The Scariest of Them All

Villains…we all LOVE to hate them. Truth is, they are a necessary evil (see what we did there) and a large part of what makes a story a ‘Disney story’. Whether people, aliens, toys or fantastical creatures, no two are alike. They come in all shapes, sizes and personalities: funny, silly, mean, sinister, and/or down-right dumb. Yet, no matter their disposition or form, they are meant to do one thing... keep protagonists on their toes. And while any of these traits could be good framework for a Top 10 list, in honor of Halloween, Leisure Mouse brings you its picks for the Top 10 Scariest Disney Villains.

For the sake of narrowing things down, the entire Disney-verse was not up for grabs. This list sticks to Disney animation, and ignores the endless list of possibilities from the Disney live action and Disney-adjacent brands (i.e. Muppets, Star Wars, Marvel, etc.). That still left plenty of villains to ponder.

#10

Sidney “Sid” Phillips

You didn’t think the list would start out too frightening did you? We all love the Toy Story movies. Due to the films production spanning nearly 25 years, a large chunk of Disney fans spent at least part of their childhood (or at least young adulthood) with Toy Story in it. We all feel a special bond with Woody, Buzz and the gang. So watching the horrific things that Sid did to toys felt, well… disturbing. To this day, it is hard not to cringe when you think about Sid performing the “double bypass brain transplant” on his sister’s doll, Janie. Bad kid. Bad, bad kid.

#9 

The Pink Elephants

Most wouldn’t think to put the Pink Elephants on the “scariest” list of anything, much less a list of villains, but think again. Next time you turn on the heartbreaking and equally heartwarming classic Dumbo, pay attention to these little devils messing with our floppy-eared pal. You could blame the champagne (though honestly not sure what kind of champagne they were serving back in the day to cause a trip like that), but these elephants are down-right scary. The lyrics of their creepy song agree: “seein’ things you know there ain’t can certainly give you an awful fright”. And if a giant humanoid made of angry elephant heads lumbering toward the camera isn’t a villain, what is?!

#8

Mother Gothel

The #8 slot might not be outright scary, but then again, isn’t she? She locked a child in a tower for 16 years without the blink of an eye. That isn’t even the worst part. If you’ve seen Tangled you know that when it comes to manipulation, Mother Gothel takes the cake…or maybe the Hazelnut Soup. Anyone that can gaslight you into thinking you’re the bad one after they kidnapped you, locked you in a tower, used you for their own benefit, lied about who you were, climbed your hair like a gym rope and tried to kill your super handsome boyfriend is frightful indeed (and certainly belongs on this list).

#7

Ursula

Sure. Ursula is admittedly more campy than she is scary, but she comes WAY out of left field when she gets her hands on Triton’s trident in the final scenes of The Little Mermaid. Her evil cackle as she twirls the trident in her fingers sets you up for just how scary she can be because, after the unplanned zapping of her hench-eels (thanks to a nice wig-yank from Ariel), her scariness grows to another level…literally! The sound of giant Urusla’s distorted voice is terrifying. Is it possible that she is even scarier after she is defeated? Our childhood minds will never forget watching her electrified skeleton flash as she slithered, tentacles coiling, into the depths of the sea? *gasp*

#6

The Coachman

Pinocchio is chock full of baddies. You have Stromboli, Gideon, Honest John and even Monstro the whale. However, none of the characters have that look in their eye like the Coachman has as he hauls “stupid little boys” off to Pleasure Island to be turned into donkeys. And if that wasn’t enough, who can forget the scene when the Coachman proposes his plan to Honest John and Gideon and mutters …”they never come back…as BOYS!” Still shudder in fright just looking at this picture!

#5

Chernabog

Explanation really shouldn’t be necessary when it comes to the inclusion of this demonic figure. Considered by many as the most evil of Disney’s creations, this villain made its debut in 1940’s Fantasia. What started as a rather unexpected and seemingly spooky turn in the movie’s ambiance became a scene from a horror film as the peak of Bald Mountain shifted to reveal a giant, winged demon that summoned his minions under dark of night. Eek! While the evils that were conjured were eventually recalled by the church bells and the breaking dawn, didn’t anyone else get the sinking feeling it was all going to happen again as soon as the sun set?!

#4

Oogie Boogie

You knew the Boogie Man himself from The Nightmare Before Christmas would be on this list. Oogie is unscrupulous, self-serving, loud, lustful and maybe even megalomaniacal. Kidnapping and torturing Santa…tsk tsk. These questionable acts aside (they’re certainly evil…but not very scary), the truly frightening part of Oogie Boogie is, well… Oogie Boogie. He is essentially a walking burlap sack full of bugs, spiders and snakes. I mean, the guy spits maggots into Santa’s beard. Maggots! Ew.

#3

The Evil Queen

It doesn’t get more classic than Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. It’s the stuff fairy tales are made of: beauty, friendship, a handsome prince, and forests full of happy little animals that let you sing and dance with them…oh, and inexplicable vanity. Can you imagine being so shallow and envious that, in fear of not being the fairest in the land, you use your knack for sorcery to make yourself old and haggard (and certainly not any more “fair”) in order to disguise yourself to kill the person who you think is prettier than you? The logic just doesn’t compute…but alas, that is for another list. What the Evil Queen was good at was making herself scary as all get-out. The “mummy dust”, “black of night”, “cackle of a hag” and “scream of fright” concoction made for one frightening transformation scene for sure, spooky enough that even her raven can’t handle it. If your pet thinks the better alternative to hanging with you is to hide in a human skull, you scary.

#2

Judge Claude Frollo

Frollo take his place on the scariest list for no other reason than the dude is DARK. Probably one of the more complex Disney villains, The Hunchback of Notre Dame’s maniacal Frollo has layers upon layers of evil which materialize in the form of a self-loving/loathing zealot whose fixation for Esmerelda but disdain for her people is down-right unnerving. Frollo’s villain song, Hellfire, where he claims to be a righteous man but vows that Esmerelda will be his alone or burn, is surprisingly grim and a small window into the truly unhinged character he is. Frollo’s obsession for Esmerelda and his plans to deal with it would be pretty heavy for an episode of SVU, and maybe that is what makes Frollo seem so frighteningly out of place in Disney animation…but perfect for this list!

#1

The Headless Horseman

It is uncertain what makes the Headless Horseman so scary. Our introduction to the villain in The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad shows us a somewhat comical scene, as Ichabod and his horse, Gunpowder, blunder about in an attempt to escape the swishing near misses of the Headless Horseman’s blade. Yet, even with the comedic backdrop, ol’ Headless maintains an eerie, albeit Scooby Doo-esque, vibe. Maybe it is the Horseman’s red-eyed, jet black steed, the spooky forest surrounding, the back story as told by Brom Bones, the sinister laugh echoing in the night or just the fact that the guy has no head…whatever it is, it makes a character of nightmares.

What probably makes the Headless Horseman so scary is that we never know what happened to Ichabod, so our imaginations are left to construct the rest of the story. When it comes to most villains, their fate eventually becomes clear (and it usually involves the baddie getting their just desserts). Not the Headless Horseman. For all we know, he is still out there in the backwoods of New York State somewhere throwing flaming jack-0-lanterns and looking for heads. That is pretty scary. And that is why he gets top billing on this list.

Your turn! Who do you think is the scariest Disney villain? Share in the comments!