We’ve covered the villains of the Disney Renaissance era, so now it’s
time to move forward and cover the fiends of the Disney Experimental era! While nowhere near as
impactful as the renaissance that came before it or the resurgence that followed, this era,
made up of the studio's various films of the 2000s, was nevertheless an important time
in their history. With the movies jumping in tone from adventure flicks to buddy comedies,
this era has some of the most unique films to come out of the studio, and
that uniqueness is also true of the era’s many villains. But of all these villains,
which ones will be getting an easy sentence, and which will be wishing they were that lucky?
I’m ____ with WickedBinge,
and this is Sentencing Disney Villains For Their Crimes: The Experimental Era Part One
While we’re gonna be focusing on the Experimental era for today, there is
one film from the Renaissance that we have yet to cover, so we thought we’d
throw it in as a little bonus. All rise for the first film on the stand, Tarzan!
The first evildoer we’ll be sentencing today is not a man, nor does he even have much screen
time in the film. Still, this character plays a pivotal role in laying the foundations for
the film’s story. We are talking about none other than the leopard Sabor! As we said,
Sabor doesn’t do much in the movie, but he does kill both of Tarzan’s parents,
setting the plot of the movie into motion. With those two counts of murder under his claws, we
think it makes the most sense to give this feline foe the death penalty. How that will be carried
out on something as vicious as Sabor is anyone’s guess, but it is the most sensible decision,
and also the most realistic. It just goes to show you that even villains with only a
couple of minutes of screen time can be just as dangerous as their more prominent counterparts.
Now it’s time to talk about the real villain of the movie, Clayton! Clayton appears to be a
charming and charismatic man when we first meet him, but as the film evolves, so too does his
character. He transforms from that depiction into an evil poacher who is only interested in money.
He enacts a plan to capture gorillas and sell them. This makes him guilty of not only poaching,
but also kidnapping and animal cruelty as well. He later kills Kerchak, Tarzan’s father figure,
and attempts to murder Tarzan himself, adding two more crimes to his sentence. With a total of five
morbid crimes committed, we believe the death penalty again suits this individual. In the case
of Clayton, however, we can more accurately assume how this punishment would be carried out. It seems
likely that he would have been hung, as it was still commonplace in early 20th century England,
the home to Clayton and the others on this voyage. Ironically, while he saw all animals as nothing
more than brute savages, he has effectively earned the same punishment as that which he despises.
Moving on to the actual Experimental era,
let’s take a look at the villains from the comedic classic, The Emperor’s New Groove!
First up is the villain of the film herself, Yzma! Yzma has one goal in this film, and one goal only:
to take out Kuzco and install herself as the new emperor. With this goal comes two crimes right off
the bat. She is guilty of not only conspiring to overthrow a government official, but her attempts
to kill Kuzco also means she has attempted murder. After becoming emperor, Yzma begins to abuse her
power, another crime we can add to her growing list. You could argue that she’s guilty
of other additional crimes, but we would say they all pale in comparison to the ones discussed. On
account of her attempt to overthrow her empire’s regime, we think it would make the most sense to
carry out the death penalty once again. Yzma’s plan would not at all be taken lightly by the
court of law, and that’s true both in the period the film is set and in the modern day, too. During
the days of the Aztec Empire, this punishment would’ve likely been carried out via stoning,
but strangulation was also commonplace during this era. Yzma might’ve hated her transformation into a
cat during the film’s finale, but let it be known it could always be a lot worse for this usurper!
Next up is the Yzma’s loyal, if a bit dim, henchman Kronk! Kronk’s major
offense in this film is aiding Yzma in her quest to get rid of Kuzco and become emperor. This would
make Kronk guilty of aiding and abetting. Beyond that, however, Kronk doesn’t partake in many
crimes in the film, and even less independently of Yzma. While he does do a lot on Yzma’s behalf,
he also does eventually turn against her and reform. Between his shift of loyalties and
lack of crimes, we think we can safely pardon this sidekick! While Kronk was a major piece
in Yzma’s plans, he has reformed, and becomes a squirrel scout to better not only himself,
but also the youth he interacts with. You could even argue this aspect of his
character makes for good community service, if you really want to. So while Kronk isn’t
the most heroic or brightest character in the Disney canon, compared to the characters
we’ve looked at so far–and those to come–he definitely deserves a more lenient sentence!
Our next character is not a villain…or is he? Up next is the film’s protagonist,
Emperor Kuzco! Kuzco might not be outwardly evil in the way somebody like Yzma is,
but his actions are inarguably the reason much of the film happens. He’s extremely rude to everyone,
will build locations on top of existing homes, and will even throw out his subjects if they throw
off his groove! Independently, these aren’t really crimes, but together, we can safely call all these
moments abuse of power being played out. Kuzco cares little for law and order, instead worrying
about how he feels and only how he feels. With one glaring criminal charge in mind, we believe
Emperor Kuzco deserves five years in the slammer! You could make the argument his punishment should
be more severe, but considering the arc he goes through over the course of the movie, we think
it would be overkill in this case. His evolution could even lead him to get out early, but that
remains to be decided. Either way, we’re sure Kuzco would prefer it over being a llama again!
From one empire to another, we think it’s time to discuss the villains of Disney’s first sci-fi
adventure film, Atlantis: The Lost Empire!
Next on the stand is Commander Rourke, reporting for duty! Rourke is a lot like Clayton from Tarzan
when you look at them closely. Much like that hunter, Rourke presents himself as a kindly man
before showing his true colors as a benevolent and ruthless villain. Once the expedition team
arrives in Atlantis, Rourke quickly makes a move to take the city’s resources. He kidnaps Kida,
and is also directly responsible for the death of the emperor. He later goes to war with the
Atlanteans, destroying countless airships, and nearly kills Milo himself. While he only reveals
himself as the film’s villain in its final act, in that short amount of time he is guilty of murder,
attempted murder, terrorism, kidnapping, and theft! Considering all the crimes he unleashed
on the people of Atlantis, Rourke, also like Clayton before him, receives the death penalty.
Unlike Rourke, however, his punishment would be carried out in a vastly different way. Rourke
would be subjected to poisonous gas unleashed in his cell, a relatively new form of punishment that
was introduced in the early 20th century. Whether this is a better or worse fate than hanging is up
to you to decide, but what is certain is that this is a fate nobody would willingly seek out. But
on account of Rourke’s crimes against humanity, we think this sentence is the most appropriate.
Rourke isn’t completely alone in his plan, however. Introducing his second in command,
Helga Sinclair! Like Kronk from earlier, Helga doesn’t get particularly involved in villainy of
her own doing. Everything she does is merely on the orders of Commander Rourke. Also like Kronk,
she eventually turns on her boss as well, although in her case it is done more to
save her skin than it is out of heroism. Still, on account of her role in almost
bringing ruination to the people of Atlantis, we think Helga should
carry out a sentence of fifty years. Some will say Helga should serve even longer,
but since the acts she commits are not quite as horrible as what Rourke does, we think fifty
years is the best possible punishment. In the words of Rourke and herself, “nothing personal”!
We’ve reached the year 2002 with the first of two films released in the year, Lilo and Stitch!
First and foremost, let’s look at the mad scientist Jumba Jookiba! Juma is an interesting
character in that when we first meet him, he is already being sentenced for prior crimes.
In his case, he is being sentenced on account of illegal experimentation. As the movie progresses,
although he is an antagonist, the only charge we can really add to his list is that of property
damage. After finding Stitch, the two engage in a battle that wrecks much of Lilo’s home.
Between these two offenses, we think Juma should receive three years in the doghouse!
Since he does reform and he doesn’t nearly have as many offenses as other villains we’ve
covered today have, we don’t think it makes much sense for him to get an extremely harsh
sentence or anything like that. But considering the damages caused on his quest to find Stitch,
we think some type of punishment is necessary. Look on the bright side,
maybe our human years are only a few months in whatever species Jumba is!
Up next is the bounty hunter with no fear, Captain Gantu! This bounty hunter is tasked
with capturing Stitch after it appears that Jumba and Pleakley have failed to do so. However,
Gantu’s mission leads him to commit a few crimes. Not only does he kidnap Lilo in the film’s climax,
but he also almost destroys both her and Stitch in the ensuing chaos.
While he’s only in the film for a relatively brief amount of time, Gantu has more crimes
attached to his name than any other foe in the movie. On that account, we have to give this
mercenary fifteen years in prison. While you could say that Gantu was only doing his job,
his attempt to kill Stitch and capture of Lilo was not at all what he was told to do, showing
that he had no problem disobeying orders. Even if he did follow them to the letter though, the
Grand Councilwoman ultimately goes back on her word, deciding to let Stitch go
free rather than imprisoned. Fifteen years is an appropriate amount of time for this bounty hunter
to spend in solitude, on account of the chaos he caused during his short time in the film.
While he might not be a straightforward villain, our next character is also definitely not a
classical hero, either. It’s time to talk about Stitch! Stitch’s lack of allegiance and overall
animalistic attitude is evidenced by the one and truly only crime he commits in the film, which is
property damage. Throughout the movie, Stitch repeatedly wreaks havoc all over Hawaii. From
Lilo’s house to the beach, no place is safe from this experiment! Luckily, Stitch does eventually
become a hero, saving Lilo from Gantu and returning her home. With that in mind,
we think that what Stitch needs most of all is a few months on house arrest! At least,
enough time for him to be properly integrated and conditioned into society. Stitch might’ve
saved the day, but it’s undeniable that he’s not very well-behaved in public. A few months stuck
at home might just be what this alien needs to keep both the community and himself safe!
Last up for the day is Disney’s second sci-fi epic, Treasure Planet!
First to the stand is part cyborg, but all pirate! Who else could it be other than Captain
John Silver? As a pirate, one crime already can be added to Silver’s sentence, that being piracy.
As the crew set sail for the much sought-after treasure planet, Silver also stages a mutiny,
which ends in the capture of Jim Hawkins and his allies. Lastly, along with their aforementioned
kidnapping, he steals the map to treasure planet. With four crimes perpetrated throughout the movie,
Silver seems to be a pretty villainous pirate. However, he ultimately reforms by the end of
the film, and this is due in large part to a friendship that he forms with the young
Jim Hawkins. Between his crimes and eventual redemption, we believe John Silver should serve a
decade in prison, no more, no less. Silver’s plan to find treasure planet causes a lot of terror,
so we don’t think his redemption completely absolves him of all of that. However,
we do think it prevents him from getting a potentially harsher sentence. So while
he might be spending a decade behind bars, we think this pirate will set sail soon enough!
While John Silver has some charisma, the same cannot be said for one of his crewmates,
Scroop! An alien with crablike features, although he is subservient to Silver, he is the far more
vicious villain of the two. Scroop is the one responsible for Mr. Arrow’s death, which is
blamed on Jim by many. To show how evil Scroop is compared to John, Silver was extremely displeased
with Scroop’s decision here, and threatened to throw him overboard if a similar stunt was
done again. Scroop also attempts to kill Jim at several points throughout the movie. And, as a
member of Silver’s crew, he is additionally guilty of aiding and abetting, piracy, and mutiny. With
so many crimes committed, we think Scroop deserves the death penalty. While we can only speculate on
how such a punishment would be carried out in the far-off future, it’s undoubtedly going to
be an unpleasant experience. Seems fitting for an unpleasant fellow like Scroop, wouldn’t you agree?
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.