Evil Queen (Disney) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Evil Queen |
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| Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs character | |
The Evil Queen in both forms from Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
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| First appearance | Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) |
| Created by | Art Babbitt (animation) Walt Disney & Joe Grant (design) |
| Portrayed by |
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| Voiced by |
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| Based on | The Queen from the Brothers Grimm's fairy tale |
| Information | |
| Aliases | Wicked Queen, Queen Grimhilde, Old Witch, Wicked Witch, Witch Queen, Queen-witch, Old Hag, Snow White's stepmother |
| Occupation | Sorceress, Queen dowager/regnant |
| Affiliation | Disney villains |
| Title | The Evil Queen |
| Spouse(s) | The King |
| Children | Snow White (stepdaughter) Evie (daughter in Descendants) |
The Evil Queen, also known as the Wicked Queen, is a famous character from Disney's first animated movie, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). She is also a main villain in the wider Disney's Snow White stories. Her character is based on the Evil Queen from the classic German fairy tale "Snow White".
In the movie, the Evil Queen is very cold, mean, and extremely proud of her looks. She owns a magic mirror and always wants to be the "fairest in the land." She becomes very jealous of her stepdaughter, Princess Snow White, because Snow White is more beautiful. This jealousy makes the Queen try to get rid of Snow White, which eventually leads to her own downfall.
The Queen in the movie uses her dark magic to turn herself into an old woman. This scary form is often called the Wicked Witch or the Old Hag. Even though the Queen dies in the movie, she appears in many other Disney stories and attractions.
Walt Disney and Joe Grant created the movie's version of the Queen. Art Babbitt was the main animator, and Lucille La Verne first gave her a voice. Many people think the Queen is one of Disney's most famous and scary villains. She has appeared in many Disney theme park rides, shows, and other productions. Sometimes, she even appears with other famous villains like Maleficent.
Contents
In Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
The Story of the Queen
Long ago, in a faraway land, a beautiful but mysterious woman with magic powers became queen by marrying the King. After he passed away, the cruel Queen ruled alone. Everyone was afraid of her anger. The Queen owned a magic mirror that could show her anything she wished. She would often ask it, "Magic mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?" The mirror always told her that she was the most beautiful.
One day, the mirror told her that her 14-year-old stepdaughter, Princess Snow White, was now the fairest. The Queen became incredibly jealous of Snow White's beauty. She made Snow White work as a scullery maid in her own home. When the Queen saw a handsome Prince singing to Snow White, she became even angrier.
The Queen ordered her Huntsman, Humbert, to take Snow White deep into the forest and kill her. He was also told to bring back Snow White's heart as proof. But Humbert could not bring himself to harm the princess. He told Snow White about the Queen's plan and told her to run away and never come back. To trick the Queen, he brought back a pig's heart instead.
When the Queen asked her mirror again, it revealed that Snow White was still alive and living with the Seven Dwarfs. The mirror also told her that the heart she received was a pig's heart.
Furious, the Queen decided to kill Snow White herself. She went to her secret magic room in the dungeon. There, she used a spellbook and a cauldron to mix a potion that changed her into an ugly old hag. She then made a poisoned apple that would cause a "Sleeping Death." The Queen left the castle, followed by two vultures.
She found Snow White at the Dwarfs' cottage. Snow White's animal friends tried to warn her that the old hag was the Queen, but Snow White did not understand. The Queen tricked Snow White into letting her inside and eating the poisoned apple. Snow White took a bite and fell to the floor, appearing to be dead.
The Queen celebrated her victory, but soon the angry Seven Dwarfs found her. They chased her deep into the forest as a big storm began. She climbed up the mountains and got trapped on a high cliff. She tried to push a large rock down to crush the Dwarfs. But before she could, a lightning bolt hit the cliff, sending the Queen and the rock falling to her death. The vultures flew down into the chasm, showing her dark reign was over. Snow White was later revived by the Prince and took over the castle.
How the Queen Was Created
Walt Disney decided to make the Queen Snow White's stepmother instead of her biological mother, as in the original fairy tale. At first, they thought about making her a "fat, silly" queen, but Disney wanted her to be more believable and scary. He imagined her as a mix of a powerful queen and a cunning wolf. He wanted her beauty to seem evil, and for her to become truly ugly and threatening when she was plotting.
The Queen's look was inspired by several real-life women and characters. Her "ageless ice goddess" look came from Queen Ayesha in the 1935 film She. She was also partly modeled on Princess Kriemhild from the 1924 film Die Nibelungen. Some people also think her face was inspired by actresses like Joan Crawford and Gale Sondergaard, and her costume by a statue of Uta von Ballenstedt at the Naumburg Cathedral in Germany.
The animators found the Queen a challenging character to draw because she had to be both beautiful and gracefully evil. The scene where she transforms into the Witch was especially hard to animate. Disney wanted to show how she felt as she changed.
Her castle might have been inspired by the Alcázar of Segovia in Spain. The throne she uses has a peacock design, which shows how vain she is. The Queen wears mostly black and other dark colors, which makes her look very different from Snow White's bright clothes. Her royal outfit was painted with special paints to make it look like satin and velvet.
The Queen was the first character to speak in a full-length animated movie. Lucille La Verne was her original voice actress. She even took out her false teeth to make the Witch's voice sound old and raspy!
The Queen was also the first character to die in a Disney film. Disney wanted her death to be less gruesome than in the original fairy tale. In the movie, she falls to her death while trying to harm the Dwarfs, which is a more merciful ending.
Ideas That Were Not Used
Some ideas for the movie were not included in the final film. One idea was for the Queen to try to kill Snow White with a poisoned comb, just like in the original fairy tale. Another idea was that the Queen had seven black panthers guarding her secret room.
There was also a longer storyline where the Queen wanted to marry the Prince. When he refused, she would capture him and keep him chained in her dungeon. She would even bring skeletons to life to scare him. Later, she planned to drown him in a water-filled chamber. However, these scary scenes were removed to make the movie less frightening for children.
Other Appearances
Theme Park Rides and Shows
The Queen is a very important character in the Disneyland ride Snow White's Scary Adventures. She appears many times throughout the ride, even transforming into the Witch in front of a mirror. She also appears in her Witch form on the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train roller coaster.
The Evil Queen is a popular villain in many Disney park shows and parades, especially during Halloween events like Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. She often appears with other famous villains like Maleficent and Cruella de Vil.
In the night-time show Fantasmic!, the Queen is the main villain. Her Magic Mirror tells her that other princesses are fairer than her. Angry, she turns into the Witch and uses her magic to summon many Disney villains to help her. But Mickey defeats them all, and the Witch turns back into the Queen before she is defeated.
Movies and TV Shows
The Queen has made small appearances in other Disney animated shows like Disney's House of Mouse and movies like Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
In the 2005 movie Once Upon a Halloween, the Queen (voiced by Susanne Blakeslee) is the main villain. She tries to take over Halloween, but her magic cauldron turns against her and makes her disappear.
In the 2015 Disney Channel movie Descendants, the older Evil Queen (played by Kathy Najimy) is one of the villains trapped on the Isle of the Lost. Her daughter, Evie (played by Sofia Carson), is allowed to go to school in the kingdom with the children of Disney heroes. The Evil Queen tries to team up with other villains to take over the kingdom.
Games
The Evil Queen appears in many Disney games. She is often an obstacle for players, but sometimes you can even play as her, like in the game Disney Villainous.
In the 1985 gamebook Snow White in the Enchanted Forest, the Queen has even more powers. She can instantly change between her hag and queen forms, disappear in smoke, turn into animals, and turn others into animals with magic beams.
In the 1999 video game Disney's Villains' Revenge, the Queen (voiced by Louise Chamis) is one of the main villains. She has put Snow White to sleep and plans to do the same to the Seven Dwarfs. Players have to mix potions to summon the Prince and save the day.
In the 2010 video game Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, the Queen asks the hero Terra to kill Snow White. When he refuses, she tries to trap him in her Magic Mirror. She also appears briefly in another character's story, dropping the poisoned apple.
In the 2013 mobile game Seven Dwarfs: The Queen's Return, the Queen survived her fall in the movie and is seeking revenge. She casts a curse on Snow White and the forest.
Books and Comics
The Queen's story from the movie has been told in many books and comics. Some comics show what happens after the movie, with the Witch often returning to cause trouble for Snow White or the Dwarfs.
In some Italian Disney comics, the Queen is shown in her youthful form, often using a crystal ball to spy on the good characters. Some stories even explain how she might have survived her fall in the movie, saying that branches and bushes broke her fall. In these stories, she often tries to regain her youth or hurt Snow White in new ways.
The Queen also appears in the 2005 Disney manga series Kilala Princess. In this story, she is still alive and tries to get Kilala's magic tiara. She turns into the Witch and tries to turn Kilala into an ugly creature, but Snow White and her friends stop her.
The Evil Queen is also a villain in The Kingdom Keepers book series. She is very powerful and can cast many spells and change her form. She even becomes the leader of the villains in one of the books.
Merchandise
The Evil Queen is a very popular character for merchandise. You can find her on dolls, figurines, costumes, clothes, mugs, bags, and many other items. In 1988, a drawing of the Queen holding her heart box sold for a record price of $30,000 at an auction!
Images for kids
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A photo of Joan Crawford circa 1930
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Possible inspirations for the Queen's looks included several real-life women, such as Uta von Ballenstedt as seen here depicted at Naumburg Cathedral
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The Alcázar of Segovia in Spain, which may have inspired the Queen's castle.
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An evil ornament in the Queen's dungeon in Snow White's Scary Adventures.
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The Queen in her lair with magic books and a statue of the demon Chernabog from Fantasia at Share A Dream Come True Parade 2008
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The Queen with her magic cauldron during the Fantasmic! show.
See also
In Spanish: Reina Grimhilde para niños
