I found the presentation on the use of black/darkness in villainy in Disney animation very fascinating. To see all the evil characters in my favorite childhood stories displaying such similar characteristics and traits makes me wonder about the colors used in present day animated baddies. Upon thinking about this, there really isn't anymore villains shrouded in menacing black and purple... in fact, there really aren't any hardcore villains I can think of off the top of my head. But perhaps the black in villains has been omitted due to a reverse visual rhetoric. Recognizing that their past evil characters share the black wardrobe thing in common, perhaps Disney/Pixar have gone the other direction in order to either conceal the villain (Toy Story 2 comes to mind) or simply break away from the masterplots that they have most definitely overused (Treasure Planet anyone?)
Also, it'll be interesting to see what "villain" character may be present in Disney's The Princess and the Frog, set to be released this winter. This film will not only feature a return to their classic musical 2-D animation style but also the first African-American princess. Set in New Orleans, I'm assuming that there'll be a majority of black characters, thus diverging from Disney's typical pale white demographic. And I can only wonder if this villain (if there is a villain...) will be classically treated to the color black or not.
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