There are tons of Disney films with villains and we all know the most used ones.
Of course, we also know that not all Disney films are praised (in most cases because of Disney itself) but even though certain movies weren´t that succesful I´m amazed these particular villains are not used used at all.
The Horned King : to me he ranks as high as Chernabog and Maleficent in terms of evil itself.
Madam Mim: a really fun villain from a very charming movie.
Professor Ratigan: very unique character from an overlooked movie.
Clayton: not much to say about him except... why not?
Gaston: created by Andreas Deja and part of the most beloved Beauty and the Beast... whatever happens with him?
Yzma: before Mother Goethe the last greatest Disney villain creation.
Frollo: truly evil given the fact of how human his desires/sins are.
Yes, more can be listed but to me these in particular really stand out by themselves and should be more popular; even if the film themselves are not.
I mean, come on, when you think about 101 Dalmatians...a movie about no less than 101 dogs the real character that stands out and even represents the film is Cruella. So by this same thought these villains can very well stand by themselves.
Even Hades is very prominent and we know that Disney pretty much forgot about Hercules.
Surprised Disney doesn´t use these villains at all
Surprised Disney doesn´t use these villains at all
Last edited by DC Fan on Sat Sep 22, 2012 6:58 am, edited 1 time in total.
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PatrickvD
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Okay, my take on these villains:
The Horned King: To me, he looks anything but evil. In fact he looks like Scooby Doo will show up at any moment to rip off his mask. Way too cartoony skeleton-ish for my taste. Voice acting was top notch though.
Madam Min: Agreed here. She's crazy and as a kid I was always on the edge of my seat for some reason during her entire part of the film. She actually comes across as a genuine threat to Merlin and Wart. And she has an insane personality.
Professor Ratigan: Also underrated. Brilliant character, amazing voice over by Vincent Price and the climactic scene where he transforms into the evil piece of crap rat that he is, is to me, among Disney's most memorable scenes.
Clayton: Why not? Well because he's boring. As a villain he didn't come to life to me right before he died, as he was slashing his sword around like an insane made man. But by then it was too late. Then again, the story does not allow for him to be truly evil, because he's not exposed as a villain to the other characters near the end of the film.
Gaston: I'm pretty sure he's not underrated. Maybe in terms of merchandise, but whatever. He's terrific.
Yzma: YES! She needs the spotlight. She's evil, fabulous and hilarious. So good you're actually rooting for her. A grand creation.
Frollo: This one is tough, he's a very human character. Unlike most of Disney's more colorful villains. While his complexities as a character make him stand out, I look at him more as a really good villain, just not as a really good Disney villain. Hard to explain though. [/b]
The Horned King: To me, he looks anything but evil. In fact he looks like Scooby Doo will show up at any moment to rip off his mask. Way too cartoony skeleton-ish for my taste. Voice acting was top notch though.
Madam Min: Agreed here. She's crazy and as a kid I was always on the edge of my seat for some reason during her entire part of the film. She actually comes across as a genuine threat to Merlin and Wart. And she has an insane personality.
Professor Ratigan: Also underrated. Brilliant character, amazing voice over by Vincent Price and the climactic scene where he transforms into the evil piece of crap rat that he is, is to me, among Disney's most memorable scenes.
Clayton: Why not? Well because he's boring. As a villain he didn't come to life to me right before he died, as he was slashing his sword around like an insane made man. But by then it was too late. Then again, the story does not allow for him to be truly evil, because he's not exposed as a villain to the other characters near the end of the film.
Gaston: I'm pretty sure he's not underrated. Maybe in terms of merchandise, but whatever. He's terrific.
Yzma: YES! She needs the spotlight. She's evil, fabulous and hilarious. So good you're actually rooting for her. A grand creation.
Frollo: This one is tough, he's a very human character. Unlike most of Disney's more colorful villains. While his complexities as a character make him stand out, I look at him more as a really good villain, just not as a really good Disney villain. Hard to explain though. [/b]
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ProfessorRatigan
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I agree 110% on Professor Ratigan, Frollo and Gaston. Frollo and Ratigan are actually my two favorite animated characters of all time, and neither gets anything in the way of merchandise. Same for Gaston, which is insane to me, as Beauty and the Beast is probably just behind the Lion King as the most popular Disney film in the canon.
But, you missed these:
Honest John. I don't think I've seen a piece of Honest John merch in my entire life. That's saying something.
The Headless Horsman. If Chernabog gets merch, why doesn't this guy? He's every bit as menacing and cool.
SHERE KHAN: This cat doesn't seem to get anything either.
Madame Medusa. Seriously, she's just a hoot. Easily the best thing about the Rescuers, she's probably the best-animated character I've ever seen. That her design isn't exploited more on merchandise is a shame. I'd love to see more figurines, dolls, plushes, of a character like this.
Hades. I don't think this guy gets enough stuff of him. I'm sick of Captain Hook getting a million fucking toys/figurines/WDCC figures a year, and cats like Hades get nothing. (Seriously, who the hell likes Captain Hook? Is he REALLY that popular? Even among Disney fans? To me, Hook was always one of the LAMEST male villains ever. A hysterical, screaming queen. Ugh.)
And even though he's rather new, Facilier needs more representation. He's a very cool villain, even if his plans and motivations are lacking. He was way better than Gothel, in my opinion. Better song, better voice, better animation...but that may just be a 2-D preference.
I don't think characters like Clayton really need any thing. We've got cooler villains who need their due before characters like Clayton, or Amos Slade, or Sykes. You know?
But, you missed these:
Honest John. I don't think I've seen a piece of Honest John merch in my entire life. That's saying something.
The Headless Horsman. If Chernabog gets merch, why doesn't this guy? He's every bit as menacing and cool.
SHERE KHAN: This cat doesn't seem to get anything either.
Madame Medusa. Seriously, she's just a hoot. Easily the best thing about the Rescuers, she's probably the best-animated character I've ever seen. That her design isn't exploited more on merchandise is a shame. I'd love to see more figurines, dolls, plushes, of a character like this.
Hades. I don't think this guy gets enough stuff of him. I'm sick of Captain Hook getting a million fucking toys/figurines/WDCC figures a year, and cats like Hades get nothing. (Seriously, who the hell likes Captain Hook? Is he REALLY that popular? Even among Disney fans? To me, Hook was always one of the LAMEST male villains ever. A hysterical, screaming queen. Ugh.)
And even though he's rather new, Facilier needs more representation. He's a very cool villain, even if his plans and motivations are lacking. He was way better than Gothel, in my opinion. Better song, better voice, better animation...but that may just be a 2-D preference.
I don't think characters like Clayton really need any thing. We've got cooler villains who need their due before characters like Clayton, or Amos Slade, or Sykes. You know?
To me The Horned King does deserve a spotlight. I mean, he tries to bring an undead army to "life"! And he looks almost like a corpse.
...had he been hidden the whole time maybe he would be scarier. But still, very scary indeed.
Other than that I like Honest John and Madame Medusa (alongside others) but to me they don´t stand out by themselves as the ones I mentioned.
However, Robin Hood is a very loved film and The Rescuers is a great movie that thanks to Blu Ray maybe getting more attention.
PS
As for Clayton he´s kind like Rourke from Atlantis. He´s not truly evil as until the end. The difference is that Rourke was much more human during the whole film than Clayton that does stand out as a true villain.
...had he been hidden the whole time maybe he would be scarier. But still, very scary indeed.
Other than that I like Honest John and Madame Medusa (alongside others) but to me they don´t stand out by themselves as the ones I mentioned.
However, Robin Hood is a very loved film and The Rescuers is a great movie that thanks to Blu Ray maybe getting more attention.
PS
As for Clayton he´s kind like Rourke from Atlantis. He´s not truly evil as until the end. The difference is that Rourke was much more human during the whole film than Clayton that does stand out as a true villain.
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stitchje1981
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merlinjones
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lord-of-sith
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While I agree that most villains should get more spotlight than they do, I think it's fairly easy to see why some do and some don't. Most of the most advertised villains have a lot going for them, and the least often have nothing. Here's my take on why some are and why some aren't.
Beloved Film & Beloved Villain: This is the most common scenario for all of the most publicized villains. The Queen, Ursula, Captain Hook, and Jafar are all super marketable villains, and it helps that they are associated with films that are classics that basically everyone loves. I will also lump Maleficent and Cruella in with these. While the latter two have basically eclipsed their respective films in popularity (this is fairly undebatable, as live action films were/are being made for the sake of their characters), the films are generally well liked. Those six are arguably the most marketed villains, and it's because Disney likes both the films AND the characters.
Easy to Market Villain, "meh" Film: Let me preface this by saying that I use the term "meh" in reference to Disney films, which means they're still pretty damn good. I use this more from the studio's mindset. Villain's like The Queen of Hearts and Chernabog are marketed fairly well, but they're films aren't widely seen as cash cows. Alice in Wonderland is fairly popular, but the characters are waaaaay more memorable than the film itself. Fantasia is a beloved film, but it isn't very popular with kids, and doesn't lend itself that well to merchandise. Sorcerer Mickey and Chernabog are really the only two things every merchandised from the movie.
Good Villains from New Films Marketed in Attempt to Create New Classics: This is where Mother Gothel and Dr. Facilier fall into place. Not to say that these are bad villains by any means (I happen to like them both) but they do tend to stand out when grouped with the other villains, and they are rarely both included at the same time. This is likely Disney's attempt to integrate them with the classic villains, hence why they are marketed.
Good Film, Hard to Market Villain: This is a very tedious category. Beauty and the Beast is arguably Disney's most beloved film, and Gaston works perfectly in the movie, and is a great character. Unfortunately, he doesn't lend himself well to merchandise. Honestly, wouldn't he look weird standing in a group with ANY of the aforementioned villains? Same goes for Lady Tremaine. She's grouped more easily with the other villains, and hence is more often, but the fact that she doesn't have magic or a relation to the fantastical (DVD sequels aside) probably keeps her from merchandise. Scar has a decent amount of merchandise, but usually only when his film has a DVD release. He's difficult to group with the others due to his four-legged animal status.
Unpopular/Bad Film, Good/Decent Villain: This is where we find The Horned King, Ratigan, Madame Mim, and Madame Medusa. These are villains that are decent, but their films aren't particularly popular or well liked. If Disney marketed these villains more, they'd either loose money because they aren't popular, or draw attention to films they'd rather hide.
Decent Film/Bad Villain: There will be arguments on this I'm sure, but here it goes. These are films that are decently popular, but the villains aren't very marketable. Ratcliffe, Clayton, and Shan Yu go here. Their films are way more liked than they are, and probably for a reason...
Legitimately Not Sure: And here's where we have Hades, Yzma, and Frollo. All three of these villains are super marketable, and are actually included now and then. What throws me is that they aren't as marketed as the first category, and they really could be. All of their films are liked well enough by the public, and they could be seen as the best part of all of them! My best guess is that is has to do with their films. Hercules and Hunchback aren't films that the studio seems to like that much, given their continued lack of DVD release, and Yzma may be seen as too comical to be included with the other villains.
There are others that I'm sure I'm missing, but this is what I've got for now!
Beloved Film & Beloved Villain: This is the most common scenario for all of the most publicized villains. The Queen, Ursula, Captain Hook, and Jafar are all super marketable villains, and it helps that they are associated with films that are classics that basically everyone loves. I will also lump Maleficent and Cruella in with these. While the latter two have basically eclipsed their respective films in popularity (this is fairly undebatable, as live action films were/are being made for the sake of their characters), the films are generally well liked. Those six are arguably the most marketed villains, and it's because Disney likes both the films AND the characters.
Easy to Market Villain, "meh" Film: Let me preface this by saying that I use the term "meh" in reference to Disney films, which means they're still pretty damn good. I use this more from the studio's mindset. Villain's like The Queen of Hearts and Chernabog are marketed fairly well, but they're films aren't widely seen as cash cows. Alice in Wonderland is fairly popular, but the characters are waaaaay more memorable than the film itself. Fantasia is a beloved film, but it isn't very popular with kids, and doesn't lend itself that well to merchandise. Sorcerer Mickey and Chernabog are really the only two things every merchandised from the movie.
Good Villains from New Films Marketed in Attempt to Create New Classics: This is where Mother Gothel and Dr. Facilier fall into place. Not to say that these are bad villains by any means (I happen to like them both) but they do tend to stand out when grouped with the other villains, and they are rarely both included at the same time. This is likely Disney's attempt to integrate them with the classic villains, hence why they are marketed.
Good Film, Hard to Market Villain: This is a very tedious category. Beauty and the Beast is arguably Disney's most beloved film, and Gaston works perfectly in the movie, and is a great character. Unfortunately, he doesn't lend himself well to merchandise. Honestly, wouldn't he look weird standing in a group with ANY of the aforementioned villains? Same goes for Lady Tremaine. She's grouped more easily with the other villains, and hence is more often, but the fact that she doesn't have magic or a relation to the fantastical (DVD sequels aside) probably keeps her from merchandise. Scar has a decent amount of merchandise, but usually only when his film has a DVD release. He's difficult to group with the others due to his four-legged animal status.
Unpopular/Bad Film, Good/Decent Villain: This is where we find The Horned King, Ratigan, Madame Mim, and Madame Medusa. These are villains that are decent, but their films aren't particularly popular or well liked. If Disney marketed these villains more, they'd either loose money because they aren't popular, or draw attention to films they'd rather hide.
Decent Film/Bad Villain: There will be arguments on this I'm sure, but here it goes. These are films that are decently popular, but the villains aren't very marketable. Ratcliffe, Clayton, and Shan Yu go here. Their films are way more liked than they are, and probably for a reason...
Legitimately Not Sure: And here's where we have Hades, Yzma, and Frollo. All three of these villains are super marketable, and are actually included now and then. What throws me is that they aren't as marketed as the first category, and they really could be. All of their films are liked well enough by the public, and they could be seen as the best part of all of them! My best guess is that is has to do with their films. Hercules and Hunchback aren't films that the studio seems to like that much, given their continued lack of DVD release, and Yzma may be seen as too comical to be included with the other villains.
There are others that I'm sure I'm missing, but this is what I've got for now!
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merlinjones
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>>Same goes for Lady Tremaine. She's grouped more easily with the other villains, and hence is more often, but the fact that she doesn't have magic or a relation to the fantastical (DVD sequels aside) probably keeps her from merchandise.<<
...And perhaps the fact that, due to political correctness, she is no longer referred to simply as Cinderella's "Wicked Stepmother," which is how she is known by the general public.
...And perhaps the fact that, due to political correctness, she is no longer referred to simply as Cinderella's "Wicked Stepmother," which is how she is known by the general public.
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merlinjones
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Not that Captain Hook, The Queen of Hearts and Hades aren´t comical...lord-of-sith wrote:... Yzma may be seen as too comical to be included with the other villains...
Not saying I don´t see your point. Just pointing out.
And then we got The Ringmaster (Dumbo), Chessire Cat and even Si and Am that are portrayed as villains.
-The Ringmaster was never a villain. He never actually "abused" the animals. He did just what he "had" to do as his character should be.
...You can tell when he actually carries Dumbo off the mayhem mrs. Jumbo was doing. I never saw it as being evil. Just making sure he was safe.
...what he did to mrs. Jumbo was because of her behavior.
Why would Dumbo and her mother stayed working in the circus?
-Chessire Cat: he´s just crazy and played pranks on Alice. Is not that he deliberately wanted Alice beheaded.
-Si and Am: they´re not evil. They just portray the typical rivalry between cats and dogs.
Last edited by DC Fan on Sat Sep 22, 2012 11:59 am, edited 1 time in total.
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lord-of-sith
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I absolutely agree with that statement, those villains are very comical. What I was more referring to was that The Emperor's New Groove is a completely comedic film, or at least way more that the films the other villains come from. Yzma herself is also more comic (in my opinion) than those listed. It is because of this that I assume they don't always use her, though they have been known to use her now and then.DC Fan wrote:Not that Captain Hook, The Queen of Hearts and Hades aren´t comical...
Not saying I don´t see your point. Just pointing out..
And still The Emperor´s New Groove got a TV series.
Really makes you think.
As for Pinochio villains given the fact that the movie has a lot of them I would have used Honest John (because he´s a fox and not THAT evil) and/or Strombolli (when he explodes looks kind of funny); like profitable.
...and I would love to see Monstro used. The biggest Disney villain of them all. Plus, he could really look cool alongside Chernabog in terms of looks alone.
Really makes you think.
As for Pinochio villains given the fact that the movie has a lot of them I would have used Honest John (because he´s a fox and not THAT evil) and/or Strombolli (when he explodes looks kind of funny); like profitable.
...and I would love to see Monstro used. The biggest Disney villain of them all. Plus, he could really look cool alongside Chernabog in terms of looks alone.
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Super Aurora
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really? I would used the coachman rather instead.DC Fan wrote:And still The Emperor´s New Groove got a TV series.
Really makes you think.
As for Pinochio villains given the fact that the movie has a lot of them I would have used Honest John (because he´s a fox and not THAT evil) and/or Strombolli (when he explodes looks kind of funny); like profitable.
...and I would love to see Monstro used. The biggest Disney villain of them all. Plus, he could really look cool alongside Chernabog in terms of looks alone.
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ajmrowland
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I find it funny that Cinderella is the most popular princess and is plastered all over merchandise and Lady Tremaine is very seldom used. She is the only princess film villainess to be excluded from the Designer Collection. The Horned King would fit in with Maleficent and Chernabog but his film failed way too much for it but I honesty can see people liking him. Yzma is a mystery as Emperor's New Groove seems to be popular and well liked enough and Yzma herself is pretty popular. I think she is about on the same level of Captain Hook in terms of comedy. And she fits being black and purple like the Queen, Maleficent and Ursula and similar in looks to Cruella.
I have noticed the female villains are more popular or at least more merchandised than the men. I have seen the fab 4 ladies on tons of merchandise everywhere and rarely see the guys get the same attention. Usually when they do get merchandise it's Hook and Chernabog/Jafar thrown in. Scar sometimes to. I would like to see The Coachman used more he is probably the scariest villain and Ive always liked him more than Strombloi. Hades and Facilier should be used more to. I agree characters like Ratcliffe, Shan Yu and Clayton are forgettable and not easy to merchandise. Gaston is in the same boat as Lady Tremaine popular/beloved film but hard to merchandise.
I would like to see more merchandise for The Coachman, Monstro, Stromboli, Lady Tremaine, Hades, Frollo, Faciler, Yzma, Mim, Medusa, Ratigan, Horned Kind, Gothel, The Big Bad Wolf!
Less merchandise for Si and Am..
I have noticed the female villains are more popular or at least more merchandised than the men. I have seen the fab 4 ladies on tons of merchandise everywhere and rarely see the guys get the same attention. Usually when they do get merchandise it's Hook and Chernabog/Jafar thrown in. Scar sometimes to. I would like to see The Coachman used more he is probably the scariest villain and Ive always liked him more than Strombloi. Hades and Facilier should be used more to. I agree characters like Ratcliffe, Shan Yu and Clayton are forgettable and not easy to merchandise. Gaston is in the same boat as Lady Tremaine popular/beloved film but hard to merchandise.
I would like to see more merchandise for The Coachman, Monstro, Stromboli, Lady Tremaine, Hades, Frollo, Faciler, Yzma, Mim, Medusa, Ratigan, Horned Kind, Gothel, The Big Bad Wolf!
Less merchandise for Si and Am..
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ProfessorRatigan
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I think the problem with Ratigan and the Great Mouse Detective isn't that they aren't liked, it's that the film just isn't known. I can't tell you how many people I've talked to about Disney films, and I'll go, "Oh, the Great Mouse Detective is one of my favorites!" And invariably they're like, "I don't know that one/I've never heard of it." And I'll go, "It's the one about the mouse who's like Sherlock Holmes..." And they're like, "I think you might be confused. I've seen every Disney movie, and I don't know what you're talking about." 
It seems to be the only non-package film DAC that the general populace DOESN'T KNOW EXISTS.
I can talk about Oliver & Company, The Rescuers films, The Black Cauldron, Atlantis, Treasure Planet, Fox and the Hound, Hunchback, Hercules all day long with these same people. They know everything but Great Mouse Detective. It's weird. It's like that film just came out at the wrong time, even when it was re-issued in 92. It wasn't marketed the way the other 80s and 90s films were, and didn't register with people, I guess. But on IMDB (which is HARSH on Disney films and 2-D animation in general), it has a respectable 7.1 rating. Compare that to the highest-rated DAC on that site The Lion King with 8.4. Disney hasn't treated the film properly...you'd think they'd be a little more grateful, considering it paved the way for the Renaissance which saved the company.
It seems to be the only non-package film DAC that the general populace DOESN'T KNOW EXISTS. I can talk about Oliver & Company, The Rescuers films, The Black Cauldron, Atlantis, Treasure Planet, Fox and the Hound, Hunchback, Hercules all day long with these same people. They know everything but Great Mouse Detective. It's weird. It's like that film just came out at the wrong time, even when it was re-issued in 92. It wasn't marketed the way the other 80s and 90s films were, and didn't register with people, I guess. But on IMDB (which is HARSH on Disney films and 2-D animation in general), it has a respectable 7.1 rating. Compare that to the highest-rated DAC on that site The Lion King with 8.4. Disney hasn't treated the film properly...you'd think they'd be a little more grateful, considering it paved the way for the Renaissance which saved the company.
By your same line of thought about The Great Mouse Detective we can recall all the Animated Classics that are neglected in favor of the same popular ones.
I´ve said it before: Disney is Disney in every part of the world. This means that almost whatever thing they decide to do is going to be easily accepted and merchandise would sell.
Animated Classics aren´t that many that they can´t all make profit from them.
Give every X time an Animated Classic the spotlight and you will be able to bring life to a forgotten or overlooked film. People will start paying attention to this film and characters...and by extent you can start making merchandise from them and it will sell.
Don´t do that and you end up in an endless loop:
-Most people don´t know these movies so we´re not going to make merchandise out of them because it won´t sell. And since it won´t sell we´re not going to bother advertising those films.
I´ve said it before: Disney is Disney in every part of the world. This means that almost whatever thing they decide to do is going to be easily accepted and merchandise would sell.
Animated Classics aren´t that many that they can´t all make profit from them.
Give every X time an Animated Classic the spotlight and you will be able to bring life to a forgotten or overlooked film. People will start paying attention to this film and characters...and by extent you can start making merchandise from them and it will sell.
Don´t do that and you end up in an endless loop:
-Most people don´t know these movies so we´re not going to make merchandise out of them because it won´t sell. And since it won´t sell we´re not going to bother advertising those films.
I know what you mean nobody seems to know about the Great Mouse Detective it was one of my favorites growing up but everyone I talk to is like "The one with the two mice who have to save the orphan from the crazy redheaded chick?" Lol I also remember when I was a kid nobody ever saw Sleeping Beauty. I was obsessed with is and Maleficent as a kid but nobody I knew saw it. Now it is one of the most beloved films and Aurora and Maleficent are two of the most popular Disney characters. SB has definitely become more popular over the last 10-12 years because Disney advertised it and pushed it into the limelight. They need to have that drive for all of their films not just the ones they deem worthy.