The Goons are a simple-minded race of orc-like creatures (many of them resembling pigs, vultures, and lizards) that serve as Maleficent's minions and major antagonists in Disney's 1959 animated feature film, Sleeping Beauty.
The Goons are instructed to find Princess Aurora over the next sixteen years, but due to their stupidity, they end up looking for a baby the whole time. Maleficent learns this sixteen years after the beginning of the search. Enraged at their incompetence, Maleficent, after briefly entering hysteria over the stupidity, then brutally attacks them with dark magic. Later on, they, under Maleficent's orders, lay in wait for Prince Phillip, deducing he was the only one capable of lifting her curse. As soon as he arrived to visit Aurora (or as he knew her to be, Briar Rose), they then ambushed, beat him down, and tied him up before being ordered by Maleficent to depart with them after briefly taunting him. They take him to the Forbidden Mountains to hold him captive so that he would not be able to awaken Aurora from her sleep. As Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather arrive and free Phillip, Diablo and the Goons attempt to stop them in their tracks. However, due to the fairies' magic, their weapons were transformed into harmless entities. It is unknown what happened to them after Maleficent's death and Princess Aurora's awakening from the spell.
The Goons are seen crossing past Eddie Valiant in the Maroon Cartoon studio lot in the beginning scene of the film. Another one can also be glimpsed in the crowd of Toons during the second-to-last shot of the film's finale.
The Goons were cameo characters in the show, mostly appearing in crowd scenes. Their most notable appearance is in the episode "Halloween with Hades", where Hades sees them being scolded by Maleficent, who strikes them with her staff, sending them back to the castle. They are also present in Mickey's House of Villains.
Maleficent's goons make an appearance in Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep. While Ventus and Aqua explore the Enchanted Dominion, they are seen to guard their mistress's castle with their lives. They are first seen in Ventus's scenario when he rushes at them when they guard the hall housing Aurora's, captive heart. When Aqua is helping Prince Phillip escape, hundreds of goons came to stop them, but none were successful.
After the events of the game, they are never seen again in other games of the continuity. This is largely because Maleficent learned to summon and control the much more powerful Heartless, and thus favored them instead of her previous servants, leaving them to their own endeavors in the Enchanted Dominion.
In this Italian Donald Duck story, Hazel punishes Donald for being lazy by sending him back in a time of 1500 years. In the past, he encounters the evil wizard Basilisco, who apparently uses the Goons as henchmen. As Basilisco is at the end of the story defeated, and the story seems to take place earlier than the motion picture, it remains possible that after their former master's demise, they were eventually recruited by Maleficent as minions.
Santa's Christmas Crisis[]
In this 1970 Christmas comic-strip serial, one of the goons (one with stringy black hair, a pig snout, and no tusk) discovers the Christmas spirit and, realizing the error of his ways, decides to leave Maleficent's service. Knowing that the inhabitants of Sleeping Beauty's kingdom would fear him, he instead seeks out Santa Claus and offers to become his minion (as being a henchman is all he's good at). Santa has him guard his reindeer, which comes in handy when Maleficent sends Diablo to deliver them poisoned food to ruin Christmas — a trick that fails thanks to the Goon immediately recognizing Diablo.
Goons can be seen within the Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough, with a hallway on the uppermost level having them lurk behind a set of doors and occasionally jumping into view. In the original 1955 installation, guests could peek into the doors to see them staring back by way of small mirrors reflecting a guest's eyes. However, the popularity of this gag caused traffic issues and they were covered up for decades with the figures being rediscovered during the creation of the 2008 reimagining.
At the Magic Kingdom, the Goons are enemies in the game Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom. Here, Maleficent is revived from the dead by Hades and rallies together her minions to stop the park guests from foiling her plans. The pig-like Goon battles the guests at the start of the mission but is soon defeated.
In Tokyo Disneyland, the Goons are featured during the villains' segment of One Man's Dream II: The Magic Lives On!. Goons were also featured in the former Cinderella Castle Mystery Tour attraction.
Gallery[]
Disney Fanon Wiki has a collection of images and media related to Maleficent's Goons.
Trivia[]
In Sleeping Beauty, they were voiced by the late Candy Candido, the late Pinto Colvig, and the late Bob Amsberry (who died in a tragic car accident in 1957, making this film his final film role and released two years after his death).
On INDUCKS, their appearance in Paperin Furioso is strangely missed with an appearance of the Evil Dwarfs from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs comics.
During the scene where the goons ambush Prince Phillip at Aurora's cottage, some of the goons make the exact same gibberish sounds as the ants from the Donald Duck cartoons "Tea for Two Hundred" and "Uncle Donald's Ants", which are reused audio from both cartoons. Co-incidentally, the ants were also voiced by Pinto Colvig, much like those goons themselves.
Television:House of Mouse • Once Upon a Time • Once Upon a Time in Wonderland • Sofia the First Video Games:Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep • Disney INFINITY • Maleficent Free Fall • Disney INFINITY: 2.0 Edition Books:My Side of the Story: Sleeping Beauty/Maleficent • The Curse of Maleficent: The Tale of a Sleeping Beauty • Once Upon a Dream: From Perrault's Sleeping Beauty to Disney's Maleficent • Mistress of All Evil: A Tale of the Dark Fairy • Disney Princess Beginnings Music:The Legacy Collection: Sleeping Beauty • Maleficent • Maleficent: Mistress of Evil
Maleficent:Forest Army • King Henry • King Henry's Army • Fairies Maleficent: Mistress of Evil:Queen Ingrith • Conall • Borra • Gerda • Dark Fey Deleted Characters:Vulture
Season One: "The Stolen Cartoons" • "Big Bad Wolf Daddy" • "The Three Caballeros" • "Goofy's Valentine Date" • "Unplugged Club" • "Timon and Pumbaa" • "Gone Goofy" • "Jiminy Cricket" • "Rent Day" • "Donald's Lamp Trade" • "Donald's Pumbaa Prank" • "Thanks to Minnie" • "Pluto Saves the Day"
Season Two: "Daisy's Debut" • "Goofy for a Day" • "Clarabelle's Big Secret" • "The Mouse Who Came to Dinner" • "Max's New Car" • "Not So Goofy" • "Everybody Loves Mickey" • "Max's Embarrassing Date" • "Where's Minnie?" • "Super Goof" • "King Larry Swings In" • "Ladies' Night" • "Dennis the Duck" Season Three: "Suddenly Hades" • "Pete's One-Man Show" • "House of Crime" • "Mickey and Minnie's Big Vacation" • "Donald and the Aracuan Bird" • "Goofy's Menu Magic" • "Music Day" • "House of Scrooge" • "Donald Wants to Fly" • "Dining Goofy" • "Chip 'n' Dale" • "Humphrey in the House" • "Ask Von Drake" • "Salute to Sports" • "Pluto vs. Figaro" • "House of Magic" • "Mickey vs. Shelby" • "House of Turkey" • "Clarabelle's Christmas List" • "Pete's Christmas Caper" • "Snow Day" • "Pete's House of Villains" • "Halloween With Hades" • "House Ghosts" • "House of Genius" • "Mickey and the Culture Clash"
Original Worlds:Destiny Islands • Traverse Town • Radiant Garden/Hollow Bastion • Disney Castle/Disney Town/Timeless River • Dive to the Heart • End of the World • Realm of Darkness • Twilight Town/Mysterious Tower • The World That Never Was • Castle That Never Was • Land of Departure/Castle Oblivion • Keyblade Graveyard • Daybreak Town/Scala ad Caelum
