Disney Villain Rater – Honest John / Stromboli / The Coachman

Disney Villain Rater – Honest John / Stromboli / The Coachman

Hello again, readers! Earlier this year, I posted the beginning of my project profiling Disney Villains, starting with Snow White's Evil Queen. I ended the article with my intention to continue such profiling with the villains of Pinocchio (1940), and this article will go to fulfill that promise. So here we are again, good readers: let's make another great use of the Disney Villain Rater!

Like last time, I'll be rating these characteristics and details 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.

Also, I will still be awarding three extra points to any villain who returned for a sequel.

As I said in the last Villain Rater article, I will be continuing with Walt Disney Pictures' second full-length feature, an iconic movie that has achieved legendary status alongside Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs—1940's Pinocchio. Also, as I said last time, there are three noteworthy antagonists in this film, so this article will, for the last time, restrict itself to one movie only. We'll assess each villain one at a time, in the order they appear in the film, starting with the crafty fox conman, Honest John.

JOHN WORTHINGTON “HONEST JOHN” FOULFELLOW (Pinocchio)

DESIGN –

Nothing particularly noteworthy here—aside from the fact that Honest John is an anthropomorphic fox and no one seems to notice. I can see that as being a sort of symbolism representing John's deceptiveness and duplicity not being picked up by the naïve titular character, but I'm sorry to say that a talking canid in rags does not a good villain make.

DESIGN: 5

PERSONALITY –

A young boy who'd just been given life would never suspect a guy with such charisma and enthusiasm would ever be a villain. That being said, it wouldn't be too hard to manipulate a child made of pine. But seeing as how John's dishonesty and cunning was able to stray Pinocchio away from his conscience—twice—it counts for something. Not much, but something . . .

PERSONALITY: 6

GOALS –

Early on, we don't really see what Honest John wants. He's just a guy out and about, causing random mischief, and happens to see an easy mark in the form of a little wooden boy. In fact, with his plan to represent Pinocchio to the puppet master Stromboli (more on him later), he seems to just make up goals on the spot. So, what he wants isn't exactly worth noting—until the Coachman comes along (again, more later). Turns out he works for the Coachman, and is hired to gather more young marks for the dreaded “Pleasure Island”—a prospect so scary, it makes John show a brief hint of conscience himself. In the end, though, he does it for the money in both cases. Boring . . .

GOALS: 4

AMBITION –

Maybe it amounts to Honest John not being a well-developed villain, but we don't really get to see how ambitious he is. In fact, one could say that he's not ambitious enough, judging from his reaction to the Pleasure Island scheme. Nothing here worth noting, sadly.

AMBITION: 3

ABILITIES –

As previously stated, John is a manipulator. His charisma and fast-talking wiles let him make an easy victim out of Pinocchio. But I also already mentioned that it wouldn't be too difficult to con a child who's been alive for a minimum of seven hours. And judging from the way he's dressed, we must assume that most of his schemes end in such a way to make sure he remains looking like a hobo. As far as his ability as a con artist is concerned, I'm not impressed.

ABILITIES: 3

HENCHMEN –

A mute doofus of a cat that is even more inept than his boss, as well as clumsy, illiterate, and does more harm to John than to Pinocchio . . . . gosh, it was so hard for Disney villains to find good help in those days.

HENCHMEN: 2

DEFEAT –

Similarly to the other two main villains, Honest John's defeat is not only not seen, but is not even implied. We don't know what happens to John or his cohorts near the end of the second act, so there's no way of knowing whether he suffered a traditional defeat. Was he caught? Arrested? Did he escape? Does he go on scamming young boys? Does he turn over a new leaf? Nothing is explained about his whereabouts or state of being. It is for that reason only that I give Honest John's defeat a low score—one that would be higher if we knew anything for sure.

DEFEAT: 2

VOICE –

One of the few compliments I give to Honest John's character his is energy and enthusiasm. This comes mostly from the voice of veteran actor Walter Catlett. A character actor known for his portrayal of overly authoritative characters, Catlett started in vaudeville and opera before making his silent film debut in the 1920s. After talking films became the norm, Catlett's career truly took off, eventually landing him the role of “J. Worthington Foulfellow” in 1940's Pinocchio. Like many voice actors of the time, Catlett was uncredited for his role, and since Catlett died in 1960, very few know much about his career nowadays. But one thing is certain—the one endearing trait attributed to Honest John is due to the fine work of a fine acting legend.

VOICE: 8

Now, because Pinocchio went without a sequel, the final score will be tallied immediately. As before, the combined score and the average will be calculated, and the results are as follows:

COMBINED SCORE: 33

FINAL SCORE: 4.125

Sadly, Honest John is an honest flop compared to Snow White's wicked stepmother. But this is just the first of three, readers, and the second of Pinocchio's numerous antagonists may prove to outdo the fox and the cat at their own game.

STROMBOLI (Pinocchio)

DESIGN –

Stromboli is a character that is very well-designed—his character (more on that later) possesses elements that make him both benign and intimidating, and his appearance fits the bill for both, presenting one without giving away the other. A versatile design for a deceptively moody character.

DESIGN: 7

PERSONALITY –

This is where Stromboli shines as a villain—he begins his limited screen time by presenting himself merely as a passionate puppeteer with talent and a quick temper. His moments of distress are particularly humorous when he starts screaming and cussing in Italian. But these moments do not last, and he returns to his gleeful, nurturing facade while he openly discusses his plans for Pinocchio's career—until the boy learns what his ultimate fate will be. This is Stromboli's true nature revealed; once Pinocchio stops making money for the puppet master, he is doomed to being vivisected and used as firewood. Stromboli's intentions and attitude take a turn for the villainous, with his overt behavior being his only indicator at the last minute—a sign that the design for the character and his personality go hand-in-hand and deserve acclaim.

PERSONALITY: 8

GOALS –

Stromboli's goals are fairly standard—have Pinocchio make him lots of money before the novelty ends. While his goals may be plain and simple, he also wishes to achieve worldwide fame, a step-up from Honest John's vague intentions. While not particularly unique, The scale of his desires makes Stromboli stand out far more, and thus deserves a higher score.

GOALS: 5

AMBITION –

As stated, the scale of Stromboli's goals is worthy of classifying his ambitions on a far higher plane than Honest John. Just his drive for fame at the cost of exploiting an innocent young “boy” put him beyond his predecessor and into a different class of villain.

AMBITION: 6

ABILITIES –

We don't see too much in the way of ability for Stromboli, and what we do see isn't particularly helpful toward his wickedness. Aside from being a skilled puppeteer, a marketing genius and a talented chef, there's nothing very sinister about what he is capable of.

Well, he does appear to be good with sharp objects. That's a bit . . . . scary . . .

ABILITIES: 6

HENCHMEN –

Unless Honest John and Gideon the Cat count, Stromboli has no henchmen. In the case of the fox and the cat, my last evaluation should be a good indication of where he stands in this case.

HENCHMEN: 4

DEFEAT –

Stromboli's defeat is only implied at the end of the first act. Pinocchio escapes without Stromboli knowing—end of discussion. Much like with Honest John, Stromboli's defeat gets a low score for no other reason except that he did not get one.

DEFEAT: 2

VOICE –

The voices of both Stromboli and the Coachman (more on him in a bit) were provided by prolific comedy actor Charles Judels. A Dutch-American who also started in vaudeville, Judels began a Broadway career with 'The Ziegfeld Follies of 1912' and went on to extensive camera and voice work throughout the 1930s and 40s (even appearing in a Laurel and Hardy film at one point). Judels is another actor whom time has displaced, in memory and in reverence; he died in 1969 after a twenty-year retirement. But the one thing that stands out most, both for Judels and his two voice roles in Pinocchio, is his excellent use of dialects. Passing off an impressive Italian accent, alongside a stellar performance in general, make Judels' voice work in this film even greater than Walter Catlett's.

VOICE: 9

Once again, with no sequel to speak of, we move on to the combined score and the average score:

COMBINED SCORE: 47

FINAL SCORE: 5.875

Stromboli's character is certainly a step-up from Honest John, but still not the same caliber as the Queen from Snow White. But there is one villain remaining in Pinocchio's rogue's gallery, so it's up to him to leave us with a good impression of the movie.

Or a frightening one, as the case may be . . .

THE COACHMAN (Pinocchio)

DESIGN –

At first glance, the Coachman seems like a normal guy—just someone who seems to be well off, and makes a living driving a horse and carriage. He dresses as though he's well off, but not too entirely wealthy, and the look on his face seems like he's a schemer, but nothing too serious. For all we know, he might be just a petty con artist who just happens to be luckier than Honest John.

Then he reveals his plans to his friends, and reveals what Pleasure Island can really do. That brief moment of change in his character is reflected frighteningly in his face, and it is worthy of the nightmares it has given children since 1940.

DESIGN: 7

PERSONALITY –

Again, the Coachman's true motives aren't really given away by his personality, at least not at first. His smugness and overconfidence is typical of any villain, and the secrecy in which he carries out his plans isn't really noteworthy, either. And again, that one moment in which he explains the side-effects of a vacation to Pleasure Island—with an almost sadistic glee—changes the game up entirely. That one moment proves that he's not just in it for the money. The Coachman is in it for the pleasure of passing the most disturbing judgment on ne'er-do-well boys.

PERSONALITY: 8

GOALS –

Another fairly ho-hum goal—the Coachman just wants money. However, like Stromboli, his goals have an adjunct that makes him a step beyond his predecessor. But unlike Stromboli, who wants to achieve worldwide fame, the Coachman's goals are purely internal—feeling pleasure at the pain of others. Apparently, turning young troublemakers into burros and selling them to salt mines brings on a perverse sense of pleasure that money can't top.

GOALS: 6

AMBITION –

Because we see less of the Coachman than we see of Honest John or Stromboli, his ambition will be hard to judge. But given his level of (over)confidence and his borderline psychopathic desire, we can assume he's willing to go the distance to get what he wants. He's not on the same scale as Stromboli, but seeing as how he's basically in the “human” trafficking game, he'll go a lot farther and take a lot more risks to do what he does best.

AMBITION: 7

ABILITIES –

Apart from being a skilled manipulator (capable of swaying a manipulator like Honest John), the Coachman's villainous abilities aren't brought to light in the film. However, being a smooth talker and an intimidating motivator makes him on par with Stromboli in my opinion, his quality even with the latter's quantity.

ABILITIES: 6

HENCHMEN –

Unless Honest John and Gideon count, the Coachman has no minions. In which case, same score as for Stromboli—not much.

HENCHMEN: 4

DEFEAT –

Just like John and Stromboli, the Coachman's defeat is not seen. In fact, of all the villains in the film, the Coachman is actually the closest to achieving his goal; in one scene, he is seen separating fully-transformed donkey-children, sending the ones no longer capable of speech to the salt mines and keeping the talkers in a pen until they are fully “processed”. So, the Coachman at least partially succeeded in his goal, which means scoring here will go a little differently than usual.

Because the villains of Disney typically meet their end in some form or another, this part of the scoring calculates how grand, gruesome, or totally out-of-the-ordinary the defeat was. For example, going to prison would score lower than a death, and a vague, comic-book style fall off of a cliff would score lower than being vaporized, hanged by a vine, or sucked into a black magic cauldron. However, in the rare occasion that a villain gets away with his or her scheme, the defeat section with be scored much higher than normal. This case, however, is similar to the previous two in that the Coachman's victory is implied only. Aside from that, he far exceeds Honest John and Stromboli combined: at least in part, he wins.

DEFEAT: 8

VOICE –

As stated before, Charles Judels voiced the Coachman, with impressive flare and fear in his performance. His gift with accents helps here again in the form of a convincing English cockney, and his easy change from calm to chaotic is seen easily here as well. Another high score for a great talent before our time.

VOICE: 9

COMBINED SCORE: 55

FINAL SCORE: 6.875

In the final assessment of this article, the Coachman outclasses his two counterparts in the very limited time he his given in the movie. We may not know too much about him, but he did leave an impression on us all as children (and even as adults). It's no shock that his character received a score that is dead-even with that of Snow White's witch (see the previous Villain Rater article).

All in all, Pinocchio's rogue's gallery improves over the course of the movie—as any great villain should. Honest John and Gideon aren't really anything exceptional, aside from being able to convince a wooden child to pursue stardom and a vacation, and sound damn exciting doing it. Stromboli is a step up from the fox and the cat, in motives, ability and overall character. Finally, the Coachman, for the few scenes he has, is probably the best villain in the movie, as his desires don't lie in the material, and his wickedness shows itself in a different, far more chilling way.

And for all those reading up until this point, it's probably obvious by now that the movie's final antagonist, the gargantuan whale, Monstro, will not be calculated here. The Disney Villain Rater is reserved only for those who deliberately commit villainous acts for their own benefit, or for some greater purpose they are somehow convinced of. Monstro is simply a mindless animal whom Pinocchio and Geppetto just happened to run afoul of. True, he was a fearful presence on screen, the climax of the film is centered around him, and Pinocchio's last acts of courage are made in the face of his terror, but Monstro has no motives to speak of. He has no personality, no ambitions, no known skills, and like all of the villains, his defeat is implied only (albeit much more so than the others). So, unfortunately for the film's only non-sentient antagonist, Monstro has no place here. Apologies for all those who hoped for him.

Thanks for joining me on another character profile. The next few films in Disney continuity don't feature too many worthwhile villains, so I'll have to skip ahead to 1949's The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad. That is a profile I sincerely look forward to writing . . . .

Thank you again for your time, and for your eyes.