Summary
Notall Disney villainsare the same — some are certainly more intelligent and carry out more evil plans.Disney villain plans range from exaggerated villainy that isn’t meant to be taken that seriously to darker storylinesthat tap into tragic real-world events and dangers. However, because it is a Disney movie, the heroes are usually never faced with a villain they are not equipped to handle. A happy ending is almost a guarantee, while the villain will either wallow in defeat or be killed.
Some Disney villains are just as beloved as the heroes because they are so magnificently evilthat their machinations are the best parts of the movies. Others are genuinely terrifying but still serve as a key part of the story. However, the way a villain functions within the narrative often comes down to their plan, which reflects what kind of villain they are. Their plans may also change along the way when they are faced with setbacks, which can be the truest evidence of how evil they are at their core.
25 Best Disney Villains Of All Time, Ranked
Disney and Pixar have given us countless memorable villains over the years. These are the best — or worst — of them all.
15Lady Tremaine’s Plan To Keep Cinderella In Servitude
Cinderella (1950)
Lady Tremaine apparently only wants to secure an unpaid maid for the foreseeable future and ensure that her daughters receive marriage offers when the movie implies that Cinderella is preferable because she is prettier and kinder. Tremaine’s plan probably didn’t require much thought other than to intimidate Cinderella into submission.It is not the most dastardly plot as Cinderella technically could have leftto at least seek better employment. However, it is still heartbreaking how her stepmother cruelly blocks her from anything good, such as when she locks her in her room to prevent her from reuniting with the prince.
14Jafar’s Plan To Take Over Agrabah
Aladdin (1992)
Jafar falls into a generic Disney villain category of wanting to take over the kingdom the story is set in,not for any particular reason, only for the power of being an absolute ruler. Jafar coerces others into getting the lamp for him, resulting in some deaths, and magically sways Jasmine’s father. His attempts to marry Jasmine are creepy, although the sultan is also trying to push Jasmine into an arranged marriage. Jafar uses a lot of typical villain tricks to get what he wants — cheating, threats, and murder — but his methods are not especially unique or evil.
Aladdin
Aladdin, directed by Ron Clements and John Musker, is an animated film featuring a street urchin who discovers a magical lamp. The story follows Aladdin’s adventures, including his encounters with Princess Jasmine and the villainous Jafar, who seeks to wield the lamp’s extraordinary powers to seize control.
13Ursula’s Plan To Use Ariel Against Triton
The Little Mermaid (1989)
Ursula leverages familial love, although it is interesting that she doesn’t just kill Triton when she attempts to kill Ariel minutes later.
Ursula’s plan is actually well-thought-out and seemingly concocted very quickly in response toAriel falling in love with Eric.Ursula’s plan was to somehow use Ariel against her fatherwhen she could count on Triton to give up everything to protect his daughter. Ursula targeting Ariel is also smart, as Ariel is shown to be the odd one out of Triton’s daughters and is off on her own a lot, providing more opportunities to trick her. Ursula leverages familial love, although it is interesting that she doesn’t just kill Triton when she attempts to kill Ariel minutes later.
The Little Mermaid
The Little Mermaid is an animated fantasy film that follows the tale of Ariel, a mermaid princess who dreams of life on land. She falls in love with Prince Eric and makes a daring pact with the sea witch Ursula to become human, risking everything for love.
12Cruella de Vil’s Plan To Kill Puppies
101 Dalmations (1961)
How evil one perceivesCruella’s planto be is dependent on how much of a dog person one is, but her determination to slaughter baby animals is widely disturbing. This is definitely in violation of some animal cruelty laws, hence why her operation is based out of her remote mansion, and she is paying two criminals to do her dirty work. She also doesn’t have to specifically steal her"friend’s"puppies.Cruella just enjoys being evil for the sake of it,when she probably would have gotten away with the whole thing if she had just bought 15 extra puppies.
11Ernesto de la Cruz’s Plan To Kill Hector & Miguel
Coco (2017)
Cocofeatures one of Pixar’s darkest scenes, with the second act revealing that Miguel’s musical idol poisoned his best friend to steal his music and secure his own future as a musician. Hector’s death is (seemingly) relatively painless, but it is still brutal that de la Cruz kills his friend and lets his family think he abandoned them for personal gain.De la Cruz also condemns Hector to being forgotten and Miguel to the afterlifeto preserve his reputation. The evilness of de la Cruz’s plan is somewhat tempered by his comical defeat, but his cold-blooded temperament is shocking.
Coco
Despite his family’s generations-old ban on music, Miguel dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz. Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel finds himself in the stunning and colorful Land of the Dead following a mysterious chain of events. Along the way, he meets charming trickster Hector, and together, they set off on a journey to unlock the real story behind Miguel’s family history.
10Evil Queen’s Plan To Murder Snow White
Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs (1937)
Snow White is 14 years oldinSnow White and the Seven Dwarfs, essentially a child, and her stepmother is fully prepared to kill her for the crime of being prettier, as determined by an omniscient mirror. Every step/attempt to execute this plan is actually very simple: order the huntsman to kill Snow White, then go do it herself.The Evil Queen is completely obsessive, relentlessly pursuing this one girlwith the intent of murdering her. Yet the scope of her evil plan is limited because Snow White is the only one who really matters.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is a classic 1938 animated film based on the Brothers Grimm tale. The story follows Snow White, who hides in a forest with seven dwarfs to escape her jealous stepmother, the wicked Queen. The Queen is determined to be the fairest in the land, threatened by Snow White’s beauty.
9Narissa’s Plan To Kill Giselle (& Everyone Else)
Enchanted (2007)
Queen Narissa’s plan comprises several narrative Easter Eggs among all the Disney references inEnchanted.Like the Evil Queen, Narissa obsessively pursues one young woman;in this case, Giselle has no idea that Narissa hates her and speaks of her kindly. Narissa’s plan comes across as less petty because it is a political machination, so her stepson will not inherit the throne when he marries. However, Narissa is willing to destroy everyone in her way, as she announces her intention to kill everyone who might return to Andalasia to reveal the truth about her.
Enchanted
Starring Amy Adams as Giselle, Enchanted follows its heroine as she is cast out of her animated fantasy world by an evil queen, ending up in the middle of New York City where she meets Robert, a jaded lawyer who reluctantly takes the clueless Giselle in. As Giselle begins to adjust to life in the real world, and her relationship with Robert deepens, she must reconcile what she thought she wanted with where life has taken her. Patrick Dempsey, James Marsden, Idina Menzel, and Susan Sarandon also star.
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8Syndrome’s Plan To Wipe Out Superheroes
The Incredibles (2004)
Syndrome is one ofPixar’s best villainsand has a plan that lives up to his charisma and one-liners. Syndrome is also motivated by petty grievances, but it is possible to see how he may have thought that getting rid of superheroes was for the greater good. This does not negate all the evil things he does to achieve this, including killing off many of this setting’s heroes as he prepares the Omnidroid to fight Mr. Incredible and kidnapping Jack-Jack in revenge when his plan fails.Syndrome actually boasts a very complicated planwith far-reaching consequences.
The Incredibles
The Incredibles follows the retired superhero Bob Parr, now an insurance adjuster living in suburbia with his family. When a mysterious assignment surfaces, he is called back into action alongside his family, leading them to confront hidden dangers.
7Hans' Plan To Steal Arendelle’s Throne
Frozen (2013)
Hans is also motivated by the selfish desire to be the king of any kingdom, showcasing how Disney villains generally tend to view power.Hans fully admits that he intended to murder Elsa after marrying Anna;the opportunity to get rid of Anna without arousing suspicion was a lucky break for him, allowing him to adapt his plan, so he could rule on his own. On his way to getting there, Hans does a lot of terrible things to the sisters, leveraging their strained relationship and respective vulnerabilities until both of them are easy targets.
Frozen
Frozen, released in 2013, follows young princess Anna of Arendelle on a perilous quest to halt an eternal winter cast by her sister, Elsa. Joined by Kristoff, his reindeer Sven, and snowman Olaf, Anna navigates themes of friendship, courage, family, and love in her journey.
6Dr. Facilier’s Plan To Bargain The City’s Souls
The Princess And The Frog (2009)
The Princess and the Frogimplies that Dr. Facilier is motivated by the desire to reverse social injustices, inflicting pain and misery on the wealthy residents of New Orleans. In the process,Facilier agrees to sell all the"wayward souls"in the city to his"friends on the other side"in exchange for their help recapturing Naveen. This will allow Facilier to carry out his plan to kill Lottie’s father and install his puppet posing as Lottie’s husband. Yet his worst deed is the midway adjustment to condemn many people he doesn’t know to a miserable afterlife.
The Princess and the Frog
Based on the classic fairytale, The Princess and the Frog follow Tiana, a hardworking New Orleans waitress in the 1920s who has big dreams of opening her own restaurant. When she becomes involved in a curse set upon a foreign prince by a witch doctor, however, Tiana must figure out a way to help the prince break the curse before time runs out. The film features the voices of Anika Noni Rose, Bruno Campos, Jim Cummings, Jennifer Cody, and John Goodman.
