Top 10 Fun Facts You Didn't Know About Disney Villains

“The Lion King” (1994)
The villain in “The Lion King” is known simply as “Scar” in the film and he has a laceration on his face to match the moniker. But have you ever wondered what his real name is? Surely his parents didn’t name him Scar? It turns out, his birth name isn’t all that much better. He was called Taka, coming from the Swahili word for “waste,” meaning his mom and dad probably didn’t have very high hopes for him. Though it appears to actually be false, it’s been widely circulated that Mufasa means “king” in a language called Manazoto. Whether or not that’s true, we can still understand the sibling rivalry. The origin of Scar’s name was actually revealed in “The Lion King” book, “A Tale of Two Brothers.”

“Hercules” (1997)
If you know anything about Greek mythology, you may have been surprised when you saw “Hercules” for the first time. That’s because most people wouldn’t have imagined the god of the underworld to be a fast talking used car salesman type. But that’s just what James Woods’ portrayal ended up being! When Woods came in to audition, he allegedly surprised the filmmakers with his interpretation of the character and they went on to craft his lines and dialogue to match the style that Woods had created.

“The Nightmare Before Christmas” (1993)
More than a decade before “The Nightmare Before Christmas” was released, Tim Burton was working at Walt Disney Feature Animation as an animator and in his spare time wrote a poem that told Jack Skellington’s story. Disney considered adapting the poem for the screen at the time, but it wouldn’t actually happen until many years later. And if you read over the initial work, you’ll notice that the main antagonist of the film, Oogie Boogie, doesn’t make an appearance! He was only created later, specifically for the movie.

“One Hundred and One Dalmatians” (1961)
Disney has written a lot of great villains over the years, but many would argue that this one is their very best creation. Cruella De Vil has been frightening children since her debut in “One Hundred and One Dalmatians” in 1961. But did you know that there was once a possibility that she would be the baddie in another animated Disney flick? Some sketches from the 1970s show that filmmakers once debated having Miss De Vil be the antagonist in “The Rescuers!” Admittedly, Madame Medusa isn’t nearly as compelling, so this could have been a really great idea. On the other hand, you could also argue that having a different villain helped distinguish the film.

“Peter Pan” (1953)
Most people know that before “Peter Pan” was a beloved Disney animated classic, it was a novel by J.M. Barrie, but it’s a lesser known fact that Peter’s story was originally written as a play. “Peter and Wendy” premiered on stage in 1904, and in various productions, it became standard for Mr. Darling and Captain Hook to be played by the same actor. There’s definitely some interesting psychologizing to be done on that decision! Keeping with tradition, Disney had the same actor, Hans Conried, voice both parts. And did you know that Captain Hook is meant to be a sympathetic character? That’s why he survives at the end of the story!

Various
If you were to list the Top 10 Disney villains of all time (which we’ve done of course), three of the entries would undoubtedly be Gaston from “Beauty and the Beast,” Jafar from “Aladdin,” and Scar from “The Lion King.” What do these three have in common? Well, it turns out the supervising animator for all three was Andreas Deja. He played a huge role in crafting the characters we know and love to hate today. He was also originally the supervising animator for Yzma back when “The Emperor’s New Groove” was known as “Kingdom of the Sun,” but once the film got its infamous overhaul, Dale Baer took over.

“Tangled” (2010)
If you’ve seen enough Disney animated movies, you know they can be a tad formulaic, especially when it comes to how their villains are disposed of. Of course, showing any sort of graphic death scene would be too disturbing for little kids, but they have to go, so what’s the solution? Have them fall off something really, really tall it seems! This happens in countless Disney films, but in “Tangled,” the villain perishes in a fashion that is both routine and wholly unique. She ages at fast-forward speed all in the span of a few seconds. But to make sure audiences understood her fate, she also falls off something really, really tall.

“Sleeping Beauty” (1959)
Eleanor Audley is best known for voicing two of Disney’s most delightfully evil characters: Lady Tremaine (aka Cinderella’s evil stepmother) and Maleficent. But she didn’t simply lend her voice; she was also the live-action model that inspired the characters’ facial expressions and designs. But because of a case of tuberculosis, Audley initially turned down her role in “Sleeping Beauty.” She was worried that she was too ill to perform, but in the end it all worked out and Disney villain history was made. Watching this performance today is still spine-chilling!

“Beauty and the Beast” (1991)
Okay, this one might actually blow your mind. Even the most hardcore Disney fans may not be aware that there were several versions of the script of 1991’s “Beauty and the Beast” before the final iteration was decided upon. In an earlier version, the major villain was actually Belle’s aunt - Marguerite. Not only that, but Belle had older sisters! The dastardly Gaston was more of a co-antagonist who didn’t get nearly as much screen time. Also, even the final script underwent some changes after production was completed. Gaston was originally meant to say “Time to die,” but the creators felt it was too aggressive and dubbed it with “Belle is mine!”

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

“Be Prepared” Is Sung by 2 Main Voice Actors
“The Lion King” (1994)

Hans Is Supposed to Be 23
“Frozen” (2013)

They Use Some Recycled Sounds for Villains
Various

“Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” (1937)
You may think that Disney movies are all about good guys and happily ever afters. In many cases, however, it’s the villain who ends up stealing the show. As a matter of fact, if you go all the way back in the Disney catalogue, you’ll find that the first line spoken in any full-length Disney animated film was by a villain! 1937’s “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” opens with the Evil Queen - who (fun fact) has a real name, Queen Grimhilde - addressing her magic mirror. Kind of a dark way to start the very first Disney movie!