Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After is a stage show at Walt Disney World’s Hollywood Studios. Taking over the Sunset Showcase, Unfairly Ever After debuted in late May of 2025 and has a runtime of just over 15 minutes. The name probably gave it away but the plot centers around different Disney villains and the Magic Mirror. In this post, we’ll review the new show and discuss whether it’s worth taking the time to see at Hollywood Studios.

While not explicitly about the show itself, what struck me first about Unfairly Ever After was the transformation of Sunset Showcase. The theater recently held Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy and was functional enough. Some of the screens used in that show were well done but the seating felt makeshift, with wooden benches throughout the theater.

There’s been a drastic makeover for Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After. Not only is the staging fantastic (more on that in a minute) but the seating is very comfortable and feels like a full-fledged theater. Not to look too far ahead, but this space could be used comfortably for a number of different things moving forward. Could that include MuppetVision 3D? Well, probably not but let me dream.

I was really impressed with what they did with Sunset Showcase and think it’s among the best theaters to sit in at WDW. That seems like a trivial prize but when you’re in the middle of a July afternoon at Hollywood Studios, you’ll think otherwise.

While we’re on the subject of preshow thoughts, the staging is the best part of Unfairly Ever After. The look is captivating, even before the show begins. The main stage has a screen backdrop but ample space for the actors to perform. Surrounding the main stage (or the giant preshow curtain) are around 20 other smaller screens. There’s definitely a joke here about wanting to keep people’s attention spans but I was too busy trying to look at all of the screens to make it.

Before the show begins, different eyes of villains pop into each screen. Once in a while a silhouette will do the same. It’s a fun little bit to keep the audience engage before Unfairly Ever After officially kicks off. The staging works really well throughout the show and is unique, compared to a typical setup. There’s certainly something to always look at.

Spending 5 paragraphs about the theater before diving into Unfairly Ever After might be a giveaway to some about my thoughts on the show. For as impressed as I was with the theater transformation, which again is exceptionally done, the actual show was not for me.

Unfairly Ever After starts off with the projected Magic Mirror singing an original song that sets up the premise of the show. He’s tired of villains always coming to him, complaining about how they are unfairly treated. The song is decent but not great, good enough to underscore the premise of the whole show. I didn’t love the visuals though and was eager to see a live actor.

Eventually, that came in the way of 3 villains – Cruella, Captain Hook and Maleficent. For their part, each actor did a tremendous job. They get one musical number apiece and then come together for the final act of Unfairly Ever After, where the crowd helps the Magic Mirror decide who is most mistreated. All 3 of the actors interacted with the screens to some degree, with a few bits working better than others. Captain Hook getting chased around the stage by a reappearing crocodile was my favorite of these.

When Cruella, Hook and Maleficent are on stage doing their thing, Unfairly Ever After might be a little flimsy but it works well enough. Audience interaction is highly encouraged and is seen when there are humans on stage. Where things fall apart is when the show relies on the screens and projections. While the stage looks incredible, those moments in the actual show with prerecorded dialogue fell flat.

There’s a particular bit with Hades and Jafar appearing on the screens. I can’t speak to how they were actually recorded and there’s a strong chance that human actors were portraying them, but the styling makes it look as if they are the bad AI-created characters that your friends have been sending you as a joke. I found that pretty distracting, with a number of villains popping up with that same styling while being paired with classically animated characters.

My other complaint is that Unfairly Ever After devolves into a ‘everybody scream for your favorite villain’ show. Notably, I am nowhere near the target audience for that. While the concept of the show might be interesting, within a few minutes it felt like a thinly veiled attempt to have a villain popularity contest. A villain popularity contest could be a good time, don’t get me wrong. But with only three human actors, the show doesn’t have enough depth to pull it off.

I wouldn’t call Unfairly Ever After downright bad. Again, I recognize that I’m not the target audience for this particular show. Go in with the expectation that you’re there to watch a cool stage design and 3 villains each sing a song and you’ll probably have a good time! There’s some great stage tricks and who doesn’t want to see a mid-song Cruella wardrobe change?? But expecting a full on stage production with a plot is asking a little too much for this show.

That leads me to whether Unfairly Ever After is worth your time in a Hollywood Studios day. As usual, I can’t give a straight yes or no. If your (or a family member’s) favorite villain is Cruella, Hook or Maleficent then give it a shot! If the weather is extreme in one way or another, then this is a great break.

But Unfairly Ever After is nowhere near as good as the redone Little Mermaid show (review coming soon). I’d also put it behind the Stunt Spectacular, Beauty and the Beast and a few other entertainment options in Hollywood Studios. Prioritize those first, and then if there’s time, and you need a sitting break, then Unfairly Ever After would be a fine way to spend 20 minutes.

What do you think of Unfairly Ever After? Let us know your thoughts or any questions you might have in the comments below. Planning a trip to Walt Disney World? Check out our Disney World Trip Planning Guide to help you out. Looking for discount tickets? Check out this site! If you enjoy what you are reading here on Wandering in Disney please share this post with your friends, as well as like our social media pages. You can also subscribe to the blog via WordPress or email. All of those links are on the right side of this page. Thank you for reading, we really appreciate it!