The Disney silver age, made up of the many films the studio released from 1950 to 1967, is fondly
remembered for many things. The animation, the influence taken from classic literature, and
the pivotal role it played in saving the company are just some of the era’s most notable elements.
One that seems a tad overlooked, however, is the fact that this was really the era where the Disney
villains came to prominence. From Maleficent to Cruella, from Captain Hook to Shere Khan,
it was this point in time where the villains in the films started to become just as memorable
as the heroes, if not moreso. But while we all love a good Disney villain, one question
is burning on our lips: how well would these foes stack up against the court of law? Well,
worry no more, because today, we’ll step into the roles of judge, jury,
and executioner, and decide the sentences for all your favorite silver age baddies!
I’m Brad with WickedBinge, and this is Sentencing Disney Villains For Their Crimes: The Silver Age
Before we start handing out any verdicts, we’re going to set a few rules for the uninitiated.
First off, this video is merely meant for entertainment purposes, and not necessarily
indicative of what sentences these characters would earn if they existed in the real world.
So if you’re coming to this video for legal advice, we’re sorry to say that you’ve ended
up in the wrong place. Secondly, to add some fun to the rulings, we’re not going to merely judge
characters’ crimes based on modern standards, but also look at how they’d be treated in their time
periods. Lastly, we won’t be taking anything from the direct-to-DVD Disney sequels into
account for this video. While several of these characters were indeed featured in follow-ups,
whether or not these films are truly canon varies from person to person. As such,
we’re going to leave them out of the mix for today. Now that that’s all said and done, it’s
time to see which classic villains will get off easy, and which ones will
likely be regretting their crimes. All rise, for this court is now in session!
Starting us off, let’s look at the villains of the canine classic, 101 Dalmatians!
First on the docket are Cruella’s bumbling sidekicks, Jasper and Horace! While these lackeys
are about as smart as most evil minions are in the Disney canon, their crimes are nevertheless
pretty heinous and notable. The first charge the duo commits is that of breaking and entering,
which they do after breaking into Roger and Anita’s residence to take the dalmatians. This
directly leads to their next offense, kidnapping! As the film progresses,
their numerous attempts to apprehend the pets make them guilty of animal cruelty. And, of course,
their involvement in Cruella’s evil plan would give them the offense of aiding and abetting.
Looking at their crimes as a whole, we ultimately believe that Jasper and Horace deserve 20 years
in prison for their actions. Now, you could absolutely make the case that they deserve
a harsher punishment. Not only are these crimes terrible, but the film makes it clear that these
two are already criminals before ever meeting Cruella, which means it’s likely they would
have other, previously unknown charges added to their sentence. However, because they are only
doing these crimes on behalf of another figure, as well as the fact that they aren’t particularly
good at their jobs, we don’t think it makes much sense to do so. Regardless, Jasper and Horace are
two criminals who probably wish they never took on the career profession of an evil sidekick!
Up next, let’s discuss the main antagonist herself, Cruella De Vil! Now, Cruella is
guilty of a lot of the same things that Jasper and Horace have done. However, the one that should
be mentioned above all the others is that she has absolutely committed animal cruelty. 101 counts of
cruelty, to be a little more specific! With that in mind, we the jury find it most appropriate to
hand Cruella a prison sentence of 101 years! We should also mention that her extremely reckless
driving habits could warrant an additional charge, but when you have over a century of prison time to
look to, we felt that was overkill in this case. In addition to that, since Cruella’s whole goal
was to use the dalmatians for her line of coats, it’s entirely possible that she would get an
even worse ruling for all the other instances of animal cruelty she has likely participated in. As
she says in the film, she loves fur, so it’s likely other animals have suffered because of
her before the film begins. In conclusion, you can’t spell Cruella without the word “cruel”,
and it’s that exact offense that gives this villain 101 years in the doghouse!
The next film on the podium is the Arthurian legend, The Sword and The Stone!
We’ll only be discussing one character from this film, and that is none other than the mad Madam
Mim! An important thing to know regarding this character is that she is in fact a witch. This
alone makes her a pretty notable criminal, as magic and witchcraft were not taken lightly
during the Dark Ages, the time period this film takes place in. Beyond that, Madam Mim tries her
best throughout the film to take out the young Arthur, which means attempted murder can also
be added to her list of offenses. She also holds him hostage, forcing the wizard Merlin to take
action in order to save him. Even after that, she again attempts murder during her wizard duel with
Merlin,like when she transforms into a crocodile for the sole purpose of eating him. When you look
at her crimes, especially in the era the film is set, it becomes blatantly obvious that Madam Mim
should receive our first instance of the death penalty in this video. As we said earlier, the
witch hunt was a major element of the Dark Ages, and those who were suspected of being witches
were quickly tried and executed. Mim would be even worse off on account of the fact that she is very
obviously capable of great powers. Her punishment would likely be the same one that most witches
faced: being burned at the stake. The mad Madam Mim might not be one of the most beloved Disney
villains of the silver age, but her actions make her one of the most notable criminals of them all.
We’re setting sail for Neverland, because next on the stand are the villains of Disney’s Peter Pan!
Kicking us off is the Captain’s right-hand man, Mr. Smee! Mr. Smee might look like one of
the nicer pirates in Hook’s crew, but when you take a closer look at his actions in the film,
you’ll see that he’s just as evil as most of them are. First, being an evil sidekick,
he is of course guilty of aiding and abetting the main antagonist. In the film’s climax,
he also participates in the crew’s kidnapping of the children. And since he’s a pirate,
we can go ahead and put piracy down as well. Between these three crimes, we think it makes
sense for Mr. Smee to spend 25 years in prison. Much like Jasper and Horace from before, we’ll be
a little lenient on him because of the fact that he is little more than a minion. Besides that,
his offenses are also lighter than what those two had done. Still, Mr. Smee is just as dangerous of
a pirate as the majority of the members of Hook’s ship are. Don’t let that smile of his fool you!
With the minion out of the way, let’s look at the captain of this ship, Hook himself! Captain
Hook is a pirate, so right out of the gate, he’s guilty of piracy in the same way Smee
is. He is also guilty of kidnapping, as well as attempted murder, which is seen in the film
as he tries to destroy Peter Pan. However, one thing that separates Hook from the rest of the
villains on this list is that he is the only one who has actually murdered somebody. While
it’s not dwelled on in the film, Hook does in fact shoot one of his one crewmembers,
something we won’t be saying about any other villain of the silver age. And all because his
singing annoyed him! With that kind of reaction, it makes you wonder just how many others have
fallen before this captain. For all of these reasons, we think Captain Hook deserves a prison
sentence of 50 years. Hook would already be in big trouble for murder, but his profession as
a pirate would earn him a harsh punishment on top of that.If Hook lived during the days of pirates,
he might even be doing more than wasting away in a jail cell. He could very well be sent to
the mines, and endure a life of indentured servitude. Regardless of his punishment,
one thing is for certain: this captain isn’t going to be sailing anywhere anytime soon!
The next foes we’re going to be looking at are those from the Disney fairy tale
classic, Cinderella!
Another set of antagonistic accomplices, Drizella and Anastasia are next to take the stage! Once
again, these two are guilty of aiding their nefarious mother as she torments and abuses
Cinderella. They also help her in her plot to become royalty when they attempt to put on the
glass slipper. Both of these crimes are definitely appalling, but we think there’s a lot more to
these two than meets the eye. While these two didn’t treat Cinderella with respect, we cannot
forget that Lady Tremaine wasn’t any nicer to them either. While she did at the very least see
them as her children, she was also quite manipulative, forcing them to do specific
tasks unless they wanted to lose their standing in her eyes. When you look at them with that kind of
context in mind, you would also agree with us when we say what they need is a nice round of community
service! Anastasia and Tremaine might be henchmen, but they don’t have the villainy of, say, Jasper
and Horace. They merely wanted to please their mother, and though they did some heinous things to
achieve that, we don’t think it’s fair for them to be punished alongside her. Besides, some community
service might be just the punishment they need! With how much they forced Cinderella to clean up
after themselves, it seems far more fitting of a fate than spending some odd years in prison.
Next up is the stepsisters’ mother, Lady Tremaine! While we defended her daughters a lot,
we don’t have nearly the same sympathy for Cinderella’s stepmother. Cinderella has been
a part of Tremaine’s family for a long time, and in that period, nothing great has come
out of their friendship. Tremaine has been abusive towards her since they first meet,
and time hasn’t made her any nicer. She forces her to do every chore, never keeps her promises,
and makes her believe she is worthless. She isn’t any nicer to her own daughters, either. She often
pits them against Cinderella, like when the two rip apart her dress as a way to please
their mother. The sisters are incredibly scared of Tremaine, which further shows how toxic most
of her relationships are. Considering the years of emotional abuse she has unleashed on Cinderella,
Anastasia, and Drizella, we think it makes sense for her to earn 30 years in prison.
Lady Tremaine is a horrible parental figure, and this directly leads to all three of her children
carrying some sort of trauma from the time they spent with her. When you look at it that way,
it seems only right that this wicked stepmother should be locked away for
a time comparable to that which her daughters spent under her.
It’s time to take a trip to the jungle,
as our next cases belong to the ferocious foes of The Jungle Book!
Let’s start off by looking at the slippery and sly snake himself, Kaa, shall we? Kaa only does one
criminal act in the film, but despite the lowest count of any character discussed, it’s a pretty
horrific one to have. Throughout the film, Kaa repeatedly tries to eat the young Mowgli, which
means he has effectively engaged in attempted murder. For this, we think it’s appropriate for
him to get 10 years in prison. While we can’t say we know how a snake would fare in a cell, we can't
imagine it would be a great experience for someone like him. He could very well get a worse sentence,
but since he’s pretty bad at what he does, failing to actually eat Mowgli twice in the film, we don’t
think that’s necessarily appropriate in this case. But whatever the decision, we can all rest
knowing that the only thing Kaa will be eating in prison will be coming off a plastic plate.
Next up is the cunning and charismatic Shere Khan! Being a tiger, Shere Khan is one of the
most dangerous animals in the entire kingdom. As such, it comes as no surprise to find out that
he’s one of the most dangerous villains to come out of Disney’s silver age. Like Kaa, he is guilty
of attempted murder, but not just for trying to kill Mowgli. He also attacks Baloo in the final
act of the movie, which also means this tiger is guilty of assault. In addition, his manipulation
of Mowgli would add a charge of child endangerment to his list of crimes. With how much he hates man,
it could also be inferred that he has actually murdered other humans before the events of the
film, although that is merely speculation. Given his violent demeanor and vicious actions, we have
decided that Shere Khan will be the second villain of the day to earn the death penalty. Shere Khan
is a danger to both animals and humans, which is clearly demonstrated in the film, so it’s unlikely
that his story would get any kind of happy ending. Shere Khan more than lives up to the ferocity
tigers are known for, but unfortunately for him, that may have very well cost him his own life.
Last but certainly not least, it’s time to dig into the Disney gem, Sleeping Beauty!
Only one notable villain comes out of this movie, but she’s among the most iconic of
all Disney villains. Next on the podium is none other than Maleficent! Maleficent is
a dark fairy capable of great powers. This alone would make her guilty of witchcraft,
but unfortunately for her, her sentencing isn’t going to get any easier. Maleficent would likely
be tried for treason on account of the curse she enacted on the young Aurora. When the spell is
made manifest, she would not only be guilty of attempted murder, but also kidnapping, as she
holds the princess hostage in her castle. With all this in mind, it’s a no-brainer that Maleficent
is yet another villain that we give the death penalty. Witchcraft and treason are both crimes
you wouldn’t have wanted to be associated with, and Maleficent does both of them in the very first
scene she appears in! Either one of these would’ve warranted this punishment, but the fact she does
both just goes to show you how evil Maleficent truly is. Like Madam Mim before her, Maleficent’s
execution would likely come in the form of being burned at the stake. Whether or not
that would affect somebody who can literally turn into a draglon is up for debate, but it
remains the most obvious fate for this dark fairy. Maleficent is often considered one of Disney’s
most vile antagonists, and when you look at her crimes and the punishment they earn her, it’s
hard to argue against that. Whether or not she’s your favorite villain, she is most definitely the
darkest villain to come out of the silver age, and her punishment is absolutely reflective of that!
But let us know in the comment section if you agree with our
choices. And tell us what we should cover next. Remember to hit that notification
bell and binge more of our videos. But most importantly, stay wicked.