Jab’s Builds! (Lawnmower Man! Samus Aran! Metroids!)

[Woodclaw]

Maleficent is probably my overall favorite Disney villains. Hades is entertaining. Jafari is delightfully evil. Syndrome is classic supervillain. The Evil Queen has menace. Hook and Prince John are amusing coward. Gaston is a fun jab at the classic Disney hero.

But Maleficent? The lady is just this wonderful combination of presence, snark, poise and menace. She just radiates power and control, everyone is scared to death of her, she's like evil witch Darth Vader.

It's one (amongst many) reasons why I hated that live action Maleficent movie that tried to make her an anti-hero. Just fucking no.

There was a huge article I read way back in the day where one of the original animators for Sleeping Beauty explained the thought process behind Maleficent's design and it more or less boiled down to "we put a green skinned Rita Hayworth in a devil's costume".
One of the most interesting bit of trivia I found was that the sound effect for the dragon flames actually came from recording a U.S.Army flamethrower drill.

[Jabroniville]

So pretty... can't stop posting pictures...

PRINCESS AURORA (Briar Rose)
Played by: Mary Costa
Role: Disney Princess, Kind Peasant Girl, Damsel In Distress
PL 1 (35), PL 3 (35) Defenses
STRENGTH 0 STAMINA 0 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 0 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 4

Skills:
Athletics 2 (+1)
Expertise (Peasant Girl) 2 (+3)
Expertise (Singing & Dancing) 8 (+12)
Insight 2 (+4)

Advantages:
Attractive 2

Powers:
"Disney Princess" Comprehend 2 (Speak To & Understand Animals) [4]

Offense:
Unarmed +0 (+0 Damage, DC 15)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +2 (DC 12), Parry +0 (DC 10), Toughness +0, Fortitude +0, Will +6

Complications:
Secret (Princess Aurora)- Though she was raised with no clue as to her identity, Briar Rose is secretly the daughter of King Stephen & Queen Leah, and the Princess of the kingdom.
Relationship (Prince Phillip)- Briar Rose fell near-instantly in love with the handsome stranger who met her in the woods, and joined her in song. A combination of being teenagers and them meeting "once upon a dream" means they're immediately each others' true loves.

Total: Abilities: 18 / Skills: 14--7 / Advantages: 2 / Powers: 4 / Defenses: 4 (35)

-Aurora was one of the least-seen Princesses of my childhood, thanks to the aforementioned lack of seeing her film, and she's arguably the blandest of personality of the whole crew (Snow White was more innocent, Cinderella more sarcastic and hard-working, and the '90s ones generally more petulant), but she's probably the best example of what a Princess is SUPPOSED to be- a well-mannered, polite, delightful young girl. Being sixteen but looking more like a glamorous young adult, I find her to be the most attractive of the early Princesses (and second-best overall... until a certain winter-themed movie came out), with a body based off of Audrey Hepburn. And all signs point to her aging well, too- her mother (named Queen Leah years later- she was such a minor character that we don't actually know who voiced her!) looks basically like a shorter-haired Aurora upon the child's birth, and looks EXACTLY THE SAME sixteen years later. So does King Stephen, now that I mention it, but he isn't quite the hottie that Leah & Aurora are... the animators just used the same models despite 16 years passing, okay?

-The issue with Aurora is... she has the least development and screen-time of ANY Disney Princess, featuring in only a tiny bit of the movie! So she's this weird combination of things- of all the Princesses, she's arguably the most "Classic"- born into royalty, beautiful, adult-looking, romantic, sing-songy and helpless. But she's ALSO the only one little girls never seem to latch onto in terms of personality- she barely HAS one! Someone counted her lines, and they are BY FAR the shortest of any of the Princesses- despite the story being named for her, she spends the first part as a baby, the middle part mostly playing off of the three Fairies, and the last half ASLEEP! The Fairies are actually the Main Characters!

-Aurora is rather plain and ordinary as Disney Princesses go, having no basic Homemaking skills or anything like that, though I would presume she knows a bit, having been raised as a foundling child by the Three Good Fairies for sixteen years. She's just a quality Singer & Dancer who is friends to all the animals (by this point that was probably already a cliche- Disney hasn't really attempted to replicate the same style since). Heck, she doesn't even have ANY dialogue in the second half of the film (and only 18 minutes of screen-time total)- the movie is more or less about stuff that HAPPENS to her, with the Fairies being the ACTUAL main characters, and Phillip & Maleficent taking the combat roles. It's a pity that so nice a design went to a character who didn't do a lot- her Peasant Girl dress is really nice, and her Princess Dress is probably the most elegant of the lot (though not the most pimped-out). It's just a great design, really.

About the Performer: Mary Costa is the eldest Disney Princess still alive, being 88 years old as of 2018. Aurora was one of her first acting roles (she was on radio for a few years before this, and was usually a singer), and she got a lot of work as a singer, including performing at JFK's memorial. Her acting roles aren't numerous, but she sang professionally until she was seventy.

[catsi563]

To me Auroras personality is about her being a sweetheart. Shes just basically one of the nicest people you will ever meet and shes that way for no other reason then Shes Nice. I

An interesting thought was made in the Movie Maleficient with Angelina Jolie where the curse was leveled and to insure that she fell under it Malifecent watches and protected her for 16 years mostly because the three fairies in the movie with utter but well meaning dunces, As she watched this innocent child shed cursed grow up and even intereacted with her teaching her things she changed growing to love this child that she effectively raises as her own

[Jabroniville]

The success of the "Sneak up behind strangers and grab them by the wrists" seduction technique depends on the skill of the practitioner.

PRINCE PHILLIP
Played by: Bill Shirley
Role: Noble Prince, Love Interest, Ass-Kicking Swordsman
PL 8 (97)
STRENGTH 2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 9 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 4

Skills:
Athletics 4 (+6)
Expertise (Prince) 7 (+8)
Expertise (Singing & Dancing) 6 (+10)
Insight 3 (+5)
Perception 2 (+4)

Advantages:
Attractive, Fearless, Improved Critical (Sword), Improved Defense, Minion 4 (Samson the Horse), Move-By Action, Ranged Attack 6, Takedown

Powers:
"The Sword of Truth" (Flaws: Easily Removable) [4]
Strength-Damage +4 (Feats: Improved Critical 2) (6 points)

"The Shield of Virtue" (Flaws: Easily Removable) [4]
Enhanced Dodge & Parry 3 (6 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +9 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Sword +9 (+6 Damage, DC 21)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +9 (+12 Shield, DC 19-22), Parry +9 (+12 Shield, DC 19-22), Toughness +3, Fortitude +5, Will +7

Complications:
Relationship (Briar Rose)- Phillip meets a beautiful peasant girl in the woods one day, and being a teenager, is willing to throw away his duty to his father by marrying her instantly. Now here's hoping she doesn't have any kind of issues...

Total: Abilities: 50 / Skills: 22--11 / Advantages: 16 / Powers: 8 / Defenses: 12 (97)

-Until The Little Mermaid thirty years later, Prince Phillip was easily the most complex character of all the Disney Princes. See, the other two Prince Charmings were basically nobodies, and a means to an end- "oh hey here's this pretty girl I'M IN LOVE NOW" and they do little else other than marry the girl in the end). Phillip does more of the same in terms of falling in love in a single afternoon (though of course he's a teenager and that stuff is expected of him), but once he DOES, we get some real knowledge of the character. He's a bit of a joker, arguing with his horse, and is much more playful than the other Prince Generics around. There's the bit where he sneaks up behind Briar Rose and joins in her song (note: do not sneak up behind women and grab their wrists, especially if you don't know them. They probably don't like that), his lovey-dovey expressions, and the way he plays around with his father, explaining casually how "oh no I won't marry this Princess cuz I just met this peasant girl in the forest OK THANKS BYE!" He's actually quite the trickster and funny guy- it only helps his case that he had the sheer SACK to go up against Maleficent, especially once she transforms into a goddamn Black Dragon.

-Prince Phillip is rather tough for a Disney Prince, making PL 8 thanks to having a Magic Sword & Shield (which actually comes from the Fairies), though he's hardly an idealized build. He notably has NO chance against Maleficent without the Fairies, and got beaten pretty handily by a gang of tiny Goblinoids who got the jump on him (of course, he's pretty much unarmed at that point).

About the Performer: Bill Shirley has a Wikipedia page so filled with extraneous details (he used to write home about his beloved dog? THAT's worthy of mention on his page?) that it's blatantly obvious he edit it himself... which is impressive, considering how he died in 1989! He wasn't in many big roles, but did a lot of "ghost singing" on recordings, usually for actors who weren't good enough themselves. He was in his late thirties when he performed Prince Philip.

[Jabroniville]

It’s kind of weird how far apart these movies are, circa the ‘50s. Disney only released 3-4 movies that entire decade. The ‘80s is almost as bad. The “one movie every November” thing is a lot more recent than people think.

[Jabroniville]

FLORA, FAUNA & MERRYWEATHER
Played by: Verna Felton (Flora), Barbara Jo Allen (Fauna) & Barbara Luddy (Merryweather)
Role: Fairy Godmothers, The True Main Characters
PL 7 (139)
STRENGTH -1/-4 STAMINA 1 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 2 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 3 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Deception 3 (+6)
Expertise (History) 2 (+5)
Expertise (Magic) 9 (+12)
Insight 3 (+5)
Perception 3 (+5)
Persuasion 4 (+7)

Advantages:
Evasion, Ranged Attack 5, Ritualist

Powers:
"Fairy Wings" Flight 4 (30 mph) (Flaws: Winged) [4]
Immunity 1 (Aging) [1]

"Fairy Size" Shrinking 12 (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) [25]
(-3 Strength, -1 Speed, +6 Defenses, +12 Stealth, -6 Intimidation)

"Fairy Wand" (Flaws: Easily Removable) [57]
Transform (Anything to Anything Else) 5 (Extras: Continuous) (30)
"Flesh to Stone And Such" Affliction 6 (Fort; Transformed to Stone & Unaware) (Extras: Extra Condition, Ranged, Continuous +3) (Flaws: Limited To Final Degrees) (30)
Variable (Any Magical Power) 5 (35)
-- (95 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +2 (-1 Damage, DC 14)
Transform With Wand +7 (+6 Ranged Affliction, DC 16)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +2 (+8 Size, DC 12-18), Parry +2 (+8 Size, DC 12-18), Toughness +1, Fortitude +2, Will +6

Complications:
Relationship (Each Other)- The Good Fairies are close and sisterly, though Merryweather's more petulant, and tends to brush against the bossy, arrogant Flora quite a bit.
Enemy (Maleficent)- The Evil Fairy is a devoted nemesis to the Good Fairies. They challenge and confound her, but her power is horribly greater than their own.
Responsibility (King Stefan)- The Good Fairies still cannot disobey their King, despite their power. When Aurora falls for some boy in the woods, they're still not allowed to let her marry him instead of Prince Phillip.
Responsibility (Too Used to Magic)- Despite their wisdom and power, the Fairies aren't quite skilled at basic things like seamstressing and baking. One wonders how they managed to survive sixteen years out in the woods by themselves.

Total: Abilities: 28 / Skills: 24--12 / Advantages: 7 / Powers: 87 / Defenses: 5 (139)

-The Three Good Fairies are the ACTUAL main characters of "Sleeping Beauty", oddly enough. They get most of the character interaction, are responsible for saving Aurora's life from Maleficent's wicked curse, rescue Prince Phillip no less than FOUR times, give him kick-ass weapons, and cast the final spell to ax the bitch once and for all. They play pretty well off of each other too, with the petulant Merryweather opposing the condescending Flora constantly, and Fauna just kind of going along like a dingbat.

-The Good Fairies make very good use of Variable, and are capable of nearly ANY effect- at various points, they ensure a baby's eternal hawtness, undo an evil curse (sorta), turn a Raven to stone, Shrink, Fly, Undo Chains, Create Weapons, Empower a Sword, Animate Objects, Create a Spiffy Pink Dress, Change Colours, and undo their own Magical abilities. Their only flaws are a relative lack of toughness or combat ability- Maleficent would make short work of them.

About the Performers: Barbara Luddy was a huge part of the Disney Canon, playing not only Merryweather in this one, but also playing Lady in Lady and the Tramp, as well as Kanga in the Winnie the Pooh features. That's some SERIOUS range, actually- she was basically the Alan Tudyk of her day! Verna Felton's resume is just as impressive, actually, as she performed Dumbo's mother, the Fairy Godmother AND the Queen of Hearts! Both she and Barbara Jo Allen were big names in radio as well.

[Ares]

Philip is awesome. Pure and simple. And again, he really rocks that cape.

[Ares]

Also, I mean, not to be shallow, Aurora is gorgeous as Jab pointed out, but man she's stacked too.

[catsi563]

You know id almost argue Prince Phillip deserves Fearless or at least Lionhearted , I mean the guy is captured by Maleficent and doesn't give up and then when she dragons out on him he doesn't back down he freaking charges her and evne when backed into a lethal corner hes still fighting her

[Ares]

Found a clip of the entire last confrontation between Philip and Maleficent.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmM-XX8atlQ

Philip seriously looked like I was about to drop his fudge when Maleficent goes full Black Dragon on him . . . but then he just straight up charges her, like catsi mentioned. Dude has balls so brass they clank when he walks. He should seriously think about taking levels in Paladin.

That shield Philip has is also impressive as heck. Maleficent's fire completely destroys a stone bridge and lights the entire thorn forest on fire, but the shield stood up to repeated hits. Makes me hope Philip got that gear back later.

It's also interesting how the music at the end sounds identical to the music at the end of the climactic scene in Robin Hood.

And if it wasn't clear by this point, Sleeping Beauty is amongst my favorite Disney animated films, along with Robin Hood, Aladdin, Hercules, and a few others. "Once Upon a Dream" just kills me as far as romantic songs go. I can always tell where I'm at in a relationship when that song plays. When I'm in the best parts of one, it makes the whole world make sense, and when I'm not in one or in a bad place it makes me think fondly about those good times, with just a hint of bitterness at what's not there anymore.

Yes, I'm a softie and a romantic. Don't judge.

[Jabroniville]

Also, I mean, not to be shallow, Aurora is gorgeous as Jab pointed out, but man she's stacked too.

Gentlemen prefer to use the term "talented", you troglodyte .

But yes. She's quite gifted. Though they're not really THAT big- I think it's just a matter of her being so slender and angular in other ways, so the fact that her chest is rather perky makes it stand out all the more. Though out of the Disney Princesses, she's probably #1 or 2, next to Belle (but only in the yellow dress, from certain angles).

[Jabroniville]

Haha, oh geez:

[Jabroniville]

"And Now Shall You Deal With ME, O Prince! And All The Powers of HELL!!!"

MALEFICENT
Played by: Elenor Audley
Role: Evil Bitch, Wicked Sorceress
Most Villainous Act: Don't get invited to party? SENTENCE INFANT TO DEATH.
PL 11 (174)
STRENGTH 2 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 7 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 4 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 4

Skills:
Deception 2 (+6)
Expertise (Magic) 10 (+14)
Expertise (History) 2 (+6)
Insight 3 (+6)
Intimidation 9 (+13)
Perception 3 (+6)
Ranged Combat (Lightning) 2 (+12)
Stealth 5 (+7)

Advantages:
Beginner's Luck, Fearless, Great Endurance, Improved Critical (Lightning), Improved Disarm, Improved Smash, Ranged Attack 8, Ritualist, Startle

Powers:
"BACK, you fools!" Flame Aura 8 (Feats: Reach 2) (34) -- [38]

• AE: "Throw Lightning" Blast 10 (Feats: Increased Range) (21)
• AE: "Touch the Spindle! TOUCH IT I SAY!!" Mind Control 9 (Flaws: Distracting) (27)
• AE: "Wicked-Awesome Flaming Teleport" Teleport 6 (Extras: Easy, Extended, Accurate) (30)
• AE: "Image Summoning" Illusion (Visuals) 5 (10)

"A Forest of Thorns Shall Be His Tomb! Borne Through the Skies on a Fog of Doom! Now Go With The Curser, And Serve Me Well! 'Round Stefan's Castle, CAST MY SPELL!!"
Environment 6 (Impede Movement 2 & Visibility- 1,000 feet) (Extras: Ranged, Continuous) (Flaws: Distracting) [24]

Morph 1 (Single Form- Black Dragon) (Feats: Metamorph) [6]

Offense:
Unarmed +7 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Flame Aura +7 (+8 Damage, DC 23)
Throw Lightning +12 (+10 Ranged Damage, DC 25)
Mind Control -- (+9 Perception-Ranged Affliction, DC 19)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +4, Fortitude +5, Will +8

Complications:
Responsibility (For The Evulz)- Maleficent does stuff for the sheer, unadulterated evil of it. Imprisoning Prince Phillip for 100 years, cursing Princess Aurora as a baby, etc. She's just an evil, evil bitch.
Responsibility (Ego)- Maleficent is so self-assured that she does not even consider that anyone could threaten "ME- The Mistress of ALL EVIL!"
Obsession (Princess Aurora)- Maleficent's Ritual/Curse will only take place if she pricks her finger before her sixteenth birthday. As such, Maleficent obsesses over the child.
Responsibility (Stupid Minions)- For some reason, Maleficent entrusts her idiotic minions to capture the Princess, and waits SIXTEEN YEARS before firing them and switching to Diablo, her pet Raven, who is a better tracker, and much smarter.
Enemies (The Good Fairies)- Maleficent's most powerful and implacable foes are the three Good Fairies: Flora, Fauna & Merryweather.

Total: Abilities: 56 / Skills: 34--17 / Advantages: 16 / Powers: 68 / Defenses: 17 (174)








MALEFICENT- DRAGON FORM
Played by: Elenor Audley
Role: Evil Bitch, Wicked Sorceress, Evil Dragon
Most Villainous Act: Don't get invited to party? SENTENCE INFANT TO DEATH.
PL 11 (170)
STRENGTH 10 STAMINA 12 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 10 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 4 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 4

Skills:
Deception 2 (+6)
Expertise (Magic) 10 (+14)
Expertise (History) 2 (+6)
Insight 3 (+6)
Intimidation 5 (+9, +15 Size)
Perception 3 (+6)
Ranged Combat (Lightning) 2 (+12)
Stealth 5 (+7, -5 Size)

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Beginner's Luck, Fearless, Great Endurance, Improved Critical (Lightning), Improved Disarm, Improved Smash, Minion 5 (Diablo), Ranged Attack 8, Ritualist, Startle

Powers:
"Draconic Size" Growth 10 (Str & Sta +10, +10 Mass, +5 Intimidation, -5 Dodge/Parry, +1 Speed, -10 Stealth) -- (36 feet) (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) [21]
"Dragon's Wings" Flight 5 (60 mph) (Flaws: Winged) [5]
"Dragon's Fire" Blast 12 [24]
"Dragon's Bite" Strength-Damage +2 [2]
"Dragon's Tail" Extra Limb 1 [1]

Morph 1 (Single Form- Evil Bitch) (Feats: Metamorph) [6]

Offense:
Unarmed +10 (+10 Damage, DC 25)
Bite +10 (+12 Damage, DC 27)
Fire Breath +10 (+12 Ranged Damage, DC 27)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +7 (DC 17), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +12, Fortitude +12, Will +8

Complications:
Responsibility (For The Evulz)- Maleficent does stuff for the sheer, unadulterated evil of it. Imprisoning Prince Phillip for 100 years, cursing Princess Aurora as a baby, etc. She's just an evil, evil bitch.
Responsibility (Ego)- Maleficent is so self-assured that she does not even consider that anyone could threaten "ME- The Mistress of ALL EVIL!"
Obsession (Princess Aurora)- Maleficent's Ritual/Curse will only take place if she pricks her finger before her sixteenth birthday. As such, Maleficent obsesses over the child.
Responsibility (Stupid Minions)- For some reason, Maleficent entrusts her idiotic minions to capture the Princess, and waits SIXTEEN YEARS before firing them and switching to Diablo, her pet Raven, who is a better tracker, and much smarter.
Enemies (The Good Fairies)- Maleficent's most powerful and implacable foes are the three Good Fairies: Flora, Fauna & Merryweather.

Total: Abilities: 54 / Skills: 32--16 / Advantages: 21 / Powers: 59 / Defenses: 20 (170)

-You know the craziest thing about Maleficent? She has like TEN MINUTES OF SCREEN TIME for the entirety of Sleeping Beauty! Think- she is EASILY the most memorable part of the film, and among the most infamous of Disney's villains, she she takes up about 1/9th of the duration of her only film appearance. THAT is the definition of a great villain. Compare her to the sissy villains (Prince John, Scar), buffoons (Hook, Gaston) and sources of comedy (the drag queen antics of Ursula), and you see this majestic, mighty, unflappable figure. Irrationally calm to the point of being disconcerting, she can cackle like a madwoman. Maleficent is amazing in almost every way, right from her very first scene. Watch carefully- she flies in as a burst of flame like a good ham should, but instead of screaming and raging, she appears completely calm. Even polite. She's absolutely the picture of poise, yet every single person in that room is staring intently at only her, held by fear. See, simpler villains try to chew all the scenery and sing their Villain Song, but Maleficent? She owns people WHILE CALM. And then- and this is the beautiful part- THEN she hams it up, laughing, screaming and insulting everyone!! This villain gets the best of BOTH worlds- sheer charismatic scene-ownership while calm, AND scenery-gobbling rage!

-Maleficent is also a great example of villainy for it's own sake, cursing an infant to die just because her parents didn't invite Maleficent to her Christening/party/whatever. She declares herself "Mistress of All Evil!" constantly drops the "E" word- she knows just how bad she is. When she captures Prince Philip, she declares she'll release him... but only in one-hundred years, forcing him to only rescue his True Love when he's a man too old to truly enjoy her. Now THAT is evil.

-And like all great villains, the bitch has STYYYYYYYYYYLE. She looks darkly elegant in that long cloak and horned cowl, and her sharp features combine to cut a stylish-yet-frightening figure. Like the Wicked Queen of Snow White, she maintains an aura of style but sheer evil- I can't call her attractive because the only thing this woman does to my genitals is CAUSE THEM TO SHRINK INSIDE OF ME. Curiously, the updated DVD version makes it look like Maleficent isn't really pure green, but is sort of pale and just tends to surround herself with green flame & lightning, giving her a greenish tinge. This is ignored for most any modern use of the character, which basically makes her the Wicked Witch of the West.

-But that reminds me- ultimately, Maleficent's greatest attribute as a villain is her ability to CAUSE FEAR. A gleefully evil woman who does evil things for the sake of evil, she completes the package by scaring the living hell out of everybody, and then, when you figure she can't get MORE scary, metamorphs into a freaking DRAGON (many people tell stories of when they saw that scene while they were mere children), then divebombs poor Prince Philip (who was just trying to SCORE, for heaven's sake!) and tries to burn him alive while cackling madly. And THAT is why Maleficent gets to be the boss of all the Disney Villains in Kingdom Hearts, and is the Final Boss of Fantasmic! (requiring Mickey to blow her up using his imagination).

-Maleficent stats out as a dangerous PL 11 Sorceress with some varied powers, able to throw out bolts of Lightning, Mind Control, cast images, Teleport, and create green flame all around her, as well as creating a Forest of Thorns that covers an entire castle and exists without her direction influence thereafter (it also serves the purpose of looking FREAKISHLY well-animated for a 1959 movie). Funnily enough, the entire Dragon Form is a six-point Power thanks to Metamorph and the fact that she's more pricey in her Basic Form (thanks to all those Powers, and her Growth cheapening her physical stats up in the Dragon Form). Prince Phillip effectively has NO CHANCE against her- she bits and snaps at will, leaving him fighting totally defensively- his best shot on her nose only annoying her. It takes Flora's powerful assistance spell (Empower with Improved Critical and Extra Killiness, I guess), and one bugger of a Critical Hit as Phillip TOSSES THE DAMN THING THROUGH HER HEART, sending her falling off a cliff to her death. That is one HARDCORE villainess, and one brutal fight scene.

-THIS is why I think it's bogus that D&D's Black Dragons are Acid-Spewing Bog-Dwellers: the mightiest of all Dragons needs to be the BLACK Dragon, as Maleficent proves. "Flight of Dragons" had it right.

About the Performer: As I mentioned with Lady Tremaine, both of these iconic villainesses were played by the same woman.

DIABLO
Role: Villainous Minion
PL 5 (64)- Minion Rank 5
STRENGTH -3 STAMINA -1 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 4 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -3 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE -3

Skills:
Acrobatics 6 (+10)
Athletics 6 (+3)
Close Combat (Natural Weapons) 4 (+8)
Expertise (Survival) 6 (+6)
Perception 10 (+10)

Advantages:
Evasion, Fast Grab, Improved Critical (Natural Weapons), Improved Hold

Powers:
"Animal Senses" Senses 3 (Extended, Ultra & Low-Light Vision) [3]
"Natural Weapons- Talons & Beak" Strength-Damage +2 [2]

Flight 8 (120 mph) (Flaws: Winged) [8]

"Small Size" Shrinking 8 (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) [17]
(-2 Strength & Speed, +4 Defenses, +8 Stealth, -4 Intimidation)

Offense:
Unarmed +4 (-3 Damage, DC 12)
Natural Weapons +8 (-1 Damage, DC 14)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness -1, Fortitude +3, Will +4

Complications:
Disabled (Animal)- Birds cannot speak to humans, nor use their talons to easily manipulate objects.

Total: Abilities: 2 / Skills: 32--16 / Advantages: 4 / Powers: 30 / Defenses: 12 (64)

[Jabroniville]

ONE-HUNDRED AND ONE DALMATIANS (1961):
Written by: Dodie Smith (novel), Bill Peet (solo)

This one's one of the most well-remembered "Middle Period" Disney movies (and the first to be set in the modern day, actually!), owing primarily to it's singularly-memorable villain; one so legendary that she's become completely iconic. Cruella de Vil is probably in the Top Five most-remembered Disney Villains these days, which is saying something. Altogether, the movie is a standard "Escape Flick", as Cruella kidnaps 99 puppies for some coat of fur (and this is WAY before the "I'd rather go naked" ad campaigns & PETA's power, mind you), and they & the parents of a group of 'em head towards home.

The original novel isn't very well known. The Hundred and One Dalmatians features numerous characters not to make the cut in the movie, like Cruella's husband and cat, Perdita's original mate Prince, and more. A dark subplot about Cruella having drowned all of the cat's unwanted kittens is therefore exiled. Perdita was called "Missis" there, as well. Heck, she and Prince actually get back together- he's the 101st Dalmatian!

Honestly, I liked the movie as a kid, mainly because of the puppies (more on that later). The non-Cruella parts were a bit more boring when I got older, but it has one of the greater "Meet Cute" stories in the Disney canon, as Pongo & Perdita end up trapping their owners together, and the moment they begin laughing at their situation in a water fountain, the screen fades to their wedding ceremony. But yeah, Cruella did wonders for this film, captivating in every scene thanks to her outrageous combination of fashion sense, rage and boorish behavior. I find the animation quite poor, as it's the start of their "Xerography" phase, post-Sleeping Beauty (since that one took YEARS to make and cost a TON of money), where everything would be done on-the-cheap, resulting in "fuzzy" character outlines and darker animation in general. Characters became more stylized without rotoscoping (unnecessary with the new style) as well, allowing for more eccentric types of character design.

The best bit? And the end when all the puppies show up, and Roger's all "Pongo, YOU OLD RASCAL!" As a kid, I never really got it. As an adult, I realise Roger's congratulating him with "HOLY CRAP YOU HAD TONS OF SEX AND MADE NINETY-NINE BABIES! Here's to your genitals!"

The Cruella de Vil song is a big show-stopper, though I question the legality of making a tune about how much someone sucks, if that someone is actually a real person. This is why Carly Simon wrote You're So Vain about a mystery person, and Taylor Swift doesn't actually name her numerous celebrity boyfriends in her OH MY GOD SO F*CKING HORRIBLE pop hits. Cruella's humiliation would no doubt cause some legal issues, particularly since she didn't suffer the usual Disney Villain Death (ie. falling), and still knows where the puppies live.

Reception & Cultural Impact:
-The movie was REALLY well-received (top ten in 1961), but would gain an almost exponential fanbase later on, culminating in a live-action remake with Glenn Close owning things as Cruella and a bunch of uber-cute real puppies as characters. This would get its own sequel, as well as a 101 Dalmations cartoon series (it was around the time where Disney did this a lot) featuring more Nickelodeon-styled dogs with more unique appearances. The movie was a Home Alone-type movie full of gags and injury-prone villains (it was directed by the same guy, so this was unsurprising), one of whom was Dr. House, and the cartoon series was kind of bad (I never liked the thing myself) and made up of the "Three Shorts" type of storytelling. There was also a sequel animated movie featuring Patch, who was given a HUGE push despite being just another puppy in the original.

The Dalmatians franchise may be one of the most singular cash-cows for Disney as a whole, if you really think about it. The "Disney Princess" line may be bigger overall, but these things practically led to a craze on their own, and have been re-done a ridiculous number of times. The cuteness of the puppies makes for instant toy sales, and Cruella is one of Disney's most memorable villains- despite lacking in power or even much capability, her psychopathic rage and unbelievable vanity has turned her into a cultural icon of unpleasantness. She's the only character from the films to STILL be a regular Face Character in the Disney Parks, for example. I even saw her in Tokyo DisneySea, with 40+ Japanese people crowding around with her trying to get their pictures taken (she made gross scowls the entire way; actors playing the villains have the BEST time). And yes, she was played by a Caucasian performer.

The movies are rather notorious for another thing, however- the occasional burst in popularity of the Dalmatian breed of dog. See, any time a big-time "Dog Movie" comes out, that breed goes up in popularity, as these movies are targetted towards children, most of whom begin whining to their parents for the puppies that the movies usually start out with. In this case, the Dalmatians become REALLY popular around these releases (multiple original film re-releases when Disney did that every seven years or so, and the live action remake).

This produces two major problems:
1) Dog Breeders aren't the most ethical bunch of people sometimes, and over-breeding of things like Dalmatians leads to some recurring genetic problems. Dalmatians are in fact FAMOUS for inbreeding and various other problems resulting in deafness.
2) Dalmatians are a fairly large, active breed, prone to getting physical. Add in the fact that it's CHILDREN demanding these as pets, and you have a problem. Dalmatians have a habit of knocking children over in aggressive bursts of fun, and are thus REALLY bad pets for small children. This is often a surprise to some parents, as it's less-commonly known. Compare this to the Beethoven film series, where most parents KNOW exactly how big that puppy will turn grow, and thus immediately say "no". It helps that those movies are pretty much entirely about disrespectful, messy, ill-behaved giant dogs, and not cute puppies like the Dalmatians franchise.

[MacynSnow]

Philip is awesome. Pure and simple. And again, he really rocks that cape.

It'd look better if that cape was an Over-The -Shoulder model.More bad-ass and free's up his Swordarm...