They say theatre is a magical experience, while Walt Disney World is the most magical place on earth. What’s a better combination than both at the same time? Introducing Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
The roughly 20 minute musical opened in May 2025, and sees The Magic Mirror on the Wall angsty as villains keep asking him who’s been treated the most unfairest of them all. Unable to make the decision himself, he needs the audience’s help deciding. In a SIX style sing-off, villains battle it out to see who has been judged most unfairly. This opening portion features an excellent opening rendition of the new song, “Magic Mirror”, which was an ear worm for days after watching it!
The battle between villains is done in a hybrid format, with some villains appearing in animated form on screens surrounding the stage, and others appearing as live action cast members on stage. The live action villains were Cruella De Vil, Captain Hook, and Maleficent. These were great choices overall, though these are the only ones to appear in live action and the animated villains just use clips from the movies they appeared in. It would have been nice to go the extra mile and see more unique animation and voice work for this show.
As the live action villains ‘broke through the screen’ as it were, they’re who the Magic Mirror deem worthy to compete and thus the sing-off begins. Each of them gets a solo to explain why they’re viewed so unfairly. I’ll be honest, these songs didn’t vibe with me too much but were still engaging. The cast members themselves fully embraced their characters and were incredibly believable as their animated counterparts!
Once the solos are done, the audience gets to vote for the villain they feel was treated most unfairly through cheering. This is where the show becomes a pantomime at times (UK readers will know what I mean), as you cheer and boo villains throughout the performance. This was very engaging for kids and grownups at my showing, but definitely isn’t your normal theatre experience. This isn’t a bad thing though by any means. I only saw the show once, and I’m not sure if the winner is ‘fixed’ or if you can see different winners each time. Cruella won at my showing, and gave her own gloating performance afterwards, so I hope each villain gets their unique time to shine!
After a remix of the excellent “Magic Mirror” for the finale, the show concludes and you walk out to bask in the Florida sun. Overall, this was a fantastic little show and well worth a visit if you’re headed to Walt Disney World. The soundtrack is solid and the performances of Disney’s cast members (once again) excels and the audience were engaged and involved throughout. It’s always fun to give the villains the spotlight, and you can tell the villains on-stage relished the attention.
Check out the soundtrack below!
Chris.
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