Top 13 Disney villains to fear as an adult

I am a Disney nerd.

Seriously, ask anyone who knows me. I have a stupid number of the animated films on DVD (which I have probably seen far too many times), could probably quote my favourites quite easily and would write long involved essays about the plots, characters and animation.

As a child, I enjoyed the catchy songs, pretty colours and even the odd story or two. But as I grew older, I started to appreciate the music, the artwork, the stories and even the characters, whether they were protagonist or villain. And since we have just left the season of Halloween behind us and are in the middle of Nanowrimo, I thought it would be a good idea to have a look at the Disney Villains.

Let’s face it, Disney knows how to create memorable villains. In fact, they have a pretty good following among Disney fans. Everyone has their favourite and I thought I would count down my Top Ten favourite villains…

At least I would have done if not for a few very key reasons.

1. This has been done to death, by people much smarter than me.
2.  My reasons for liking certain villains better than others is very subjective with very little reasoning behind it (seriously, I somehow doubt the words 'I just do' are going to fly here).
3. There's too many.
4. At what stage in my life would I be basing this list on?

This last point made me think. After all, as I've stated before, I'm not the same person that I was when I was a child. My tastes have changed, my understanding has changed, even my personal life experiences have changed. So I started to think about what a villain actually is and realised that villains are people who are intended to be feared. They are designed to make us fear what they could do and to root for the hero. But a child's fears are often very different to those of an adult, which got me to wondering, can a Disney Villain scare an adult as much as it can a child?

Apparently the answer is yes.

So sticking with the theme of Halloween, I decided to count down my Top 13 Disney Villains that I Fear as an Adult.

Why 13?

Because I'm not the Nostalgia Critic and it's my list (plus 13 seemed appropriate).

A few rules before I start.

1. This is my list so it is possible that you may not agree with me.
2.  I'm basing this list on the animated features only.
3. This list does not include the Pixar movies as they were (up until recently) a very separate studio.

So let's get started with an old favourite.

13. 'Man' from Bambi

Invisible but deadly

One of the key things about a good villain in any story is their presence. After all, how can you fear something that has nothing to it? In a lot of stories, they build on that presence using rumour, visuals and the occasional musical cue. In Bambi, they took it a step further by never letting you see the villain.

Oh we know all about 'Man' but we never actually put a face to the name. Are the animals just talking about humans or do they have a particular face in mind? Is the one who shot Bambi's mother part of the group that started the forest fire or were they different people? We don't even know if 'Man' means male, female, adult or child. By never associating 'Man' with any kind of physical appearance, we're left with this unseen presence that hangs over the story, able to enter and disappear without warning, never making it clear when they intend to show up or for how long.

Mysterious and somewhat unsettling, 'Man' definitely deserves to start this list.

 12. Jafar from Aladdin

Clearly a happy man.

One of the key things that freaks me out about this guy is his position of power. He's the Royal Vizier, an advisor to the Sultan and a trusted member of the Court. In the background he is controlling the Sultan's decisions, hidden in plain sight and playing the Sultan and the Court like his own personal puppet theatre.

To me, there's something very unnerving about the idea of the person in power not being the one pulling the strings. Let's put this into a slightly more contemporary perspective: It's one thing for a government to be guided by the wants of their people, but for a government to be controlled by a background force, and not realise that they are being controlled? That's somewhat scary. The only thing that would make it scarier is if he had managed this without magic.

For a man with ambition and the ear of the Sultan, Jafar is a creepy guy for any adult.

11. The Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland

 

Tread carefully.

Watching a person lose their temper for no apparent reason is scary, no one can deny that. To see a person go from relative calm to explosive anger is frightening. So how do you cope with someone who does it on a frequent basis?

To me, this is one of the reasons why I find the Queen of Hearts so unnerving because you can see, through Alice, exactly how fast her temper can change and how carefully people need to tread in order to keep her calm and themselves alive. The wrong sound, word or gesture could easily set her off just as quickly as it could calm her down and, being in a position of authority, her emotions can easily destroy others without affecting her in the slightest. She has absolutely no concept of responsibility, only power. If not for the King of Hearts, she could very easily become a person with no conscience or sense of compassion.

The Queen of Hearts: Definitely a woman to stay away from.

10. The Evil Queen from Snow White

Mirror, mirror on the wall...

I'm not a huge fan of Snow White. I've tried to like it but I can't. However there are two major saving graces for me, the first are the dwarfs and the second is the Evil Queen (who I recently discovered is called Grimhilde).

She's just so cold and cruel, banishing her stepdaughter to the life of a servant and willing to kill for the sake of her vanity. I cannot help but wonder at the control and authority she has over Snow White, after all, surely there were other servants in the castle? Or were they perhaps banished, leaving Snow White to take care of the place on her own with only her stepmother for company? Either way, the fact that the Queen has that much control over a member of the royal family (and one that has a much stronger claim to the throne than she does) is very unnerving.

And then there's the transformation sequence. This still freaks me out to see a character so obsessed over her looks being willing to throw them away to destroy the object of her hatred. The music, the visuals, the pained gasping and the reveal of her disguise is just so creepy that I cannot help but give her the number 10 spot.

9. Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty

Evil and loving it

Let's face it, if you're going to create any kind of Disney Villain list, Maleficent has to make an appearance somewhere. She's petty, she's calculating, she's cruel. She shouts, curses, taunts and knows exactly how to hurt every main character at different points throughout the story and she does not take defeat well. She turns into a freaking dragon for crying out loud!

So why is she so low on the list, especially since she's my favourite Disney villain? Well, frankly it comes down to the presence of her magic and the fact that I enjoy her too much to be completely afraid of her.

But does that stop her from being frightening? Not at all. In fact, the scene of Aurora being guided to the spinning wheel is among one of the creepiest scenes in Disney history, with its use of green light, Aurora's blank stare and the musical chanting of her name. Forget horror movies! This is the scene that I come back to again and again for the creepy factor. Yes, I know that Maleficent isn't physically present during this scene but you know she's the one behind the whole thing.

Maleficent. The Mistress of Evil and my number 9 choice for this list.

8. Lady Tremaine from Cinderella

Look at that sneer!

At first glance, you would probably wonder why Lady Tremaine is so high on the list. Truth be told, this is one that grew on me the older I got. She doesn't seem that frightening until you look at her treatment of Cinderella: She has complete and utter control over this girl and is very aware of it. Not only does she work to make her stepdaughter's life miserable, but she also dangles small pieces of hope before ripping them away, or, in one memorable scene, convincing others to do so. Literally.

But of course, you may think, after Cinderella was married and out of sight, her stepmother's hatred would fade.

Nope!

In the third sequel, the stepmother gets hold of the Fairy godmother's wand and what does she do? She turns back time so that she can get her own daughter to marry the prince and destroys the one piece of evidence that Cinderella has to prove that she was the mystery girl at the ball.

The idea of someone hating you that much that, even when given power and opportunity, use both to make your life miserable, is horrific and terrifying. Even worse, people like Lady Tremaine do exist making this woman the ideal candidate for the number 8 spot.

7. Mr Scroop from Treasure Planet

Those who fear spiders should probably avoid this image.

A bit more based on the obvious, Scroop creeps me out. Between his crab/spider hybrid appearance, yellow eyes and growly voice, he is this creepy concoction of childhood (and adulthood depending on who you talk to) nightmares. From the way he moves to his absolutely vicious temper and sly manner, this is someone who knows he’s frightening to look at and knows how to use it.

But he is not just a thug, he is a smart thug, able to see and understand the world around him. He isn't easily fooled although he is more than capable of fooling others (such as hiding his culpability in an outright murder). His loyalty isn't easily bought and relies heavily on whoever holds the most advantage for him. The moment he sees an opportunity to move on or move up, he will take it without a second thought.

Vicious, creepy and more than a bit cunning, this is one alien that I do not want to ever meet!

6. Professor Ratigan from The Great Mouse Detective

Moriarity + Vincent Price + Rat = SCARY!!

Charming, civilised and even funny, Professor Ratigan is one of those villains that you cannot help but enjoy. Every time he's on screen, it's so much fun to watch. Suave and sophisticated, it is very easy to forget that he is not the person (or mouse) you should be supporting.

So why is he so high on this list?

Every time I watch this film, I get sucked into the joy of Ratigan. He enjoys what he does and, frankly, I enjoy watching him. And then we see him lose his temper.

At first, he bottles it up but still feeds a minion to a giant cat! But that temper pops up again and again and every time, he fights to maintain his composure. So when he does finally lose it, it's a shock.

To me, those who have a temper are less frightening than those that do not lose it often because when they do, it's unexpected and sudden. And when Ratigan's temper explodes, it transcends to every other part of his appearance. No longer calm and sophisticated, he is vicious and animalistic, abandoning his eloquence and intelligence for strength and claws. That transformation is, in itself terrifying to watch and, accompanied by the lighting, makes for the stuff of nightmares.

Animalistic rage hidden in a disguise of sophistication, Ratigan is definitely one to watch and, more importantly, one to fear.

5. Frollo from Hunchback of Notre Dame

THIS is apparently the face of justice

Where do I start with this guy? A repressed, perverted, religious leader, Frollo is someone who has a lot of power and has absolutely no problem using that power to maintain the integrity and morals of the people of Paris.

This is another Disney villain who I fear more as an adult than I do as a child and, surprisingly, it's not because of his reactions to Esmeralda or his resulting sexual confusion. Frollo is a character who believes he is above sin. When he accidentally kills Quasimodo's mother, he claims he is 'guiltless'. When he starts questioning his feelings towards Esmeralda, he claims 'It's not my fault.

He never takes the blame for his actions and never accepts responsibility for them, claiming that they are out of his control and in God's hands. That is an attitude that I find very frightening because one of the key things about Christianity in particular is that it centres on the concept of love and more or less states that humanity is responsible for its own actions.

Let me make this clear; it is not Frollo's religion that I fear. It is how he uses it to justify everything he does and his belief in that justification that scares me because that attitude can easily lead to all kinds of horrors. Horrors that we have seen repeatedly throughout history, based on religion, power, money, political stance and even gender. It is frightening to see how someone can twist something fundamentally good into something terrible to suit their own needs without understanding or caring about the consequences and nowhere is this clearer than in the character of Frollo.

4. Gaston from Beauty and the Beast

No one hams like Gaston

Beauty and the Beast is one of my favourite films, and I've grown used to the comments about ‘Stockholm Syndrome’ when talking about it, but what surprises me are the number of people who focus more on that than on the Big Bad of the movie, Gaston.

Handsome, charming and a popular figure in town, in any other film he might be considered the hero. In fact according to the townfolk, he is the hero. But he's also a bully, pushing around the smaller LeFou, getting into bar brawls and demanding Belle's hand in marriage. As the town hero, he feels he deserves the most beautiful woman in town. But the fact that Belle doesn't want anything to do with him doesn’t even faze him and he tries to put her into a position where she will have to be his, either out of sheer embarrassment or desperation.

And what makes this worse is that people encourage him to take those drastic steps to get what he wants, never mind how morally questionable they are or how it may hurt others! For crying out loud, he announces in the middle of a crowded tavern that he is going to use Belle's love for her father to force her to marry him! And even his motivations are wrong. The only reason he wants Belle is so that no one else can have her. He has no intention of staying faithful or being a husband. He just wants another trophy for his collection.

We live in a world where discrimination exists in many forms, and though people are taking steps to improve the situation, we still have a long way to go. Men like Gaston are still encouraged and considered people to look up to, no matter who it hurts. Like it or not, there are many Gastons in the world and we aren't doing enough to change that or make the world safer for people like Belle, Maurice or even the Beast.

Gaston. One of the biggest reasons we need to be open-minded and understanding and my choice for number 4.

3. Mother Gothel from Tangled

You want me to be the bad guy?

At first glance, Gothel is not someone you would expect to be in a scary villains list. She's more funny and hammy than actually frightening and rarely does anything that could seriously be considered 'villainous'.

In reality, Gothel could easily be considered one of the more frightening of the Disney villains, not because of the way she looks or acts, but because of the things she says and how that affects Rapunzel. Not just her efforts to keep Rapunzel in her tower but also her serious and dangerous manipulations of her self-confidence and beliefs.

Don't believe me?

The first time we see adult Rapunzel and Gothel together, Gothel gives Rapunzel two very cutting comments about her abilities in a breezy voice that she ends up passing off as teasing. It may not seem like much but by doing this, she not only picks at Rapunzel's confidence but she manipulates the situation so that Rapunzel herself is left with the sensation that it's her fault if she sees these comments as insulting or hurtful.

Even Gothel's song is presented in this way. It's funny at first but the lyrics are picking away at Rapunzel, telling her that she's 'sloppy, underdressed, immature, clumsy' and in the next breath declaring that this is only said out of love. And of course, if it's said out of love then it's important to get over the hurt it causes, isn't it? But her manipulations become clearer the further we get into the story. In the reprise of 'Mother Knows Best', she tells Rapunzel 'Why would (Flynn) like you? Come on now really!/Look at you! You think that he’s impressed?' and after stabbing Flynn, she outright says, 'Look what you made me do.'

This is actually known as emotional abuse and it's something that is just as serious as the physical version but much harder to get help for. Victims can often not realise they are victims and there's little physical evidence for an outsider to catch on that something's wrong with the situation. It relies more on emotional and verbal manipulation than physical actions, allowing the perpetrators to hide in plain sight.

How can someone like this not be considered someone to fear?

2. Hans from Frozen

And this is why you don't get engaged to a guy you just met.

Charming, sweet and understanding, Hans was presented as your typical Disney Prince, willing to do whatever it took to win the heart of Anna and the trust of her sister.

And then he uttered twelve words:

'Oh Anna. If only there was someone out there who loved you.'

With those words, Hans moved from being a typical Disney Prince to one of the scariest villains in Disney history. He stopped being charming and sweet and became a chameleon, able to change his behaviour and emotional responses to whatever was necessary for the situation, making it unclear who he really was underneath the mask. There is some speculation as to whether or not Hans could be considered a sociopath, but I am reluctant to label him with something that could potentially excuse his behaviour.

Hans is a character who reflects everyone's uncertainty about a person. What they really think of you when you're not there. Who they are when you're not in the room. Like Gothel, he is a character of manipulation and control, but unlike her, there's no sign that he's the bad guy. He's the town hero without Gaston's obvious arrogance. There's no visual or verbal clues to indicate that he is anything other than the charming prince he appears to be.

I have no doubt that if he had married Anna, he would have said and done all the right things to be the perfect husband, but he still would have been the person who murdered her sister and potentially might have slipped up. Whether he would have done a Gothel and emotionally manipulated Anna into what he wanted, or taken power directly from her, is uncertain. But his ability to hide, even from the audience, who he really was, is terrifying. With Gothel, we know she's the villain of the story. With Hans, nobody inside or outside of the story has a clue.

A master of disguise and one of the biggest shocks in a Disney film, Prince Hans of the Southern Isles is my number 2 spot.

1. The mobs from Pocahontas, Beauty and the Beast, Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Lion King and probably many more

Fuelled by emotion...

I know this one is cheating but hey, it's my list so I can do whatever I want!

Unlike the other Disney villains, this is one that isn't immediately obvious. Mobs don't have a place in the Disney villain line and cannot be connected with a single film. But that doesn't stop them from being one of the more frightening villains of the Disney franchise, especially when you're an adult.

When I refer to a Disney 'Villain', I mean an antagonist that goes against the hero and could potentially cause them harm and the mobs certainly do by threatening to hurt or humiliate the protagonist or actually doing so.

...capable of good or ill...

Unlike the rest of this list, the mobs are made up of individuals, people that we have seen in the background and, at times, have met in person. Smart, kind hearted people with hopes, dreams, friends and family. But the worst part of being part of a mob is that it becomes a single entity rather than a group of individuals, an entity driven by fear, hatred or anger. These emotions are often fuelled by a charismatic leader and feed off the other members of the group. The more that is felt by the group, the more emotion is created and feeds the group which in turn makes the situation worse and does not allow for individual thoughts or actions that go against the group.

...incapable of working alone.

What scares me the most about any of the mobs is the concept of how easy it would be to be involved with one. Not just to be on the wrong side of a mob, a lone voice against a mass of emotion, but also to become a part of one. To be so carried away by anger, ignorance, fear or pain that you stop becoming a thinking, loving human being. Maybe you'll never meet a Gothel or a Frollo or even a Jafar, but given the right circumstances you may easily become the villain you never wanted to be.

Somewhat unconventional, but no less frightening, this is my number 1 pick for Disney villains that I fear as an adult.

And those are my top 13 Disney Villains to fear as an adult. Have another look at your favourite Disney films and see if you start seeing your favourite villains in a different light as you grow older.

Thank you for reading my list and I hope that you had a happy Halloween and that Nanowrimo isn't causing you too much stress.