Snow White, Disney’s latest “reimagining,” releases this week, so with that on the mind, our writers got together to rank the top 15 animated Disney villains! Let us know your favorites @SiftPop!
We’re starting the ranking with the reason we did it in the first place. The evil queen as a concept is a fixture in classic literature for a reason. So it makes sense that Disney started their animated features leaning on the classic Grimm fairy tales that would continue to bear fruit for the studio as it progressed. In bringing this particular Evil Queen to life, Lucille La Verne (uncredited) perfectly executes the dual assignment of both Evil Queen jealous of the beauty of Disney’s first princess, Snow White (Adriana Caselotti), and the more magically aged Witch. It’s pretty one-note terrifying, but it works well for the simple story. Is the Evil Queen the best in the pantheon of Disney animated villains? No, but it’s an impressive first entry that laid the groundwork for many villains that would follow behind her. (Jake Bourgeois)
“A genius twisted for evil. The Napoleon of crime! Not a corner of London is safe while Ratigan is at large. There’s no evil scheme he wouldn’t concoct. No depravity he wouldn’t commit.” Well, Basil (Barrie Ingham), you’re not wrong! Professor Ratigan (Vincent Price) is prepared in his plotting, deadly in his depravity, and frightening in his ferocity to eliminate Basil and take over the throne of all Mousedom. No other Disney villain has ever disposed of his own deviant minions in as a casual a manner as Ratigan, when he tosses a flightless Fidget (Candy Candido) overboard the flying machine, or leads Bartholomew (also Ingham) to the awaiting jaws of a ravenous Felicia. Ratigan’s vendetta to end the life of Basil runs so deep, he not only writes, but records a celebratory death dirge to play during an elaborately planned demise via virulent Rube Goldberg murder machine. A criminal so callous he orders the most menacing-looking of lackeys (a peg legged bat) to abduct Olivia Flaversham’s (Susanne Pollatschek) father right in front of her, leaving her frightened, alone, and wandering the streets of London… at night. Evil and eloquent, devious yet dapper, calculated and cunning — all this makes Ratigan the ultimate Disney villain, and it is no wonder. He is the world’s greatest criminal… well… you know. (Patrice Downing)
Everybody had a favorite animal as a kid. Mine was a tiger. Now, while that was mostly because of Calvin & Hobbes, it made all tigers pretty cool. Shere Khan was no exception. He may not have the most screen time of any Disney villain, but that’s part of what makes him absolutely terrifying. Long before the audience sees him, the terror that the name strikes in the other animals of the jungle has us on edge — particularly since he poses a specific danger to Mowgli (Bruce Reitherman). When he does finally arrive, George Sanders’ perfect voice performance drips equal parts sophisticated arrogance and menace. It’s a classic Disney villain that’s up to the terrifying task. (Jake Bourgeois)
Passionate. Tiny. Driven solely by a vendetta over an unjust firing due to her age. In a different movie, this might be the description of our protagonist. But Yzma is no hero. Against the young and naive Emperor Kuzko (David Spade), she makes a perfect foil as the wise and past-her-prime hanger-on. Played with all the frills and pageantry, the legendary Eartha Kitt is absolute dynamite in The Emperor’s New Groove. Contrasted against her character’s bony and slight frame, Kitt’s powerful and shrill voice makes her truly memorable. When you toss in some of that early 2000s quirky humor and bonkers script, you have a top-tier Disney villain. (Samuel Nichols)
Mother Gothel’s (Donna Murphy) descent into becoming a villain is altogether an interesting one. At first, her actions seem relatively harmless; she uses a flower to maintain a youthful appearance. It’s not a good thing to do, but it does not harm anyone. Even when the flower is given to the queen and its power is transferred to the hair of the baby she gives birth to, Gothel’s initial plan is to take a lock of the child’s hair. It’s only once she sees that the hair loses its power when cut that she realizes the only way to retain the youthful looks she’s now had for centuries is to kidnap the child and raise her as her own. After performing this ritual for centuries, Gothel cannot comprehend the idea of not being youthful; if she has to kidnap a child, lie to them, and keep isolated their whole life for that to happen still, that’s what she has to do. Years later, she fully embraces this deceitful plan, leading Rapunzel to believe she is a loving mother who protects her by not allowing her to leave the tower where they live. Her defeat is also pretty satisfying, as she ages rapidly, turns to dust, and falls from the tower where she imprisoned Rapunzel; at the end, there isn’t even a body left to bury. (John Tillyard)
There are no villains who fight like Gaston. None douse lights like Gaston. And obviously, none are quite as manly as Gaston. He is roughly the size of a barge, with plenty of biceps to spare. But in all seriousness, Gaston (Richard White) is truly one of Disney’s most iconic villains. Beauty and the Beast is an all-time classic film, and from the start, you know its villain had to be someone truly special. Luckily, Gaston is exactly that. He is indeed a specimen, and is very intimidating. Arrogant, bold, brash, and self-centered, Gaston makes for such an iconic antagonist who pines for the lovely Belle, while never truly valuing her for who she really is. The selfishness. The ego. The overall elevated perspective of himself. Gaston will do all kinds of terrible things to get what he wants. Downright dastardly. His deep, burly voice does wonders when it comes to singing one of the best villain songs around… all about just how great he really is, of course. (Shane Conto)
Brought to life by the velvety voice of Keith David, The Princess and the Frog’s Dr. Facilier is without a doubt the greatest Disney villain introduced this century. Smooth-talking and sinister, Dr. Facilier is a witch doctor from New Orleans with purple tailcoat, a skull-and-crossbones top hat, and a few tricks up his sleeve. His use of voodoo magic and mischievous scheming would be enough to solidify him as a compelling villain, but we all know that to be one of the all-time great Disney villains, it helps to have an all-time great Disney villain song. “Poor Unfortunate Souls” and “Be Prepared” be darned, because “Friends on the Other Side” might just be the greatest villain song across Disney’s entire catalogue. Though The Princess and the Frog may always be an underrated Disney film, Dr. Facilier and his killer musical number stand tall as the elements of the film whose quality remains undeniable. (Foster Harlfinger)
One of Disney’s more dour and upsetting animated features, The Hunchback of Notre Dame is both a story about loving yourself for who you are and a historically-based drama about (of all things) ethnic cleansing… but under the Disney sheen, it’s easy to miss the more horrifying aspects of the narrative behind the musical gloss and comic relief gargoyles. Looming above our protagonist, the titular hunchback Quasimodo (Tom Hulce), is Judge Claude Frollo, a clergyman who reluctantly takes in Quasimodo as a child and almost immediately puts him to work in the clock tower. Frollo, brought to life by the oddly comforting and simultaneously terrifying dulcet tones of Tony Jay, has the best song in the movie (“Hellfire”), filled with arresting visuals and haunting imagery. Very soon, Frollo’s true motivations become clear, and he becomes an even more sinister figure — in fact, he gets worse and worse until his inevitable comeuppance becomes a remarkably cathartic moment. Hunchback is one of my all-time favorite animated Disney films, and the imposing shadow Frollo casts over the film (like any good Disney villain should) is part of what makes it memorable. (Rowan Wood)
Easily the most sympathetic of the Disney villains, the loquacious, long-locked leader of the Neverland pirates, Captain Hook (Hans Conried) is determined in his endeavor to do only one thing: Destroy Peter Pan (Bobby Driscoll). While a villain with a vendetta is nothing new, in the case of Captain Hook, you can kinda see his point. Ever since losing his left hand to the Pan, Hook has been pursued by a doggedly persistent crocodile who is anxious to finish its meal following an amuse-bouche of decapitated digits. The anxiety of being eaten, added in with the mania of an already bloodthirsty pirate, make Captain Hook a formidable and fearsome adversary. The singleminded mission to end the life of Peter Pan has taken over as the only goal of Hook and his crew, guiding every dastardly decision he makes. Preoccupied and processed, this pirate with a plan is hell-bent on the assassination of a cocky adolescent, making him easily one of the most feared Disney villains. (Patrice Downing)
Aladdin has always been my favorite film from Disney’s renaissance era. Though I must admit that a large part of my love for the movie is tied to Robin William’s genie, and Howard Ashman, Alan Menken, and Tim Rice’s songs, I don’t think I’d have it ranked quite as highly as I do without Jafar’s (Jonathan Freeman) excellent villainy. In his role as the Sultan’s Grand Vizier, Jafar works from the shadows to accumulate influence and control, using whatever means he finds necessary to gain as much power as he can. However, he isn’t only a formidable challenge for our protagonists to face — he’s also a ton of fun to watch in his own right. He isn’t the flashiest villain in Disney’s repertoire, but Freeman still gets a few memorable opportunities to chew scenery and delight in his character’s wickedness, not to mention a great sidekick in the parrot Iago (Gilbert Gottfried). Although it’s a tragedy that Jafar doesn’t get a full villain song, his brief reprise of “Prince Ali”is a lot of fun, and a look at what could have been if he was given his own number. Though there are certainly villains on this list who may have higher highs, Jafar is solid across the board and will forever be one of my favorite Disney villains. (Jake Hjort)
When I was a kid, my mom would say she would turn into Ursula if I didn’t do what I was told. This terrified me because Ursula (Pat Carroll) is among the scarier-looking Disney villains. As an octopus and a witch, she can capture anyone close to her and still have enough arms to make a potion. “Pour Unfortunate Souls” is a banger of a song, and Ursula uses masterful manipulation skills to get Ariel to sign the contract. She’s also a villain who technically succeeds at her plans. Ariel doesn’t get Eric in the end, and Ursula turns getting Ariel’s soul into getting Triton’s crown and trident. That’s expert levels of bargaining in order to get something she truly wants. (Mike Hilty)
In One Hundred and One Dalmatians, Roger (Bill Lee) sings “The curl of her lips. The ice in her stare. All innocent children had better beware.” That goes double if you are a cute, cuddly canine pup. The visual creation of one of Walt Disney’s legendary nine old men, animator Marc Davis brings the fiendish and fashionable icon of evil to life on screen in Cruella De Vil. Voiced by Betty Lou Gerson, every word that drips from Cruella’s forked tongue is enveloped in evil intent. As if owning a closet full of furs wasn’t bad enough, this femme fatale has a passion for purloined pelts, and will stop at nothing to secure the fur necessary to satisfy her desire to be draped in spots. Her determination to acquire her heart’s desire regardless of injury to herself and others is what makes Cruella one of the most lethal of the Disney villains. “The world was such a wholesome place until… Cruella De Vil.” (Patrice Downing)
In high school, I wondered why Greek mythology was my favorite subject, but upon rewatching Hercules, I understood why. The 1997 movie tells the stories of Hercules in a musical way, with great animation to boot. And despite James Woods being a horrible person, Hades is still one of Disney’s best villains. Hades isn’t one of the more talked about villains of the Disney world, but with the live-action remake still in development, here’s to hoping we can get an iconic actor to bring this iconic character to life. (Austen Terry)
Honestly… what kind of a villain curses a BABY??? This is the question that my oldest daughter asked when she first saw Sleeping Beauty. Cursing a baby to spite a kingdom because she wasn’t invited to a party seems extreme. But for someone named Maleficent (Eleanor Audley), which means causing harm or destruction, especially by supernatural means, this feels exceedingly cruel. Also, credit where credit is due: She actually succeeds in fulfilling her plan. Not very many Disney villains can say that they were able to successfully pull off their evil deed. Between cursing a baby and being able to turn into a dragon to prevent Phillip (Bill Shirley) from getting to Aurora (Mary Costa), Maleficent is as wicked as they come. For someone to try and get in the way of having Aurora be awoken and to prevent the central theme of the movie from being fulfilled, true love conquers all. Maleficent is in a category all her own. (Mike Hilty)
When you look at the other Disney villains on this list, none of them could say that they successfully pulled of a coup of the kingdom, got rid of the heir apparent, and killed their king/brother in a day. Scar is one of those scary villains who makes you wonder why he is the way that he is. What on Earth could Mufasa (James Earl Jones) have done that made him despise him so much? The Lion King, heavily influenced by Hamlet, only works as a story because Scar is so diabolical that the audience cannot find anything redeeming. His song “Be Prepared” feels eerily like some of those videos of dictators who used an army of loyally gullible henchmen. Jeremy Irons brings this character to life with such vigor and gravity that you can’t help but get chills any time he makes his way on screen. Villains don’t get much worse than Scar. He couldn’t even keep the Pride Lands afloat. He literally destroyed everything around him. Land, family, and kingdom, Scar manages to wreck them all. (Mike Hilty)