Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After, which debuted on May 27, 2025, at Disney’s Hollywood Studios was certainly a show where the technology outshined the performances as this visually spectacular show focuses on some of Disney’s most infamous antagonists.
Unfairly Ever After replaces the Lightning McQueen Racing Academy show located at the Sunset Showcase Theatre directly next door to Rock N Roller Coaster in Hollywood Studios.
This musical focuses on Maleficent, Captain Hook and Cruella de Vil battle it out for the title of most misunderstood guided along by multiple screens featuring the Magic Mirror and Snow White just to name a few.
Having so many screens around the beautifully designed stage I thought would be a distraction and in a way, it was but at the same time there are screens utilised behind the stage too so that it immerses you into the world of storytelling they’re trying to create.
The screen quality is second-to-none they really are superb quality and the stage looks amazing in addition to the auditorium which boasts some very comfy plush chairs with some lovely aisle accents.
Stage and stalls look the part but sadly this clever technologically advanced concept of a show falls flat when the three characters on stage lack the ability to act.
Disney casting is usually of the upmost quality with roaming actors absolutely incredible dotted around the park to interact with but I have no idea what was going on here as Captain Hook was flat, Cruella De Vil sadly just didn’t hit home whatsoever forcing these ridiculous laughs into every sentence as only Maleficent delivered a solid performance worthy of that wonderful stage.
Storytelling is quite non-existent during this particular show as each character tells the audience just how misunderstood they are in a little song and dance and then the audience has to vote on one of the three characters who performs an outro to end the show.
Having a show with just 3 human actors in it (the rest are animated displays on screens) is a little light and for me it just didn’t serve up the usual spectacle that I’m used to within a Disney park, I was just expecting more and whilst the screens are rather amazing it’s an easy way to lighten up the actors on stage.
We’re not at Universal, the home of screen-based experiences, we’re at Disney and we deserve more actors on that stage!
Disney Villains Unfairly Ever After is a show where the tech outshines the performances as the whole show serves as a set-up for the recently announced Disney Villains land that will be coming to Magic Kingdom over the next few years with work already taking place to prepare this brand new exciting land.
Whilst the show does pose questions about these misunderstood villains within each of their Disney slate of movies it just feels very light and lacking despite it’s unique and visually stunning way of delivering the loosely based story.
The show certainly adds depth and diversity to the entertainment landscape of Disney’s Hollywood Studios and for that reason alone, it’s worth checking out at least once!
It’s also worth heading on over to the Once Upon a Time shop where they are selling a whole variety of merchandise from the show as fans can get their hands on the first piece of Disney Villains merchandise ahead of the opening of the new land in years to come.
The merchandise was pretty pricey and some of the items were very low-quality indeed (including the head band) but the tree ornaments were great and the Tye-Die shirt was good quality if albeit a little expensive!
Check out our VLOG of our review / show highlights and the other brand new show at Hollywood Studios, The Little Mermaid.
