Today, I'd like to talk about one type of animal: snakes. Snakes are often perceived as evil creatures, when, just like any other animal, they're just trying to survive. Disney films influence what many people think of animals based on their animated characters. So I've decided to rank six of their snake characters, from Evil to Good:
Jafar from Aladdin- EVIL
Jafar is your typical villain- cunning, manipulative, and obsessed over power. Towards the end of the movie, he transforms into a gigantic hooded cobra, like the hypnotic staff he carries in his human form. The message, therefore, is that snakes are far more dangerous and intimidating than humans. Even though Jafar isn't truly a snake, he's on this list because of the powerful impact his snake form has on his evil image.
Monster Who Lives Under the Stairs from Nightmare Before Christmas- EVIL-ISH
We are introduced to this odd creature in the opening song "This is Halloween". Even though he's pretty scary, it's not because he's a snake, it's because he's from Halloweentown and his job is to scare. I still think scaring just for fun is bad, so that's why he's still somewhat evil. As far as stereotyping snakes, this character connects them to something frightening, but then again, Tim Burton's animation of elves is fairly creepy too.
Sir Hiss from Robin Hood- EVIL-ISH
Sir Hiss is the evil Prince John's henchman, er, hench-snake. I have to rank him as somewhat evil because he does help out the villain. However, by himself, he's really not that bad. Yes, he adds to the stereotype of snakes being hypnotic, and associated with evil, but when Prince John wants to kill Friar Tuck, Sir Hiss objects. Therefore, Hiss is only evil-ish.
Kaa from The Jungle Book- JUST A SNAKE
Not a villain, not a hero, Kaa is just a snake trying to find his next meal. Some call him Shere Khan's sidekick, but he's not- he clearly lies to the tiger/dictator's face. He may try to eat Mowgli, but I'm not counting that as evil because any snake would try to eat a helpless small mammal out in the wild. My biggest complaint about Kaa is the inaccuracy in hypnotizing with his eyes, like Jafar and Sir Hiss. But who can be mad at a snake with such a good song, sung by Winnie the Pooh?
Toy Snake from Toy Story- JUST A TOY
This snake is probably the most adorable on the list. He's not evil, he's a friend of Woody's. However, he's not a main character, with no real effect on the plot, so he doesn't quite reach the rank of "good". I do appreciate the fact that Disney/Pixar included toys of reptiles (Yay Rex!) and gave them a positive image.
Juju from Princess and the Frog- GOOD
Juju is the pet of Mama Odie, a wise, old, sorceress. I love this duo so much, I even dressed as the whimsical Mama Odie for Halloween one year! And Juju is so much more than a pet to her- he lets her practice magic on him....
....and he helps her cook...
...and helps out around the house...
Basically Juju is an awesome character. Even though he can't speak, he has a funny personality, and helps out our protagonists. He gives all snakes a great image, and completely dissolves any air of intimidation or scariness with loyalty, friendliness, and hilarious facial expressions. A+ on this one, Disney!
I hope you all liked my Dose of Disney, and thank you for reading!
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