My Top 10 Animated Villains (Part 2)

Well, here we are again with the second part of The Animated Kid's Top 10 Animated Villains, where I count down my favourite baddies from animated features! The same rules apply for this section of the list, the character has to be from a feature length animated film, no TV villains here, they must have performed some sort of antagonistic act, and I'll try not to put too many Disney villains in this. Other than that, listen to the music and enjoy! Oh, and remember, spoilers ahead!

5. Dr Facilier-The Princess and the Frog

‘I’ve got friends on the other side!’-Dr. Facilier

The Princess and the Frog is, honestly, one of my favourite movies, and I think it’s a real shame that it’s not as loved as some other movies. But one aspect of the film that I know everybody loves is the villain: Dr. Facilier. He’s a manipulative, charismatic witch doctor who gives people faulty spells. His plan is pretty complicated, but it involves selling everybody in New Orlean’s souls to some ghosts in exchange for power. Sheesh.

He carries out his plan in a really cool way, from kidnapping princes to crushing innocent, funny sidekicks with the sole of his foot. Poor Ray! Anyway, another thing that adds to his general coolness is his song ‘Friends on the other side’, which is sung brilliantly, and is one of Disney’s best villain songs. His is outfit is also very detailed and slick, fitting the character perfectly. From the first moment we see him, to his frightening death, Dr Facilier is, hmm, how do I put it. Oh yes, in the words of Prince Naveen 'he was very charismatic!'

4. Hopper-A Bug’s Life

‘It’s a bug eat bug world out there, princess. One of those circle of life things.’-Hopper

Tyrants. We all love ‘em. And Hopper, the ruthless villain of A Bug’s life, is the king of them. He leads the grasshoppers, a reasonably small gang who prey on the fears of the much larger, weaker ants. He uses them to collect his food over the seasons, otherwise he’ll crush them. But when Flik accidently loses all the food, he turns his anger up to full power, whilst still keeping his cool. He wouldn’t hesitate to kill a small child, or punch his wimpy brother.

He only fears one thing: birds, which eventually fuels his horrid death. Kevin Spacey provides a deliciously evil voice for him, giving the character enough crazy dementedness, and enough sophisticated mannerisms. Even going as far as to say to a beaten up Flik ‘you are mindless, soil shoving losers put on this Earth to serve us’. Wow.

3. Queen Grimhidle-Snow White & the Seven Dwarves

‘Bring me back her heart... in this.’-Queen Grimhidle

And now we go back to the very first full-length animated film: Snow White & the Seven Dwarves. I’d be lying if I said it hadn’t dated a bit, but one thing that hasn’t changed its greatness is the villain of the picture: Queen Grimhidle. She is a cold, emotionless, vain pile of emptiness. The only thing she cares about is her beauty (but, really, is she that pretty?), and she will crush anybody who may be more pleasant to look at than her. 

She is fine with murdering a child, as long as it’s not her doing it. Her crazy obsession soon becomes the end of her, as she swallows a potion to transform her into a hideous witch so she could kill Snow White without her knowing it was her. What I love most about her character is that she barely shows any emotion, making her all the more evil. Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the evilest of them all? Let’s find out.

2. Lotso-Toy Story 3

‘Where's your kid now, Sherrif!?!’-Lotso

A pink teddy bear!? A pink teddy bear that smells of strawberries is at the second spot!? You’ve got to be kidding me. That is what you might be telling yourself if you hadn’t seen this gem of a film, but it’s his cheerful exterior that makes the sudden mood change in the film even more rewarding. He used to belong to a girl called Daisy, who loved him very much. But one day he was accidently left behind at a field with two other toys, and when they eventually got back to Daisy’s house, Lotso found out he had been replaced. 

So he lied to the other toys, telling them that the girl doesn’t love them, and he went to Sunnyside Daycare to rule over the toys there. He is a rather disturbing character who uses his minion’s brute strength to get what he wants, but that’s what I love about him. He is such a cold, cruel teddy bear, and probably one of Disney's evilest. I love that Pixar took a risk with this character, and it more than paid off. And, did he just leave the toys to die after they saved him?!?

AND MY NUMBER ONE ANIMATED VILLAIN IS...

1. Feathers McGraw/The Penguin-Wallace & Gromit in the Wrong Trousers

‘It’s the wrong trousers Gromit, and they’ve gone wrong!’-Wallace

I KNOW, I KNOW!!! I know this is technically cheating, as he came from a 30-minute short, but he’s so cool! This is Feathers McGraw, international jewel thief who's also... a penguin? Wanted by police everywhere, he disguises himself as a chicken to get around. He can easily outsmart the humans around him, just by sticking a rubber glove on his head! That alone is awesome. Although his intentions aren’t entirely evil (stealing a giant diamond), it’s his execution that makes it worthwhile.

Like the queen, he never really shows any emotion, but this guy takes it to perfection, never saying a word. His intelligence is clearly above average, as he managed to rewire the techno-trousers without Wallace noticing, and manipulating Wallace so Gromit would feel like he wasn't loved and leave, with the dog being Feather's only real threat.

Also, the final battle on the model trains is the most hilarious part of the film, thanks to Feathers. He just fits into that bottle so perfectly! As if I couldn’t love this movie enough, Feathers McGraw takes its perfection one step higher. 

So, that's it. I hope you enjoyed my list, feel free to comment, don't kill me for not including Maleficent and, until the next time, that's The Animated Kid, over and out.