Disney’s Hollywood Studios is now home to two new live shows. Last week, both The Little Mermaid A Musical Adventure and Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After premiered. The night before their official openings, my family and I were invited to special viewings of each as part of the kickoff to Walt Disney World’s “Cool Kid Summer” event. Afterward, also got a chance to talk to members of the creative teams who brought them to life.
What can fans expect from these two shows? Are they good? (Yes.) And what did I learn about the productions? You can read all about my experiences with The Little Mermaid: A Musical Adventure here. But first, join me as we put the spotlight on a show dedicated to some of Disney’s best baddies.
Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After Review
What is Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After at Walt Disney World?
Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After is a new, original live stage show at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. It officially opened on May 27, 2025. The roughly 15-minute production takes place in the Sunset Showcase amphitheater next to Rock ‘n’ Roller at the end of Sunset Boulevard. The space previously housed Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy.
The Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After musical, which runs throughout the day, “invites guests into the mysterious, reflective realm of the Magic Mirror” from Snow White. Once there, visitors are also given a task. They listen to three iconic Disney VillainsCruella de Vil, Captain Hook, and Maleficentsing about why they have been treated “unfairest of them all” so they can pick the winner. And they really do pick, as each audience selects the victor each and every show, resulting in a different finale depending on who won.
But while those three villains are the only ones to appear in the flesh, the elaborate, Broadway-quality show features plenty of other performances and appearances from other infamous Disney evildoers. They also wish to argue their case for the adoring/hating crowd.
Someday they just might.
Is Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After Good?
Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After is not just good, it’s so much fun. It also tells an actual story that makes sense of the chaotic madness that drives it. The Mask within the Magic Mirror can only answer to the Evil Queen, so it pleads with the audience to deal with other villains who now demand an answer as to which one of them has been most mistreated. While every Disney bad guy and gal wants their moment to shine, only three break through into the real world to make their case.
In Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After, each of the three villains performs their own original song as the elaborate stage, covered in “mirrors,” adapts to their unique style and colors. All three performances feel different from each other and true to the character. The result is a brisk pace that gives the show non-stop energy and excitement. The introduction and interludes between each villain also keeps everything moving, with a show that goes by very quickly. The costumes, makeup, performances, and incredibly elaborate technical aspects all come together for a production that really exceeded my already high expectations.
The show’s delightful original theme song is going to stay with you long after you walk out, too.
Will Kids Like Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After at Hollywood Studios?
Because we knew we’d be seeing special showings of Disney’s two new live productions, my wife and I wanted to make sure our son Alexander (who turns four in two months) could fully appreciate it. We prepped by watching 101 Dalmatians, Peter Pan, and Sleeping Beauty.
I am so very glad we did. Not only did he love each movie and villain, he was absolutely overjoyed watching each one come out on stage during Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After. I actually missed a lot of Captain Hook’s argument because I couldn’t stop watching him. Alexander had the biggest smile on his face the whole time, especially as Tick-Tock chased Hook up, down, and around the whole stage. By the time Maleficent turned into a dragon, he was absolutely in awe.
Mama and dada loved the show on its own, but it was especially great experiencing it with him.
It was also great getting out of the Orlando heat and humidity all while seeing a gorgeous, fun, creative., entertaining show. That was pretty nice, too.
Can They Add or Change Which Characters Appear in Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After?
Absolutely. Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After is incredibly adaptable, which will allow it to stay fresh and original for decades in ways most live shows at theme parks can’t. However, that won’t be something Walt Disney World can do lightly.
This is a really impressive stage production with world-class musical numbers, costume changes, makeup, and high-tech visual effects. And it’s done in such a way that I think it will be easy for some guests to notice how incredible it really is from a technical standpoint. A lot of effort, time, and money will go into switching even just one main character, let alone all three.
If/when Disney does make a change, that new iteration of the show will likely be around for a while.
How Did Disney Bring Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After To the Stage?
To find out, I spoke to two of the leading creative minds behind Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After.
Mark Renfrow, Disney Live Entertainment Show Director
Mark Renfrow directs Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After.
Nerdist: Okay, Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After is here. How you feeling?
Mark Renfrow: Pretty amazing. This has been an incredible journey. I’ve been there since [the show’s] inception, which started about two-and-a-half years ago. And with a topic like villains? Come on. It’s going to be a fun ride. I’m thrilled with it. I love the responses that we’ve been getting. And we’re playing in the villains realm. It’s a pretty cool sandbox.
A lot of great Disney villains you could have picked. Why these three?
Renfrow: Well, you just said there’s a lot of villains. Let me clarify: there are 85 different villains and sidekicks. That’s a lot. So, who makes it to the front? Every villain has a sneaky way to get in. Everybody has a way to find a back door. And in our story, they have broken through. Let’s just say those three are the most wily. They have figured it out. So that’s why those three. And, I guess if you check in the top 10 villains that people like of all ages, those three are in the top five.
I know people are going to vote in every single Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After show. Maybe you don’t want to influence it, but do you have a particular villain that you are partial to out of the three?
Renfrow: Yes, the audience 100% does influence who is going to be deemed “the most unfairly ever after,” who is the most misunderstood of all. They do.
Me, personally, when I was asked at a young age, “What Disney movie had the biggest influence on you?” it was actually Sleeping Beauty. I was terrified of Maleficent. Now, on the other side, my favorite animal is a dragon, so I’m glad she’s a big part of this show.
It’s obvious this show is very adaptable to keep it fresh. Any long-term plans for how long we might keep these three villains before we start swapping in others?
Renfrow: I really don’t know. I think it comes down to the what’s popular. The opinions of our guests change on a regular basis, which is kind of exciting. So who knows? These particular villains are beloved by, again, from [age] 2 to 102. So everybody knows these three main featured ones. If something, or someone, or something, rises to the top, it would be fun to have them featured in one way or another.
I’m an old theater nerd. What part of this show that was difficult to pull off is going to be hidden from people in the audience?
Renfrow: There’s a part of me that says “everything.” This is a very tricky show. Trying to tell that many stories in such a short amount of time is always a little daunting.
Also, villains all have their own opinions. They all have their own powers and manipulation. So I’m proud of every single element. And you will never see something twice. The show keeps evolving, and there’s different tricks, and there’s different techniques, and there’s different special effects. Also, each highlighted villain is so different from the next. It always feels like the style keeps changing along the way, yet it all makes sense.
You have this idea in your head as you’re designing the show. What came out even better than you kind of dreamed of in Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After?
Renfrow: When you’re dealing with villains, you want them to show their personality. To show their power. That’s always a challenge. Can they live up to their persona? They’re icons. Can you really have them live up to that? In this case, I would say they did. And we got to showcase their talents. I’ll just use that word, their “talents.” And all three talents are so different. All three personalities are so different. I was thrilled that we got to bring the villains to life.
I would’ve been very disappointed, and this would’ve been a very hard journey for me, if we never had the support to bring them to life the way we did.
This show is preceding a big expansion coming to Magic Kingdom, a whole villains land. Were you thinking about that at all while you were designing this show?
Renfrow: I think we were in the pipeline for quite some time before that was even announced. So if anything, we were leading the way, and we were doing what was right for the studios. And we were doing what’s best for the villain brand. That’s what’s exciting.
What they are going to do [with the villains land] I don’t know. I hope I get to play with it a little bit over some time.
You’ve got some experience now.
Renfrow: Yeah. And to be really honest, this is my fifth villain show. The two villain shows that were originally at Hollywood Studios years ago, and then the last two that were at the Magic Kingdom. So I’ve been hanging out with the villains for a long time.
When you were a kid, did you like the villains more than the heroes?
Renfrow: I would probably say yes. It’s been that way with a lot of brands, but when it comes to Disney villains, for sure.
We always want to be a little naughty in one way or another. And the villains do that. Yeah, sure, they get their comeuppance, and I guess that’s a great lesson, right? You’re going to be a bad person, you’re going to get what’s coming to you. So I guess I stayed on the hero side, but I still like the villains.
Matt Fiuza, Senior Art Director at Disney Live Entertainment
What part of Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After is your favorite?
Matt Fiuza: There’s a lot of favorites. I love the timeless feel of our show. I love the opulence and wow factor that you’re going to get from walking into this room. We worked so diligently to give you a jaw-dropping, “Wow, I’m going to watch a spectacle.”
But in particular, it has to be Tick-Tock chasing Captain Hook offstage. It was one of the coolest things that we said out loud in a room and then brought to life. It will live in my heart in a very special place.
So we see the concept art when the show gets announced. What ended up exceeding your expectations?
Fiuza: The concept art is always a very scary process because we lead massive teams through the process of developing the concept art and then developing what ultimately will be the show. With this show everyone embraced all the ideas so quickly. And everyone’s so motivated to bring villains to life and bring them to the parks that it’s hard to express the goosebumps of walking in and seeing that what we promised our guests is being delivered upon even more than we imagined on paper.
It’s been thrilling to watch the comments online. There’s a few folks that posted the concept art with the pictures, and they’re like, “It looks better than the pictures.” We always want that to be the case. It’s just delightful to have you ask this question because we feel really proud when we do that.
At Disney, the magic is always in the details. What details do you hope people pick up on that maybe won’t be so obvious the first time they come through?
Fiuza: Well, there’s a secret. If you keep watching the wallpaper on the walls when you walk in, and then after each villain has their moment, you might pick on something that’s really cool. And I’m just going to leave it at that.
I’m sure everyone’s asking, but I have to, too. Three villains. Are you partial to any of them?
Fiuza: I’m really partial to Captain Hook. I watched Peter Pan on repeat when I was a kid. And really it’s Tick-Tock to me that’s the ultimate villain, because he’s the villain to Captain Hook. But Captain Hook just lives in a really special place in my heart.
It’s not Tick-Tock’s fault that Captain Hook is so tasty. He’s just an animal.
Fiuza: He had one hand. He just wants the other. That’s all he wants.
Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. He voted for Captain Hook but thought Cruella and Maleficent made genuinelly compelling cases. You can follow him on Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.
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This articles is written by : Nermeen Nabil Khear Abdelmalak
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