The 10 Best Disney Villains of All Time
Just in time to celebrate Halloween, we’ve compiled this list of the best all around Disney villains to celebrate the season.
#10 Mother Gothel
Starting this list out, we have Mother Gothel. Gothel is a particularly sinister villain because of the closeness she has with Rapunzel. It’s pretty crazy that she would be so twisted and evil that she would be willing to keep Rapunzel captive just to harvest her for her hair.
That’s nuts.
But she’s got some great singing skills and definitely fits the bill for that right mix of love to hate that makes a great Disney Villain.
#9 Frollo – Hunchback of Notre Dam
Hunchback is totally underrated, as is Demi Moore’s contribution as Esmerelda. Speaking of Esmerelda, she’s the thing that drives Frollo crazy enough to kill. And that’s why Frollo makes this list. While he’s certainly not a likeable character, he sure is believable – driven by his own twisted sense of justice and goodness, he carries out incredibly evil plans with a determination that is unparalleled by any other villain on this list.
Also, he keeps poor Quasi alone in a tower all his life, and convinces him he’s a monster for no reason. The dude is evil.
#8 Cruella de Ville – 101 Dalmations
Cruella’s evil lies in how unnecessary it is. Unlike other characters who are driven by an intense need or desire, Cruella just wants to get puppies so she can turn them into a coat. She appears to be a sort of rich aristocrat with nothing better to do than to plot her evil desires.
While as a villain she may lack some nuance, it’s pretty frightening what bored, rich people are capable of, and there are few things more sinister or debased than killing puppies for fur (even writing that feels wrong).
#7 Scar – The Lion King
Scar’s easily the best character in Lion King, and it helps he’s voiced by the iconic Jeremy Irons. Scar’s main pull and power as a villain is his ambition, and that ambition is willing to stop at nothing to gain him the throne at Pride Rock. However, he’s sort of a terrible leader, and his followers only follow him until something better comes along.
Still, easily one of the best and most memorable Disney Villains ever, and the fact that his name is based on his most defining attribute
#6 Hans – Frozen
Most Disney movies make it clear who the bad guy is mighty quick. However, in Frozen, we sort of think Elsa is the main antagonist of the story until we realize who really is.
And wait – it’s that prince charming fellow who swept Anna off her feet?
The twist in the story was so awesome that by now it’s sort of a cliche. But when you first realized prince charming was utterly debased and maniacal, you sort of couldn’t believe it.
#5 Gaston – Beauty and the Beast
Hell may hath no fury like a woman scorned, but the same can be said about Gaston. His main gripe that moves him and the movie forward is that he was slighted by Belle – the one woman in town who doesn’t pay him heed.
Gaston’s a great bad guy because he really ought to be the dashing hero. Only he’s not. And in life, ain’t that just the way? Of course, the character who looks the part of a monster is actually a big softie who likes to read books in his free time. Yeah, he’s got a bit of a temper, but who wouldn’t after years and years of being a beast?
Anyways, Gaston is a tremendous villain because he’s so tunnel focused and obtuse that we actually believe he would be capable of the crazy awful things he does.
#4 Hades – Hercules
We like Hades because he’s such a masterful strategist, and he can get really, really worked up. The best fun to be had in Hercules is watching Hades’s ups-and-downs as he attempts to take down the gods and instill himself as the supreme being in the universe.
Of course, it doesn’t work out for him. But that’s just par for the course as a Disney villain.
#3 Maleficent – Sleeping Beauty
Maleficent is a close followup to the Evil Queen. And while she’s just as evil and just as cruel (and a heck of a lot more powerful), she’s not really all that fleshed out as a villain. Why does she hate snow white? Because she didn’t get invited to a party? And she’s willing to go to great lengths for that sligth?
The Evil Queen is super vain and super jelouse, and we can relate and buy that. But Maleficent just seems evil to be evil, making her slightly less of a great villain.
Still, that moment where she mockingly shows Prince Phillip what his life and future look like after he’s rotted away in Prison is surprisingly dark and cruel for a cartoon, and maleficent is a quintessential villain.
#2 The Evil Queen – Snow White
The reason that we love the Evil Queen is because she’s just so…well…evil. For a movie as old as Snow White, it’s pretty incredible the sort of cruelty she manifests. Perhaps one of the best moments of the movie is when we see her transform her “beauty” into the guise of a hideous old hag. And yet, we get the feeling we’re just getting a glimpse at the uggliness that’s inside.
The Evil Queen may be the strongest villain of all time, but she’s certainly one of the meanest.
#1 Oogie Boogie – Nightmare Before Christmas
There’s a reason that the boogyman has an entire festival devoted to him at Disneyland California Adventure. Unlike most villains who you love to hate, Oogie Boogie you just love. And why not? Until you see what’s hiding under his burlap sack, he looks cuddly, and really he’s just a fun loving, gambling man looking for a good time.
His idea of a good time just happens to be torturing victims and cooking them into a stew. But to each their own, right?
