Well, it's time for another article here in Scarletland! I admit, I had this need for wanting to make another article again, but I didn't know of what subject to make of. Then browsing around the Internet, the inspiration struck me: I could write about Disney villains! Genius! Because that subject isn't trite and overdone at all! (/sarcasm)

Jokes aside, I've been these last days thinking and analyzing the Disney villains more than usual (that is; I almost never think about them, so this was really unusual for me). Villains are essential for many of these movies, because if it weren't for them we wouldn't have a story in the first place, or our heroes rising against them. Villains are usually very varied and interesting, and usually are the ones who are the saving grace of bad films (...usually). They're entertaining, they're menacing, they're funny; what's not to like?

So then, let's start with this list once and for all!
I made this count with the idea of 13 villains in mind, to mimic the princesses, so don't be surprised if my count is longer than 10.

With that said...

13: Helga Sinclair (Atlantis the Lost Empire)

I think what I like the most about this villain is her design, more than her motivation or her personality, which I think are kinda lacking; sorta like her commander, Rourke, who's got a good design but he's a very generic villain to me.



But unto Helga; there's just simply something interesting about her. Her action girl status really comes off as something very natural instead of forced, and I like the air of mysteriousness and elegance that she carries herself with (i'm a sucker for elegant characters, I can't help it). I just think that if the film had given her more of a "Miss bitch" personality, maybe i could get more into her (but i might be biased, since one of my OCs who's a bitchy and such I based her design off Helga, so I might just be projecting my own ideals onto her).

Still, Helga is engaging, and an interesting character to focus on. It's kinda sad the movie never says outright what happens to her, but I like to believe she survived and went off to do more morally ambiguous things, since that seems to be her "thing".


12: Captain Hook (Peter Pan)

Have you ever come across a piece of media where you just can't stand anything about it except the villain? Well, that's my problem with Peter Pan; I find all of the characters unlikeable except for Hook. It's gotten so bad that at one point i tended to joke that I rooted for Hook to kill off Peter and Tinkerbell. Well, I can't help it! Pan is an ass and Tinkerbell is too bitchy for my tastes.



But Hook is the saving grace of the film. He's funny, overdramatic, and kinda charming in a way. He always manages to make me laugh with his zany shenanigans and his over-the-top way of dealing with things. Truly one of the funniest villains out of Disney.


11: Yzma (The Emperor's New Groove)

Another funny villain! While I like everything about the Emperor's New Groove, i'll admit Yzma isn't my favorite aspect of the film (that would be either Kuzco or Kronk), but she's still a good and solid part of the film.

Yzma is just a memorable character all around; with the unconventional design she has, to the superb voice-acting of Eartha Kitt, to just how all around she steals any scene she's in (when she's not competing with Kronk, that is); she's just a joy to watch, especially whenever she gets angry.




10: Prince John (Robin Hood)

He's so underrated! Whenever people bring up RobIn Hood they usually say Prince John is the best part of the movie, and they're right. While the movie in general is charming, Prince John is for me one of the big highlights. A huge, hammy villain, who likes going all over the top; and acts like a spoiled child whenever things don't go his way; it's just a lot of fun watching him whenever he does something stupid and having to deal with the consequences of it. It's just fun to give power to immature childish people.




9: Queen of Hearts (Alice in Wonderland)

I seem to like a lot funny villains. Well, why not? They're usually much more charming and enjoyable to me than the ultra-serious ones. And the Queen is another hilarious villain; that, much like Prince John, is another childish spoiled tyrant. I just love these type of characters in action, because usually they're hilarious (or rather, it's hilarious how they manage over their kingdom and how they send the kingdom into despair).



8: Chernabog (Fantasia)

Time for a serious baddie! And what a baddie, one of the most frightening of the whole Disney pantheon. What's scary about Chern is that we don't know much about him, but enough to understand who he is, and what does he want. We KNOW who he is, and we understand that there is no greater evil than he, but we can't help but slightly admire the scene in which he appears, there's a certain beauty among the macabre in which he surrounds himself with. Macabre, for sure, but there's a certain appeal to it. We know this guy is capable of doing anything, so that's why we're scared of him ever going beyond torturing wandering souls on his mountain; since we're certain he' would be capable of taking the world and succeeding at it.




7: Ratigan (The Great Mouse Detective)

Let's go back to the funny villains! And what a funny villain is this guy; that he combines elegance along with humor and charisma. Part of what makes Ratigan so charming is his voice-work by Vincent Price (one of my favorite actors), and the fact that he's as intelligent as the main lead, Basil; so he can usually play it even with Basil (but being a villain, he surely won't).



Yet despite being elegant as he can be, it's all just a ruse that he covers his true rat-like nature with. And of course, it's there, all throughout the movie, rising and rising until it explodes at the climax and he shows his true colors. So, he can be both funny and threatening; the best of both worlds, basically.


6: Ursula (The Little Mermaid)

Let's go back to the classics. Ursula is one of the most popular villains in Disney, and for good reason. She's funny, she's cunning, she's threatening, and she just knows how to get to people. (She manipulates Ariel in such a way...).

Here comes a fun witch that knows how to manipulate people, that knows how to get into people's inner desires and grant their wishes...As long as they can pay the price.



I love how determined she is to get to her goals, even if she begins to lose her sanity little by little as the movie goes on. I also like how she's a stark contrast to Ariel; alright, all villains are in a way direct contrasts to their heroes, but I think in the Little Mermaid it's the most obvious. Not only are the two different design wise, but while Ariel is idealistic and romantic, Ursula is bitter and cynical ("So much for TRUE LOVE!"), yet her bitterness is her own downfall, for Ariel shows her that True Love actually exists and is not just a shallow dream.


5: Doctor Facilier (The Princess and the Frog)



AW YEAH! (I sound like a cowboy...Forgive me). This guy needs more recognition, bc for me he's probably the best villain of the new era (eeeh I won't go into this subject). Classy, charming, and he has a lot of the old charisma that Ursula had. And, like Ursula, he has a lot of that manipulative charm that gets under people's skin. And he just knows how to get to people, what with how he got Naveen and how he manipulated Tiana. Not to mention his song is awesome, and his magical powers are very interesting and offer some nice imagery in the film. There's a lot of subtext with Facilier and race that you can sorta read between the lines, and the movie's not that subtle about it.

4: The Horned King (The Black Cauldron)

He's so underrated! Admittedly, I do think this movie is quite bad, but he is the saving grace of the film. He's genuinely terrifying, what with looking like a skeleton and all (I never really understood what he's supposed to be-or a living skeleton or a zombie or something else). What also works from this villain aside from the horrifying imagery is how mysterious he is. We really know very little about him, his past, and all that; and it works, since it makes him look all the more...fascinating. Like a demon from Hell that is roaming the earth in search of a purpose.



While his motivation is kinda generic, it really works how he carries it out- he attempts to take over the world with the help of his army of the undead, the Cauldron Born. A legion of the undead, an army of slaves ready to kill without remorse or pity...

Another thing that works about the Horned King is how serious he is. Most other Disney villains, even the most aloof, tend to joke from time to time, but he almost never does. We never see him smirk, or say a funny line, or anything lighthearted really. When he's cold and silent, it's kinda scary because you're not sure how he'll react next.

I like him a lot, and it's kinda sad that he belongs to such a forgotten movie, because I'd pay to see much more of him.


3: Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty)

Yeah, I gotta have her. But what can I say? She's a classic. She's evil, elegant, mysterious, threatening, capable, cunning...Everything that makes a good villain. The only part in where she falls weak is in her motivation, but she kinda makes up for it for being so good at all the other stuff.



(yeah, won't speak that much, but i'll admit, EVERYBODY has spoken so much of her, I feel I can't add any more about her).

2: Hades (Hercules)

Another villain that everybody has spoken enough of, but I can't help love. While I have mixed feelings towards Hercules in general, I think Hades is a great character. A big part of his charm is not much of his threatening nature, but his humor. That's pretty much the big thing of his character. In any other scenario, his character would end up being kinda generic, but he is...really enjoyable. I'm fully into his zany one-liners and sarcastic quips, and for some reason he comes out looking more genuine in comparison to the other gods, who seem all very superficial.



1: Jafar (Aladdin)

Heck yeah! This list is incomplete without him, he is pretty much the "essence" of the Disney villains. He's sinister, he's suave, he's intelligent, he's a fast thinker; who doesn't love this type of villain? Jafar's got the whole package.

What I admire of Jafar is his quick wits; how fast he's able to come up with a plan when things go sour. Need to get into the Cave of Wonders? Look for the Diamond in the Rough. Don't know how to get rid of Sultan? Try to marry Jasmine while think up a way to kill off the royal family. Aladdin may know your disguise? Get a way to get the lamp before him.



Jafar is the "essence" of the Disney villains and I think the line is incomplete without him (and Maleficent, but that's besides the point).