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Mufasa's 'Bye Bye' shows how Disney villain songs went wrong

polygon.com

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Re: Mufasa's 'Bye Bye' shows how Disney villain songs went wrong

#2
> Where else could a Disney character bemoan the fact that his own sexual desires repulse him?

Maybe I skimmed the article a bit too hard, but this stuck out and I don't find any other mentions of this in the article. Why would a Disney villain need to lament about their sexual desires? In this about something specific from The Lion King?

Re: Mufasa's 'Bye Bye' shows how Disney villain songs went wrong

#3
post #2

> Where else could a Disney character bemoan the fact that his own sexual desires repulse him? Maybe I skimmed the article a bit too hard, but this stuck out and I don't find any other mentions of this in the article. Why would a Disney villain need to lament about their sexual desires? In this about something specific from The Lion King?

>“Hellfire,” perhaps the single greatest Disney villain song, is the darkest of them all, as Judge Frollo reveals the unquenchable lust for Esmeralda that’s driven him to unimaginable evil, and contrasts it with his strict, austere religious beliefs.

I assume this is what was being referenced

Re: Mufasa's 'Bye Bye' shows how Disney villain songs went wrong

#4
post #2

> Where else could a Disney character bemoan the fact that his own sexual desires repulse him? Maybe I skimmed the article a bit too hard, but this stuck out and I don't find any other mentions of this in the article. Why would a Disney villain need to lament about their sexual desires? In this about something specific from The Lion King?

This is probably referring to a somewhat controversial song from The Hunchback of Notre Dame, "Hellfire," which is sung by a villain and is basically all about this.

Re: Mufasa's 'Bye Bye' shows how Disney villain songs went wrong

#5
post #2

> Where else could a Disney character bemoan the fact that his own sexual desires repulse him? Maybe I skimmed the article a bit too hard, but this stuck out and I don't find any other mentions of this in the article. Why would a Disney villain need to lament about their sexual desires? In this about something specific from The Lion King?

That's the crux of 'Hellfire', the villain song from Hunchback of Notre Dame. A core part of that is the villain, Frollo, is responsible for persecuting Roma/'gypsies' in Paris, and the fact that he finds one of them, Esmerelda, attractive messes him up even further, given the combination of his bigotry and his strict Puritan beliefs (at the end he decides that he'll propose to her, and if she rejects him, he'll have her executed).

To be fair as a comparison, the Hunchback of Notre Dame is probably one of the heaviest Disney films, especially in terms of how relatively grounded it is. Most Disney villains are a little bit more fantastical, even if as evil in the abstract.

Re: Mufasa's 'Bye Bye' shows how Disney villain songs went wrong

#6
post #2

> Where else could a Disney character bemoan the fact that his own sexual desires repulse him? Maybe I skimmed the article a bit too hard, but this stuck out and I don't find any other mentions of this in the article. Why would a Disney villain need to lament about their sexual desires? In this about something specific from The Lion King?

https://youtu.be/gqGL9B_TPTI

Re: Mufasa's 'Bye Bye' shows how Disney villain songs went wrong

#7
Still nothing on "Va, Tosca" or "Der Hoelle Rache kocht im meinem Hertzen". Look them up if you want to see music expressing the minds of villains to perfection.

If Disney understood the art form more they wouldn't be making these mistakes. Sadly too few people have a serious background vs listen to a few current things without getting where they are from.

Re: Mufasa's 'Bye Bye' shows how Disney villain songs went wrong

#8
> It feels like Disney villain songs have become a box-ticking exercise, added more out of a sense of obligation than out of inspiration.

The article concludes with this sentiment, which I think is correct and applies to the entire movie of Mufasa, as well as many other Disney movies being made.

Did we need a “live action” Lion King at all, let alone a “live action” prequel? The whole concept seems mediocre, so it’s fitting that the songs are too.

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