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. 

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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.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)
Directors: Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise
Screenwriters: Tab Murphy, Irene Mecchi, Bob Tzudiker, Noni White, Jonathan Roberts
Starring: Tom Hulce, Demi Moore, Tony Jay, Kevin Kline, Paul Kandel, Jason Alexander, Charles Kimbrough, Mary Wickes, David Ogden Stiers

There have been numerous adaptations of Victor Hugo’s “Notre-Dame de Paris” since its publication nearly two centuries ago. By happenstance, 2021 marks not only the 190th anniversary of the novel, but 25 years since arguably its most famous interpretation: Disney’s animated musical The Hunchback of Notre Dame. 

In 15th Century Paris, deformed bell ringer Quasimodo (Tom Hulce) dreams of a life outside his prison/sanctuary of Notre Dame Cathedral but for the fear of the cruelty and evils of the wider world instilled in him by his guardian, the corrupt Judge Frollo (Tony Jay). Quasimodo sneaks out of Notre Dame for the city’s annual Feast of Fools where he falls for kindly gypsy Esmeralda (Demi Moore) before inevitably being ridiculed by the crowds for his appearance. Frollo also desires Esmeralda for his own and will stop at nothing to have her and wipe her people from the streets of Paris.

Like all of Disney’s Renaissance features, The Hunchback of Notre Dame takes a giant leap forward on a technical level. A new programme was written, appropriately dubbed “Crowd” to give the teeming throngs of Medieval Paris life. Gone were the days of still image stand-ins, as the camera soars around Notre Dame and looks down at the teeming plaza below we see hundreds of individuals all moving independently, particularly impressive in the film’s largest scale scenes, the Feast of Fools and the siege of the Cathedral in the finale. 

This film takes a lot of inspiration from the 1939 Charles Laughton version of Hunchback, which was in itself a fairly faithful adaptation of Hugo’s doorstep of a novel. Quasimodo looks quite a lot like Laughton’s portrayal of the bell ringer, but with a warm smile and Hulce’s gentle, angelic voice added. It was in the 1939 film too that solidified villain Frollo as an amoral judge rather than a sinful archbishop, a characterisation that has been repeated in most adaptations since, including Disney’s.

Judge Claude Frollo is the most unquestionably evil villain in the Disney canon, well perhaps alongside Cruella DeVille because of all the animal cruelty (though we certainly don’t need a Frollo origin story). His power and his threat comes from the fact that he’s both a fanatic and a hypocrite: “He saw corruption everywhere except within”. Frollo sees himself as doing God’s work by ridding Paris of the gypsies, but lusts after Esmeralda, planning to spare her if she pledges to be “mine and mine alone”. His hypocrisy is evident in that he believes these un-pious thoughts do not come from him but from him being helpless against gypsy magic (“Don’t let this siren cast her spell”) and sinful temptation (“He made the devil so much stronger than a man”).

The film mostly goes for a dark melodrama vibe, except for the addition of a troupe of comedy sidekicks, in this case Notre Dame’s gargoyles who befriend Quasimodo and give him someone to speak his thoughts to, but who completely derail the tone train. A film containing attempted infanticide, (just offscreen) torture, pillorying and attempted acts of genocide comes across as rather jarring next to all the bad stand-up routines and guards getting kicked in the nuts.

It’s the music that makes Hunchback, that gives it grand scope and atmosphere. Alan Menken is at the height of his powers here and while he’d tragically lost his lyrical writing partner Howard Ashman, Stephen Schwartz meets the challenge of matching the operatic tone with heartfelt words tied to timeless humanist themes. Quasimodo’s “Out There” and Esmeralda’s “God Help the Outcasts” are among the most emotional “I want” songs in Disney, and Frollo’s “Hellfire” is the darkest and most complex villain number the studio has produced to date by some margin, incorporating the Catholic Confiteor and referencing the pain of sin and the torment of damnation: “Don’t let her fire sear my flesh and bone”. It’s hard stuff for Disney, but in many ways the song makes the film, especially in contrast to Quasimodo’s innocent “Heaven’s Light” that immediately precedes it.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame perhaps caught critics and audiences off-guard upon its release 25 years ago. Its darker elements are too dark for children and its lighter moments too juvenile for adults. The stereotypical portrayal of gypsy culture and the sexualisation of Esmeralda which were problematic at the time seem even more so when viewing the film today. Despite its off-balance tone and the odd misstep, the skill of the visual and musical artistry on show, the forceful thematic punch and unexpected depth of the character portrayals makes this among the most satisfying and lasting movies of the Disney Renaissance.

20/24

In this edition of Ranked, what follows is The Film Magazine’s ranking of Disney’s cinematic output over the decade 1989-1999, known as the Disney Renaissance.

Honourable mention: A Goofy Movie (1995)

While my fellow millennials might feel a bit sore that A Goofy Movie isn’t included on this list, here’s the rationale…

While it was produced during Disney’s Renaissance period, it was made by Disney’s B team as a follow-up to Goofy’s TV series and did not have the studio’s full creative weight thrown behind it, nor the budget. It’s still a cute and heartfelt movie about growing pains and daddy issues, but not a game-changer like all the other films on this list.

10. Pocahontas (1995)

Very loosely based on historical figures, the daughter of a Powhatan chief falls for an English soldier and must chose a side in a war against her people.

I think they were going for earnest with Pocahontas, but unfortunately they ended up coming across as patronising. John Smith really is the worst isn’t he?

Quite aside from how unpalatable a personality Gibson has become over the years, his character here mansplains the concept of civilisation to an indigenous woman. That’s much worse than the actual villain who’s just egotistical and greedy.

The animal sidekicks are cute, but this ends up being stuck halfway between merchandisable entertainment and aiming for prestige.

Animation game-changer: Disney’s first lead character from an indigenous people and their first story inspired by the lives of real people as opposed to fairy tales.

Magical moment: Pocahontas’ efforts to humble the arrogant John Smith and his narrow worldview with undeniable earworm “Colours of the Wind” is gorgeously animated, transitioning between vignettes of nature in harmony linked by living watercolour.