They’ve come in many guises over the years, from the monarchical to the Machiavellian, monsters to muscle men, sorcerers, schemers and step-parents. And they have shown levels of genius, incompetence and everything in between in their efforts to thwart our heroes. But they are always without fail ambitious, self-serving and strangely compelling.

In a world of promoting good virtues to children, good must always triumph over evil. And so, Disney villains can’t be left to return and cause havoc another day (unless it’s in an inconsequential direct-to-video sequel) and so usually meet their maker in one of a variety of inventive and sometimes gruesome ways.

If the Disney Princess is the most merchandisable element of the Disney canon, then the villains are a close second and inspire even more fervour among adult fans, perhaps because they’re usually more flawed and interesting than the heroes and especially when so many are (intentionally or not) queer-coded, fabulously designed and played with gusto by talented voice actors giving it their all. 

For this edition of Ranked, we at The Film Magazine have taken every significant villain to be found in Disney animation and ordered them in terms of wickedness, memorability and the threat they represent to our heroes and heroines. So practice your diabolical laughter, rehearse your evil monologue, dust off your best purple attire and enjoy Animated Disney Villains Ranked. 

Follow @thefilmagazine on X (Twitter).

36. King Candy – Wreck-It Ralph (2012)

The ruler of arcade racing video game Sugar Rush who is actually Turbo, the resentful title character of a long-disconnected game.

Alan Tudyk has been Disney’s good luck charm in recent years and delivers a manic performance here as a mascot-gone-wrong, but the vocals have to do most of the work to enliven a baddie who’s just not interesting enough to match the heroes.

Demise by: Destroyed by the collapse of Diet Cola Mountain with the addition of Mentos.

35. Prince Hans – Frozen (2013)

A seemingly classic Prince Charming who is actually conspiring to eliminate both heirs to the Arendelle throne and claim it for himself.

Hans is a duplicitous, generic British-accented baddie revealed in the film’s final act, who gets some bonus evil points for taking advantage of Princess Anna’s emotions the way he does, purely to advance himself.

Demise by: Survives but is arrested and banished for his treachery.

Recommended for you: Best Animated Feature Oscar Winners Ranked

34. Alameda Slim – Home on the Range (2004)

An evil cattle rustler and conman who plans to cheat every rancher he can find out of their land.

Randy Quaid’s growling delivery and the character’s hilariously unconvincing Inspector Clouseau-level disguises aside, what makes Alameda Slim stand out is that he’s a rare villain who uses a combination of theft, foreclosure and cow-hypnotising yodelling to get what he wants.

Demise by: Survives, but his schemes and true identity as a rustler are exposed and the reward for his arrest is claimed.

33. Dr Jumba Jookiba – Lilo & Stitch (2002)

An alien mad scientist on the hunt for his dangerous but cute creation on Earth on the orders of the council who imprisoned him for his work.

Dr Jumba is probably the only character who never underestimates the cute blue title character because he was the one who genetically engineered “Experiment 626” and is fully aware of his destructive capabilities. He finds himself lower down this list for being bumbling and for having a late change of heart, eventually helping to protect Stitch when the council’s military arrives to complete his mission with extreme prejudice.

Demise by: Survives to live a fairly happy exile alongside Stitch on Earth.

Peter Pan & Wendy (2023)
Director: David Lowery
Screenwriters: David Lowery, Toby Halbrooks
Starring: Alexander Molony, Ever Anderson, Jude Law, Alyssa Wapanatâhk, Jim Gaffigan, Joshua Pickering, Jacobi Jupe, Yara Shahidi, Molly Parker, Alan Tudyk

70 years ago, Walt Disney Productions released their animated musical Peter Pan (based upon J.M. Barrie’s iconic children’s stage play) and guided an entire generation of young viewers to magical Neverland where they would never have to grow up. With his first project for Disney in seven years – having previously directed the surprisingly good Pete’s Dragon – singular writer-director David Lowery returns for the studio’s latest reimagining of one of their animated classics and gratifyingly brings some new-ish ideas in addition to everything you might expect.

Wendy Moira Angela Darling (Ever Anderson) is an imaginative Edwardian pre-teen deeply apprehensive at the prospect of having to grow up on the eve of going to boarding school, leaving her games with her younger brothers John and Michael (Joshua Pickering and Jacobi Jupe) far behind. That same night, the boy from their bedtime stories, Peter Pan (Alexander Molony), appears at the Darlings’ nursery window and flies them to Neverland where he and his gang of Lost Boys are pursued by Captain Hook (Jude Law) and his pirate crew.

David Lowery’s films return time and time again to themes of captivity and freedom, whether literal or figurative. Imagination and whether we have to lose it as we mature is the main idea explored here, clear from the opening scene in which Mrs Darling (Molly Parker) gives her daughter a gentle reality check about having to grow up sooner or later and encourages her to be a responsible older sister to her brothers: “You barely fit in your bed” / “They will follow your lead so you must be a good leader”.

It’s a neat visual to have everything Peter touches in the nursery float alongside him, like pixie dust exerts some kind of otherworldly gravity field, and Molony’s Peter manages to look like he’s not on a restrictive wire rig either, moving like someone very comfortable with defying physics, changing his inversion at a moment’s notice to run along walls and spring to the ceiling. The flying does feel appropriately wondrous despite some imperfect VFX,  the sheer exhilaration and utter freedom the Darlings feel the first time they take to the air present in the young actors’ performances and the staging of the scenes.

This Captain Hook is not a gentleman pirate but a neurotic and paranoid man-child who overcompensates massively for ageing and for his sad history with Peter by vainly dying his greying hair and attaching a particularly mean-looking butcher’s meat hook at the end of his arm.

Lowery’s film stands out as one of the few adaptations to establish a very different connection between Peter and Hook, rather than the usual trouble-making child vs stern housemaster dynamic. Hook is a tragic figure who has lost who he was and has become jaded and cruel with age (“This is what growing up looks like”), so they definitely could have done more with the paternal side of Mr Smee (Jim Gaffigan) in turn. Bob Hoskins remains the best Smee of them all (for his part in Steven Spielberg’s Hook) due to his unique bickering gay lover take on Captain Hook’s second in command. There was definitely scope to mine a little more emotional resonance from character relationships in general here, but there’s no getting around the fact that Hook’s main purpose in life is to kill a child he hates, and because of that the central rivalry really works. 

Jude Law’s enjoyment in his every scene as a flamboyant pantomime baddie is evident, and Ever Anderson and Alexander Molony (particularly the former) are both a welcome modern update and embody the youthful curiosity and wonder of Barrie’s central characters pretty well. Elsewhere it’s difficult to gain any real traction on any of the pirates, Neverland natives or Lost Boys, which is particularly disappointing for Wendy’s brothers who probably have only half a dozen lines each.

Crocodile fans will be pleased to hear that despite its appearance being brief, the creature looks great in its truly massive scaly glory, and the filmmakers do a spectacular big-budget live-action version of the slapstick runaround from the animation in which it chases Hook around a cave.

While several of its songs are now deeply problematic, fans of the 1953 film might be a little disappointed there are so few nods to it in the new score from Lowery regular Daniel Hart. We don’t even hear the iconic refrain from “You Can Fly!” properly until the end credits. A couple of times it feels like they’re about to break properly into song but they never quite do.

Kids will likely have a lot of fun with all the younger-skewing Pirates of the Caribbean-esque swashbuckling action, but whether there is actually enough going on to keep the most restless little ones interested is debatable. You could also wish for a bit more polish in the fight choreography which is often obscured in the edit or the wider cinematography, the latter of which is favoured to take in the entirety of the busy and often chaotic brawls.

Peter Pan & Wendy evokes the timeless themes of childhood imagination and sweeps parents and kids up in a pretty memorable fantasy adventure. Aspects of Barrie’s enduring bedtime fantasy have been done better elsewhere over numerous adaptations, but new angles on certain characters and concepts keep things fresh even if this doesn’t come close to the level of originality David Lowery has shown in his original works.

Score: 16/24

Number 30: Hercules becomes a God –Hercules (1997)

‘Hercules’ at 25 – Review

Number 29: Higitus Figitus. Merlin works his magic – The Sword in the Stone (1963)

Number 28: The Evil Queens evil plan – Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

Number 27: Pink Elephants on Parade – Dumbo (1941)

Recommended for you: Tim Burton Movies Ranked

Number 26: Copper saves Todd – The Fox and the Hound (1981)

Number 25: Ohana means family – Lilo and Stich (2002)

Number 24: Mulan gets ready for war – Mulan (1998)

Mulan (1998) Review

Number 23: Ray is united with Evangeline –Princess and the Frog (2009)

Number 22: Pocahontas meets John Smith –Pocahontas (1995)

Number 21: Under the Sea – The Little Mermaid (1989)

Number 20: Alice goes down the rabbit hole – Alice in Wonderland (1951)

Number 19: True love’s kiss – Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

Number 18: 101! – 101 Dalmations (1961)

Number 17: Aladdin wishes Genie to be free – Aladdin (1992)

Number 16: Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo – Cinderella (1950)

Number 15: Steamboat Willie – Steamboat Willie (1928)

Number 14: Everybody wants to be a cat – The Aristocats (1970)

Number 13 – I’m a real boy – Pinnochio (1940)

Number 12: The Bare Necessities – The Jungle Book (1967)

Number 11: Bambi goes ice skating – Bambi (1942)

Number 10: Let It go – Frozen (2013)

Recommended for you: 4 Most Depressing Disney Moments

Number 9 – The Circle of Life – The Lion King (1994)

Number 8: Ariel gives up her voice – The Little Mermaid (1989)

Recommended for you: The Evolution of Disney Dads

Number 7: The Floating Lights – Tangled (2010)

Number 6: Off to Neverland – Peter Pan (1953)

Number 5: Maleficent crashes the party – Sleeping Beauty (1959)

Number 4: Bella Notte – Lady and the Tramp (1955)

Number 3: Mickey’s dancing brooms – Fantasia (1940)

Number 2: Long Live The King – The Lion King (1994)

Number 1: The Dance – Beauty and the Beast (1991)

Recommended for you: Disney Renaissance Movies Ranked

What are your favourite Disney moments? Let us know in the comments and be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter for updates on more articles like this one.