15 Most Evil Disney Villain Plans, Ranked

Summary

• Disney villains vary in intelligence and evilness, with some having more intricate plans than others.
• Villains often target familial love and aim for more power in their plans, leveraging the weaknesses of heroes to achieve their goals.
• Despite their evil intentions, Disney villains are usually defeated by heroes in a way that guarantees a happy ending.

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Not all Disney villains are the same — some are certainly more intelligent and carry out more evil plans. Disney villain plans range from exaggerated villainy that isn’t meant to be taken that seriously to darker storylines that tap into tragic real-world events and dangers. However, because it is a Disney movie, the heroes are usually never faced with a villain they are not equipped to handle. A happy ending is almost a guarantee, while the villain will either wallow in defeat or be killed.

Some Disney villains are just as beloved as the heroes because they are so magnificently evil that their machinations are the best parts of the movies. Others are genuinely terrifying but still serve as a key part of the story. However, the way a villain functions within the narrative often comes down to their plan, which reflects what kind of villain they are. Their plans may also change along the way when they are faced with setbacks, which can be the truest evidence of how evil they are at their core.

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15 Lady Tremaine’s Plan To Keep Cinderella In Servitude

Cinderella (1950)

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Lady Tremaine apparently only wants to secure an unpaid maid for the foreseeable future and ensure that her daughters receive marriage offers when the movie implies that Cinderella is preferable because she is prettier and kinder. Tremaine’s plan probably didn’t require much thought other than to intimidate Cinderella into submission. It is not the most dastardly plot as Cinderella technically could have left to at least seek better employment. However, it is still heartbreaking how her stepmother cruelly blocks her from anything good, such as when she locks her in her room to prevent her from reuniting with the prince.

Cinderella (1950)
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Director Clyde Geronimi , Wilfred Jackson , Hamilton Luske Release Date March 4, 1950 Cast Ilene Woods , James MacDonald , Eleanor Audley , Verna Felton

14 Jafar’s Plan To Take Over Agrabah

Aladdin (1992)

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Jafar falls into a generic Disney villain category of wanting to take over the kingdom the story is set in, not for any particular reason, only for the power of being an absolute ruler. Jafar coerces others into getting the lamp for him, resulting in some deaths, and magically sways Jasmine’s father. His attempts to marry Jasmine are creepy, although the sultan is also trying to push Jasmine into an arranged marriage. Jafar uses a lot of typical villain tricks to get what he wants — cheating, threats, and murder — but his methods are not especially unique or evil.

Aladdin (1992)
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Aladdin is an animated musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation. Directed by Ron Clements and John Musker, the film follows Aladdin, a street-smart youth in the city of Agrabah, who discovers a magical lamp containing a genie, voiced by Robin Williams. With the genie’s help, Aladdin tries to win the heart of Princess Jasmine while thwarting the schemes of the villainous Jafar. 

Director Ron Clements , John Musker Release Date November 11, 1992 Cast Scott Weinger , Robin Williams , Linda Larkin , Jonathan Freeman , Frank Welker , Gilbert Gottfried , Brad Kane , Lea Salonga Runtime 90 Minutes

13 Ursula’s Plan To Use Ariel Against Triton

The Little Mermaid (1989)

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Ursula leverages familial love, although it is interesting that she doesn’t just kill Triton when she attempts to kill Ariel minutes later.

Ursula’s plan is actually well-thought-out and seemingly concocted very quickly in response to Ariel falling in love with Eric. Ursula’s plan was to somehow use Ariel against her father when she could count on Triton to give up everything to protect his daughter. Ursula targeting Ariel is also smart, as Ariel is shown to be the odd one out of Triton’s daughters and is off on her own a lot, providing more opportunities to trick her. Ursula leverages familial love, although it is interesting that she doesn’t just kill Triton when she attempts to kill Ariel minutes later.

The Little Mermaid

The Little Mermaid is a 1989 Walt Disney animated film written and directed by John Musker and Ron Clements. It stars the voices of Jodi Benson, Pat Carroll, and Christopher Daniel Barnes, with music from Alan Menken. The plot follows a young mermaid named Ariel that wishes to abandon her life underwater and join the humans on land.

Director Ron Clements , John Musker Release Date November 17, 1989 Cast Jodi Benson , Samuel E. Wright , Rene Auberjonois , christopher daniel barnes , Pat Carroll , Jason Marin Runtime 63 Minutes

12 Cruella de Vil’s Plan To Kill Puppies

101 Dalmations (1961)

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How evil one perceives Cruella’s plan to be is dependent on how much of a dog person one is, but her determination to slaughter baby animals is widely disturbing. This is definitely in violation of some animal cruelty laws, hence why her operation is based out of her remote mansion, and she is paying two criminals to do her dirty work. She also doesn’t have to specifically steal her “friend’s” puppies. Cruella just enjoys being evil for the sake of it, when she probably would have gotten away with the whole thing if she had just bought 15 extra puppies.

101 Dalmatians (1961)
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Director Wolfgang Reitherman , Hamilton Luske , Clyde Geronimi Release Date January 25, 1961 Cast Rod Taylor , J. Pat O’Malley , Betty Lou Gerson , Martha Wentworth

11 Ernesto de la Cruz’s Plan To Kill Hector & Miguel

Coco (2017)

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Coco features one of Pixar’s darkest scenes, with the second act revealing that Miguel’s musical idol poisoned his best friend to steal his music and secure his own future as a musician. Hector’s death is (seemingly) relatively painless, but it is still brutal that de la Cruz kills his friend and lets his family think he abandoned them for personal gain. De la Cruz also condemns Hector to being forgotten and Miguel to the afterlife to preserve his reputation. The evilness of de la Cruz’s plan is somewhat tempered by his comical defeat, but his cold-blooded temperament is shocking.

Coco
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Despite his family’s generations-old ban on music, Miguel dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz. Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel finds himself in the stunning and colorful Land of the Dead following a mysterious chain of events. Along the way, he meets charming trickster Hector, and together, they set off on a journey to unlock the real story behind Miguel’s family history.

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Director Adrian Molina , Lee Unkrich Release Date October 27, 2017 Cast Gael García Bernal , Alanna Ubach , Anthony Gonzalez , Selene Luna , Jaime Camil , Edward James Olmos , Renee Victor , Sofía Espinosa , Benjamin Bratt , natalia cordova-buckley , Alfonso Arau Runtime 105 minutes

10 Evil Queen’s Plan To Murder Snow White

Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs (1937)

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Snow White is 14 years old in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, essentially a child, and her stepmother is fully prepared to kill her for the crime of being prettier, as determined by an omniscient mirror. Every step/attempt to execute this plan is actually very simple: order the huntsman to kill Snow White, then go do it herself. The Evil Queen is completely obsessive, relentlessly pursuing this one girl with the intent of murdering her. Yet the scope of her evil plan is limited because Snow White is the only one who really matters.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Disney’s iconic first feature-length animation tells the story of Snow White, a young princess whose beauty is coveted by an evil queen. After she orders that Snow White should be killed, the girl escapes to the forest, where she meets seven dwarfs who take her in. However, the queen knows that Snow White survives, and hatches a deadly plan involving a poisoned apple.   

Director David Hand , Perce Pearce , William Cottrell , Larry Morey , Wilfred Jackson , Ben Sharpsteen Release Date December 21, 1937 Cast Adriana Caselotti , Roy Atwell , Pinto Colvig Runtime 83 Minutes

9 Narissa’s Plan To Kill Giselle (& Everyone Else)

Enchanted (2007)

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Queen Narissa’s plan comprises several narrative Easter Eggs among all the Disney references in Enchanted. Like the Evil Queen, Narissa obsessively pursues one young woman; in this case, Giselle has no idea that Narissa hates her and speaks of her kindly. Narissa’s plan comes across as less petty because it is a political machination, so her stepson will not inherit the throne when he marries. However, Narissa is willing to destroy everyone in her way, as she announces her intention to kill everyone who might return to Andalasia to reveal the truth about her.

Enchanted
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Starring Amy Adams as Giselle, Enchanted follows its heroine as she is cast out of her animated fantasy world by an evil queen, ending up in the middle of New York City where she meets Robert, a jaded lawyer who reluctantly takes the clueless Giselle in. As Giselle begins to adjust to life in the real world, and her relationship with Robert deepens, she must reconcile what she thought she wanted with where life has taken her. Patrick Dempsey, James Marsden, Idina Menzel, and Susan Sarandon also star. 

Director Kevin Lima Release Date November 21, 2007 Cast Patrick Dempsey , Amy Adams , Timothy Spall , Susan Sarandon , Idina Menzel , James Marsden Runtime 107 minutes

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8 Syndrome’s Plan To Wipe Out Superheroes

The Incredibles (2004)

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Syndrome is one of Pixar’s best villains and has a plan that lives up to his charisma and one-liners. Syndrome is also motivated by petty grievances, but it is possible to see how he may have thought that getting rid of superheroes was for the greater good. This does not negate all the evil things he does to achieve this, including killing off many of this setting’s heroes as he prepares the Omnidroid to fight Mr. Incredible and kidnapping Jack-Jack in revenge when his plan fails. Syndrome actually boasts a very complicated plan with far-reaching consequences.

The Incredibles
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Pixar’s The Incredibles tells the story of a super-family forced to conceal their powers. Years after superheroes were outlawed, the superpowered Parr family live a normal life. However, after his secret vigilante work uncovers a conspiracy that points to the rise of a new supervillain, Mr. Incredible must rely on the help of his wife Elastigirl and their children, Violet and Dash, to save the world from the evil Syndrome.

Director Brad Bird Release Date November 5, 2004 Cast Sarah Vowell , Samuel L. Jackson , Craig T. Nelson , Spencer Fox , Holly Hunter , Jason Lee Runtime 115 minutes

7 Hans’ Plan To Steal Arendelle’s Throne

Frozen (2013)

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Hans is also motivated by the selfish desire to be the king of any kingdom, showcasing how Disney villains generally tend to view power. Hans fully admits that he intended to murder Elsa after marrying Anna; the opportunity to get rid of Anna without arousing suspicion was a lucky break for him, allowing him to adapt his plan, so he could rule on his own. On his way to getting there, Hans does a lot of terrible things to the sisters, leveraging their strained relationship and respective vulnerabilities until both of them are easy targets.

Frozen
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In this animated Disney musical, the newly crowned Queen Elsa accidentally uses her power to turn things into ice to curse her home in infinite winter. Her younger sister, Anna, teams up with a mountain man, his playful reindeer, and a living snowman to change the weather conditions and restore peace.

Director Chris Buck , Jennifer Lee Release Date November 27, 2013 Cast Edie McClurg , Kristen Bell , Santino Fontana , Idina Menzel , Robert Pine , Maurice LaMarche , Jonathan Groff , Stephen J. Anderson , Alan Tudyk , Josh Gad , Ciarán Hinds , Chris Williams Runtime 102 minutes

6 Dr. Facilier’s Plan To Bargain The City’s Souls

The Princess And The Frog (2009)

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The Princess and the Frog implies that Dr. Facilier is motivated by the desire to reverse social injustices, inflicting pain and misery on the wealthy residents of New Orleans. In the process, Facilier agrees to sell all the “wayward souls” in the city to his “friends on the other side” in exchange for their help recapturing Naveen. This will allow Facilier to carry out his plan to kill Lottie’s father and install his puppet posing as Lottie’s husband. Yet his worst deed is the midway adjustment to condemn many people he doesn’t know to a miserable afterlife.

The Princess and the Frog
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Based on the classic fairytale, The Princess and the Frog follow Tiana, a hardworking New Orleans waitress in the 1920s who has big dreams of opening her own restaurant. When she becomes involved in a curse set upon a foreign prince by a witch doctor, however, Tiana must figure out a way to help the prince break the curse before time runs out. The film features the voices of Anika Noni Rose, Bruno Campos, Jim Cummings, Jennifer Cody, and John Goodman. 

Director John Musker Release Date December 10, 2009 Cast Anika Noni Rose , John Musker , Keith David Runtime 97minutes

5 Gaston’s Plan To Marry Belle

Beauty And The Beast (1991)

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Gaston is a terrifyingly realistic villain, wrapped up in his own self-admiration and representing ideas of monstrosity taking any form. Many of the real-world problems Gaston represents are taken to cartoon extremes, but they are still disturbing. It is established that he will not take no for an answer when it comes to his plan to marry Belle; he tries to blackmail her into it by having her father committed. Gaston’s last-minute attack on the Beast’s palace isn’t really a part of his plan; it is just another way to show how his self-confidence will manifest as violence.

Beauty and the Beast (1991)
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Director Gary Trousdale , Kirk Wise Release Date November 21, 1991 Cast Paige O’Hara , Robby Benson , Angela Lansbury , Jerry Orbach , David Ogden Stiers , Bradley Pierce , Jesse Corti , Richard White Runtime 84 Minutes

4 Madame Medusa’s Plan To Kidnap Penny

The Rescuers (1977)

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The Rescuers is a dark movie, one of the scariest made by Disney. Madame Medusa’s plan is to kidnap Penny — an orphan girl whose absence is noticed but probably less so than would have been the case with another child — and subject her to the traumatic experience of being lowered into a cave that floods at high tide to retrieve a priceless diamond. Medusa’s plan is accentuated by the fact that The Rescuers does not shy away from showing Penny’s terror and despair. Medusa then completes her act by wielding a gun at Penny and her henchman.

The Rescuers
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Director Wolfgang Reitherman , Art Stevens Release Date June 22, 1977 Cast Bob Newhart , Eva Gabor , Geraldine Page Runtime 77 Minutes

3 Claude Frollo’s Plan To Kill Thousands

The Hunchback Of Notre Dame (1996)

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Frollo believes that his mission to rid Paris of anyone he sees as monstrous is justified by his religion, captured in a haunting depiction in The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Primarily, Frollo is the driving force behind the genocide of the Romani people. However, he sees Quasimodo as “a monster” and almost kills him as a baby; Frollo then manipulates and abuses Quasimodo all his life. Frollo is also characterized by undertones of sexual assault, as he lusts after Esmerelda. For these reasons, Frollo is a harrowing Disney villain based on some historical precedents.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame
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Disney’s take on the original novel written in 1831, The Huntchback of Notre Dame is an animated musical drama that sees a kind-hearted, deformed young man named Quasimodo who yearns to see the outside world is forced to live alone in the Notre Dame Cathedral as a bell ringer. When a group of traveling performers arrives in town, Quasimodo takes his chance to head out to see them, and his life is changed forever by a chance encounter with the equally kind-hearted Esmerelda. However, his caretaker, the cruel and iron-fisted Frollo, intends to hunt the Romani people down, jeopardizing the travelers’ lives.

Director Gary Trousdale Release Date June 21, 1996 Cast Tony Jay , Tom Hulce , Jason Alexander Runtime 91minutes

2 Mother Gothel’s Plan To Imprison Rapunzel

Tangled (2010)

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Rapunzel doesn’t realize the harm Gothel has done to her until she is an adult. It is the realization of a long and complex plan to make Rapnuzel a willing prisoner, acting as the source of Gothel’s immortality. This includes the most dramatic actions, like stealing Rapunzel from her parents as a baby. However, Gothel also subtly attacks Rapunzel’s self-esteem with “joking” comments, showcasing a kind of psychological manipulation and abuse few other Disney villains accomplish. Gothel can also switch tactics when Rapunzel realizes the truth, restraining her and stabbing Flynn to prevent his rescue attempt.

Tangled
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An adaptation of the fairytale of Rapunzel, Disney’s Tangled follows the long-haired princess as she journeys to discover her real identity. Kidnapped as a child by the evil Mother Gothel in order to exploit the healing properties of her magical hair, Rapunzel (Mandy Moore) has lived her whole life isolated in a tower. A chance encounter with a smooth-talking fugitive called Flynn Ryder (Zachary Levi) sees Rapunzel venture out into the dangerous world to find the kingdom of Corona and unlock the secrets of her past.

Director Byron Howard , Nathan Greno Release Date November 24, 2010 Cast Donna Murphy , Ron Perlman , Mandy Moore , Brad Garrett , Jeffrey Tambor , Zachary Levi Runtime 100 minutes

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1 Scar’s Plan To Murder His Family

The Lion King (1994)

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Scar pulls off one of the most devastating betrayals in Disney history when he murders or attempts to murder members of his family.

Scar pulls off one of the most devastating betrayals in Disney history when he murders or attempts to murder members of his family, again for the promise of generic power. The worst part about it is that the main characters do see him as a family — perhaps the black sheep of the family, but Simba still recognizes Scar as a “safe” adult and Mufasa is genuinely horrified when he realizes that Scar is about to kill him. This is a plot of Game of Thrones proportions, making Scar’s plan one of the most evil among Disney’s villains.

The Lion King (1994)
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The Lion King is an animated film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. Released in 1994, it tells the story of Simba, a young lion cub who faces the responsibilities of adulthood and reclaiming his birthright as king of the Pride Lands. Featuring an iconic voice cast that includes Matthew Broderick, James Earl Jones, and Jeremy Irons, the film explores themes of family, duty, and the circle of life.

Director Roger Allers , Rob Minkoff Release Date June 24, 1994 Cast Matthew Broderick , Moira Kelly , Nathan Lane , Ernie Sabella , Robert Guillaume Runtime 89 Minutes

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