As children we perfectly knew that Disney princesses and heroes were supposed to be a kind of role model and that, on the other hand, Disney villains were those terrible beings that we had to naturally hate for being evil, for making life impossible to the main characters and for being the worst characters in the story.
However, we are now older and although it is hard to accept it, we now understand those villains a little more than we used to and know that they did all their wrongdoings because, just like the heroes, they only wanted to be happy. Today we know that we cannot be as good as Snow White or Woody and that life has made us embrace a bit of the good guys and, although it is hard to accept it, a bit of the bad guys, and for that, we can be sure that the villains are not entirely so.
Ursula
The most feared octopus woman in the ocean wanted to help the poor souls in misfortune, didn’t she? She also tried to make Ariel come to her senses and not do the impossible – like putting on legs – for love, when Eric, the prince, didn’t even know of her existence. She is also fabulous and full of glamour.
Scar
We understand that it is wrong to murder your own brother; however, we cannot deny that he was the most suitable prospect to rule since Simba was still a cub and quite undisciplined. Scar just wanted to be the lion leader, but he went down the wrong path.
Maleficent
She was a fairy like any other, more obscure, yes, but that doesn’t take away her nickname of being an actual “magical creature”. However, when Aurora was born, her parents did not invite her to the celebration. Why did they exclude her? To keep dangers away from the kingdom using black magic. That was her job, she was not evil at heart.
Yzma
While she wanted to be the ruler of the whole place, she also wanted Kuzco to leave the post because he was despotic, rude and a terrible leader. She just wanted justice and a little more power, plus she would have been a great boss.
Hades
He was the god with the busiest job on Olympus. He had to take care of the rotten and evil souls, while the rest of the gods had less complicated tasks. So when Hercules was born and was not considered in the celebration or included as part of the child’s life, he was extremely offended and, of course, it was unfair that everyone would be celebrating without him.
Cruella de Vil
She wasn’t supposed to murder dogs, but she just wanted what many people nowadays want: to be wonderful and sophisticated, but deep down she knew she just wanted the attention.
Anastasia and Drizella
They wanted to be noticed by the prince, and as teenagers, they wanted to look good and be loved by the same prince, even though he ignored all the girls -including the sisters- because of Cinderella, a girl he didn’t even know.
Stinky Pete
The farmer from Toy Story 2 just wanted to be loved for once in his life. As he has never been taken out of his box, he has never known the love of a child. Contrary to the rest of the toys, he didn’t hope for more affection, only to be seen, which he thought it would be at an exhibition in Japan.
Shere Khan
The tiger’s role in The Jungle Book is much more metaphorical, since he wants to get rid of Mowgli because he knows that the human species is much more dangerous and will eventually grow up, join society and destroy their environment. Although that was not in the boy’s plans, Shere Khan just wanted to make sure it didn’t happen.
Captain Hook
Peter Pan was just a kid, but that didn’t stop him from cutting off the pirate’s hand. Hook just wanted revenge because, if it wasn’t enough to be left without a part of his body, he had to watch a crocodile devour it.
Anton Ego
He is just a harsh critic, and nothing more.
Syndrome
His biggest mistake was resentment. He was rejected by Mr. Incredible, but if he hadn’t been, he would have been one of the best superheroes in the world, since he was smart, clever and very skilled. The boy only wanted to do good, but rejection led him to make bad decisions.
Villains are misunderstood souls who took dangerous and wrong paths against our protagonists. However, although there are several characters who are unforgivable and truly evil, such as Frollo or Queen Grimhilde, this list is proof that they are much more human characters than princesses and heroes.
This story was originally published in Spanish in Cultura Colectiva.
