Top 10 Times Animated Movie Villains Celebrated Too Early

Princess Fiona spent her childhood dreaming of the prince charming who would one day rescue her from her lonely tower. What she got was an ogre running errands for a diminutive despot. Lord Farquaad may seem more her type on paper - he’s human at least. But his fatal mistake was–first, being insufferable–and second, sending Shrek to save her. On the journey home, the Princess does the unexpected and falls in love with the ogre. Farquaad may get her to the altar, but he’d underestimated his biggest competition. When Fiona takes love’s true form, the little lord tries to arrest the happy couple. Luckily, they’ve got one final surprise up their sleeves.

In the last act of “Anastasia,” our heroine finally goes head to head with Grigori Rasputin. This undead monk sold his soul for the power to destroy her whole family and now he’s trying to kill the love of her life too. Well, Anastasia isn’t about to go down without a fight. Rasputin thinks that his enemy has fallen to her death and that he’s put an end to the Romanov line forever. But, Ana’s a lot more resilient than she looks. With a little help from Pooka, she gets the upper hand. Catching Rasputin’s reliquary under her high-heeled shoe, she breaks the source of his power and sends him back where he belongs.

The only thing Mother Gothel ever appreciated about Rapunzel was her magical hair and its youth-enhancing properties. If she’d paid more attention to her adopted daughter, she might have realized that there was more to her than meets the eye. After making sure Flynn’s out of the way and bringing Rapunzel back to the tower, Gothel thinks she’s won the day. However, Rapunzel’s not as naive as she once might have been. She puts together all the missing pieces and discovers her true identity. (Maybe Mother Gothel should have changed her birthday, or something? Just spitballing here.) The villainess makes the same mistake a second time, by underestimating Flynn. His quick thinking cuts off–get it?–Gothel’s life source and saves Rapunzel from a life of imprisonment.

For a smart guy, Hades sure makes a habit of celebrating too early. Leaving Pain and Panic to deal with baby Hercules was his first big misstep. Upon discovering that Zeus’ son is still alive, Hades rallies again and sets a trap that should finish the demi-god once and for all. He has the best seat in the house for the fight with the Hydra but, just as he’s congratulating himself, Herc claims victory. For the big finale, Hades finally discovers Hercules’ weakness - and his last ditch plan almost works. In the end, though, Hercules proves himself a true hero and Hades’ plan fails.

After learning that his boss has left her entire fortune to her pet cats, Edgar the dastardly butler enacts quite the revenge mission. He drugs the unsuspecting felines and dumps them outside the city. Once Madame Bonfamille dies, her fortune should now pass to him. As dark as it is, if he really wanted to secure the money, he probably should have finished the job... Not only does Edgar leave Duchess and the kittens alive, he also forgets his hat and umbrella, evidence that incriminates him easily. You’d have thought the butler could have simply waited for the cats to die of natural causes... If he’d been less impatient, he might have been sitting pretty, rather than packed off in a case to Timbuktu.

After the Parrs foil Syndrome’s ultimate plan, it turns out the supervillain has one last trick up his sleeve. Arriving back at their house before the family, he captures baby Jack-Jack. His plan? To take the child with him and raise him as a supervillain side-kick. As he shoots off into the air, it seems as if the youngest member of the family has been lost to the dark side. This might be Syndrome’s time to cheer, but Jack-Jack has other ideas. Revealing his powers to the audience for the first time, he escapes in the most epic way. Meanwhile, the villain gets caught by his own cape. Guess he should have taken Edna’s advice!

All the Disney villains have a touch of the dramatic and Scar is no exception. After years of planning and scheming and a final brutal battle, he has Simba just where he wants him. All Scar needs to do is let his nephew go and his path to ruling the pridelands will be clear. But, sharing the same fatal flaw as so many other baddies, he can’t resist a bit of monologuing. Scar whispers the truth in Simba’s ear, revealing the part he played in the old king’s death. Simba has been tortured with guilt since his father died, but Scar’s confession finally frees him, giving the young lion the final burst of adrenaline he needs to overpower his enemy and come out on top.

Ernesto de la Cruz thought he won his victory many years ago when he poisoned his best friend and took his songs for himself. But he didn’t bank on Hector’s great-grandson finding his way into the land of the dead and uncovering his dark secret. When he’s finally outed as a fraud and a murderer, Ernesto deals with the problem by throwing Miguel and Hector into a pit, from which he assumes they will never escape. His big concert goes ahead as planned, but his security is far too lax. Hector’s family reveal the villain’s true colors to the world and the party is cut brutally short.

Of all the Disney villains, Jafar probably comes the closest to getting everything he ever asked for. In the end, though, he reached too far and his greed ultimately led to his downfall. When the Grand Vizier finally gets his hand on the magic lamp, he becomes master of the genie, then Sultan, and an all powerful sorcerer… until, of course, Aladdin plants the seed in Jafar’s mind that there is one power that exceeds his own. Since he can’t bear to be second best, Jafar wishes to become an all powerful genie. But, there’s a catch. Amid his celebrations, Jafar forgets one crucial detail, that to be a genie is to be a slave to whoever holds the lamp. What are phenomenal cosmic powers worth without freedom?

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

The Colonel Thinks Spirit Is Broken, “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron” (2002)
He’s Not Going To Give Up That Easily

Hopper Stays For the Celebrations, “A Bug’s Life” (2008)
The Grasshoppers Hang Around To Prove a Point… Big Mistake

Eris Makes Assumptions, “Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas” (2003)
The Goddess' Plans Are Foiled When the Thief Does the Honorable Thing

Gaston Lets Victory Slip Through His Fingers, “Beauty and the Beast” (1991)
When Belle Comes to the Beast’s Aid, Gaston Loses His Grip

Hans Forgets Who Anna Loves the Most, “Frozen” (2013)
An Act of True Love Doesn’t Have to Be A Kiss From a Prince

Lady Tremaine may not be the most powerful Disney villainess, but her petty spitefulness and unkind treatment of Cinderella make her all too hateable. When she discovers Cinderella’s secret, she acts quickly, locking her up in her tower bedroom. By the time her stepdaughter breaks free, Lady Tremaine’s girls have already failed to impress. Unwilling to lose her worker bee, she does everything she can to ruin Cinderella’s chances. Sticking out her cane, she trips up a page, causing the glass slipper to smash into a million pieces. Lady Tremaine smirks proudly, but Cinderella has yet to play her winning hand. The moment she produces the other slipper couldn’t be more satisfying. There’s just nothing like the look on her evil stepmother’s face!