Introduction

I want to be completely honest; writing is not my favorite thing to do. It has been stressful and painful process for me in the past. When I learned that Writing 101 was required at Duke, I began to dread the semester that I had to take the class. I knew I had to get into a class about a topic that I loved to succeed. Luckily, thanks to the first window of registration for the spring semester, I was able to get into the Decoding Disney class. 

My love for Disney was fostered by my mom. She worked at Disney in high school during the summers and school breaks. She often dressed up as one of the seven dwarfs during the day and danced in the electric light parade at night. She loved the characters, story lines, and magic that Disney possesses. As her daughter, I grew up watching every Disney movie multiple times and developed the same love Disney. One of my favorite things to do as a child was to act out Disney movies with my older brother. My favorite home video is of me and my brother acting out Peter Pan, which consisted of me (Tinker Bell), my brother (Captain Hook), a yellow lab named Millie (Tick-Tock), and several stuffed animals that played the rest of the characters. I cherish the memories I have watching Disney movies, acting them out, and visiting the parks with my family. My love for Disney has never dissipated, and a Disney movie is now the cure for homesickness or a hard day.

My love for Disney prompted me to sign up for this class, and I am thrilled to study and examine how villains are portrayed in Disney movies. In particular, I wish to investigate how the portrayal of villains has evolved and changed over time. I find it very interesting how drastically the villains have evolved and question if it is simply the animators’ choice or has our definition of evil also changed.