So it's somewhat of a disappointment when Hades is revealed in the opening of Hercules. This sycophantic dullard is the king of the dead? And what's with his motor-mouth of endless prattle? Is he as neurotic as he appears to be? This is Hades?

But of course first appearances can be deceptive. He may shower flattery among his fellow gods, but when alone his hatred and bitterness is clearly vocalised. And what a voice performance it is, another one of Disney's greatest. His quick-fire verbal assaults are direct from James Woods' interpretation of the character. Who would have thought that James Woods would even begin to imagine such an off-beat and unique characterisation? It's just as scene stealing and inventive as Robin Williams' Genie in Aladdin. As the film goes on, it's quite clear how appropriate and fitting his neurosis actually is. This is, after all, the guy who was picked to live an eternal life among the souls of the dead, in virtual isolation from the rest of the gods. He's bound to have, as the therapists would say, 'issues'.

But ultimately I like Hades because of his manipulations. His scheming is almost Faustian, making deals with mortals (and indeed, half-mortals) with their souls as the prize (and I adore how Woods presents Hades as a modern day lawyer at such moments). Of course, his schemes are all bound to fail, because like all true villains he undervalues the true power of love. - James Reader

MickeyMousePal on Hades: Hades wanted to rule the world but had one little problem Hercules. Why did Hades wanted more power? Hades already was a lord of the underworld what more did he want. But Hades was a flaming villain.

Since voicing Hades in this 1997 Disney film, James Woods has become a go-to guy in lending personality to smarmy animated bad guys. His performance as the shrewd Benedict was a highlight of Recess: School's Out and he again voiced a villain for Stuart Little 2.

Hades sound clip: WAV (23 k)

Hercules Links:
Hercules DVD Review | DVD

Kram Nebuer: This pirate is very elegant, well-to-do, and "the world's most famous crook," but he is also very silly. If I had to confront any Disney Villain, I'd choose Hook because he always made me laugh and deservingly is a "codfish."

"Captain Hook is another one of my favorite villians. He is a pirate. He thirsts for adventure. Plus, he hates little punk boys who fly around. I'd be mad if I found someone who can fly. I wanna fly too! Another reason Captain Hook is cool is because he has a whole ship of men who would die for him. To have that many people be loyal to you, you must be really cool." - Adam Linder

MickeyMousePal on Captain Hook: "I'm a codfish!" I see that Captain Hook has a fear of chronomentrophobia. Yes, of clocks that is inside of that rascal crocodile. Captain Hook has a way of getting what he wants since he's always-out number Peter Pan and his friends. Captain Hook is a cool villain since he's a pirate.

MickeyMousePal on Cruella De Vil: " Poison them drown them, bash them on the head" Another great Disney villain she wanted to make coats out of the Dalmatian puppies she even bride Roger with money for his puppies but he turned down the offer. She does everything in her power to kill those puppies even destroys her own car. Cruella De Vil is really a big devil. Everybody hates her and loves her.

From the unsubtle symbolic name to her hideous physical appearance, the evil of Cruella De Vil is overt. This may be what makes her stand out as one of Disney's most memorable villains. Her ferociousness and intended cruelty to the spotted heroes of 101 Dalmatians puts her as an easy target, but there's something intriguing about her calculated and perserverent menace.

Of note is that a different Cruella De Vil also received a number of votes for this countdown. That persona was the live action Cruella brought to life by Glenn Close in the 1996 film and 2000's sequel.

Cruella sound clip: WAV (82 k)

101 Dalmatians Links: #14 in Animated Classics Countdown
101 Dalmatians DVD Review | Limited Issue DVD (out of print)

"For as long as I have been living, no movie has been better than The Little Mermaid. No villain, in my opinion, has been better than that famous sadistic sea-witch, Ursula. Brought to life deviously by the raspy Pat Carroll, Ursula has enrapped fear in many people's hearts- young and old. Never one very scared of her, I was pulled into her evilness, unlike my brother who was scared...to...DEATH of her. The villain I love to hate is that purple sea-witch Ursula." - ThinkTink

"I admit that in the past I've been a nasty. They weren't kidding when they called me, well, a witch"
The release of The Little Mermaid not only brought a return to the golden age of Disney animation but also brought to screen perhaps one of the greatest Disney villains. Ursula is a unique character in the way she was desgned, being a lot bigger in size then the normal villain. In one respect she can present herself as a wholeseome, caring person, as seen in the "Poor Unfortunate Souls" song, while in another instant she is determined to get her way no matter what bytaking the form of Vanessa. Ursula is an example of a villain who desires revenge and has the power to back herself. The culmination of the film truly reveal how great and evil is Urusla's character. This fantastically desgined and voiced character ranks among the best villains and is personally ranked in general has one of my all time favorite characters. - Jay (DisneyVillains)

"Ursula is such an interesting villian because she's got it all: power, scary looks and she wants to make lives miserable and that's what it's all about. In The Little Mermaid she promises Ariel legs if she will trade her voice for it. Ariel accepts and is transformed in to a human so that she can be with Eric. When the real things begin, Ursula transforms herself into a giant octopus to save herself from death but is eventually killed by Ariel's true love Eric." - Kevin

MickeyMousePal on The Queen: "Mirror, Mirror on the wall who's the fairest one of all" The Queen was so jealous of her stepdaughter Snow White she wanted her dead and wanted her heart in a box. One of my most favorite quotes of the Queen is "Mummy dust to make me old." "To shroud my clothes the black of night." "To age my voice an old hag's cackle." "To whiten my hair- a scream of fright."

Consumed with jealousy and lust for power, he perpetrates a scandal of Shakespearian proportion, executed in hopes of becoming king of the Pridelands. Not only does he provide us with one of Disney's finer musical numbers, "Be Prepared", but his slender physique and eerily deceptive demeanor generate some of film history's most wicked lines and, indeed, most wicked villains." - Aaron Wallace

"I am not afraid to say that Scar is my all-time favorite Disney villain. I have always liked this cool cat voiced by Jeremy Irons since The Lion King was released. His thirst for sheer power makes him risk anything to kill his brother Mufasa and his son, Simba, in order to be the lion king. That's just pure evil. Who would kill his own sibling just for the sake of a throne? He's simply cold-hearted, and that's what I like about him. What's more, he sings very well too!" - Chris Tsui

"Scar is terrible. And I mean that in a good way. He is another awesome Disney Villain. He just wants to be famous and have power! He kills his own brother, and even tries to kill his nephew. The Mufasa death scene was one of the saddeset moments in a Disney movie. I remember when I saw it in theatres I cried so hard. Yeah I was 6, but still it was sad! Only somebody truly evil can do something that terrible, and that person is the coolest Disney villian ever, SCAR!!!" - Adam Linder

"Brought to life by Jeremy Irons' smooth and miserable voice, Scar becomes a spiteful, moronic and camp character, helping to make the villain's song "Be Prepared" the best in the show." - Wonderlicious

MickeyMousePal on Scar: "Long lived the King" This Disney film is a mixture of Kimba, the White Lion and Hamlet. Scar kills his own brother for power then also almost killed his nephew Simaba. Scar was a horrible king making Pride land dried and ugly. Be prepared for your death Scar. Scar was such a big liar to everyone he knew his price was paid. Also one of the scariest Disney scene for children when Scar killed Mufasa.

Brother of the king, and uncle to the prince, Scar has no power but plenty of pride. Consumed by a desire to be important and royal, Scar has no restraint over his bitterness, which runs wild in his plans to kill his brother, blame his nephew, and lay his claim to Pride Rock's throne. Jeremy Irons' vocals have both the polish and bite that makes Scar cool yet cruel.