Favorite Villain

I nominate Jafar the Royal Vizier from Aladdin as my favourite Disney Princess villain.

Quite simply, because he wins. He gets what he wants. He starts out as just a small-time hypnotist, and grows in power.  He outsmarts everyone, climbs to the height of power, and it’s only because of his love of ultimate power, his narcissism, and a quick-thinking street rat that he is defeated.

I love that his sidekick Iago the parrot is named after Shakespeare’s greatest villain, I love how dry his wit is. I love how he doesn’t even want to marry Princess Jasmine to begin with – it’s really just a means to an end. I even love how the voice of the movie Jafar, Jonathon Freeman, went on to play Jafar in the Broadway show. That voice!

 

Favourite Outfit

There is no two ways about it, Belle’s ballgown is my absolute favourite outfit ever worn by any Disney princess ever, even beating out Elsa’s magical shimmery blue dress, Tiana’s insanely gorgeous green wedding gown, Cinderella’s switcheroo, and Aurora’s changing colour gown.

I love Belle’s ballgown so much that I wore a ballgown to my own wedding.

I love the way it swishes and flares and the way it’s animated and everything about it is perfect.

Favorite Non-Animal Sidekick

Olaf from Frozen.

When I first saw Frozen I didn’t really like Olaf. I thought he was annoying and something about him being a snowman annoyed me even more – maybe I had a less neutral reaction because The Snowman cartoon is banned in my family’s house because it makes my brother cry. Doesn’t matter that Walking In The Air is covered by one of my favourite bands.

But on subsequent viewings I found Olaf positively charming. He’s so funny and innocent and quirky.

I grew to adore Josh Gad’s performance, especially his rendition of In Summer.

It was Gad’s performance of Olaf that led me to being more interested in the musical The Book of Mormon, in which he was an original major role.

Olaf has been pretty influential on me. I got married shortly before Frozen became a huge hit, and Olaf said something that really resonated with me.

Shortly after I got married, my husband decided to seek treatment for his mental illness, and that meant I was to become his carer. That meant putting his needs before my own. At first it was a bit of a struggle, but I’ve learned, thanks to the wisdom of a comic relief sidekick snowman.

Favourite Animal Sidekick

My favourite animal sidekick is Pascal the chameleon from Tangled.

It’s so unique to have a chameleon, let alone one named Pascal. For a long time I thought it was meant to signify something – I did film studies at University, so I’m always looking for the symbolism – like Percy the pug in Pocahontas symbolises the cruelty that comes with selfish wealth and later the acceptance of the Native American.

But it turns out Tangled’s director met a staff’s pet chameleon called Pascal and fell in love with him, so added him to the film when they were thinking of an animal sidekick.

Pascal, despite his size, serves as a protector and confidant of Rapunzel. It’s not clear how they came together, but they’re inseparable. He encourages her to be brave and comforts her in time of need.

He’s also pretty tough for his size. He’s not afraid of Flynn or Maximus the horse. Some of the best parts in the fil comes from when Flynn’s reacting to Pascal. Flicking him off his shoulder, grabbing him and making his eyes bulge, setting him down on the boat. And of course, who can forget Pascal’s not-so-gentle way of waking Flynn up?

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Best Hair

The Disney Princess with the best hair, by far, is Pocahontas.

This is because she spends most of her time outside with the wind sweeping it around and it looks luscious.

It’s jet-black, thick, and long, and looks wonderful on her.