We all enjoy a new twist on a classic story. Many people enjoy seeing further adventures of their favorite characters, and prequels, sequels, and midquels that flesh out characters and explore new subplots are flooding popular media. However, with the expansion of fictional universes, a risk has been introduced. In recent years, the lines have become blurred between good and evil. The “anti-hero” is nearly as common as the regular hero.
“The presentation of evil is often essential for art or fiction or drama. This in itself is not wrong provided… [t]hat throughout, the audience feels sure that evil is wrong and good is right.” So says the Motion Picture Production Code, also known as the Hays Code, a document enforced in Hollywood from 1934 to 1954. It ensured all films were acceptable to a family audience.
This quote reflects an age-old principle, which can be seen in archetypical myths and legends. The prince is a hero, the witch is evil, and the princess is kind and good. There are slight exceptions to these rules, but a traditional story has a villain and a hero, with no question as to which is which.
‘Wicked’
In 1995, Gregory Maguire wrote the novel “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West.” In 2003, composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz adapted it into the smash hit Broadway musical, “Wicked.” This November, Universal Pictures released the first installment of a two-part screen adaptation. This story, like its predecessor, the ever-popular L. Frank Baum novel “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” has captured the hearts and imaginations of people around the world. The 1939 film “The Wizard of Oz” remains one of the most beloved and famous movies of all time, despite having been made 86 years ago.
“The Wizard of Oz” presents the unusual idea of a “good witch.” While the villain is the stereotypical green hag with a wart on her nose and a pointy black hat, her opponent Glinda seems more like a fairy godmother. Despite technically being a witch, her powers suggest fairytale magic, rather than witchcraft. There is a clear distinction between good and evil, represented by the two characters’s appearances, actions, and powers.
In “Wicked,” the appearance of good and evil is subverted. The Wicked Witch of the West (Elphaba) is revealed to be the true hero, fighting the Wizard and his deceptive political dealings that are nothing short of a coup. Glinda, originally named Galinda, starts out as the mean girl, bullying Elphaba and disrespecting the animal professors at their shared college. She gives into the Wizard’s pressure and joins him, while Elphaba strikes out on her own at the cost of her reputation and safety.
The moral of this tale does ring true, especially in today’s social and political climate. It’s hard to know whether our leaders are to be trusted, and those who oppose the powers that be have been villainized throughout history.
‘The Grinch’ (2018)
For over a century, Charles Dickens’s “A Christmas Carol” was the definitive Christmas story. Its central character, Ebenezer Scrooge, was the ultimate enemy of Yuletide. His surname became synonymous with anti-Christmas behavior. In 1957, popular children’s author Theodor Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss, eclipsed the Dickens tale with his whimsical “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” Those lacking the holiday spirit are now called Grinches rather than Scrooges.The 1966 cartoon special of the same title perfectly captured the spirit of the Grinch in all his evil, Christmas-hating glory. However, since then, the Grinch has continued to be adapted and fleshed out, most recently in the 2018 animated film called, simply, “The Grinch.”
In this movie, we see another danger of making a villain too sympathetic. Like Scrooge, the Grinch is interesting because of his dramatic character arc. He goes from being a selfish, hateful old hermit who hates Christmas to its merriest, most generous proponent. Seuss’s original text clearly states that the Grinch hates Christmas for no apparent reason.
However, in the 2018 film, we learn that he was raised in the Whoville orphanage, where he would watch the happy Who families enjoying Christmas while he was all alone with no presents or love. When caught in a crowd of happy Whos, he seems to have a panic attack akin to PTSD, giving him a perfectly good reason to hate the holiday.
Dr. Seuss pulled out all the stops in crafting a thoroughly despicable villain. His fur is an unpleasant shade of chartreuse, his teeth are nasty and crooked, and he’s cruel to poor Max, his loyal dog. One of the most beloved elements of the 1966 cartoon is the song “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch,” which exists purely to tell us how heinous the title character is.
In the 2018 film, all this is changed. The Grinch is a much more pleasant green. He is affectionate and kind toward Max, giving him all the regard of a friend and companion, even providing him with a sidecar on his sleigh. The famous song is loosely adapted into a rap which refers to his green skin and yellow teeth, but, in spite of this, he looks ready for a toothpaste commercial with his perfect set of pearly whites.
Developing or Destroying
In the old days of photography, developing a picture was a complicated process. Leave the picture in the chemicals too long, and the picture would be destroyed. There’s a similarly delicate balance when developing characters, especially villains. Origin stories of existing characters, especially villains, have been popular for years. Today, however, rather than merely showing how he became the evil individual we know and hate, these stories turn everything around and make it seem like the bad guy was in the right all along. Either he was villainized by the false heroes, like Elphaba, or he’s a lost, lonely soul seeking vengeance on those who ostracized him, abused him, or both.It doesn’t stop with these two green baddies. There’s a plethora of other de-villainized witches and monsters, many coming from the House of Mouse itself. These include “Cruella,” “Maleficent,” and “Peter Pan and Wendy,” to name just a few. The last of these is the most dramatic, as everyone’s favorite ageless lad, Peter Pan, is almost completely villainized in the process of making his pirate nemesis, Captain Hook, more sympathetic.
Any story with true depth makes all its characters multi-dimensional. Every hero has flaws, and every villain has a soft spot. However, it should be just a spot, one that requires a lot of digging and work to find, not his entire character. It must be noted that the study of evil and its origins is important in real life. We must look carefully at what paths lead to evil so we can avoid it ourselves. However, the two stories in question here, as well as the three aforementioned Disney films, are geared toward children.
While “Wicked” is adult-themed, “The Wizard of Oz” was a children’s book, as was “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” While more mature minds with established moral compasses and will not be easily swayed by entertainment, children’s stories especially must uphold the standards of good and evil. How are we to raise a generation of wise, God-fearing youths if no one will show them the difference between right and wrong?
