I’m back with another of my Top Ten’s. It’s a little later than I had hoped but this glorious thing called life has got in the way. I moved into a new home just before lockdown in March, into a place that needs a lot of updating so decorating has kind of taken over recently. I have this insane goal to be done by the end of the year. Wish me luck with that one.
Anyway, less about that and more onto my latest Top Ten. With this list, I have gone for another of my favourite subjects and that is Disney and more specifically Disney Villains, because who doesn’t love a good Disney villain.
Disney for most of us holds a special place in our heart. They are the films we were brought up with and continue to watch as an adult even if we do so behind closed doors and would never admit it to the world. They are the films that we show our own children (unless your children are furry and four-legged like mine who don’t care so much as to what’s on the tv screen). They are the films that have something for everyone, no matter whether you are an animal lover, have a passion for princesses, enjoy a bit of sci-fi and science or just love a good tale with twists, turns, lighthearted adventure but also delves into the often sad moments of reality.
Disney villains over the more recent years have developed a rather large fan base and with the evolution of storytelling and the Disney brand, we are now beginning to see new films and tv series that explore the villains we know and love. These explorations often show us a new side to the villains, one that we didn’t previously know and one that seeks to make the audience sympathetic with them. Most of the time they succeed and we come to see the villain in a whole new not quite so villainous light. A great example of this is with the live-action film Maleficent, which tells the tale of the villain from the classic Disney film Sleeping Beauty. In it, we learn about why Maleficent does what she does and as we do, we understand it. By understanding and sympathising with her we come to see her less as a villain and more of the victim. This was also seen in the tv show Once Upon A Time, a series which takes classic Disney and fairy tale characters and brings them together into our universe. The classic villains in this are given that backstory so the audience can understand them and their reasonings better. They were so successful in this that some of the all-time fan favourite characters were in fact previously classic Disney villains such as The Evil Queen from Snow White and Hook from Peter Pan. They were made the victims so well in their backstory that no bad deed in the present could alter that new perception of them the audience had gained.
So, all in all, we love a good bad guy and even better, we love their backstory. When it comes to Disney villains I am a bit of a traditionalist, so you will see that mine comes from the more classic Disney films. These are villains everyone knows and everyone loves in some way. The list is in order from ten to my all time favourite. As usual I’d love to hear who places on your list and who your favourite is.
10. Jafar
Jafar himself is a great villain… in the cartoon. The recent live action remake… not so much. Talk about poor casting choice on that one. The character himself is pure villain, a complete ego manic who seeks ultimate power and control, but like all power hungry people, their own greed becomes their downfall.
9. Evil Queen
The Evil Queen is one of those ultimate classic Disney Villains and the first feature length film villain for Disney. Where Jafar is the villain who seeks power, the Evil Queen seeks something else entirely, her sin is vanity. She seeks to be ‘the fairest in all the land’ and will go so far as to attempt murder in order to seek it. I guess that’s why they call her the ‘Evil’ Queen.
8. Hook
With Hook, you have one of the more humorous villains, one of those who almost doesn’t seem quite villainous enough, but that’s part of the Disney charm. His long permed hair, severe crocodile anxiety and old fashion dress sense add to his unique character. Oh, and we can’t continue on without the mention of Dustin Hoffman’s portrayal of him in the movie Hook (1991), its is one of those perfect Hollywood casting moments.
7. Hades
Hades, the lord of the underworld from Hercules petulant brat-like villains who is awesome to watch. He is one of those who is jealous of his sibling and seeks his power and responsibility for himself. He is also the one with the coolest sidekicks, anyone would be crazy not to Pain and Panic, the laurel and hardy inspired comic imps.
6. Oogie Boogie
Oogie Boogie from Tim Burtons The Nightmare Before Christmas is the only Disney Villain that really scared me when I was a child. Primarily to do with the bugs that he is made up of. I hate bugs. Between the bugs, his black hollow eyes and the fact that he is just pure evil make him a villain I will also be slightly wary of.
5. Gaston
Gaston is another villain whose primary sin is vanity. He is a born narcissist and thinks he is gods gift to women with his slicked back hair, chiseled jawline and bulging muscles. But what makes him the worst, is that he doesn’t take no for an answer, especially when it comes to Belle. Shout out here to Luke Evans who I think did a great job playing him in the live action remake.
4. Scar
Scar is similar to Hades in that he is jealous of his brother and seeks the power and title he holds. Just like many of the others on this list, he will even resort to murder to get what he wants. I mean the murder of his brother Mufasa to the stampede is one of the biggest heartbreaking moments in Disney’s history and certainly one of those ones that stick with you. It’s also one of those important moments where Disney are not afraid to show the tragedy and sadness that often comes with real life. Just like they did when Bambi’s mum died. His greatness on the villain scale also comes down to his pact with the hyenas who are the scavengers of the Savannah and of course the brilliant vocal stylings of Jeremy Irons who really brought him to life in the most villainous of ways.
3. Ursula
The sea witch as she is also know is another of those sassy female Disney Villains, they certainly aren’t afraid of giving us strong female bad guys. She was one of those ones that freaked me out a little when I was younger. Her 8 legs and moray eel sidekicks gave me the heebee jeebees and as a former scuba diver who was once squirted ink at by a squid…. she still does a bit.
2. Cruella De Ville
If you haven’t figured out I love a strong and usually insane female character yet then where have you been and Cruella is one of those who doesn’t disappoint. She is a character with a fabulous fashion sense, who is completely unhinged, has a crazy mismatched hairstyle and who even has a jazz style song named after her. But the one thing that really places her second on my list, is her real-life portrayal by the brilliant Glenn Close. Glenn Close is one of those great actors anyway, but with Cruella in the 101 Dalmations live adaption (1996) she was perfectly cast. She was able to really embody who Cruella is and played beautifully insane perfectly.
1. Maleficent
Maleficent is the one who bags the top spot on my list of Top Ten Disney Villains. I was always a fan of hers, long before the live-action remake with Angelina Jolie. I mean she does turn into an awesome black and purple fire breathing dragon so what’s not to love about that. As a fan of characters with a deeper backstory, I find her even more compelling since the live-action movies have explored who she is and why she seems ‘Evil’. Those movies have made her the victim, one which we can connect with and understand and bonus for us, the dragon still comes into play. Oh! And she has a pet Raven. I love a good Raven.
So there we have it, my Top Ten Disney Villains. Do any of these make your top ten? Have I missed out your favourite? Get in touch and share with me your favourite Disney Villains of all time.
Gemma is fairly new to writing and the film industry, but it has been a long-held passion since she was a child. After several years of working in business, she left to pursue her long-held dreams of writing and making movies. After writing, and directing her first short in 2018 she quickly gained the bug and hasn’t stopped since. That first short went on to win multiple awards in the USA and was quickly followed by a second short which went on to do even better than the first. Since then Gemma has been focusing on her writing and developing several television shows. She is looking to add to her writing by delving into books as well as news and blog posts, and unleashing her creativity, knowledge and imagination to a whole new world.
