Disney
Villain Rater – The Headless Horseman
Hello
again, readers! Once again, I bring you another look at the Disney
Universe's most wanted, courtesy of the Disney Villain Rater! In the
previous Villain Rater article, I stated that the next movie from
which I would take a character to profile is The Adventures of
Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949). This movie is really two different
halves of one whole; the first segment is the classic fantasy based
on the Kenneth Grahame novel, The Wind in the Willows, in
which Rat and Mole try to curb the irresponsible tendencies of J.
Thaddeus Toad. The villains in that half of the movie are nothing to
write home about—a bunch of weasels who trick Toad out of his
property and send him to prison. Impressive to a degree, but not
nearly the caliber of Snow White's stepmother.
The
Legend of Sleepy Hollow, the second half, however, that's a
different story.
Once
again, the following will be placed on a scale of one to ten:
DESIGN
– How the character looks and moves, body language, clothing, etc.
PERSONALITY
– How the character thinks, acts, speaks, etc.
GOALS
– What that character wants to have or do, and the intentions
behind their goals.
AMBITION
– How much the character wants, how far/low he/she is willing to
go.
ABILITIES
– What the character can do (magic, intellect, special skills,
etc.).
HENCHMEN
– Who works for him/her, their effectiveness and character
significance.
DEFEAT
– How the villain's quest ends (death, prison, reformation, etc.).
VOICE
– The voice actor's vocal performance and celeb status.
As
I also mentioned in the previous installment, I have been looking
forward to writing this article, because the centerpiece of this
profile is one of my all-time favorite villains, not just in Disney
lore, but in literature, as well. He is the malicious specter told
about in Washington Irving's legendary post-Revolution story upon
which the film is based. He is a relentless murderer who will not
rest until he has claimed the main protagonist's head as his own. He
is a legend stretching back to the very foundations of American
history. Without further ado, I present my profile of the segment's
titular character, the Headless Horseman.
THE
HEADLESS HORSEMAN (The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad)
DESIGN –
Right off the bat, the Horseman shines in his design alone. A sweeping black cape, leather gloves and
boots, a lethally-sharpened sword, a flaming jack-o-lantern, and a ferocious
black bronco are just the decorations on the main attraction—a headless
man. Let me repeat that . . . a
headless man. Not only would he be a
dangerous, psychopathic killer with a head, but without it, he can see
you, track you, find you, and decapitate you with ease. Such is the power of the supernatural. He rides like a bolt of lightning, he swings
his blade with demented enthusiasm, and his imposing figure is more than enough
to make viewers look over their shoulders long after the film is over.
DESIGN: 9
PERSONALITY –
If there is anything lacking in the potency of the Hessian's malice,
it's his vague personality. He never
speaks, or even makes his character solid at all. He merely laughs, rides after his quarry, and
swings his sword. However, the
suspension of belief activates instantly when he releases that laugh—an evil
cackle that chills one to the bone and freezes the blood in its veins. Whatever this violent phantom is really like,
we can easily assume that he enjoys his activities greatly. That laugh makes me shiver every time.
PERSONALITY: 6
GOALS –
The Hessian is a ghoulish man, but a simple one—all he wants is to kill
Ichabod Crane. While this is not
particularly impressive or complex, it is a very chilling goal. The Queen in Snow White had a similar
goal, but whereas the purpose of her intended murder is to win a popularity
contest in her own mind, the Horseman's quest of blood run much deeper than
something so petty. According to legend,
the Hessian rides through the night, seeking to behead all those he seeks until
his own head is recovered (unlikely—also according to legend, the soldier's own
head was destroyed by an oncoming cannonball).
This desire is far weightier than just simple jealousy. This is vengeance.
GOALS: 7
AMBITION –
Another area in which the Horseman is less equipped, we're not entirely
sure how far he is willing to go to do what he wants—at least, from his lack of
coherent dialogue. But we must remember,
this is a ghost—which is to say, a once-living man. His ambition can thus be judged by his
willingness to return from the grave to enact his revenge on the living. Defying all laws of biology and nature, the
Horseman is relentless and ever-persistent in his hunt for Crane's head, so
much so that his one weakness, his inability to cross a certain bridge, doesn't
stop him—he will kill from all the way across said bridge if he has to. For someone who is supposedly incapable of
crossing this bridge, he doesn't let this inhibition stop him.
AMBITION: 8
ABILITIES –
From what we see in the film, the Headless Horseman is a skilled
equestrian and swordsman, each only strengthening his speed, efficiency and
malevolence. Aside from this, and his
ability to override the barriers of his own black magic, we also know that he
was able to hit Ichabod with a pumpkin from across a bridge. If nothing else, he has perfect aim.
ABILITIES: 8
HENCHMEN –
Unless his black horse counts, the Hessian has no henchman to speak
of. However, if his swift and deadly
steed is included, the Horseman succeeds here where the Queen, Stromboli and
the Coachman failed. The black stallion
he rides is fast, powerful, and capable of catching up to Ichabod at any time
the schoolmaster believes he's lost the demon rider. Another impressive assessment, and one that
most deserves the Horseman's moniker in the original story, “the Galloping
Hessian”.
HENCHMEN: 8
DEFEAT –
Similarly to the Coachman in the previous article, this portion of the
profile will score a bit differently. In
fact, a lot differently. Unlike
any other villain in Disney continuity, the Headless Horseman actually succeeds
in the endeavors we see him strive for.
In the short time we see him on screen, he has one goal—the murder of
Ichabod Crane—and at the very least, it is heavily implied that he accomplishes
this goal, almost effortlessly. Disney
has created some of the worst villains that animation has to offer, from Jafar
to Ursula, from Scar to Mother Gothel, from Maleficent to Dr. Facilier, but
none come even remotely close to the Hessian's level of success. Until Ichabod Crane is found alive (no
rumors), the high score is given in this category for the one thing that sets
the Horseman apart from every other Disney villain. He wins.
DEFEAT: 10
VOICE –
Despite my best efforts in my research, the voice behind the Headless
Horseman still eludes me. I have to
assume the narrator of the segment, legendary crooner Bing Crosby, also
supplied the voice of the Hessian along with the rest of the main (male)
cast. But even then, it's hard for me to
believe that such a recognizable voice could portray a character in such a
sinister, malevolent, and spine-tingling manner. As I mentioned before, that laugh is one of
the wickedest details about the Horseman, perhaps surpassing even his status as
a phantasm, his dexterity with a blade, and the fact that he is without a
cranium. The insane enthusiasm he has
for his undertakings, his wild, psychotic movements, his imposing figure, all
of it can be traced back to that single, cold, horrifying sound echoing from
his throat (or lack of one). So far,
where villainous laughter is concerned, the Galloping Hessian blows them all
away.
VOICE: 9
As
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad saw no return for the
Horseman, there will be no extra points for his score. As such, we
move on straight to the final tally:
COMBINED
SCORE: 65
FINAL
SCORE: 8.125
To
compare, the Evil Queen ended up with a total score of 56 and an
average of 7, while the highest-scoring villain from the Pinocchio
article, the Coachman, received a total of 55 and an average of just
under 7. It is clear from this assessment that the Hessian beats
them both quite soundly, for the short time he's allowed on screen.
His only real glaring insufficiency is in his personality; with only
two or three minutes of screen time, his character is not fleshed out
in the slightest. However, the Hessian accomplished in three minutes
what Honest John, Stromboli and the Coachman couldn't do it one act
each (two for the fox) and what the Queen failed to do in an entire
movie. With a frightening presence, lethal efficiency, a single
sidekick that every villain dreams of, and murderous desires and
actions that he easily accomplishes before the end of the film, I'm
sure Washington Irving himself would be proud to see the Headless
Horseman take his rightful place as one of the greatest Disney
villains of all time.
Thanks
again for joining me on another character profile, one that I didn't
think I'd finish nearly as quickly as I did. As I said, this was a
profile I was really happy to write, on a villain I was very happy to
write about. I very much hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I
enjoyed writing it.
On
the next Disney Villain Rater article, we'll return to more classic,
iconic Disney by profiling the wicked stepmother herself, Lady
Tremaine, from 1950's Cinderella. I hope you'll return to
read. Until then, watch your heads.
Thank
you again for your time, and for your eyes.
