While the new show is set to debut later this week at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, “Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After” is now open and performing for early preview audiences.
First Look at ‘Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After’
“Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After” is set to debut on May 27, 2025, at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, which also happens to be the same premiere date as “The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure.” Despite being a few days away, the new show is already allowing Cast Members to watch as some of the first live audience members. While specifically called Cast Member previews, the theater was open to all guests on the evening of May 24 for both viewing and recording.
As we reported during our last construction update, the walkway in front of the Sunset Showcase Theater is now back open to guests. The gate that previously sported the checkered flag of Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy was painted with a shattered glass effect that matches the mural on the theater building.
Going along with the new show, the green wall to the right of the walkway has now been adorned with framed art of the main characters seen in “Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After.” The first image shows Captain Hook grinning while holding his sword in front of a shattered red background.
Each of the framed images matches the style of the previous digital art shared by Disney earlier this month, though the frames and backgrounds are different. The next frame features Maleficent holding her staff with Diablo perched on her shoulder.
Not to be left out, Cruella de Vil is wearing her traditional white outfit with green jewelry and bright red lipstick. She is pictured on a red backdrop similar to Captain Hook.
Interestingly, a fourth frame includes art of the Evil Queen. While Captain Hook, Cruella, and Maleficent are considered the three headlining characters in the new show, this is the first art we have seen of the Evil Queen in this same style. She is wearing her traditional collared outfit with a sneer on her face. The poster is actually something of a spoiler for the upcoming show.
The final frame includes a rectangular image of the Magic Mirror. The Mirror is colored purple and green with more of the shattered pattern in the background.
Moving to the main theater space, the mural above the entrance remains unchanged since our last update.
Inside the building, the theater looks very similar to the previously-released concept art for the show. The seats face a traditional-style raised stage with shattered mirrors hanging above the curtain and across the walls on either side.
As guests enter the space, the mirrors are covered in a fog-like color with shattered sections running across most of the reflective surfaces.
As the guests take their seats, the audience can begin so see quick glimpses of some iconic animated Disney Villains peeping through the mirrors, as though they are trapped inside.
The Magic Mirror appears to explain that all of the defeated villains have been trapped inside a type of mirror realm. They have been tormenting him day and night with their pleas to be released, claiming their intentions were just misunderstood.
A large part of this exposition is done through an original song written specifically for “Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After.” As the show get underway, the largest frame housing the Magic Mirror is also raised from its position in the middle of the stage up to the center of the theater roof.
Ultimately, three villains are able to break through the glass of the mirror: Captain Hook, Cruella de Vil, and Maleficent. In order to gain the goodwill of the audience, each of the three villains tells an abbreviated version of their story. However, the stories are told from the perspective of the villains, so they remember a few things very differently.
The villains each try to argue their case to the audience, claiming they are not the bad people the animated films painted them to be. The first villain to arrive is Cruella de Vil, and she appears in her iconic fluffy coat.
The art in the mirrors surrounding the stage changes to match each villain as they tell their tale. Cruella’s section has the stage decorated with fashion-style sketches and the crumbling remains of Hell Hall. She first performs a rock-style rendition of her classic “Cruella de Vil” song.
Cruella claims that all great artists will always be misunderstood, which is why her desire to use the dalmatians as her next fur coat wasn’t so bad.
As Cruella exits the space, the next villain to tell their story is Captain Hook. The stage transitions to the interior of the Jolly Roger with the waters of Neverland seen through the windows.
Hook claims he was a “benevolent captain” who treated his crew well but was always upstaged by Peter Pan. After all, what else could you want besides wealth, glory, and eternal youth in Neverland?
Hook sings a new version of “A Pirate’s Life” from “Peter Pan,” which is comically interrupted by the appearance of Tick-Tock the crocodile. A digital image of the crocodile actually slides across the stage in its frame, as though he is hungrily chasing Hook away.
The final villain to appear is Maleficent, with the crumbling remains of the Forbidden Mountain wrapped in thorns projected across the space. She sings a new version of “Once Upon a Dream” with decidedly darker lyrics.
Maleficent explains through song that she should actually be thanked for bringing Aurora and Prince Phillip together, since there would have been no need for a kiss of true love without her curse.
Just when the villains seem to have calmed down, however, the moment is interrupted by the arrival of Hades and Jafar.
Their appearance causes a chain reaction of the other villains pounding on their glass mirrors, all also screaming for their release.
Just when it seems the situation is spiraling out of control, the Evil Queen appears in the central mirror. She shatters most of the glass, horrifying the Magic Mirror.
In order to repair the mirror’s realm, the Magic Mirror asks the audience members to choose one of the three that presented their case as the most misunderstood. Either Maleficent, Captain Hook, or Cruella is chosen through audience cheers. The winning villain remains on the stage for a short musical reprise of their respective song. The mirror hopes that being chosen will cause the villains to quiet down in the mirror realm. However, all three villain choices promise to never stop clamoring for their release as the curtain drops.
The total runtime of “Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After” is approximately 15 minutes. Disney has already posted the expected daily performance times for the show on the official Walt Disney World website.
If you want to choose your favorite villain, we have a show video below:
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