Disney's Rogues' Gallery of villains has some of the most famous and infamous characters in the realms of fiction. Wicked queens, pirate captains, and evil stepmothers are all par for the course, and they all have their own distinct flavors and colorful personas. But while many villains are designed to evoke feelings of fear and disdain, many are just good for a laugh.
Many of Disney's best villains have their funny moments, but it's the ones that are purposefully made as comic foils that truly show a flexible range for their characters. They might be evil, but that doesn't mean they can't be entertaining, as well.
Syndrome (Incredibles)
On one level, Syndrome from The Incredibles is a villain with a cautionary tale about what can happen when a jilted ally becomes a deadly villain. But he isn't just an emotionally wounded individual with a desire to show up his former idol, he's an obsessive fanboy who came into a lot of technological and financial power.
When he's stripped away of all his gadgets and gizmos, at the end of the day, Syndrome is still just Buddy Pine, a geeky kid with a complex that used his obsession with supers to turn himself into a supervillain. Even when he's got the Parr family cornered, he still can't help acting like a nerd who's cornered his favorite celebrity at a comic con, making him an all-around hilarious character.
Gaston (Beauty And The Beast)
Gaston's ability to generate laughs is centered around how completely over-the-top he is. In simplest , he's not designed to be the villain of the movie, he only becomes the villain when the script is flipped and things aren't in his favor anymore. In any other Disney movie, Gaston might be the hero who saves the day. Not so, in this case.
What makes Gaston so funny, along with his ego and diet of five dozen eggs, is how he's made to play with expectations and stereotypes in fairytales. He's burly, brawny, and the bastion of masculinity, but behind those rippling pectorals is a sore loser who can't help but lose his mind over getting rejected.
Hades (Hercules)
In reality, it's James Woods's incredibly slick performance that makes Hades such a smash with fans. He's one of Disney's sassiest villain characters, and his snarky and sarcastic sense of humor is positively palpable. He has a lot more in common with a smooth-talking Hollywood agent than the lord of the dead, but that's what makes him so likable.
Hades has a sort of self-aware nature to him, being one of the only characters that don't sound like they're in a Disney movie. His quirky remarks, snide comments, and witty observations and retorts definitely offset the image of a dead guy with his head on fire.
Oogie Boogie (The Nightmare Before Christmas)
He might be the boogeyman, but there are worse things than a burlap bag of bugs and snakes. The fact that he sings like Ken Page and dances like Cab Calloway also takes a bit of the spook factor away from him. That being said, he's easily one of the most entertaining bad guys Disney has to offer.
Not many Disney villains make their home in a killer casino or have jazz numbers about torturing Santa Claus, but Oogie Boogie is both sinister and silly from top to toe. From the way he moves and talks to his creepy-crawly insides, his over-the-top flavor is one that has garnered him a whole slew of fans.
Kaa (The Jungle Book)
Snakes might not be the most beloved species on the planet, but when they have The Jungle Book's secondary antagonist and is practically designed to be more goofy than ghoulish.
The running gag for Kaa, along with his hypnotic stare and voracious appetites, is that he's a snake with a bad back. Watching him get tied in knots and tossed from the trees as he complains about the kinks in his slink is definitely one of the best servings of classic slapstick.
Bowler Hat Guy (Meet The Robinsons)
Once more, over-the-top character designs and delivery is what gives this mustachioed menace a healthy slice of ridiculousness. Considering the fact that he's a hybrid of vaudeville-style villains with moves like a young Jim Carrey and the emotional maturity of a 10-year-old, it's hard to call Bowler Hat Guy intentionally evil.
Adding to this is that the true puppetmaster pulling the strings behind Bowler Hat Guy's evil deeds is literally a malicious robotic bowler hat with dreams of world domination. That has to be the definition of a ludicrous villain who should never be taken seriously.
Yzma (The Emporer’s New Groove)
Easily one of Eartha Kitt's greatest roles, Yzma was a brassy act who took no guff from anybody. About as subtle as a Las Vegas fan dancer, this mad scientist of Kuzco's empire was easily one of the most fun villains Disney animation had ever designed.
Yzma is sharp in more ways than one. Her wit, lines, and design are all made to be as cutthroat as her humor. Like her former employer, Kuzco, she has a laundry list of one-liners, deliciously wicked insults and barbs, and a twisted nature that fans have adored for decades.
Dr. Heinz Doofenschmirtz (Phineas And Ferb)
Owner and proprietor of Doofenschmirtz Evil Inc., Dr. Doofenschmirtz is a near-perfect blend of funny Disney villain and Shakespearean tragedy. He's a wacky mad scientist whose various Inator machines are designed to make a huge mess or inconvenience the masses in his hair-brained attempts to take over the whole tri-state area. Yet his greatest enemy is his own bumbling nature.
What makes Doofenshmirtz so hilarious is both his motives and his methods that make him a lampoon of every villainous trope imaginable. From getting revenge on his brother with an army of pooping pigeons to taking on the Avengers with Red Skull, MODOK, Venom, and Whiplash, all with his own brand of self-destructive incompetence, it's all more than enough to warrant a fanbase.
Captain Hook (Peter Pan)
Captain Hook is a Disney villain that represents the best of both worlds. While he does have his wicked moments worthy of the original Peter Pan play by J.M. Barrie, Hook is far more successful at being a somewhat foppish comedic adversary for Peter Pan, especially when Mr. Smee or Tick-Tock Crock get involved.
Disney's version of the character is probably the most famous because of his mix of slapstick and swashbuckling nature. By little exaggeration, Hook is perhaps the prime example of a classic Disney villain with all the trimmings and trappings of the archetype.
Prince John (Robin Hood)
If there's one villain that was made solely for comedic intent, it's Prince John from Robin Hood. Along with being voiced by comedic character actor, Peter Ustinov, Prince John was designed from beginning to end to be the film's most hilarious character.
He's not so much a villain as he is a spoiled toddler in an adult body, especially with his thumb-sucking habit. Not to mention, the scenes when he's arguing with his sidekick, Sir Hiss, have them acting like a bitter old married couple. As cliche as it sounds, they simply don't make them like this anymore.
