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.

I started early on the Saturday morning with one of my all-time favourites, Wall-E, the film about the little robot that only wanted love in his life. I found myself singing along word-for-word to a musical I’ve never seen (it being Saturday, it would’ve been improper to put on my Sunday clothes) and mesmerised, as always, as Wall-E and Eve danced through space.

Immediately after that I watched Bolt, and I enjoyed it more than I remember. It’s a film that’s often overlooked – following the best-forgotten Chicken Little and preceding the impressive Princess and the Frog – but deserves appreciation, not least for reminding us that there was a time when Miley Cyrus wasn’t just a walking sex metaphor.

I’d watched two Disney films by this point without the joy of a musical, so I got myself a few snacks and tucked into Hercules, and I sang. Oh, did I sing! But as great as the songs are (they really are amazing, and that’s the Gospel truth!), the film really belongs to James Woods’ Hades; the sassy, fiery God of the Underworld and main antagonist, who steals every scene he’s part of.

Next, I felt it might be a good idea to show some love for one of the lesser-known Disney films, The Great Mouse Detective. An unashamed homage to Sherlock Holmes, I enjoyed it – not as much as I enjoyed some of the other films that day – and spent large parts of the movie distracted by the fact that the voice of Scrooge McDuck appeared in the movie. It’s a big thing…

By this point, I needed a break. I took about 20 minutes. ONTO THE NEXT ONE!

It hadn’t been that long since I visited San Fransokyo, but I needed to go again. Big Hero 6 is such a good film, and Baymax is easily one of the best characters Disney has ever brought to life. Hiro’s story of loss and search for revenge pulls at the heartstrings, while his walking pillow and doctor tries his best to heal the pain the young boy is feeling throughout the film. I was very satisfied with this film. I was satisfied with my care.

Another film I hadn’t seen in a while, The Fox and the Hound, was after that, a film that I remembered made me exceptionally sad. It was, and still is, but while it’s a beautiful story of friendship and the difficulty of life, I got distracted by one moment of madness. About halfway through the film, Chief (whose voice is synonymous with Disney) gets hit full force by a train, and falls a comfortable 30 feet into a very shallow and rocky river, but next scene, Chief is nursing a bandaged leg and nothing more. What?! I’m not trying to get a petition started for more death in Disney, but let’s try and be realistic now.

Then it was time for my last film of Saturday, and it only seemed right for it to be my favourite. I was very excited to find out that I had the option of a Sing-A-Long version (I know virtually every word, but still…), an option which I gladly accepted. Then it started. ‘NANTS INGONYAMA BAGITHI BABA’. By the end of the first song, I was holding my Simba soft toy aloft, welcoming the future King of Pride Rock, and it only got better from that moment on. My life peaked that night.

On to Sunday now, and in between getting incredibly stressed and then relieved by the football, I managed to squeeze in another four films.

While I tell you about the first one, I’d like to invite you to relax, let us pull up a chair as I proudly present – Beauty and the Beast. I can’t talk about Beauty and the Beast without addressing my weirdly wishful bro-love for Lumiere, the world’s most suave candlestick holder, a man who, even when magically transformed into a piece of home décor, manages to get all the girls. Except Mrs Potts. No man is good enough for Jessica Fletcher.

My next film of the day was another I hadn’t seen in a while, The Incredibles, and I know I’ve said this a lot, but I forgot just how good this film is. It’s easily one of the best superhero films there is, and the only Pixar film that ever demanded a sequel, although unfortunately it’s getting its sequel after many unnecessary ones *cough Cars 2 cough*. Plus, it’s got Samuel L Jackson in it, pre-Nick Fury days. What’s not to love?

To double figures now, and the beautiful city of Aghrabah in search of a diamond in the rough, and while Aladdin has a lot to celebrate, it only seems right to talk about Genie – the part Robin Williams was born to play – as the film is illuminated by Williams’ effervescence, mania, and beautiful multitude of character.

My final film in my marathon is the geekiest of all the Disney films, and a celebration of video game culture. Wreck-it Ralph combines top quality characters with a new and unique premise, and sprinkles in enough gaming references to earn Nintendo some serious royalties. None of which match Vanellope von Schweetz , the Glitch, the plucky racer (who doesn’t know how to drive) who just wants to be on the roster. It’s impossible not to love her.

And so ends my Bank Holiday weekend. I can’t wait for the next one, I still have so many films to watch.

Written by Greg Forrester