Wes's Top 20 Disney Villains (20-11)

Don’t worry my articles on Grimm will continue in due course. In the meantime, I’ve been on a bit of Disney kick lately and I figured now was as good a time as any to finally work on a list I’ve been sitting on for years now. Arguably one of the most memorable aspects of a Disney Movie is often the villain. Even some of the most mediocre entries in the Disney canon can be saved if the film possesses an entertaining antagonist. Lately, it seems that Disney villains seem to be losing some of their edge. While the storytelling can be said to have been improved over time, that seems to have come at the expense of the classic Disney Villain archetype. While not every Disney film needs a great villain to be great, (case in point, my favorite Disney Movie is A Goofy Movie which doesn’t even really have a villain) I still feel we should pay homage to the over-the-top cartoony mustache twirling villains of old. So today, I’ll be counting down my Top 20 Disney Villains. That’s right, 20. The Disney Rogue’s gallery is simply too big for a mere 10. Keep in mind, like my other lists, this is my opinion. You may not see your favorite on this list or may take issue with one character being placed lower or higher than you may like. That’s all Well and Good, but this is my list. In any case, let’s get started.

20. Zira from The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride

Zira holds a unique distinction on this list, being that she’s the only villain from one of the direct to video Disney sequels to make the list. While those movies have quite the negative reputation (often times deservedly so), all things considered Lion King II isn’t all that bad. It seems that in the time since the events of the first film, a faction of lions who were loyal to Scar have broken off from Simba’s pride and struck out on their own. Zira, the leader of the outsiders and one of Scar’s most loyal devotee’s, has sworn a bloody revenge against Simba and has spent years planning a coup. What puts Zira on this list is just how insane she is. She literally sings a song about how the thought of Simba dying and his family writhing in pain is the only thing that helps her sleep at night. Zira is voiced by the late Suzanne Pleshette, who really sells Zira’s cunning side as well as the unbridled rage just beneath the surface. To Zira, everyone around her, including her own children, are either enemies to be destroyed or pawns to manipulate in service of her vendetta against Simba. Cold, calculating, manipulative and psychotic, Zira is one bad kitty you don’t want to mess with.

19. Hopper from A Bug’s Life

Let’s address the elephant beetle in the room, Hopper is voiced by Kevin Spacey, who in the years since bringing this bad bug to life has proven himself to be more evil and depraved than any villain on this list. When I praise the effectiveness of Hopper as a villain, it is directed at the character, not the man behind it. That having been said, let’s talk about Hopper. Hopper is the cruel leader of a gang of grasshoppers apparently running a protection racket of sorts on a colony of ants. While getting a cut of the food the ants gather for their annual harvest is nice, Hopper is less concerned about food and more concerned with keeping the ants under his thumb. Obsessed with being in control through inspiring fear in those he perceives as beneath him, Hopper will happily bully, intimidate, maim and even kill in order to keep his place on top. Every time Hopper enters a room, the mood seems to change and the fear he inspires takes over. If you weren’t afraid of grasshoppers before, Hopper here will change that in a hurry.

18. The Evil Queen from Snow White and The Seven Dwarves

Though I have my misgivings with the Disney Princess formula, I’ve always had a soft spot for this film. Not only was it the first and therefore one of the most significant animated Disney films ever made, it’s also a movie I personally grew up with and I still can't help but get all nostalgic at certain scenes. The Queen herself is considered one of the most classic Disney villains and it’s not hard to see why. One of the first things she does in the movie is hire the Huntsman to cut out the heart of her stepdaughter simply because she cannot abide someone prettier than her. That in and of itself is pretty messed up. When she realizes the Huntsman duped her and spared the young princess because he’s not an unfeeling monster like her, the Queen takes matters into her own hands, transforming into a hideous old hag and tricking Snow White into biting the poisoned apple. And that more than anything is what puts The Queen here on the list. She accomplishes what no villain on this entire list manages to accomplish and actually succeeds in killing the main protagonist. True, Snow White is nowhere near as formidable as say Hercules or Simba and Prince Necrophiliac shows up in the end and undoes everything, but that doesn’t change the fact that the Queen manages accomplish her goal of killing Snow White. One of the classic OG Disney Villainesses, The Queen more than deserves a spot on this list.

17. Shere Khan from The Jungle Book

Fun fact about The Jungle Book. It was actually the last animated movie that Walt Disney himself was personally involved in. While the songs and characters are all memorable, I’ll be honest, the film itself, in my opinion, has not withstood the test of time very well. It’s often repetitive, unfocused and struggles to find its plot, hence why this is the rare case in which I prefer the live action remake. In any case, whichever version you prefer, Shere Khan is one nasty customer. Whether he’s voiced by George Sanders or Idris Elba, Shere Khan’s game is always that of intimidation. Everyone in the jungle is terrified of him, and he not only knows it, he loves it. Beneath that sophisticated British accent, Shere Khan is a bully and thug who will pick on anyone smaller or weaker than him just for his own amusement. So sure is he of his own frightful aura that when Mowgli says he’s not afraid of him, Shere Khan reacts with utter shock than anyone could possibly see him coming and not insticively run away in terror. Where Khan loses points is his defeat in the animated version. Despite all the buildup to him, the big nasty tiger kind of goes out like a punk, running away screaming with his tail on fire. Fortunately, the live action film gives Shere Khan a much better climactic confrontation and a more epic defeat. But either way, I certainly wouldn’t want to be in any jungle where Shere Khan is lurking in the shadows.

16. Yokai from Big Hero 6

I absolutely love Big Hero 6 and so should you. In many ways, it takes the done to death superhero origin story formula and manages to add to it in many unique ways. Originally, I wasn’t planning to put Yokai here on the list, but after recently re-watching Big Hero 6, I feel he truly belongs here. Yokai definitely has one of the coolest designs of any Disney villain. Sporting a long coat and dressed completely in black save for a creepy kabuki mask, he’s one menacing customer right off the bat. Initially, Yokai is a character shrouded in mystery. All we really know is that he stole the microbots Hiro invented and is using them for evil and in all likelihood, he started the fire that killed Hiro's brother. Later, after his identity and motivations are revealed, we learn that he actually has much in common with Hiro, the film’s protagonist. Both are motivated by a strong need for vengeance brought about by the pain of loss. However, while Hiro is eventually able to confront his pain and let go of his need for vengeance, Yokai sadly cannot do the same, making his fall to darkness all the more tragic. Yokai, also known as Professor Callaghan, is voiced James Cromwell, who Star Trek fans will remember as Zefram Cochrane from First Contact, and he does a great making the character sound less like a typical supervillain and more like a man who’s lost all that once mattered to him and only has vengeance left. While certainly not the typical evil for evil’s sake bad guy of the classic Disney villain lineup, Yokai still has a place among the best of the worst.

15. Ursula from The Little Mermaid

So, I have a confession to make. I hate this movie. In fact, I really hate this movie. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a movie in my life that irks me quite the way that this one does. The whole movie is about some ginger air-head who literally sells her soul to a tentacle monster for a vagina and a man she’s never met, and in the end she gets exactly what she wants and no lessons are learned. All the movie really has going for it in my humble opinion is an enjoyable reggae number and a half-way decent villain. Voiced by the talented Pat Carroll and modeled after famous Drag Queen, Divine, Ursula is sort of an underwater Lucifer figure, making deals to make dreams come true, but only at a price. If that price cannot be paid, the victim becomes just another twisted slime creature in her lair. When Princess Ariel swims into her grotto, the opportunistic Sea Witch sees her chance to finally take over Triton’s Kingdom, manipulating the impressionable young mermaid into a position where the King would be forced to surrender his power to her. Even I have to admit, the climactic battle with the gigantic Ursula at the end is pretty scary, especially for a kids movie. Manipulative, opportunistic, cruel and evil to the core, Ursula definitely deserves to be recognized as one of the classic Disney villains.

14. Cruella De Vil from 101 Dalmations

It’s admittedly been a while since I’ve watched 101 Dalmations, but I certainly remember this scary lady. If the phrase “Fur Is Murder” somehow took human form, it would look a lot like Cruella De Vil. I mean, just the mere fact that her entire goal involves horrible slaughtering and subsequently skinning adorable little puppy-dogs just so she can add another fur coat to her collection already makes her scary enough. I mean, seriously, who goes to this kind of sadistic extreme just to make a fashion statement? Everything about Cruella just screams evil. Her creepy, slender form, the fact that she’s constantly smoking, her fits of outrage towards her minions, and of course, her insane disregard for traffic laws. Speaking as someone who’s been in a car accident, I have a hard time watching Cruella drive like maniac and not getting some disquieting flashbacks. And that’s not even factoring in the terrifying facial expressions she makes behind the wheel. Whoever animated Cruella really outdid themselves with that one. What else is there to say about Cruella De Vil except, if she doesn’t scare you, no evil thing will.

13. Lyle Rourke from Atlantis the Lost Empire

Atlantis can best be described as Disney’s most beloved failure. While it didn’t do very well upon release, it nonetheless gained a cult following over time. Personally, I find the movie to be flawed, but overall still enjoyable. However, it does have a pretty interesting antagonist. Rourke actually doesn’t start off as the bad guy. In fact, when we first meet him, he seems like a pretty good guy and a competent leader for the Atlantis Expedition. It isn’t until the end of the film where Rourke shows his true colors, making him one of the earliest examples of the Surprise Disney Villain trope that’s all over the place these days and everyone assumes started with Frozen. A line that really encapsulates how evil Rourke is actually comes before his big heel turn. When Rourke’s second in command expresses surprise that there are people living in Atlantis she believes that it changes everything. Rourke callously responds, “This Changes Nothing.” In reality, Rourke’s only true motivations are the pursuit of money and power, and if an entire civilization must die in order for him to acquire it, so be it, and if any of his allies try to stand in his way, that’s their mistake. He’s a cold blooded mercenary who murders the King of Atlantis in Cold Blood and makes off with the crystal keeping the people of the lost Empire alive. Fittingly, Rourke’s greed proves his undoing as the very crystal he plans to sell for millions of dollars ends up destroying him in a surprisingly gruesome fashion. Still, while not often appearing on lists of this nature, Rourke still is one of the most evil Disney Villains in the bunch.

12. The Headless Horseman from The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad

I re-watched this movie fairly recently around Halloween, and I have to say, it’s pretty awesome. It’s split into two segments, the first being The Wind and The Willows which is a lot of fun, but the real main event is the segment based on The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving. The animation holds up remarkably well even seventy plus years later, Bing Crosby’s narration, which one normally wouldn’t associate with a Ghost Story, surprisingly works very well, The Songs are all great and of course, the grand finale is one of the scariest Disney has ever produced. Speaking of, that’s where The Horseman comes in. Unlike the other villains on this list, this guy is not a constant presence in the film and does not speak. Instead, he relies almost entirely on atmosphere. After Brom Bones sings a surprisingly fun song hyping up the Headless Horseman, an already very on edge Ichabod Crane travels through the haunted forest. The buildup to the Horseman is insane, with some appropriately creepy visuals and sounds making sure your heart is pounding well before the Horseman makes his grand entrance. Trees look like spectral shapes, the clouds appear as hands engulfing the moon, toads croak the Horseman’s name, crows screech cries of beware and all the while Ichabod is justifiably terrified. After a brief comedic moment, likely to lull the audience into a false sense of security, the Headless Horseman is heard laughing and finally makes his presence known. And after all that buildup, ol’ Headless does not disappoint as the chase scene that ensues is one of the best climaxes one can find in a classic Disney film. Watch the backgrounds closely and note how they shift red anytime the Horseman is one screen. That’s some great animation. While he’s not a traditional Disney villain, The Headless Horseman nonetheless makes a hell of an impression and is remembered as one of the scariest things in any Disney movie.

11. Jafar from Aladdin

We close out the first half of the list with one of the true all time great bad guys of Disney’s history. Aladdin, if you don’t know, is a film that holds a very special place in my heart since it was the first movie I have memories of seeing in theatres. To this day, it’s a movie that's guaranteed to lift my spirits any time I turn it on, and I’m sure that’s true for a lot of Disney nerds like myself. And of course, this Disney classic comes with one excellent villain. With a tall, slender frame, a deep intimidating voice and evil schemes as twisted as his curly beard, Jafar is one nasty customer. Jafar’s motivation comes from a hatred of always being second, always having to answer to the Sultan instead of ruling Agrabah himself. Jafar is willing to try all sorts of dirty tricks to seize powers such as manipulation, seduction and even hypnotism. However, when he finds a means to access the Cave of Wonders, said to hold a magical genie lamp, Jafar thinks he’s found the answer. Instead, he ends up creating his greatest rival when Aladdin gets ahold of the Genie. That has to be frustrating. However, when Jafar eventually gets his bony hands on the lamp, he wastes no time wishing himself the most powerful sorcerer in the world. And once he has that power, he certainly finds some disturbing ways to use it. He forces the former Sultan to act as his court jester, the forces Princess Jasmine to perform for his pleasure and banishes Aladdin to the ends of the earth. Worse yet, when Aladdin finally returns to confront him, he pulls some even scarier tricks, transforming into a terrifying giant cobra. Ultimately, it’s Jafar’s obsession with being second to no one that proves his undoing, wishing himself into a genie with phenomenal cosmic powers, and an itty-bitty living space. Still, there’s a reason that Jafar is often seen among the all-time great Disney villains, always ready to show his foes how snake-like he can be.

That’s all for now, but join me real soon as we count off the Top Ten. See you later!