The Walt Disney Corporation has created some of the best animated villains in movie history. With a combination of stunning animation, voice acting and character work, their villains infiltrate the hearts and minds of viewers of all ages. Many of them do this by illustrating a negative trait or sin, which helps them serve as a warning to the audience.
Another way that Disney villains excel is through their comedies. Even the scariest of Disney scammers have their goofy sides, and thanks to the timeless animation, their jokes still sound as poignant as they did on release.
10/10 Madame Mim - The Sword in the Stone (1963)
Learning to see the world from a bird’s point of view, Arthur is attacked by a hawk and forced to flee into the forest. He arrives at the cottage of another sorceress, Madame Mim, who claims to be superior to Merlin in every way. When Arter rebukes her, Mime attempts to kill him, which causes a duel between her and Merlin.
Though Madame Mim’s involvement in the film is minimal, it makes a strong impression on how funny and memorable she is. Mime revels in her evil and even sings a song to Arthur about how much joy she gets from it. This pleasure is contagious when she jumps and cackles around the room.
9/10 Edgar Balthazar - The Aristocrats (1970)
For most of his life, Edgar Balthazar conscientiously worked as a butler for Madame Bonfamil. He overhears a conversation about her will: Bonfamil intends to leave her fortune to her cats and then to Edgar when they die. Thinking that cats literally have nine lives, Edgar decides to drug them and leave them in the wilderness.
While Edgar’s meanness is very small compared to Disney’s grand scheme, he makes up for it with one of their best physical comedies. In contrast to his polite and refined nature, Edgar is constantly humiliated by everyone, including old people, cats, and dogs. Brought to life by four of the Nine Old Men, Edgar was given the chance to combine their strengths to create a uniquely expressive character.
8/10 Prince John - Robin Hood (1973)
While his brother, King Richard I, is fighting the Third Crusade, Prince John rules the kingdom of England in his stead. Unfortunately, John is more greedy than his brother and squeezes everything they deserve out of his people. This gives birth to Robin Hood and his merry fellows, who rob John to bring him back to the people.
Prince John is a very different take on villains for Disney. He is rarely in charge of the situation, and his quarrels with his adviser Hiss are treated like an old married couple. What makes his childish tantrums work is the voice acting of a famous Peter Ustinov, who reaches the right level of pity to sound funny.
7/10 Professor Ratigan - The Great Mouse Detective (1986)
Professor Rattigan, who calls himself the world’s greatest criminal, has been tormenting the mouse city of London for years. Even the great Basil of Baker Street (an analogue of the rodent Sherlock Holmes) did not catch him. Now he plans to carry out his greatest plan by kidnapping the mouse queen and setting up his own regime.
Rattigan is one of the most energetic Disney villains due to his selfishness and showmanship. His genius absorbs him so much that he is almost constantly giggling and is always thinking of new ways to prove his superiority. His climax comes near the end when he traps Basil in an elaborate death trap triggered by the song “Goodbye So Soon” written and sung by the professor.
6/10 Gaston - “Beauty and the Beast” (1991)
Gaston lives in a provincial town in France. In any other story, he would be a hero: he is handsome, a skilled hunter, and loved by everyone in the city. However, when his pride is hurt at being rejected by Belle, the most beautiful woman in town, Gaston is willing to make a father figure with her if it means marrying her.
Gaston’s humor comes from how stubborn he is. Though he possesses some low cunning, he is most often content to flex his muscles and show off his many hunting accomplishments. This is best seen in his song “Gaston”, where the whole city cheers him up, singing about how courageous he is.
5/10 “Scar” - “The Lion King” (1994)
King Mufasa’s younger brother, Scar falls further down the line of succession with the birth of his son Simba. His solution is simple: team up with the hyenas to kill them and take the throne. However, Scar is only interested in the king’s prestige and allows his kingdom to collapse.
Despite how serious Scar is while working towards his goal, his mannerisms and dry humor lead to a number of funny moments. Lead animator Andreas Dejan adds a lot of cheeky touches to Scar’s moves, while Jeremy Irons pits this against one of Disney’s finest vocal performances. His introduction demonstrates this best, as he playfully talks about his woes to the mouse before attempting to eat it.
4/10 Bowler Hat Guy - Meet the Robinsons (2007)
After stealing a time machine, a man in a robotic bowler hat travels back in time to sabotage an invention by a boy named Lewis. He then tries to pass off Lewis’s invention as his own, but doesn’t know how to make it work. So he and his hat Doris decide to kidnap Lewis so he can show them how it works.
The guy in the bowler hat is a hilarious and tragic caricature of a man who can’t let go of the past. His desire to surpass the person he blames for his misfortunes prevents him from moving forward and traps him in a childlike mindset. This is beautifully captured in the lanky design that moves like a child trying to put on an image and a director. Stephen John Anderson comedy performance Jim Carrey.
3/10 Captain Hook - Peter Pan (1953)
As Peter Pan flies from Neverland to claim his shadow, Captain Hook waits on his ship plotting revenge. Many years ago, Pan cut off Hook’s left hand and fed it to a crocodile, which would not stop until it had eaten the rest of it. Although Pan can fly in circles around the captain, he still needs to be careful not to fall victim to the captain’s revenge.
Captain Hook combines the courtesy and cunning of a pirate with a stunning farce. There is a lot of excess in his facial expression, and the screams issued Hans Conried the perfect amount of horror and outrage. The scenes with him and the crocodile are some of Disney’s best comedic moments.
2/10 Yzma & Kronk - The Emperor’s New Rhythm (2000)
When the arrogant Emperor Kuzco fires his royal adviser, Yzma, for trying to rule the empire, she decides to poison him. Unfortunately, her assistant Kronk switches the poison for a potion that turns Kuzco into a llama. This allows Yzma to take over, but when she finds out that Kronk was unable to kill him, they travel to the jungle to hunt him down.
Emperor’s New Groove already amuses with its unique humor that feels right at home in Looney Toons in short, but Yzma and Kronk consider it one of the best Disney comedies. Eartha Kitt and Patrick Warburton perfect, playing Yzma as the evil witch and Kronk as the good-natured jester buffalo, respectively. Their camaraderie was so strong that it led to Kronk getting his sequel direct to DVD. New Groove Crown.
1/10 Hades - “Hercules” (1997)
As the lord of the underworld, Hades is considered an outcast among the other gods of Olympus and yearns to be at the top. He learns that in eighteen years he will have a chance if he frees the Titans. The only thing that can stop him is Zeus’ son, Hades, so he instructs his minions, Payne and Panic, to make him mortal and kill him.
Hades’ success comes from James Woods”A unique performance. Instead of acting like a typical lord of the dead, Hades cracks joke after joke like a sleazy used car salesman. Even his explosive outbursts are endearing, as they are usually due to the incompetence of Pain and Panic.
Source: Collider
