When people watch a new Disney movie, one of the things they look forward to the most is the villains. Dating back to Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Disney’s villains have stood out thanks to their animation and writing. They terrify audiences with their powers while also pushing the heroes to reach their full potential.
Over the years, Disney has had a wide range of male villains. Yet some of their most memorable villains have been the women. While the Disney female villains’ concepts are not as varied as the male ones, they more than compensate through personality and flare.
Updated on May 24, 2023, by Hannah Saab:
As fans eagerly wait to see the new version of Ursula in the upcoming live-action The Little Mermaid (May 26), it’s the perfect time to look back at some more iconic female Disney villains.
10 Te-Kā
‘Moana’ (2016)
When the demigod, Maui, stole the heart of Te Fiti in Moana, he unknowingly transformed her into a demon of fire and earth. Now called Te Kā, she attacked Maui and caused the heart to be swallowed by the ocean. She also unleashes a life-killing plague that threatens to wipe out all food on the surrounding islands.
While not one of the best Disney characters in terms of personality, Te Kā works as a destructive force of nature. She represents the disaster that will befall the world if man continues to take from nature without thinking. Yet her wrath is not unquenchable, which shows that there is hope to stop the damage from spreading.
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9 Madam Mim
‘The Sword in the Stone’ (1963)
Deep in the forests of England dwells the cottage of Mad Madam Mim. Unlike the good wizard, Merlin, Mim uses her powers to spread misery and discomfort in The Sword in the Stone. One way she does this is by playing games with her victims, all of which are rigged in her favor.
While she has some of the least screen time of all Disney villains, Mim manages to steal the show thanks to her wild personality and magic powers. Her belief in her abilities is absolute, and she delights in displaying her skills to others, especially to one-up Merlin. Her wizard’s duel with him in the climax is also one of Disney’s best, boasting impressive animation as the two try to one-up each other with shape-shifting.
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8 Madame Medusa
‘The Rescuers’ (1977)
They say that diamonds are a girl’s best friend, but Madame Medusa takes that proverb too far in the often-overlooked Disney film, The Rescuers. She learns of a giant diamond hidden in Florida called the Devil’s Eye, stuck down a well that fills with the tide. Since she can’t climb down to get it, Medusa kidnaps an orphaned girl named Penny to get it for her.
Madame Medusa was the final creation by legendary animator Milt Kahl before he retired from Disney, and he put his all into her animation. Her movements are beautifully exaggerated, especially when she’s fawning over her alligators, Brutus and Nero. Geraldine Page further enhances this animation with a performance that can easily switch between loud and violent to falsely kind and sickly sweet.
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7 Mother Gothel
‘Tangled’ (2010)
For many years, a crone named Mother Gothel used a magic healing flower to maintain her youth and beauty. When the flower is used to heal the dying queen of Corona, its powers were transferred to her newborn daughter, Rapunzel. Gothel kidnaped the baby and hid her in a tower while keeping her ignorant of the outside world.
Gothel offers a real look at abusive parents with how she treats Rapunzel in Tangled. Despite having no powers, she keeps her under control through a mixture of isolation, fearmongering, and performing small acts of kindness. Donna Murphy captures this with a constant condescending tone that can easily switch into fake kindness.
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6 Evil Queen
‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’ (1937)
In Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, every day, the Evil Queen gazes into her magic mirror and asks it who is the fairest one of all. One day, the mirror names her stepdaughter, Snow White, which enrages her to no end. She tasks one of her hunters to kill the princess and then return with her heart, and when that fails, resorts to black magic.
Though she has become outclassed by many villains released after, the Evil Queen still remains one of Disney’s most iconic creations. Her hatred for Snow White is all-encompassing and ironically leads to her adopting a hideous disguise to kill her. This makes her the textbook example of an envy-driven Disney villain.
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5 Cruella De Vil
‘101 Dalmatians’ (1961)
An old childhood friend of Anita, Cruella attempts to rekindle their friendship in order to get her and Roger’s dalmatian litter. When Roger refuses her, Cruella storms off and vows revenge. This comes in the form of two thugs who break into the house and steals the puppies for her newest fur coat.
Cruella’s obsession with fur is the key to her character in 101 Dalmatians. Her skeletal frame is swallowed up by her coat, which demonstrates her larger-than-life attitude. Its red interior also reflects Cruella’s hidden temper, which she tries to mask with a thinly veiled friendly persona.
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4 Yzma
‘The Emperor’s New Groove’ (2000)
Having raised emperor Kuzko since his youth, Yzma was a natural choice for his royal advisor. However, Kuzko grew frustrated with her habit of ruling the empire when he was not around, so he fires her. This doesn’t sit well with Yzma, who conspires to kill him, so she can take over legitimately.
While The Emperor’s New Groove was a modest success on release, Yzma has gained recognition as one of Disney’s funniest villains ever. Her spindly design lends itself to exaggerated facial expressions and slapstick comedy, while Eartha Kitt delivers every line like a screechy banshee. The fact that she is an alchemist with all manner of potions also gives her a more unique motive compared to some other villains.
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3 Ursula
‘The Little Mermaid’ (1989)
Within the skeleton of a leviathan dwells Ursula the sea witch. Once she lived in the palace of King Triton but was banished for her ways. When she learns of Princess Ariel’s obsession with the surface world, she quickly concocts a plan to get back at Triton and take control of the ocean.
Ursula is one of Disney’s best examples of a deal-with-the-devil-type villain. She moves and speaks like a true showman in 1989’s The Little Mermaid, able to win her victim’s trust with kind words and flashy displays of magic. Her song, “Poor Unfortunate Soul,” perfectly showcases this, beginning like a slow waltz before building into a bombastic climax.
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2 Lady Tremaine (The Wicked Stepmother)
‘Cinderella’ (1950)
After the death of her second husband in 1950’s Cinderella, Lady Tremaine came into possession of his house and his young daughter, Cinderella. Rather than embrace the child, she forced her to work as a maid. When the king holds a royal ball, she sees this as a chance to get one of her daughters, Drizella and Anastasia, engaged to the prince.
Despite having no powers, Lady Tremaine is one of Disney’s most intimidating villains. With a glance, she can silence a room, and her dialogue is written in a cold and direct manner so that every word matters. This is accentuated both by Frank Thomas‘ legendary animation and Eleanor Audley‘s masterful performance.
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1 Maleficent
‘Sleeping Beauty’ (1959)
The self-styled Mistress of all Evil, Maleficent is not invited to the christening of the new princess, Aurora in Sleeping Beauty. In retribution, she curses the baby to die on her sixteenth birthday. When the good fairies take the princess into hiding, Maleficent spends the next sixteen years tracking them, determined to see her curse fulfilled.
Maleficent encapsulates everything that makes an effective fairy-tale villain. She composes herself with dignity and grace and delights in tormenting others by hanging the thing they love in front of them before snatching it away. When pushed too far, she will not hesitate to unleash her full fury upon her foes.
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