Ranking the 12 Disney Villainesses

Which is the meanest of them all?

With Maleficent now in theaters and showing a different side of the Disney villainess we first saw in Sleeping Beauty, we decided it was an ideal time to look back at 12 villainesses from Disney's animated films.

These women have probably triggered more than a few nightmares – hey, Ursula is terrifying when you're a little kid. They've acted wickedly, committed horrible crimes, and some of them have done the worst of the worst.

We've ranked them from the mildest to the most horrible based on what they've planned and what they've actually done.


Elsa - Frozen

Released 2013

Before you get excited, no, Elsa isn't exactly a villain. She's more of an anti-hero since her sister Anna is the hero of Frozen. Sure, Elsa set things right in the end, but she nearly froze the citizens of Arendelle to death and her actions came this-close to killing Anna. She didn't do any of it with malicious intent - she only wanted to be herself and to be left alone - but it doesn't change the consequences. Elsa was only able to bring back summer and save the kingdom because of her sister.


Helga Sinclair - Atlantis: The Lost Empire

Released 2001

Lieutenant Helga Sinclair's biggest flaw is that she followed orders to a fault. As second-in-command on the expedition to find Atlantis, she went along with orders that threatened to wipe out the civilization. She did have a moment where she hesitated, but ultimately, she acted like a good soldier and proceeded with her mission regardless of the lives it could have ruined. And although she did stop Rourke in the end, she only did so because she wanted revenge.


Madam Mim - The Sword in the Stone

Released 1963

Anyone who can transform into a dragon is a force to be reckoned with. Madam Mim seemed kooky – just look at those crazy eyes - but she was a powerful witch. She had abilities that rivaled Merlin's, but she didn't possess any of his honor. She kidnapped Arthur and made it her goal to destroy him. Thanks to Merlin, she failed, but she intended to kill him.


Lady Tremaine a.k.a. Wicked Stepmother - Cinderella

Released 1950

Emotional and psychological abuse is the Wicked Stepmother's tool, and she wielded it like a weapon. She wins for long-term efforts because she behaved despicably towards Cinderella for years. She was jealous of her stepdaughter's beauty and treated her like a servant in order to control her. She twisted the minds of her daughters to follow her lead and let them tear Cinderella's beautiful gown to pieces. She apparently had no respect for mice's hard work. To put icing on the cake, she imprisoned Cinderella in her room. She's awful.


Madame Medusa - The Rescuers

Released 1977

If a person owns two tamed crocodiles, it's safe to assume he or she is sketchy. Madame Medusa may come off as a foolish woman, but she's scary. Her greed drove her to kidnap an orphan to send her into a cave for the Devil's Eye. Penny was only a little girl, and Medusa pushed her right into a potentially deadly situation. For pity's sake, she held Penny's beloved teddy bear hostage. This is all after she treated Penny so poorly that the girl tried to run away.


Yzma - The Emperor's New Groove

Released 2000

Ambition and a craving for power can motivate people to do awful things, and the sorceress Yzma falls into that category. Don't let her eccentricity fool you, she's a serious foe. While she was employed by Emperor Kuzco, she manipulated him and made decisions behind his back. When Kuzco found out and fired her, she turned on him. She plotted to kill him - repeatedly - and become Empress of the Incan Empire. Thank goodness she failed.

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