With Disney continuing to announce live action remakes of their classic animated films, including the recently announced Mulan, I thought it be a good time to look back at some of Disney’s most terrifying villains starting with one of my favorites.
Shan Yu
Shan Yu is the main antagonist of the 1998 Disney film, Mulan. The leader of the Huns, his goal is to overthrow the Emperor of China and kill anyone who gets in his way. He and his loyal army murder and burn any village in their path to the capitol. Shan Yu has no ethics or morals other than to fulfill his bloodthirsty lust for power. He is by far one of the most ruthless and truly evil villains in Disney’s long history. Shan Yu’s appearance and overall persona is heavily based on Attila the Hun and Genghis Khan, two of history’s most notorious and brutal rulers.
Li Shang, who commands Mulans’ group, comes across a small mountain village only to find it has burned to the ground. Shang’s father, a high ranking General in China’s army and all of his men have been killed. Of course, being Disney, none of the bodies are shown, but in some ways this makes it even more horrific. Mulan comes across a young girls doll as one of the only objects that remains from the plundering. No one dares cross this man.
After realizing Shang’s father and the army have been killed, they realize they are China’s last hope from stopping Shan Yu and his men from killing the Emperor. To defend China’s capital from being invaded by the Huns, they launch a full on assault on the icy mountaintops. However, with all of their cannons used up, Mulan takes one of them and fires it at the mountain causing an avalanche. She manages to completely wipe out most of Shan Yu’s men, but in return now she and the rest of the soldiers must escape. Even after a freaking avalanche, Shan Yu and a few of his men sometime survive bursting through layers of snow like it’s a pile of leaves.
Eventually Shan Yu and the remaining Huns find a way into the capitol city (don’t ask me how since there literally thousands of people are watching this). His men are hidden in one of the costumes for the parade, while Shan Yu is disguised a gargoyle on top of the palace (creepy indeed). Shang, Mulan and the guys try their best to and manage to defeat the Huns by throwing fruit at them (yes this is what happens).
However, Shan Yu is not so easily defeated and whilst escaping to the roof, Mulan thinks she has outrun her foe, when all of the sudden he smashes through the roof. Is this man made of iron or something? I mean he’s quite a large guy, but dang. Even though Mulan is outmatched and outwitted, backed into a corner with a man three times her size, only to have Mushu fire a massive rocket and have him explode in one of the towers.
When all is said and done it only took the courage and strength of a young girl to save the day and set China free from tyranny. But serious do you know anyone else in Disney lore that is so tough they need to be taken out by a rocket? Didn’t think so, case closed.
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