Villains are among the best parts of a good story. They serve to challenge the ideals of the protagonist and act as a physical or thematic obstacle to prevent them from achieving their goal. Among animated movies, there are no better villains than those from Disney, who often havediabolical plans befitting their wickedness.
Of course, not all of Disney’s villains are truly evil. Many fall more into the category of antagonist: they are trying to stop the heroes, but have more benign and justified reasons than true villainy.
10Chef Louis - ‘The Little Mermaid’
The personal chefof Prince Eric(Christopher Daniel Barns), Louis (Rene Auberjonois) enjoys preparing seafood above all others. When Eric finds a shipwrecked woman named Ariel (Jodi Benson), he prepares his signature food: stuffed crab. Unfortunately, he tries to cook Ariel’s friend, Sebastian (Samuel E Wright), who gives him a run for his money.
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Louis is an enthusiastic chef who just wants to make delicious food. When that food happens to still be alive and pinch him on the nose, he’ll go to war and won’t hesitate to destroy his kitchen or a wedding ship to get his vengeance. His time in the movie is brief, but one of its most memorable scenes.
9Bruton - ‘Dinosaur’
As the Iguanodon, Kron (Samuel E. Wright), leads a herd of dinosaurs across the desert to their nesting grounds, he relies on his lieutenant, Bruton (Peter Siragusa) to enforce his orders. He explains to the herd that their safety is their own priority, not the collective. If they fail to keep up, their fate is in their own hands.
Bruton starts off believing in Kron’s Social Darwinism until he too is left behind following a Carnotaurus attack. He is welcomed in by a small herd of fellow outcasts led by the idealistic Aladar (DB Sweeney). Though Bruton believes Aladar is pushing the others on with false hope, this kindness causes him to shift his worldview, and faces the predators again to protect others.
8Amos Slade - ‘The Fox and the Hound’
Living next door to the nature-loving Widow Tweed (Jeanette Nolan), Amos Slade (Jack Albertson) couldn’t be further from her in personality. While she takes in a baby fox she names Tod (Keith CooganandMickey Rooney), Slade raises a puppy named Copper (Corey FeldmanandKurt Russell) to hunt them recreationally. The more Tod comes over to play, the more Amos thinks he is after his chickens, and responds accordingly.
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Amos is curmudgeonly, short-tempered, and bull-headed to a fault. While not evil, his obsession with killing Tod does lead him to breaking the law, such as storming onto Widow Tweed’s property, and trespassing on a nature preserve. He does have a softer side, usually seen around his dogs, and the worst of his actions are motivated by the injury of his eldest dog, Chief (Pat Buttram).
7Te Kā - ‘Moana’
When the demigod, Maui (Dwayne Johnson), stole her heart, the life-goddess Te Fiti became Te Kā. Now a demon of fire and earth, she attacks anyone who comes close to her island. With her heart lost to the ocean, a blight began spreading from island to island, killing all flora and fauna.
Te Kā is literally a heartless monster who lashes out at anything that comes close to her. This is likely a defence mechanism, as being too trusting and compliant is what got her heart stolen in the first place. A spark of her goodness can be found within, which is how Moana (Auli’i Cravalho) is able to calm her and return her heart.
6Sir Ector - ‘The Sword in the Stone’
The lord of a crumbling castle in England, Sir Ector (Sebastian Cabot) trains his son, Kay (Norman Alden) to be a knight like him. He also adopted a young boy named Arthur (Rickie Sorensen, Robert Reitherman,andRichard Reitherman), though he calls him Wart and treats him more like a servant. This is because Ector believes in strict discipline for young boys.
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Compared to other parental figures in Disney movies, Sir Ector could have been a lot worse. In his own way, he does care about Arthur, and worries about his wellbeing. He just believes that martial prowess and discipline are what one needs to succeed in the world, especially compared to formal education.
5Rabbit - ‘Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too’
Of all the members of the Hundred Are Wood, none are as hardworking as Rabbit (Junius Matthews). He can usually be found tending to his beloved garden, which frequently gets disrupted by Tigger (Paul Winchell). It eventually gets to a point where Rabbit ropes Pooh (Sterling Holloway) and Piglet (John Fiedler) into teaching him a lesson.
Rabbit’s controlling and obsessive personality can make him come across as the most antagonistic friend of Pooh Bear. His poor communication skills mean that rather than explain his displeasure to his friends, he takes it upon himself to direct them in how to act. Despite this, he truly does love his friends, and would rather see them happy at his discomfort than miserable at his pleasure.
4Aunt Sarah - ‘Lady and the Tramp
The doting aunt of Jim Dear (Lee Millar Jr), Sarah (Verna Felton) comes to watch over his and Darling’s (Peggy Lee) newborn son while they go on vacation. Unfortunately, she doesn’t like dogs, so instantly takes a disliking to their cocker spaniel, Lady (Barbara Luddy). Worse still, she brings her Siamese cats Si and Am (Peggy Lee), and takes their side when they trash the house and blame Lady.
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Sarah is very harsh on Lady, but her actions are somewhat understandable. She is dotting on her great nephew and doesn’t want what she perceives to be a threat near him. Once she learns the whole story, she softens toward dogs and even gives Lady a Christmas gift as an apology.
3Kerchak - ‘Tarzan’
After losing his son to the leopard Sabor (Frank Welker), Kerchak’s (Lance Henriksen) wife, Kalla (Glell Close) comes home with a human infant orphaned by the leopard. Kerchak refuses to accept Tarzan (Alex LintzandTony Goldwyn) as his son and often reminds him that he doesn’t belong in the jungle.This drives Tarzan to be the best ape he can be, though the arrival of some humans in his adult years causes more friction.
As the silverback of his troupe, Kerchak’s top priority is to keep his family safe. He regularly puts himself in harm’s way to save them, facing down leopards, elephants, and hunters without a shred of fear. Though he is hard on Tarzan, it comes from his grief over the one life he couldn’t protect, and when he realizes Tarzan is a protector as well, he begins to soften.
2Denahi - ‘Brother Bear’
The second of three brothers, Denahi (Jason Raize) enjoys weaving fishing baskets and teasing his younger sibling, Kenai (Joaquin Phoenix). After their elder brother, Sitka (DB Sweeney) is killed by a bear, Denahi tries to dissuade Kenai from seeing revenge. When it looks like Kenai died in the attempt, Denahi’s heart is hardened, andhe takes up the quest for vengeance.
Denahi’s actions are understandable for one who has seemingly lost his entire family. While he pushes Kenai’s buttons, he loves his brother dearly and feels like he failed him when he couldn’t kill the bear. He also narrates the film as an old man (Harold GouldandAngayuqaq Oscar Kawagley), which shows that he eventually grew into his totem: the wolf of wisdom.
1lma Madrigal - ‘Encanto’
When war came to their village, Alma Madrigal (María Cecilia Botero) and her husband, Pedro, fled with their newborn children and other refugees. At a river crossing, the soldiers caught up to them, and Pedro sacrificed himself to buy time for the others. In her grief, Alma prayed for a miracle, which was gifted in the form of a magic candle and the isolated village of Encanto.
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The loss of her husband weighs heavily on Alma anddrives her to try and make her family as perfect as possible.She sets lofty expectations for her family members, especially her grandchildren, and when they can’t meet those standards, she pushes them aside. Still, her intentions are fueled by a mix of love and fear, and ultimately she wants to see her family succeed.
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