious situations or involves people apparently hurting themselves severely, but this is definitely an exception. If you ever need a pick-me-up or a laugh, it is more than worth it watching anything from this series of plays. I will admit, I have actually watched the original murder mystery version of ‘The Play that Goes Wrong’ live and it was amazing. But that was actually last summer, before that the clips were all I had. Again, even the clips of this murder mystery are more than worth it. Also, “Peter Pan Goes Wrong’ does feature, David Suchet, the actor who originally played Detective Poirot in the ‘Poirot’ series based off of many of Agatha Christie’s novels.

Rear Window (1954):

Most people call this a thriller film, but it is also a murder mystery. This legendary Alfred Hitchcock movie stars the absolute greats Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly as they attempt to solve a murder that Jimmy Stewart’s character, Jeff, is sure he witnesses in a neighboring apartment. Despite his broken leg, Jeff sets the task upon himself to bring the murderer to justice and becomes more unhinged and paranoid as he finds out more and more secrets that he should have never known. Alfred Hitchcock is the brilliant mind behind many of the horror and thriller movies we still love, and this movie is one of his best. I’m a sucker for a good black-and-white classic film, and this is my favorite of those to watch around Halloween. There’s something about being trapped inside the apartment with Jeff that makes this movie that much more suspenseful. Especially because it doesn’t get much better than Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly starring in the same film.

I feel like when people think of Halloween movies to watch they skip over a lot of murder mysteries because they just don’t think of them. But really, these are some of my favorite movies in general and they are often best enjoyed around the Halloween season. These are right up there with spooky Burton movies and Horror films on the list of good movies to watch around Halloween. I mean, just look at the time of year that most of these movies take place in. Chilling movies for the chilling weather. So now I’m probably going to be watching ‘Knives Out’ sometime this weekend. What non-scary movies do you like watching around Halloween? Hopefully this list has given you a more expansive view of new things you can watch to spice up your Halloween season! Other than actual pumpkin spice flavored products which are far too addictive.

See you across the pond!

Sincerely, Annie

Netflix Shows: Which Season of ‘Stranger Things’ You Should Binge Before Halloween

Screenshot of Maya Hawke, Joe Keery, and Gaten Matarazzo from Season 3 of ‘Stranger Things’. Copyright goes to 21 Laps Entertainment and Monkey Massacre.

Hey! Hallie here!

‘Stranger Things’ is one of the best shows to watch to get into the Halloween spirit. No matter which season you watch, you’re always in for a nice spooky aesthetic and a good amount of satisfying scares. Even viewers who don’t like Horror, such as myself, can enjoy ‘Stranger Things’ without having to run screaming from the screen. But it’s hard to watch all three Stranger Things seasons before October is over, especially with the list of essential Halloween movies to watch on top of all that. So which season should you narrow it down to? Before I get into this, I’ll be talking in depth about character arcs and the scariest parts of the series, so SPOILERS up ahead. With that out of the way, let’s look deeper into each season of ‘Stranger Things’ and see which one is best to watch for the Halloween season.

Season 1: This one is the most classic option. It serves as an introduction to the characters and the supernatural elements of the show. This season follows three of the characters Mike, Dustin, and Lucas, as they try to find their missing friend, Will. Meanwhile, Eleven has escaped from a government facility that has been experimenting with things they really shouldn’t be. Namely tapping into an alternate universe the characters call the Upside Down, which has opened the way for the Demogorgon to terrorize Hawkins, Indiana. This season uses fear of the unknown as it’s tactic to scare the audience. You don’t really see the Demogorgon until later in the season, but in the meantime you get Barb getting dragged screaming into the Upside Down and something reaching through the wall towards Joyce after she attempts to communicate with Will. When you do see the Demogorgon, the show has built up the creature enough for you to be properly terrified by its appearance. Plus, you never get a great look at it because lights tend to flash on and off whenever it’s nearby. Otherwise, the story is a mostly wholesome one of found family, and though Eleven sacrifices herself to get rid of the Demogorgon, you know she isn’t gone forever. It’s the most feel-good watch on this list, with a fair amount of scary that won’t leave you hiding behind your couch in fear. This season plays it mostly safe, but the fear of the unknown, plus the classic feel of the story, makes it a good spooky watch.

Season 2: Season 2 has one major advantage in this comparison. It takes place during Halloween. The series starts out with the group we got to know last season going trick-or-treating as Ghostbusters. This season advertised it’s main monster as the giant Mind Flayer, but the Mind Flayer isn’t much more than a large, dark, shape. The scariest thing it does is possess Will, which is more frustrating than it is frightening. The most frightening creatures the characters face in this season are the Demodogs. Initially the Demodogs don’t seem like much. After all, Dustin takes in D’Artagnan, or Dart for short, when he’s still a baby. Dart isn’t the prettiest, but he isn’t intimidating either. Until Dart eats Dustin’s cat, that is. The Demodogs aren’t scary, but they are brutal. Bob Newby’s death is probably the hardest one to watch in the entire series. That’s where most of the scare factor comes in for Season 2. It’s not necessarily the most gruesome season, but it is the most brutal. As for the story, it’s the most disjointed of all the seasons. This doesn’t make it bad, but it means it’s dealing with a lot of different story elements that often find the show pushing it’s main conflict, and thus it’s scarier elements, to the background. Instead we get Eleven finding her mother, hunting down her siblings, and attempting to come to terms with Hopper as her father. We get Mike moping over Eleven while everyone tries to figure out what’s wrong with Will. And we get Steve Harrington being the best babysitter ever. It’s good character development, but maybe not so strong on it’s Upside Down contributions. Still, it has that Halloween aesthetic you won’t get watching the other seasons.

Season 3: This season promised to be the scariest one yet, and it delivered. The Mind Flayer reached it’s full potential by finally showing off it’s true power and possessing multiple people at once. Of course, the main vessel the Mind Flayer used was Billy. Instead of Billy’s possession being treated as an obstacle, Billy, as the Mind Flayer, was a villain all on his own. He was a frightening one too. He could easily overpower any of the main characters and his human appearance made it easy for him to lull victims into a sense of security. This is where the major fear factor comes in for this season. This season was mostly frightening for being disturbingly gruesome. The Mind Flayer used Billy to help it possess others because they, once melted into a gross, pink paste, could help the Mind Flayer regain it’s original form. This resulted in many, many, scenes of rats, and then humans, exploding and melting. When the Mind Flayer finally arrives, it looks, predictably, disgusting. Billy sacrifices himself to get rid of the Mind Flayer, and to add insult to injury, Hopper looks as though he dies after trying to close the gate to the Upside Down. (Let’s not forget poor, adorable, Alexei dies too.) This season ends up with an ending quite a bit darker than the others. The story for this season took things that audiences liked about the past seasons, and it made them stronger. It let Dustin spend most of his time with Steve. To join them they introduced one of the best characters Stranger Things has to offer, Robin, and expanded on the hilarious sister of Lucas, Erica. They explored Hopper being a father and they brought Murray into the spotlight. They let Eleven and Max spend time together and they tackled the hardships of working in a sexist workplace with Nancy. This season balances its frightening elements and it’s character development the best of the seasons.

So what’s the verdict? There’s pros and cons to each. If you’re looking for something a little more suspenseful and a little less scary, choose the first season. You’ll get a more wholesome story with some creepy vibes that won’t be too upsetting. If you’re looking for that Halloween aesthetic, choose Season 2. With some darker sets and Fall as the general background, you’ll definitely feel like it belongs alongside the other essential Halloween content. If you’re looking for something scarier with some interesting character arcs, choose the third season. The sight of the Mind Flayer alone should satisfy any desire for something disturbingly chilling this Halloween. As for my personal opinion, Season 3 balances the storylines I love in ‘Stranger Things’ the most skillfully. Regardless of what you pick, you’re in for an enjoyable Halloween.

Don’t do anything fun until I get back!

Hallie

Halloween: Judge Claude Frollo

Screenshot of Claude Frollo from Disney’s ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’. Copyright goes to Walt Disney Pictures and Buena Vista Pictures.

Hi! It’s Annie!

Claude Frollo has always been one of the most terrifying Disney villains to me; but now that I’ve consumed different versions of ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’, he’s definitely one of the most terrifying fictional villains in general. What has always been the most scary is the fact that he’s always in some sort of position of power, no matter what version of ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’ you read or watch. He’s this person who is supposed to be widely trusted, but is easily corrupted by power and his own selfishness. I am of the opinion that the scariest villains are the ones that are the most realistic. The ones that feel they are in the right and they are, therefore, the heroes. Judge Claude Frollo definitely, and unfortunately, falls under this description. So what exactly makes him so scary?

WARNING: This article will have possibly triggering mentions of sexual assault and attempted rape.

The Novel:

Frollo is not a Judge in the original novel, but rather an archdeacon. Definitely a lower position with less power and money to his name. Frollo also is not depicted as being purposefully evil, but instead is depicted as a man who falls into madness because of his own selfishness. His act before the novel of willingly adopting Quasimodo and teaching him sign language are the markings of a good person. But, those are possibly the only times he succeeds at being anything even resembling good. Frollo has an irrational fear of women (possibly due to his celibacy) and falls in love with Esmerelda at first sight. He sends Quasimodo to kidnap her for him, and Quasimodo is caught by Pheobus and other guards. The plan backfires on Frollo when Esmerelda immediately falls in love with her savior. He is so caught up in this that he doesn’t vouch for Quasimodo when he is almost killed by townspeople. His lust for Esmerelda drives him throughout the entire novel, causing him to stab himself, stab Pheobus, and sexually assault Esmerelda several times. Esmerelda is blamed for the stabbing of Pheobus and, by this point, Frollo has decided that, because she won’t be his, she should just die. He leaves Paris thinking that she has been killed for his crime and is at peace with that, not knowing that Quasimodo granted her sanctuary. When he comes back he tries his luck with Esmerelda again after finding her alive, this time attempting to rape her, but she is saved once again by Quasimodo. In a rage he turns her over to the guards and laughs as she is hanged. His laughter sends Quasimodo into a frenzy and he throws Frollo off the tallest tower of Notre Dame and to his death. You’re probably thinking that this is the most pathetic and disgusting fictional character you’ve ever read about, and I don’t blame you. Because he probably is. He does good actions before the novel starts, but you discover throughout the novel that his reasoning for doing good was so that he could call himself a good person. His actions when he is faced with his own selfishness are horrific and unforgivable. They also prove his true character. He never truly cared about Quasimodo or he wouldn’t have forced him to do his own dirty work and then left him to die. If he was a good person he would have left Esmerelda alone and if he truly loved her he never would have tried to hurt her or laughed while she died. He truly believes that he is good because of his status as a priest, but he reveals himself to be an irredeemable person. Not one person is sad when he dies; not the characters in the book and certainly not the audience reading it.

The Disney Movie:

While the original novel depicts Frollo as scary because priests are supposed to be people you trust, Disney goes a little farther with this. Disney makes him Judge Claude Frollo rather than archdeacon Claude Frollo. He has more power and is more corrupt because of it. However, unlike the novel, Frollo is very obviously supposed to be evil. He does not take Quasimodo in of his own volition nor does he care if whether or not what he’s doing is right. But he does still think that because he worships God he must always be in the right. Frollo follows much of the same arc in the movie as the novel in that his character is mostly informed by his lust over Esmerelda. But this is a Disney movie so this aspect is also toned down. That doesn’t mean he’s not intimidating or awful in the Disney movie though. Disney replaces several sexual assault scenes with brutal killings instead; such as setting half of Paris on fire and killing Quasimodo’s parents at the beginning of the film. Also, it’s really difficult for a villain to not be intimidating when they are voiced by Tony Jay (a former actor of the Royal Shakespeare Company who was known for his baritone voice) or when they have ‘Hellfire’ as their villain song. The instrumental version of ‘Hellfire’ has since been used in several different shows at Disney parks even when Frollo doesn’t appear because it’s such a great, terrifying, piece of music. I get chills every time I hear it. If you haven’t listened to anything instrumental from this movie, at least look up “Sanctuary”. I promise you, you won’t regret it. Even though Frollo is greatly changed from the novel, there’s no arguing against the fact that he’s one of the scariest Disney villains. But this time he’s slightly more enjoyable to watch because of his general villainous nature. It’s still difficult though, because he’s still such a disgusting person. At least Esmerelda is able to escape him and her death in this version.

The Musical:

This is a slightly more recent musical that Disney created. The fact that Disney created this musical is a bit surprising to me. I was able to see this musical early last year, and it was absolutely amazing. The thing is, it ascribes a lot more to the novel than the Disney movie despite this being a Disney creation. In other words, don’t bring your kids to see this one. Just because it’s Disney does not mean that it’s safe for kids. The musical demotes Frollo back to archdeacon and puts back in the attempted rape scene as well as Esmerelda’s death from the novel. Frollo is back to his regular pathetic and disgusting self. The musical gives him a bit more of a backstory with his brother and a Romani woman to try and explain to the audience a bit more where he’s coming from. Though it doesn’t, and isn’t supposed to, excuse his actions in any way or make what he does understandable. This version of Frollo is scary in another way. Rather than depicting Frollo as a madman like in the novel or straight up evil like in the Disney film; this version tries its best to depict Frollo as a man that was once good and could still have been good. He is corrupted so much by power, lust, and selfishness that he becomes the absolute opposite of what he was. You see his complete turn from a good man into an evil one. It’s the most human of transformations I’ve seen for Frollo and, because of that, it’s also the scariest. I just don’t understand why they stayed closer to the book for Frollo, but still decided to keep with the questionable decision of making Pheobus a love interest for Esmerelda. Pheobus has always been awful, and is even a villain in the original novel, so I have no idea why they continue thinking portraying him this way is ok.

Frollo is awful and disgusting, but he’s also realistic, causing him to remain one of the scariest villains of all time after all these years. In whatever version of the story that you watch or read, he always seems to be all the evil of humanity stuffed into one character. ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’ is a great book, but it’s also a depressing read because the goal of the novel is to show it’s audience what we shouldn’t be, and what we should work and fight against. The only truly innocent person in the novel is Esmerelda and she is killed by corrupt people in power she was told she could trust. This novel was written to be a love letter to Paris, but this is a letter that instead of praising Paris, tells it that there’s still so much to fight for and still so much that could be better. It’s a reminder that we all have the capacity for evil. Frollo is supposed to be everything that we shouldn’t be; a mistake to be learned from. Though he’s not the most fun of villains to watch because he’s so awful, it’s still important to have villains like this to learn from. He’s awful, but he’s also a reminder to be kind and compassionate.

See you across the pond!

Sincerely, Annie

Disney: Ranking the Official Disney Villains

Screenshots of The Evil Queen, Cruella De Vil, Ursula, Captain Hook, and Jafar from their respective movies. Copyright goes to the Walt Disney Company.

Hey! Hallie here!

What Halloween is complete without this line up of villains? These characters usually take over the Disney parks during the Halloween season and have been the center of many of Disney’s Halloween ventures. Obviously, I won’t be able to talk about the entire list of villains that Disney has created over the years. Because of that, I will only be focusing on the list of ‘official’ members of the Disney Villains franchise. The Disney Villains franchise tends to be the focus for most of the villains Halloween events, so this ensures I’m sticking to the members that show up the most during Halloween. I will only be adding one additional villain to the list, but I’ll explain that when it comes up. Anyways, this is a long list, so let’s get started.

  1. The Evil Queen. At the bottom of the list we have The Evil Queen from ‘Snow White’. I don’t dislike the character. She’s absolutely intimidating and you’re lying if you say you aren’t scared of her old woman form. The reason why she’s stuck down here is because she’s the least explored of all the villains. This is partly a result of her movie being the first Disney feature length film. ‘Snow White’ is one of Disney’s shorter films, and more time was, rightfully, spent on Snow White and the dwarves. The lack of focus on her leaves her with very little personality to speak of by the end of the movie. Plus, she doesn’t really have a reason for treating Snow White the way she does. She’s just jealous of Snow White being prettier than her. That’s shallow, even for a villain.
  1. Jafar. Jafar as a snake was pretty cool. Let’s be honest, there’s a reason why Jafar isn’t one of the more popular villains. For one, he’s missing an epic villain song. He sings the reprise of “Prince Ali”, but it isn’t long enough to be satisfying. It’s not that he’s the only villain on the list without a song, there are plenty missing songs, but most Disney movies coming out during this period had villain songs that were stand outs. He’s also one of the more generic villains. He wants to be the Sultan for no other reason than wanting more power than he already has. I mean, he’s already the royal advisor. It isn’t like he isn’t rich and powerful when the movie starts out. He also tries to force Jasmine to marry him. Gross.
  1. Captain Hook. Captain Hook is probably the least intimidating villain on this list. He’s overdramatic and a bit of a baby. We even start out the movie with Captain Hook having already been bested by Peter Pan. Several times. This does give him good reason to go after Peter Pan, though, as well as a set up for several enjoyable sequences with Tick-Tock, the crocodile. Captain Hook is mostly there for audiences to laugh at. Which is why, when he almost succeeds in killing both Peter Pan and Tinkerbell later in the movie, it comes off as so much of a shock. He also has two different songs about his crew of pirates. He only sings in one, but both serve as excellent villain songs. Overall, Captain Hook is fun to watch but not very frightening.
  1. Gaston. Gaston is one of those villains you’ve come across in real life. He’s a misogynistic jock who cares about his image more than he cares about other people. I met at least three of those guys in my college alone. Gaston isn’t all that scary of a guy. He’s more unintelligent than anything. It’s only at the end of the movie, when you see him start to really enjoy hunting the Beast, that he becomes intimating. But throughout the rest of the movie he’s complained about books with no pictures in them, pouted when Belle turned down his insulting proposal, and bragged about eating far too many eggs. Gaston gets all his frightening points for illustrating the danger of a misogynist with too much influence. The time it took for him to create a violent mob and lock up Belle in the process is both too scary and too realistic.
  1. Cruella De Vil. This list is already getting close. If this list was a ranking of villain songs, she would undoubtedly be higher. Cruella De Vil is an excellent villain. Her concept is simple, but effective. She’s rich and she likes fur coats. She likes them far too much. So when she sees some cute puppies who just so happen to have spots she’d like to wear on a fur coat, she doesn’t hesitate. Cruella is truly evil. That’s the only explanation for her wanting to make a fur coat out of puppies. Cruella is also absolutely terrifying. If you haven’t seen that crazed look in her eye during the car chase scene at the end of the movie, you don’t know the true meaning of fear. The only reason she isn’t farther up on the list is because she’s evil for the sake of being evil. And really, what backstory could justify killing puppies?
  1. Oogie Boogie. This is my only addition to the list. You can’t really have a Halloween ranking of the Disney Villains without the main villain of Halloween. Oogie Boogie is talked about quite a bit before his appearance in the movie, and his first appearance lives up to the expectation. He’s introduced with one of the best songs in the entire movie, which is saying something because ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’ soundtrack is a masterpiece. His evil laugh is one of the best you’ll hear in any Disney movie. He doesn’t give much of reason for doing what he does other than that he’s kind of hungry, but he’s undoubtedly an intimidating presence. Who wouldn’t find a sack full of bugs terrifying? He ultimately isn’t really the main villain of the film, Jack takes the title of both hero and villain for this movie, but Oogie gives the other characters serious reason to fear for their lives.
  1. Maleficent. Okay, put away your pitchforks and torches. There was no way the Mistress of Evil wasn’t going to make the top five, but, once again, she’s the villain of one of Disney’s earlier movies. Maleficent’s motivation for cursing Aurora to die an untimely death was simply not being invited to the celebration held for Aurora’s birth. Sure, historically that might not be the most outrageous reason to kill someone. But it still isn’t much of a backstory. Maleficent has been expanded on since, but the animated version is left simply to be frightening. And she succeeds. Maleficent is terrifying, especially in dragon form. You really have to wonder how brave King Stefan had to be to decide to skip giving her an invitation to the celebration. Maleficent also steals every scene she’s in. She carries the biggest presence out of everyone in the movie. You can’t tear your eyes off of her, and she prefers it that way.
  1. Dr. Facilier. “Friends on the Other Side” is one of the best villain songs of all time. Dr. Facilier is extremely entertaining to watch on screen. He’s a natural smooth talker and very effective conman. He let’s other people do his dirty work for most of the movie, and nearly succeeds. You also understand a bit of why he wants to do what he does. He’s a very poor man who’s business is shoved in a back corner of New Orleans. He wants money and power because he’s never had any. It’s not the most relatable thing ever, but in the very least he isn’t Jafar. Dr. Facilier is frightening not because of his own appearance, but because of his “friends”. You get the feeling from the very beginning of the movie that he’s messing with a power he can’t control. His death is an unsettling reminder of that when he’s dragged screaming into a grave.
  1. Scar. Scar comes off as a bit pitiful at the beginning of the movie. He’s barely tolerated by his pride and, while he would fight back against Mufasa if he could, he literally doesn’t have the strength. He dislikes his family and how much they blatantly dislike his presence in return, but he doesn’t really have a means of putting a stop to it. That is, until he teams up with the hyenas. After that he kills his brother in what is one of the most chilling scenes in any Disney movie. No one will ever forgive him for that scene where Simba tries to wake up Mufasa. Scar ends up being one of the only Disney Villains that succeeds. He leads the pride to ruin, but he wins. Until he’s dethroned by Simba and eaten by hyenas, that is. Scar seems pitiful at first, but he quickly proves himself to be worth paying attention to. “Be Prepared” is also my favorite Disney Villain song of all time, so Scar gets extra points for that.
  1. Ursula. Ursula’s one of the most sassy and self-aware villains Disney has created. She knows she’s not the best person, and she genuinely enjoys that fact. She does feel that King Triton has wronged her for banishing her from the kingdom, so of course she jumps on the opportunity to trick Ariel into helping her overthrow Triton. She’s actually very convincing, to Ariel at least, and her powers are really given the opportunity to shine here. Not only does she turn Ariel human and take away her voice, but she also turns herself human and hypnotizes Eric. She’s very hands on and it’s effective. She’s also terrifying. Who hasn’t had nightmares of the scene where Ursula crawls toward Ariel and drags her into the sea? Or the scene where giant Ursula emerges from the sea with an equally giant trident in hand? But Ursula gets the most points for “Poor Unfortunate Souls”, obviously.
  1. Hades. My favorite aspect of a villain is how much I enjoy their presence when they’re on screen. Hades wins that category hands down. Hades is frightening, especially when he’s angry, but he’s also hilarious. He’s the king of sarcasm. He’s the kind of person you’d want to be friends with if he wasn’t so evil. He gives Meg some good advice about men, his jokes are perfect, and he’s naturally charismatic. But he is evil. He tries to kill Hercules as a baby. He manipulated Meg into deceiving Hercules throughout their entire relationship, which he reveals to Hercules before Meg can, effectively emotionally destroying both of them. And if you know anything about the Titans in Greek mythology, you know why using the Titans to kill his brother is particularly messed up. Hades isn’t the most accurate adaptation of the character from Greek mythology, and he doesn’t have a song, but that doesn’t take away from just how often he steals the movie away from the other characters.

That’s my list! Each of these villains are so excellent, it was hard for me to rank them. I also had a hard time leaving a few of the lesser used Disney Villains from this list. Yzma and Claude Frollo in particular are villains I wish would be used more often. (If I had put Yzma on this list she would be at the top.) Hopefully Disney can find a way to use the Disney Villains this Halloween. These characters can’t be seen in the parks this year, but Halloween isn’t really the same without all of the villains coming together to create some mischief.

Don’t do anything fun until I get back!

Hallie

C-Dramas: Gank Your Heart

Promotional shot from ‘Gank Your Heart’ (2019) starring Wang Yibo and Wang Zixuan. Copyright goes to Mango TV and Grand Media.

Hi! It’s Annie!

Continuing on with my own apparent theming of couples for fall, this is another drama that I’ve been wanting to talk about for a while. After watching ‘The Untamed’ on Netflix I was absolutely in awe of Wang Yibo’s acting skills; so, naturally, when I found out he was in a romance drama playing a wildly different character I had to see it for myself. ‘Gank Your Heart’ is a romance drama that focuses on e-sports, so if you have any interest in that, this might be a good one to watch. Even if you don’t, it made me interested in learning more about the sport. But mostly, it features Wang Yibo in another featured role and it’s pretty much worth watching just for that. But that does not mean, by any stretch of the imagination, that this drama is all good.

LIGHT SPOILER WARNING: I would recommend watching this one if you’re bored, just for more Wang Yibo. But keep in mind that if you are using this as a review, I will cover things that are lightly spoiler-y.

The Good:

  • Wang Yibo (and his character). Obviously, this one was coming. Wang Yibo has a charm about him no matter what character he’s playing, and this show was no different. Wang Yibo’s character is delightfully intelligent and smart-mouthed. One of my favorite types of characters in fiction is the type of character that feels very sarcastic but very warm at the same time. That’s this character. Ji Xiang Kong is the type of character that you can’t help but like; and fortunately, that’s not because of a serious lack of flaws. He has a cruel and dismissive side to him that you see pretty early on in the series. But he’s also the type of character that makes you feel an immediate sense of comfort when they’re on screen. He wasn’t too over the top towards other characters, namely the main female lead, but he wasn’t at all detached either. This is the character you watch the show for. (Though I should mention here that there is an arguably non-consensual kiss that is caused by this character, which obviously, needs to stop happening in dramas.)
  • One of the sub-plot romances. This is another drama that features two sub-plot romances, and I’m glad that one of them was cute. Two mentors of Ji Xiang Kong have a pretty lengthy history and one of them begins the series attempting to stay away from the other. As the series progresses and everything begins to fall apart, they realize their mistakes in attempting to distance themselves. I legitimately cheered when they got together toward the end of the series. One of the best parts of this couple is that they get together a ways before the end, so you actually get to see a bit of them catching up from where they left off and being cute together. This is my favorite couple in the series hands down.
  • The friendships of the gamers. The unbreakable bonds that are portrayed between the old gamers and then the new gamers later in the series is absolutely incredible. It feels real and like a family. It’s so strong that it sucks the audience into it as well and makes you feel like you’re part of the family too. The lengths that these boys go to for each other is adorable and it’s heartwarming to see them cheer for each other throughout the series.
  • Pei Xi. I didn’t know what to call this category other than his name. He is an incredible character that I was expecting not to like. When he’s introduced he’s a bit of a jerk and the show tricks the audience into thinking that he’s another love interest for the main female character. As it goes on you realize that he was more interested in…another character entirely. And though you feel sorry for him initially, his chemistry with a character who only becomes a regular mid-way through the series is really cute. As the series progresses, his character changes the most and absolutely for the better. I loved his character development.

The Bad:

  • The main female character. Qiu Ying was annoying to me. It doesn’t help that when we meet her, she’s basically the bad and invasive type of paparazzi. She continuously tricks several members of Ji Xiang Kong’s sports team in order to get a story and then films several members talking privately without their knowing. Her plight is made even worse as, even though she does experience a job switch, she becomes worse as the relationship goes on. A lot of her horribleness is directed towards her little brother, who she dislikes just on principle because he’s not the son of her mother. All her little brother wants is to make her proud and she causes so much pain for him throughout the series that it’s unbelievable. They want to portray her as sweet and hard-working, but she just comes off as annoying and vindictive. I loved her wardrobe though!
  • The lack of trust. This is my other problem with Qiu Ying as none of this comes from Ji Xiang Kong. This is one of those dramas that uses the ‘famous ex-girlfriend’ card that I hate so much. She does not communicate to him about anything regarding her (or really, much of anything). She assumes the worst and leaves, getting irrationally angry with him in the process. He even introduces Qiu Ying as his girlfriend the first time they meet his ex, and Qiu Ying still thinks that there’s something going on. Later when they get past this, something pretty traumatic happens that Ji Xiang Kong blames himself for. Even though Ji Xiang Kong helped Qiu Ying through a similar experience earlier in the series, she decides that this is proof that they shouldn’t be together and abandons him to deal with it himself. They’ve been dating for so long at this point that Ji Xiang Kong has to deal with grieving over his breakup now on top of all the other things that have fallen into his lap at that point. She’s incredibly unsupportive and untrusting as a girlfriend and it’s frustrating to watch.
  • The other sub-plot romance. This occurs between the best friends of the main characters, as most sub-plot romances in romance dramas do. The issue is, I liked almost every character in this show other than these two best friend characters. I will give Ji Xiang Kong’s best friend a little more credit for being likeable, I just got tired of Qiu Ying’s friend’s constant skepticism of everyone. These characters didn’t have a lot of chemistry and every time they were on screen I was anxious to get back to the rest of the plot.
  • Love triangle. You thought we escaped this with Pei Xi? Sorry, but nope! The character that this happens with is unexpected and honestly disturbing. Definitely an uncomfortable power dynamic. Not to mention the fact that I absolutely hate love triangles; but that’s a personal preference.
  • Shanghai Disneyland. Ok, I would be remiss if I did a post about this show and didn’t mention this. Don’t get me wrong, I like Disneyland (though I hate their business practices). I grew up going to the Disneyland in California. I thought I would like this episode, even if it was just a giant advertisement. I have never cringed that much through an episode of anything. It was so bad! They pulled out all the cringe-y scenarios for this episode including; standing in front of the roller coaster to talk for a solid five minutes about how fast it was, buying a bunch of balloons at the beginning of the day, and the main character getting sad and Mickey suddenly showing up. Also, why were they yelling at each other through the firework show? I get that fireworks are loud, but not loud enough that you have to yell to be heard when you’re standing right next to each other.
  • The E-sports. I loved watching them practice and seeing them play. It really does put you on the edge of your seat (and the finale made me cry because of it), but I just wish they would have explained the game to the audience. I feel like I barely know any more about the sport after having watched an entire drama about it. The lack of explanation is what made me want to look up actual e-sports, but I wish that I would have been able to understand better while watching the drama.

I know I put more in the bad section of this than the good; but I promise I did really like this show! It isn’t the most beautiful or profound show that you’ll watch, but it’s a cute show. You’ll fall in love with a fair few of the characters and by the end you’ll really feel like you know them. It’s hard leaving this drama after you’ve finished watching it because it feels like you’re leaving behind friends. It’s definitely worth a watch, even if not everything about it is necessarily great.

See you across the pond!

Sincerely, Annie