Disney Villains Tarot Deck and Guidebook by Minerva Siegel and Ellie Goldwine

The holidays are being VERY good to us tarot deck collectors. The Disney Villains Tarot Deck and Guidebook is from the same company and author that published Jim Henson’s Labyrinth Tarot Deck and Guidebook. This publishing company has had hits and misses with their decks and this one is a hit.

For some Tarot 101 check out this review which explains terms like “Major Arcana” and “Court cards.”

This deck has gorgeous Disney-style artwork by Ellie Goldwine in a palette that includes a lot of lush purple and green. The Major Arcana consists almost entirely of images of major Disney villains, although a few objects show up.

If you are going to make a Disney deck, I suppose you pretty much have to use a spinning wheel for Wheel of Fortune, or people might riot. In that vein, OF COURSE Dr. Facilier is The Magician and Cruella careening down mountains in her wacky car is The Chariot. The matches all feel just right. Often when a deck is based on a franchise, I have quibbles with which card best suits which character, but this deck has no such disconnects. It’s such a satisfying feeling when all the pieces are in the right place.

The suits in this deck are Wands, Coins, Swords, and Cups, and all of the cards, including the pips (number cards) are fully illustrated. All of the Minor Arcana (the Court cards and number cards) feature a mix of villains, sidekicks, and objects. If I were to change anything about this deck, I would have more consistent themes across the Minor Arcana. However, I was happy to see some imaginative illustrations happening here.

While the art is divine, the actual physical cards are flimsy. They feel good in the hand and shuffle beautifully but after only a few uses my deck already looks a little bent around the middle. I don’t think these cards would hold up to a lot of wear and tear.

The deck comes with a guidebook that includes meanings for reversals. It also includes a few suggested layouts: “The Poisoned Apple”, “The Diamond in the Rough” and “Ursula’s Cauldron.” They are fun yet thoughtful layouts.

Here’s what happened when I used “Diamond in the Rough” to help me ascertain how I can get through December without driving myself or my family insane:

Card #1. In the Rough. In the Rough describes one’s present state. I pulled the Reversed Hermit, represented in this deck by Michael Yagoobian from Meet the Robinsons. In context, I interpret that as meaning that I’ve been getting out a lot more and setting up dates to see people in December.

Card #2, The Polish, shows where one needs to focus one’s attention in order to grow. I have the 7 of Coins, represented by Scar from The Lion King enjoying some well-deserved Hyena tributes. Traditionally the 7 of Coins means that the querent is looking at their accomplishments with pride, but in this deck the emphasis is more on realizing how much time it takes to become successful and the importance of long-term planning (“Be Prepared”). I’m thinking that this indicates that I need to enjoy the relationships I’ve cultivated and pace myself so I don’t crash.

Also I should toss my enemies off of cliffs, which goes without saying, because healthy boundaries are important, especially during The Holidays.

Card #3: The Diamond represents how I will be transformed if I implement Card #2. I have the X of Wands with the disguised Evil Queen from Snow White. If I learn to set boundaries, focus on my successes, and dispose of my enemies, I will (hopefully) learn to let go of some of the things I carry around. Or at a minimum I’ll develop an awesome cackle.

Fun fact: I did a layout, decided I hadn’t shuffled enough, shuffled a bunch of times, and redid the whole thing, and both times I pulled VII of Coins for The Polish. Geez, Deck, I get it already.

This is a fun deck to use and as you can see from my sample reading it has some great advice to give. Just that fact that it’s all villains lets me loosen up a little since a lot of my issues come with wanting to resolve/prevent conflict and make everyone happy cough*codependent*cough.

In collecting decks, I try to have a purpose for each deck. I want each deck that I have to give me a significantly different perspective than my other decks. That really came through as I dabbled in villainy. It allowed me to set my codependency aside and read just for myself with no one else’s needs between me and the cards. As Ursula says in The Little Mermaid, “Life’s full of tough choices, isn’t it?” I shall enjoy getting advice from a deck full of untrustworthy people and then doing what I wanted to do along!

You can find The Disney Villains Tarot Deck at many online retailers!