Jungle Book Villains

So the first movie I am going to talk about villains from is the Jungle Book. Why you ask, well because I saw a clip of it and decided to finish it on my own time.... In other words it was completely random. That aside, here is how the rest of my posts will work. I am going to analyze all of the villains from a single movie at once, (because some villains are so minor I may or not be able to write that much about them...) The villains will appear in order from the the most evil to the least (or the 'villain' who you may not think is a villain. you'll see what I mean.)

Anyway, on with the villains!

Shere Khan

Villain Type: Power Hungry/Revenge-Seeking

Look at his face. This is the face of an arrogant person.

What he wants: He wants to kill Mowgli because he hates humans (they have guns and fire)

From the second we meet Shere Khan we can see that he is someone used to getting his way. We can also tell that he thinks very highly of himself based on his reaction to Bagheera telling the elephant brigade that he is a formidable opponent. Shere Khan also likes to draw attention to himself before he goes and does something. This is shown by how he greets Kaa and how he jumps into the vulture's song. Earlier in the movie it is revealed that the reason he wants to kill Mowgli is because he is afraid of guns and fire. It is also revealed that he wants to get rid of Mowgli while he is young and weak which makes Shere Khan a coward.  However when he is with Kaa he demands to know whether or not Kaa ate Mowgli. This just shows how ruthless he is. If Shere Khan can't kill Mowgli then apparently nobody can. With regard to Kaa, it seems like the two of them have met in the past. We can make this judgment because Shere Khan seems well aware of Kaa's tricks and avoids them. However when things become tough for Shere Khan, he gets easily distracted. Then instead of focusing on what he wants, he tries to attack whoever defied him instead. In the end, his arrogance and how he is used to getting what he wants, that leads to his downfall. When Baloo and the vultures attack him he lets Mowgli get away and get fire to fight him with. Of course Mowgli ties a flaming branch to his tail and Shere Khan runs away never to be seen again (until the sequel.) I give this him a 5 out of 10 on the villain scale. Though he is feared, which is worth something, he is weak and  easily overcome by fear. (Maybe that's just in his nature as a tiger....) Also the second he leaves the screen it starts to rain. Don't you think the fire on his tail would go out and he would come back? But no, he doesn't come back. That is why he is a poor villain... (of course there is a sequel... but Mowgli goes out on his own, Shere Khan doesn't seek him out from the beginning.) I think that Shere Khan could be much more threatening... but it is a kid's movie.

Fun Fact: Though he is mentioned within the first ten minutes of the movie, he doesn't actually appear onscreen until about an hour into the movie (the exact time is 58 minutes and 50 seconds.)

Kaa

Villain Type: Personal-Gain/Obstacle Villain

What he wants: To eat Mowgli.

Who looks angrier in this picture? The one who was lied to or the one who lost his lunch?

From the second Kaa sees Mowgli there is only one thing on his mind: Food. However, whenever Kaa tries to eat Mowgli something shows up and ruins his plans, which then results to him getting knocked out of his tree. As Kaa goes off-screen from these things he complains about various aliments (like his sinuses.) He is able to hypnotize people and he thinks that no one knows about it, but everyone does. He seems to work for his own gain. This shown when Shere Khan shows up and starts asking for Mowgli, but Kaa is holding Mowgli hostage and won't give him up. Though Kaa seems scared of Shere Khan he is able to hold his tongue and not show him Mowgli. Kaa isn't dumb but he makes a few slip-ups at time that sometimes cost him what he wants. He isn't even all that bad considering how he seems disgusted by Shere Khan's behavior concerning Mowgli. Of course then he remembers that he is holding Mowgli hostage and those nice thoughts leave him. Kaa happens to be my favorite character in this movie but that aside, I would have to give him a 3 out of 10 on the villain scale His only motivation is the promise of food. If he didn't want to eat Mowgli he really wouldn't be a villain. 


Fun Fact: Sterling Holloway, the voice of Kaa, also played Winnie the Pooh.

Remember what I said about you not thinking a villain is a villain but I think they are a villain? (see top of the page) Well this next guy is one of those villains. (Feel free to disagree with me. This is just what I think.)

King Louie
Villain Type: Power-Hungry/Obstacle Villain
What he wants: To make fire. He wants to go higher than where he is now and thinks that controlling fire will help him get there.

He doesn't look like a villain does he? Well looks can be deceiving.

At first sight King Louie is a lovable character who sings an adorable song about wanting to be human. But find the villain in him we have to look at his actions. First off he kidnaps Mowgli and tries to keep him at the cost of his palace. He also likes to be the center of attention and fights for it. Also, listen to what he sings. Yes, he wants to be human and that's cute, but then he says that he wants to control fire. This is what makes King Louie a villain. His clear motive is to gain control of fire. What he wishes to do with fire is unknown. He could just want fire to impress his subjects. But there is a chance that he wants fire for a darker reason: to control Shere Khan. As mentioned earlier; Shere Khan is afraid of fire. King Louie may want to use fire to control Shere Khan which would make him the most powerful animal in the jungle. However because he does not succeed so, what he would have done with fire remains unknown. I give him a 4 out of 10 because his motives are unknown. His motives could be sinister or something as dumb as trying to show off to his subjects. 


See you next time. 

Types of Villians

Hello there. If you can't tell already this is going to be a blog all about villains and what makes them the way they are. I will mainly be focusing on Disney villains but I may branch out and blog about a hero from a book. In order to see these things you need to know the different villain types. Each villain has something that makes him or her different from other villains. Placing the villains into categories makes it easier for us to understand their behavior. Villains that are the same type are more likely to have similar characteristics, hence the different types help us analyze them.

Here is a list of the different types of villains that I have compiled:

Power-Hungry: This villain is one who wants to move to a higher place in his or her society and gain control of a person/place. These villains tend to come into direct conflict with the societal/governmental leaders. These power-hungry villains are also generally in some position of power whether it is among their followers or in this society.

Personal-Gain: This is a villain that is motivated by an item they want to get. He or she comes into conflict with the hero because they are either both looking for the same item or the hero has this item. This type of villain can easily overlap with "Power-Hungry" as well. (This is a very common occurence with most main villains in Disney movies) However if the villain is not also "Power-Hungry" he or she will sometimes go as far as to betray their allies in order to get what he or she desires. The things that personal-gain villains desire can vary depending on where he or she comes from (or in some case if they are even human)

Revenge-Seeking: This is a villain who feels wronged by the hero in some way and spends most of the story trying to get even with them. This villain can easily mix with "personal-gain" and "power-hungry" villains making them pretty ruthless at times. However if he or she is solely bent on revenge and nothing else he or she may feel content with humiliating the hero and then may leave them alone. (It happens sometimes... more in "childish" villains than others)

Puppet-Master: This is a villain who manipulates the people around them to their advantage. To this villain, their dispute with the hero may mean no more to him or her than a game of chess. Therefore this villain may have a lot of henchmen who can be disposed of as needed. This villain may go out of their way to taunt/threaten/scare the hero as they see fit, (this may happen a lot in the beginning but as the villain starts to lose confidence they won't risk it unless stupidty is one of their main characteristics. ) The hero fighting this villain may have a lot of trouble defeating this villain due to this 'game' the villain is playing with them. Another thing to note is that this villain plays with a full deck, he or she may have a double agent hidden in the hero's inner circle.

Havoc-Wreaking: This villain lives purely for causing hysteria. The way this villain comes into conflict with the hero because of their love for havoc. This villain may appear as a minor setback to the hero on their journey.

The 180 Villain: This villain starts out as somebody that you think is good but is later revealed to be allied with the main villain. This villain is either caught in the act by the hero or he or she will reveal themselves. Most 180 villains are traitors however, their are a few big villains who hang out with the hero and say "By the way, I'm the main villain." Sometimes they are caught in the act by the hero. Main villains who hide amongst the hero's friends are not very common. If the villain is a traitor, his or her intentions will be revealed to the audience early on.

Childish: This a foolish villain with simple motives and actions rather than a sinister plan. This villain is easily defeated by the hero every time the two meet. This villain generally appears in children's shows and movies to create a plot that is kid friendly.

Obstacle Villain: This is villain who tries to distract the hero from his mission or try to stop him completely. These villains could be working for someone higher up (the villain the hero has the main conflict with) or are bothering the hero on their own. They are different from a normal obstacle villain because they have malicious intent.

Accidental Villains: This is a villain who you really don't think should be one. They tend to be an amiable characters who have no malicious intent whatsoever. This type of villain tends to work for a higher up and is a villain because they answer to one. (Note: This villain is not to be confused with a kind villain who has his or her own evil agenda.)

Please keep in mind that their could be overlap in the types of villain a single character can be.