Disneyis known asthe storytelling giant. The franchise has captured the innocence and imagination of kids everywhere. Those same kids who grew up on Disney films become kids at heart, passing the magic onto their kids. Classic characters and struggles define their stories, but the values and desires they hold fast to are timeless.
Entering a whole new world can be overwhelming and a learning experience for the right-and-true heroes. What complicates and challenges their journey are villains who want the complete opposite. Self-interest becomes sinister schemes straight fromthe scariest villainsDisney has to offer.
8The Evil Queen - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfsintroduces the Evil Queen is the envious stepmother of the titular character. Jealous of Snow White’s beauty, the Evil Queen spends her days in front of the Magic Mirror, asking who the fairest one of all is. One day, when the Magic Mirror tells her that Snow White is the fairest,she plots to kill her.
She sends her Huntsman to not only dispose of Snow White, but to remove the young girl’s heart to be placed in her jewelry box. The Evil Queen even disguises herself as an old hag to give Snow White a poison apple. The Evil Queen is old-school heartless.
7Jafar - Aladdin (1992)
Aladdinpresents Jafar, a diabolical political advisor and sorcerer from the Middle East. He kidnaps street kid Aladdin to collect a magic lamp from the Cave of Wonders. Since Jafar isn’t a diamond in the rough, but a rough piece of royalty instead, the commoner boy is manipulated due to his innocence.
When Aladdin isn’t killed in this suicide mission, Jafar tells Princess Jasmine that Aladdin was executed. The lie was Jafar’s attempt to marry the princess so that he could become Sultan. The power, control, and greed went to the overzealous, magic curmudgeon’s head.
6Scar - The Lion King (1994)
The Lion Kingfollows a royal family of lions ruling over the Pride Lands of Africa. The newborn lion cub Simba will inherit the kingdom from his father, King Mufasa. The latter’s jealousyounger brother Scarplots to overthrow him and his son. He orchestrates a stampede of wildebeest to trample and kill Mufasa, assuming the throne. Scar brings a whole new meaning to a death in the family.
Related:9 Disney Villains We Actually Feel For
5Shan Yu - Mulan (1998)
Mulansees imperial China being invaded by the Huns and their ruthless leader Shan Yu. With the pallor of death, Shan Yu massacres a group of soldiers and burns a village to the ground. Before passing through the mountains further, Shan Yu intimidates and spares two captured soldiers to deliver a threat to the Emperor. He asks his bowman how many men it takes to deliver a message, cueing him to send an arrow into one unlucky soldier’s back. The militant Disney villain marches to the beat of his own drum.
Related:Disney’s Wish: Why You Should Be Excited for This Upcoming Film
4The Horned King - The Black Cauldron (1985)
The Black Cauldronis a mysticaladventure about the relic of the same name. The Black Cauldron has the power to summon an undead army, which the Horned King sets his sights on. He seeks first a farmer boy’s pig that sees into the future to help him locate the cauldron. The skeletal foe imprisons the boy and his pig, releasing the Cauldron-Born into the world. Later, the cauldron overpowers the Horned King andhe meets a horrible demise.
3Chernabog - Fantasia (1940)
RKO Radio Pictures
Fantasiain its fantastical live-action musical anthology begins as a lighthearted romp of animation. The compositions and stories lead to the menacing devil Chernabog. Accompanied by the pieceNight on Bald Mountainby Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky, Chernabog rises at midnight and summons the evil dead to summit Bald Mountain. Restless spirits fly through the air as the haunting score climbs with them. Chernabog makes them dance and transform in the fires of his desire.
2Maleficent - Sleeping Beauty (1959)
Sleeping Beautyis a musical fantasy following the European rulers who have their first child, Princess Aurora. Three good fairies are invited to Aurora’s christening, bestowing gifts onto her.The evil fairy Maleficenthowever is uninvited, so she puts a curse on Aurora that will lead to a sudden death at age 16.
When one of the good fairies dulls the curse, allowing Aurora to fall into a deep sleep that can only be removed by true love’s kiss, Maleficent abducts Aurora’s love interest Phillip next, threatening him with a century-long jail sentence before transforming into a dragon to battle him at the castle.
1Claude Frollo - The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)
The Hunchback of Notre Damegivesviewers the puritanical and manipulative Claude Frollo. He adopts but hides his deformed bell-ringer Quasimodo from the public eye. As the Minister of Justice in Paris, Claude has the express purpose of exterminating the Romani population who are immigrating to the country.
Before he could drown the baby Quasimodo he saw as a demon, and after killing Quasimodo’s Romani mother, he raises Quasimodo as his own instead to save his immortal soul from damnation. The self-righteous and hypocritical Claude goes on to lust after the French Roma gypsy girl Esmeralda. Claude Frollo is scary and ugly as sin.
