The 14 meanest Disney villains of them all (photo gallery)

National Desk By National Desk The Oregonian
on June 04, 2014 at 12:35 PM, updated June 04, 2014 at 12:42 PM

Angelina Jolie gives her take on the villainous Maleficent in the film of the same name.

Maleficent has long been one of Disney's most recognizable villains since "Sleeping Beauty" debuted way back in 1959. The character is an evil mistress who puts a spell on a princess after she isn't invited to a royal christening (maybe the invitation got lost in the mail).

Jolie's film shines a new light on the character, which is among the most treacherous villains Disney has ever put on screen. Here's our ranking of the meanest villains from Disney's animated films (what's yours?):

1. Scar ("The Lion King")

We're a couple of weeks away from the 20th anniversary of "The Lion King," which still holds the crown for the saddest Disney moment of all-time. Scar killed his brother, the great king Mufasa, out of pure jealousy and then let his nephew think it was his fault. Mufasa was his brother's keeper, but didn't realize it in time. And poor Simba. This moment is still traumatizing. I need a hug.

2. Ursula ("The Little Mermaid")

Ursula was no joke. If she wasn't so mean, you might actually want to party with her. The evil sea witch manipulates Ariel, takes her voice and then uses the nieve girl to trick King Triton. Oh, and that laugh.

3. Cruella De Vil ("101 Dalmatians")

There's no denying how villainous a woman is when she murders innocent puppies just to make a new coat for herself.

4. The Queen ("Snow White")

One scene sums up the cruelty of the evil Queen from "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs": "Go on. Have a bite." It's still creepy to this day.

5. Maleficent ("Sleeping Beauty")

Villains often lack a serious motives for their evil deeds and Maleficent is no exception. As the original story goes, she curses an infant princess just because she wasn't invited to the christening. I guess it is possible to take baptism a little too seriously.

6. Chernabog ("Fantasia")

For having been featured in a Disney film that's nearly 75 years old, Chernabog holds up pretty well. Chernabog is the demon in the most chilling portion of "Fantasia." Walt Disney referred to the character as a representation of Satan.

7. Wicked Stepmother ("Cinderella")

Lady Tremaine aka the "Wicked Stepmother" from "Cinderella" is as realistic as Disney villains get. This is simply a case of a mean old lady jealous of a beautiful young woman. She makes her clean everything in sight and keeps her from meeting prince charming and so on, and so on.

8. Shan Yu ("Mulan")

And the award for creepiest looking Disney villain goes to Shan Yu from "Mulan." The guy, armed with his pet falcon, even tries to go one-on-one in combat with a girl. That's not cool.

9. Captain Hook ("Peter Pan")

Captain Hook is easily one of Disney's most recognizable villains, but it can also be hard to take him seriously. Still, you can't doubt the sad nature of a man who hates children.

10. John Ratcliffe ("Pocahontas")

You may not remember Governor Ratcliffe as well as other Disney villains but the character, based on a real life man, certainly had no sympathy for the plight of Pocahontas. And of course, there was the whole rape of the natural world thing.

11. Claude Frollo ("The Hunchback of Notre-Dame")

The story of Claude Frollo extends beyond Disney and into the lengthy history of "The Hunchback of Notre-Dame" saga. His intentions seem okay in the beginning, but we quickly realize how diabolical Frollo is when we see his racist fury and the cruelty he directs at poor Quasimodo.

12. Jafar ("Aladdin")

There's a charm to Jafar throughout "Aladdin" that makes you almost want to like him; almost. Perhaps his creepiest moment comes when he makes a pass at Jasmine. I'm not blaming him. Jasmine is pretty hot, but he's kind of like the creepy guy at the club hitting on the hottest girl who's minding her own business in the corner. It's a problem.

13. Gaston ("Beauty and the Beast")

Gaston is kind of like the tool at the gym who checks himself out in the mirror a million times over before hitting on a girl who is just trying to mind her own business. He seems somewhat harmless in "Beauty and the Beast," but then he's quickly leading a mob in effort to burn the Beast.

14. Hades ("Hercules")

The mythical version of Hades can be down right vicious. Disney's version is a bit lighter. Yet, there's no denying that the fast-talking, campy villain in "Hercules" is certainly memorable. Plus, he does send demons to kidnap his infant nephew. So there's that.

List compiled by Troy L. Smith, entertainment writer for