We relate to these Disney villains to the point that we almost root for them. For this list, we’ll be looking at the studio’s animated antagonists that we most identify with or understand.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00 "I really felt quite distressed at not receiving an invitation."
00:03 "You weren't wanted."
00:04 "Not what?"
00:06 Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the top 20 most relatable
00:11 Disney villains.
00:12 "You know I haven't been this choked up since I got a hunk of moussaka caught in my throat,
00:17 huh?"
00:18 For this list, we'll be looking at the studio's animated antagonists that we most identify with
00:23 or understand. Motivations and plot points will be discussed, so beware of spoilers ahead.
00:29 Which villain is the most like you? Let us know in the comments.
00:32 Number 20. John Silver - Treasure Planet
00:37 Pirates are known as dangerous criminals who sail the seas, but Disney has a habit of making
00:43 the rogue swashbucklers pretty endearing. Take John Silver, for instance. Throughout the film,
00:48 the cyborg pirate tries to find the lost treasure of Captain Flint.
00:52 "How'd that happen, anyway?"
00:56 "You give up a few things, chasing a dream."
01:00 He's so desperate that he even commits mutiny against his ship's captain. But he's not as
01:06 evil as he seems. He's just a man who seeks freedom and riches, and isn't as violent as
01:11 many other villains in pursuit of those goals. In fact, he even reprimands his own crew for
01:16 being so bloodthirsty. And let's not forget that he sacrifices a fortune to save Jim Hawkins.
01:22 He may be a criminal, but he values his friendships just like the rest of us.
01:26 "Silver, you gave up?"
01:28 "It's a lifelong obsession, Jim. I'll get over it."
01:32 Number 19. Captain Gantoo - Lilo & Stitch
01:36 Many villains are motivated by hatred or selfishness, in ways the average viewer
01:40 struggles to relate to. But Gantoo doesn't seem to have much of either. When rogue experiment 626
01:46 escapes to Earth, the captain of the Galactic Federation is sent to eliminate the threat.
01:50 "This could be your chance to redeem yourself, Captain Gantoo."
01:55 "How soon will you be prepared to leave?"
01:58 "Immediately."
02:00 We eventually learn that Stitch is actually capable of empathy and kindness,
02:05 but everyone else in the universe sees him as an extreme danger. So if we were in Gantoo's shoes,
02:11 we might pursue Stitch at first too. He was trying to do the right thing, which he's later fired for.
02:17 Plenty of people have been there. Being let go is rough, especially if you were just doing the
02:22 job you were asked to do. We feel for you, Gantoo. "Grand Councilwoman, let me explain."
02:27 "Silence! I am retiring you, Captain Gantoo."
02:31 Number 18. Henry J. Waternoose - Monsters, Inc.
02:36 In the world of Monsters, Inc., the screams of children are used to power cities. But high
02:41 demand and brave kiddos puts the city of Monstropolis in a crisis. This forces Monsters,
02:46 Inc.'s CEO to use a sinister alternative. Using a deadly machine, Waternoose and Randall planned
02:53 to forcefully extract children's screams. "Finally. I never should have trusted you
02:58 with this. Because of you, I had to banish my top scarer." "Ah, with this machine, we won't
03:04 need scarers." We obviously don't condone his crimes, but one could argue that he was left
03:09 with few options. And who among us hasn't made mistakes when we're desperate? His company is
03:13 the only thing keeping the lights on in Monstropolis, after all. Without it, the future
03:18 of monster civilization wouldn't look so bright. We can only guess how badly he was affected by
03:23 that weight on his shoulders. "You can't arrest me. I hope you're happy, Sullivan. You've destroyed
03:29 this company. Monsters, Inc. is dead. Where will everyone get their screams now? The energy crisis
03:35 will only get worse because of you!" Number 17. Stinky Pete the Prospector
03:43 Toy Story 2. Woody and Jesse's fear of abandonment is a pretty relatable part of this film. Despite
03:49 that, they're still ultimately willing to face it for a chance at happiness. But that's not something
03:54 Stinky Pete the Prospector wants to do. After years of being ignored by kids, Pete makes it
04:00 his life's goal to be immortalized in a toy museum. "This isn't fair." "Fair? I'll tell you what's not
04:06 fair. Spending a lifetime on a dime store shelf watching every other toy be sold. Well, finally
04:14 my waiting has paid off." He takes it too far when he tries to refrain his friends from leaving,
04:19 but we can empathize with his reasons. They're clearly a result of his desire to finally be seen,
04:24 and that's something so many of us can relate to. Plus, being appreciated by thousands in a toy
04:29 museum doesn't sound all that bad. "Idiots! Children destroy toys! You'll all be ruined,
04:36 forgotten, spending eternity rotting in some landfill!" Number 16. Shere Khan the Jungle Book
04:43 In this coming-of-age story, the young Mowgli overcomes the dangers of the jungle.
04:48 One of those dangers is the bloodthirsty Shere Khan. But knowing why he's after Mowgli helps us
04:54 understand him much better. Khan kills men he comes across, but only because he's afraid of
04:59 their destructive tendencies. "Kill me? But why would he want to do that?" "He hates man.
05:05 And Shere Khan is not going to allow you to grow up to become a man. Just another hunter with a
05:11 gun." Anyone who's seen the horrors of poaching can certainly understand why he would feel this way.
05:16 And like fellow villains Maleficent and Cruella, Shere Khan is fleshed out further in a live-action
05:22 film. In 2016's The Jungle Book, his hatred of humans is nearly justified when Mowgli mistakenly
05:28 sets the jungle ablaze. He does prove to be better than his human counterparts, but we totally get
05:34 how Shere Khan could see them as a threat. "Come now, use the red flower. Use it on me like your
05:40 father did. Show everyone what you really are!" Number 15. Randall Boggs - Monsters Inc. and
05:51 Monsters University "Hey, Randall, save it for the scare floor, will ya?" "I'm in the zone today,
05:56 Sullivan. Gonna be doing some serious scaring, putting up some big numbers."
06:01 When we first meet this monster, he competes with Sully to become the top scarer. He's a
06:06 sore loser about it, but wouldn't you be a little competitive if you always came in second place?
06:11 Even more so if you kept losing to the same person? Then in the prequel film Monsters University,
06:17 we learn even more about Randall. During his freshman year, he was a timid nerd who wanted
06:22 to be cool, and he couldn't cope with James P. Sullivan threatening his chance at that.
06:37 Which we get. Of course, the big blue monster would eventually change for the better,
06:42 and Randall ultimately gets carried away in his villainy, but we can't say we wouldn't hold a
06:47 grudge too. Number 14. Chef Skinner - Ratatouille
06:51 The head chef and owner of Gusteau's is driven by greed, but his actions aren't all that bad.
06:57 Obviously, we side with Remy as soon as the film starts, so it's easy to forget that he is a rat.
07:02 A rat that Skinner understandably doesn't trust. We sympathize.
07:06 "I can't be constantly checking for a yes or no head shake from a rat!"
07:12 "The rat! I saw it!" "A rat?"
07:15 "Yes, yes, a rat right next to you!"
07:17 Who would want a pest anywhere in their vicinity, let alone in a kitchen? Plus,
07:22 he must have proven himself to have inherited the restaurant,
07:26 and Remy and Linguini result in it being taken away from him. Skinner goes a bit too far,
07:31 but none of us would want an inexperienced stranger who's secretly scheming with a rat,
07:36 jeopardizing our life's work.
07:38 "Yes, inspector."
07:39 "I wish to report a rat infestation."
07:42 "It's taken over my rest- uh, Gusteau's restaurant."
07:46 Number 13. Gabby Gabby - Toy Story 4
07:50 "All I want is a chance for just one of those moments."
07:53 "I'd give anything to be loved the way you have."
08:00 If you ask us, Gabby Gabby is far from being evil. She just got dealt a rough hand,
08:05 which many can identify with. The doll is desperate to be cared for by a child,
08:10 and intends to accomplish that by replacing her voice box. Her goal is so understandable that it
08:15 even convinces Woody to sacrifice his own part to help. Even though she's discarded by the girl she
08:20 was hoping would take her, Gabby Gabby eventually gets what she always wanted. Her desire for love
08:26 is something we can all relate to. "I couldn't find you, and then I found this doll."
08:31 "You did?" "Her name was Gabby Gabby."
08:33 And her ability to pick herself up after being rejected teaches a great lesson in how dreams
08:38 can be achieved, sometimes differently than you expect.
08:42 Number 12. Michael Goob - Yagoobian
08:46 A.K.A. Bowler Hat Guy - Meet the Robinsons
08:48 "Game didn't go so well, huh?" "No. I fell asleep in the ninth inning,
08:53 and I missed the winning catch. Then I got beat up. Afterwards, coach took me aside
08:59 and told me to let it go." In his youth, Goob was the roommate to
09:03 child genius Louis Robinson. Louis' inventions would keep him awake at bedtime. This, in turn,
09:09 basically ruined his life, motivating him to eventually seek vengeance on his fellow orphan.
09:15 Many can relate to Louis' inability to leave the past behind, but we also can't help but feel
09:20 especially sorry for Goob, who only ever wanted some shut-eye. "If I hadn't fallen asleep,
09:26 I would have caught the ball, and we would have won. Do you understand?"
09:32 "For some reason, no one wanted to adopt me." It is true that his plans aren't completely
09:37 justified, but he can't be expected to think clearly when he's stuck on childhood trauma
09:42 he never processed. At the end of the day, he turned bad because he couldn't get a good night's
09:46 rest. Okay, that might be a slight oversimplification, but come on, we've all had days like that.
09:53 Number 11. Ursula, The Little Mermaid.
09:56 From the moment she appears on screen, we identify with Ursula's wit and sarcasm.
10:01 Her spiel about how great things were back in her day isn't unfamiliar to us on a personal level
10:06 either. All those qualities make her pretty hard to root against. "Without my voice, how can I?"
10:12 "You'll have your looks, your pretty face, and don't underestimate the importance of
10:19 a body language." We're meant to see Ariel as the victim of Ursula's schemes, but the villain
10:25 technically never breaks the contract. Additionally, Ursula doesn't force Ariel to put herself in
10:31 danger. The sea witch merely sees an opportunity for power and takes it. Who hasn't been tempted
10:37 to get ahead in life? Now, we admit the whole wanting to usurp the king stuff was a lot,
10:42 but if you ignore that, Ursula feels like part of the gang. "The daughter of the great sea king."
10:48 "Is a very precious commodity. I might be willing to make an exchange for someone even better."
10:58 Number 10. Sid Phillips, Toy Story. "All right, double prizes!
11:04 Let's go home and play."
11:09 Sure, harming toys isn't great, but it's important to remember that Sid doesn't know that they're
11:16 alive. That makes a big difference. If you've ever played rough with your own dolls, you can
11:21 surely put yourself in his shoes. Sid even shows off his artistic side when he combines toy parts
11:27 to create new playthings. Anyone who's in the hobby of toy collecting knows that making custom
11:32 action figures is pretty common. At the end of the day, Sid is just a lonely boy with some issues
11:38 that need managing. He's not some evil mastermind, and we're betting his general experience isn't too
11:43 hard to relate to for most. "The toy's alive! The nice toy!"
11:48 Number 9. Jafar, Aladdin. "I am your master now." "I was afraid of that." "Genie, grant me my first
12:04 wish. I wish to rule on high as sultan!" In this Disney Renaissance classic, Jafar obtains the
12:11 wish-granting genie's lamp. Thus, he becomes the most powerful sorcerer in the world and ruler of
12:18 Agrabah. Be honest, if you had three wishes, you'd probably ask for wealth and power too.
12:23 Of course, Jafar completely misuses this power and has sinister beliefs, and that's a no-no.
12:29 But his reasons make a little bit of sense. Considering how his boss is the sultan, who
12:34 doesn't quite exude total competence sometimes, we can sort of understand the villain's frustration.
12:40 Overall, while we disagree with Jafar's actions, his ambition, humor, and desire for wish fulfillment
12:46 are all things we're familiar with. "What have you done?" "Trust me! The universe is mine to command,
12:56 to control!" Number 8. Captain Hook, Peter Pan. It's easy to view Captain Hook as a hateable
13:04 villain we have little in common with. He's a pirate who wants to eliminate Peter Pan after all,
13:09 but put into context, we'd want to get back at Pan too. Peter is the reason the villain lost a hand
13:16 and has a crocodile after him. "Did Pan show good form when he did this to me?" "I cut him. Cutting
13:24 your hand off was only a childish prank, you might say." "Aye, but throwing it to that crocodile!"
13:30 This makes Hook pretty sympathetic and his hatred for Peter even more so. Pretty much everyone has
13:35 been wronged by someone at one time or another. While most of us don't pursue arguments quite as
13:40 intensely as Hook, it's not hard to identify with him when you consider the circumstances. "Well,
13:46 well, a codfish on a hook! I'll get you for this, Pan, if it's the last thing I do!" Number 7.
13:55 Maleficent, Sleeping Beauty. "Oh dear, what an awkward situation. I had hoped it was merely due
14:01 to some oversight. Well, in that event, I'd best be on my way." This iconic villain is considered
14:08 to be the embodiment of evil. She casts curses, commands an evil army, and turns into a dragon.
14:14 But her desire to be included is what we see in ourselves. On the day of Princess Aurora's
14:20 christening, Maleficent struts into the event despite not having an invite. Making her presence
14:25 extra known, she enacts revenge by cursing young Aurora. "Before the sun sets on her 16th birthday,
14:32 she shall prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and die!" Her reaction is extreme,
14:41 but being kept out of the loop can be painful. Have you ever been excluded from an event's guest
14:46 list? Well, imagine that, but with the added dig of the entire town being invited except for you.
14:52 That's gotta hurt. Number 6.
14:55 Syndrome, The Incredibles. Any kid would dream of being a sidekick in a world of superheroes.
15:01 Given Buddy Pine's intelligence and desire to help, he might have had that chance if not for
15:05 his idol. Mr. Incredible dismisses Buddy's dream of becoming a hero early on. "This is because I
15:11 don't have powers, isn't it? Well, not every superhero has powers, you know. You can be
15:15 super without them. I invented these. I can fly. Can you fly?" "Fly home, Buddy. I work alone."
15:23 This hurts him so badly that he takes the name Syndrome and eliminates a plethora of supers.
15:29 It's a sinister goal, but he also wants to give everyone powers. Who wouldn't want to fly and
15:34 lift trucks at the point of a gadget? Plus, his grudge wouldn't be so severe if his hero just
15:39 gave him the time of day. Or, at the very least, let him down easy. "What did you say to me?"
15:45 "Fly home, Buddy. I work alone." "It tore me apart, but I learned an important lesson.
15:52 You can't count on anyone, especially your heroes." Number 5.
15:57 Scar, The Lion King. Few villains illustrate the pain of being a younger sibling better than Scar.
16:03 As king of the Pride Lands, Mufasa is recognized as a beloved ruler,
16:08 and the superior of the two brothers. "Drop him." "Impeccable timing, your majesty."
16:13 "Why, if it isn't my big brother descending from on high to mingle with the commoners."
16:23 Anyone who's ever been upstaged by a sibling, or really any relative, might know how bad that can
16:29 feel. It's certainly not enough to make us want to hurt them, but it's a terrible feeling,
16:33 nonetheless. Scar's jealousy is especially relatable knowing that he's the one with the
16:38 wit and charisma. "Well, as far as brains go, I got the lion's share. But when it comes to
16:43 brute strength, I'm afraid I'm at the shallow end of the gene pool." We're not disputing that he
16:51 went about the situation in entirely the wrong way. Still, his envy and insecurity are understandable.
16:58 Number 4 Edgar Balthazar - The Aristocats
17:01 "There are a million reasons why I should. All of them dollars. Millions.
17:07 Those cats have got to go." He doesn't come close to being one of the best Disney villains.
17:14 That's mainly due to how non-threatening he is, but that just makes Edgar Balthazar extremely
17:20 relatable. The butler has been in the rich Madame Bonfamille's employ for ages. With no one to
17:25 inherit her wealth, you'd think the loyal servant would receive her fortune. But no,
17:30 turns out the cats are first in line before him. "Cats? Bats?" "Yes, George. I simply wish to have
17:37 the cats inherit first. Then, at the end of their lifespan, my entire estate will revert to Edgar."
17:44 Edgar obviously isn't happy about this, and spends the film trying to get rid of the pets,
17:49 first abandoning them in the countryside before trying to send them to another country.
17:54 We'd never dream of harming cats, though in his shoes, we'd definitely want that inheritance.
18:00 Number 3 Mother Gothel - Tangled "Gothel broke into the castle,
18:05 stole the child, and just like that, gone. The kingdom searched and searched,
18:12 but they could not find the princess." Aging is a natural part of life. While we know it's
18:17 completely normal and even good, it can sometimes be hard to embrace getting older. After all,
18:23 the thought of endless aches and pains doesn't necessarily sound appealing. If there was a way
18:29 to stop all that, we'd unfortunately probably be just as desperate to get a hold of it as Mother
18:34 Gothel is. When the villainess finds a magical flower that keeps her young, she keeps it hidden
18:39 away. Eventually, she resorts to kidnapping to maintain said youth. We don't endorse it.
18:44 But Gothel does make not aging look appealing, until she meets an ugly fate, that is.
18:50 "What have you done? What have you done? No! No!"
19:01 Number 2 Yzma - The Emperor's New Groove "I have been nothing if not loyal to the empire for
19:07 many, many years." "Hey, everybody hits their stride. You just hit yours 50 years ago."
19:15 We talked about how Jafar has a pretty incompetent boss that kind of makes us feel for him.
19:20 But Yzma's situation makes us feel even more sorry for her. She spent years as a skilled scientist,
19:26 surrogate parent, and advisor to Cusco, but he catches her taking charge of the country's
19:31 dealings without acknowledge once, which leads to her being axed, punished for her ambition.
19:36 We know she's far from being an angel, but if you've ever been overqualified and underappreciated
19:42 at work, chances are you can understand her hatred of Cusco and see some of yourself in her.
19:47 "Does he, a little to the left, have any idea of who he's dealing with? How could he do this to me
19:55 while I practically raised him?" "Yeah, you'd think he would've turned out better."
20:00 Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified
20:05 about our latest videos. You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them.
20:11 If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.
20:16 Number 1. Hades - Hercules
20:19 "Unlike you gods lounging about up here, I regrettably have a full-time gig that you,
20:24 by the way, so charitably bestowed on me, Zeus."
20:27 Who'd have expected a fiery lord of the underworld to be one of the most relatable bad guys out
20:32 there? James Woods as Hades comes off as a threatening yet surprisingly down-to-earth
20:37 villain. Even as we're shaking our heads no at his evil doing, his sarcastic dialogue never
20:43 fails to make us go, "Same." "I can't believe you're getting so worked up about some guy."
20:48 "This one is different. He's honest and he's sweet." "Please."
20:52 "He would never do anything to hurt me." "He's a guy."
20:54 He also deals with a humiliating older brother, a career he doesn't like,
20:59 inept workers, and anger management issues. All pretty common real-world stuff. Additionally,
21:04 many of us probably recognize ourselves in his sense of humor.
21:08 If that's not the peak of relatability, we don't know what is.
21:12 "Guys, get your titanic rears in gear and kick some olympian butt."
21:16 "Whoa, is my hair out?"
21:19 Do you agree with our picks? Check out this other recent clip from Ms. Mojo.
21:23 And be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos.
21:28 [Music]