Some of the best Disney characters of all time are the villains. From the antagonists of some of their most beloved hits, like Jafar (Jonathan Freeman) and Gaston (Richard White), toless appreciated baddieslike Mad Madam Mim (Martha Wentworth) and Dr. Facilier (Keith David), it’s clear thathaving a strong villain is an important factor in making a memorable Disney film.
But a big factor in creating a strong villain is having strong writing. The best Disney villains stick out becausethey have great lines that stick with the audiencelong after the movie’s over. These ten villain quotes are some of the best in Disney’s history, and built some of the company’s most memorable characters.
10"Oh, Anna. If only there was someone out there who loved you."
Prince Hans, ‘Frozen’ (2013)
Modern Disney films have received a lot of flack for their villains. Oftentimes,Frozen’s Prince Hans (Santino Fontana) is viewed as one ofDisney’s weaker villains, helped in no part by the fact that he wasthe first of many less traditional antagonists in their films. On first watch, Hans is a twist villain who tricks both Anna (Kristen Bell) and the audience into believing that he’s a love interest.
When Anna comes to Hans with the information that only a true love’s kiss will save her after Elsa (Idina Menzel) has frozen her heart, Hans says this quote to her, revealing that he is actually the film’s villain. While nowadays Disney’s subversive antagonists have become overdone,the Hans reveal is effective, and it retroactively changes the meaning behind several interactions between Hans and Anna earlier in the film. It makes this betrayal one of the most memorable moments inFrozen.
9"Wrong lever!"
Yzma, ‘The Emperor’s New Groove’ (2000)
The Emperor’s New Grooveis an outlier in Disney’s catalog. While all of their projects contain humor,The Emperor’s New Grooveis the only full-on comedy that the studio ever did. As a result, it was more important than ever before for the film to have a comedic villain. Somehow,Yzma(Eartha Kitt)manages to beone of the funniest charactersin a hilarious movieand one of the most memorable Disney villains of all time.
This quote is her most iconic, purely because of how funny the moment is. In fact, this scene, where Kronk (Patrick Warburton) pulls the wrong lever, plummeting her into an alligator’s pool before then pulling the correct lever, which drops them both onto a roller coaster that leads to their secret lab, stands as one of Disney’s funniest. It perfectly encapsulates the wacky nature of the film and shows why Yzma is such a fan favorite.
The Emperor’s New Groove
Queen of Hearts, ‘Alice in Wonderland’ (1951)
Alice in Wonderland’s villainous Queen of Hearts (Verna Felton) doesn’t get a lot of screen time, yet she still stands out as a particularly threatening Disney villain. As is illustrated in the quote,the Queen is defined by her short temperand love of beheadings. This would be a memorable combination of traits for any film character, but it’s especially memorable for a Disney villain.
Essentially, every time the Queen of Hearts is onscreen, she’s a ticking time bomb. The first thing the audience learns about her is that she has a very short fuse, and the second is that when she blows up, someone will lose their head. This means thatthe Queen is a constant source of tensionfor both Alice (Kathryn Beaumont) and the audience, because she could lose her temper at any time. The quote serves as a perfect reminder of this fact, making Alice and viewers even more tense, which is exactly what a good villain should do.
Alice In Wonderland (1951)
7"Alright, keep the little beasts for all I care. Do as you like with them. Drown them!"
Cruella de Vil, ‘101 Dalmatians’ (1961)
Cruella de Vil (Betty Lou Gerson) isn’t a member of royalty, nor is she an evil sorceress. Rather, she’s just an ordinary person with a complete disregard for life, as this quote perfectly illustrates. Cruella is entirely motivated by her desire fora fur coat made out of dalmatian puppies. When she’s denied access to a litter of them, she makes this statement and swears revenge.
The fact that Cruella doesn’t care about any other creature’s life has easily made her one ofthe most hated Disney villainsto date. This quote adds an extra layer to her cruelty by showing that even if she doesn’t get the puppies in order to make her coat, she doesn’t care if they die. The suggestion that someone should drown a puppy,let alone an entire litter of them, may very well make this singular quote one of the darkest to come from any Disney villain, and it perfectly shows just how over-the-top Cruella is.
101 Dalmatians
6"Oh, my soldiers, how long I’ve thirsted to be a god… among mortal men."
The Horned King, ‘The Black Cauldron’ (1985)
The Black Cauldronis not a well-remembered movie in Disney’s lineup. The film, which was released in 1985, ended up being abox office failureafter having a particularlytroubled production period. In recent years,audiences have revisitedThe Black Cauldronand found that, though it may not be one of Disney’s best works, it still has a lot of positives.
The most notable is its villain, the Horned King (John Hurt). The Horned King is one ofDisney’s scariest villains, which is appropriate seeing as how the film is also one of the company’s darker offerings. As part of his plot, the evil kingseeks to raise an army of the deadusing the power of the Black Cauldron. He says this quote as he explains his plan to a room full of skeletons who he soon intends to reanimate. It perfectly sums up the Horned King’s desire for power, and it’s a lot darker than most Disney films are willing to go, making it stick out even if the Horned King isn’t as well-known as some other villains.
The Black Cauldron
5"The world is dark and selfish and cruel. If it finds even the slightest ray of sunshine, it destroys it."
Mother Gothel, ‘Tangled’ (2010)
Mother Gothel (Donna Murphy) stands out as a memorable villain for her unique relationship withTangled’s protagonist, Rapunzel (Mandy Moore). Gothel kidnaps Rapunzel as a baby in order to gain access to her hair, which has the ability to restore youth. To keep Rapunzel as a prisoner, Gothel acts as her mother andraises her with the idea that the outside world is a terrible and dangerous place, dissuading her from ever trying to escape.
It’sthis manipulation that makes Mother Gothel stick out.Many Disney villains don’t have a close relationship with the protagonists of their stories, but since Rapunzel believes that Gothel is her mother, it takes everything she says to a new level. Quotes like this display the twisted world view that Rapunzel had to live with for years. They also make Gothel more despicable, because they show the audience exactly how she tainted a child’s perception of the world for her own selfish gain.
4"Now shall you deal with me, O Prince. And all the powers of Hell!"
Maleficent, ‘Sleeping Beauty’ (1959)
Maleficent (Eleanor Audley) is one of Disney’s most well-known villains. WhileSleeping Beautymay have been afinancial disappointmentupon its initial release, over time the film has become a beloved classic, with its castle becoming a central icon in Disneyland, and Maleficent featuring prominently in the live show “Fantasmic!”. While she may not be the most complex Disney villain, she stands as one of the most intimidating.
This quote is a perfect example of that intimidating nature. The line sounds like something out of anEvil Deadmovie instead of dialogue from a children’s fantasy film, making her scarier than most foes. On top of this, she says the line right before transforming into a giant dragon, which is perhaps the coolest ability that any Disney villain has. While Maleficent’s screen time may be limited,lines like this still make her a memorable, frightening villain.
Sleeping Beauty (1959)
3"Long live the king."
Scar, ‘The Lion King’ (1994)
Scar (Jeremy Irons) is one of Disney’s most brutal villains, and he comes the closest to fulfilling his goals. Frustrated by the fact that he is unlikely to ever legitimately rule as king, Scar chooses to murder his brother Mufasa (James Earl Jones), the rightful king of the Pride Lands, before blaming Mufasa’s son, Simba (Matthew BroderickandJonathan Taylor Thomas), causing the young cub to run away. With his family out of the way, Scar is able to rule for years until Simba returns to reclaim the throne.
This line is one of Scar’s most iconic. He delivers it right before murdering Mufasa, revealing his true nature to his brother. The murder itself is one of the cruelest direct acts of any Disney villain, but the quote makes it especially cruel, as these words, coming from his own brother, arethe last words that Mufasa ever hears. It’s one of the reasons that Scar is one of thebest villains in film.
The Lion King
2"And he shall smite the wicked and plunge them into the fiery pit."
Claude Frollo, ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’ (1996)
The Hunchback of Notre Dameisn’t one of Disney’s most beloved works, butit has its fans. One of the major appeals of the film is itsdark tone and subject matter, which is best illustrated by its villain, Judge Claude Frollo (Tony Jay).Frollo is easily Disney’s most sinister villain, ashe justifies all of his actions with religion. While claiming God is on his side, Frollo abuses Quasimodo (Tom Hulce), sets fire to innocent people’s houses, and attempts genocide on the Romani people of Paris. It’s a shocking parallel to real-life atrocities that have happened in the name of religion.
Even in his final moments, Frollo refuses to believe that he could be acting under anything other than God’s will. He says this quote as he raises his sword to kill Esmerelda (Demi Moore), who is also keeping Quasimodo from falling to his death. While it’s not a direct quote from The Bible, it is meant to invoke the feeling of a biblical quote, implying thatFrollo believes that he is acting as God would want him to. It’s fitting that immediately after saying it, he himself is plunged into the fiery pit. It may not be the most iconic Disney villain quote, but it certainly is one of the most memorable for how dark it is.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
1"Magic Mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?"
The Evil Queen, ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’ (1937)
In terms of quotable villain lines, it’s hard to go much further back than this one.Snow White and the Seven DwarfswasDisney’s first animated feature-length film, andthis quote is recited in its first scene. It sets the events of the film into motion as the Evil Queen (Lucille La Verne) learns that Snow White (Adriana Caselotti) is fairer than her, an offense for which she decides to have Snow White murdered.
While later villains would leave more of an impression,this line has easily become one of the most referenced villain lines of all time. It also does a perfect job of letting the audience know what kind of character the Evil Queen is. She’s exceedingly vain, and her status as the fairest one of all is all that she cares about. As soon as she learns that there’s someone fairer than her, she wants to know their name so that she can punish them. When she learns that it’s Snow White, who happens to be her stepdaughter, she doesn’t hesitate at all to go through with her plan. The Evil Queen might not be Disney’s best villain, but this quote, as well as her place in history as the first Disney villain, makes her extremely memorable.
