Top 10 Animated Villain Songs

Since their conception, animated films have been associated with music. In part, this is because of Disney, whose genre of escapist fairytales has ensured the studio’s success when it comes to movie-musicals. Many of their animated films have been transformed into stage shows (Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, The Little Mermaid), and this popularity has led other animation studios to incorporate musical numbers into their own films, such as 20^th Century Fox’s Anastasia (1997) and DreamWorks Animation’s The Prince of Egypt (1998).

These musical films usually have one thing in common; the villain’s song is almost always the coolest. So today, I’m counting down my top 10 animated villain songs.

10. “Prince Ali (Reprise)” — Aladdin

I rarely see Jafar’s devious reprise of “Prince Ali” on other top 10 lists, which is really a shame, because it’s severely underrated. During Aladdin’s development, Jafar actually did have a full-length villain song, called “Why Me?”, which he was supposed to sing before using the Genie to take over Agrabah. It was ultimately cut, and for good reason, because the whole song is just him being a whiny drama queen, while not adding much to the story. “Prince Ali (Reprise)”, on the other hand, is short and effective. The dark inversion of the original song mirrors Jafar’s undoing of Aladdin’s wishes, and it’s all enhanced by Jonathan Freeman’s amazing performance.

Aladdin, you know you’re screwed when the villain steals your theme song.

9. “Mother Knows Best” + Reprise — Tangled

“Mother Knows Best” is interesting as a villain song because it doesn’t sound evil in the slightest. In fact, the music is downright pleasant, alluding to a classical Broadway sound. This parallels Gothel’s mental and emotional abuse of Rapunzel. She claims to have Rapunzel’s wellbeing in mind, but the audience knows that she’s only interested in Rapunzel’s magical, youth-restoring hair.

The reprise brings this dark edge to the forefront. At this point in the film, Rapunzel has begun to realize that Gothel’s agenda is malevolent, and that following her “mother’s” orders may not be the right path. The moment she retaliates, any sugar-coating held by the original song disappears, and Gothel shows her true colours. Especially devastating is the fact that Gothel is the one and only person whom Rapunzel has ever had an emotional connection with.

Donna Murphy kills both versions of the song with her versatile acting. This is how to integrate music into a film and use it to enhance story.

8. “Come Wayward Souls” — Over the Garden Wall

One of my favourite animated series is Cartoon Network’s Over the Garden Wall. I highly recommended it to anyone who hasn’t already seen it. “Come Wayward Souls” is sung in the final episode by the main villain, the Beast, as he lures the Woodsman to the spot where he’s transformed Greg into an Edelwood tree.

There’s a recurring theme in the series that the Beast just sometimes…hangs around in the woods and operatically sings ominous songs (it’s what I would do if I didn’t have to go to university), and this one is definitely my favourite. The song itself isn’t particularly frightening, but Samuel Ramey’s booming voice exudes power and horror. In the background, haunting, childlike voices sing, implied to be the souls of all the people the Beast has taken prisoner. It’s a short song, but memorable.

7. “Playing with the Big Boys” — The Prince of Egypt

DreamWorks Animation’s The Prince of Egypt is not just one of my favourite animated films, it’s one of my favourite films in general. This song is sung by the high priests, Hotep and Huy, when Moses first returns to Egypt and demands that Rameses release the Hebrew people from their enslavement. Moses displays God’s power by turning his staff into a cobra, and Hotep and Huy, voiced by Steve Martin and Martin Short, promptly respond by proving the power of the ancient Egyptian gods.

The song is particularly intriguing because of the animation. Throughout the film, the priests are constantly depicted as using magic tricks. This fits perfectly with the point of the scene—that there is only one, all-powerful god. Thus, it can be argued that any “power” displayed by the ancient Egyptian gods is just smoke and mirrors. It’s a great example of how to reconcile music and visuals to tell a story.

6. “Friends on the Other Side” — The Princess and the Frog

Nearing the halfway point, now.

The Princess and the Frog’s “Friends on the Other Side” reminds me quite a bit of the previous song, in that it is enhanced by the spectacle of animation. The song is sung by Dr. Facilier, the Shadow Man, during his attempt to deceive Prince Naveen and his valet, Lawrence. His efforts lead to success, as the song ends with Naveen being transformed into a frog.

The song oozes 1920s New Orleans, which adds to the film’s atmosphere. Keith David gives a performance which is both energetic and enthusiastic, while also not lacking in a sinister edge. It characterizes Facilier’s charisma, which is matched by trippy animation and Voodoo inspired visuals, resulting in a villain song that’s just a ton of fun.

5. “Gaston” — Beauty and the Beast

At the halfway point, we have what is probably one of Disney’s most famous songs, from one of their most famous films. Beauty and the Beast was the first animated film to be nominated for Best Picture, and for good reason, because everything about it is perfect, including the music.

“Gaston” is a classic, catchy tavern number, and is very different from most villain songs. Rather than explaining his evil plan, being an ode to his villainy, or serving to deceive the protagonists, the entire musical number is just talking about how awesome he is.

Howard Ashman’s lyrics are what really stand out about this song. The rhyming scheme is incredible, and we get the ever-iconic line, “I use antlers is all of my decorating.”

It’s the perfect anthem for a villain whose main traits are arrogance and vanity.

4. “Poor Unfortunate Souls” — The Little Mermaid

“Poor Unfortunate Souls” is particularly significant as a villain song because The Little Mermaid is the film which kicked off the Disney Renaissance. The song features Ursula attempting to trick Ariel into giving up her voice in exchange for human legs. In this sense, “Friends on the Other Side” seems to have taken some inspiration from it.

The song starts out fairly calm, before slowly descending into chaos as Ursula casts her spell. Pat Carroll’s dark voice perfectly suits the music and character, providing a great contrast to Ariel’s sweet and innocent demeanour.

For the song which kicked off the villain song trend, this couldn’t be a more perfect start.

3. “Snuff Out the Light” — Kingdom of the Sun/The Emperor’s New Groove

Okay, I admit, this one is kind of cheating. “Snuff Out the Light” was Yzma’s song from the shelved Kingdom of the Sun. After a long and arduous production process, the film was retooled into the comedic icon that is The Emperor’s New Groove, and Kingdom of the Sun never saw the light of day.

Of course, this might be a good thing, because destroying the light of day is exactly what “Snuff Out the Light” is about. The song describes Yzma’s plan to eradicate the sun, as she’s under the impression that the sun is causing her wrinkles, thus destroying her youth and beauty.

The song has a fun, upbeat vibe, and features some clear Latin American influences, which fits well with Yzma’s personality. Eartha Kitt’s performance as Yzma in The Emperor’s New Groove is one of the best things about the film, but “Snuff Out the Light” showcases her incredible singing. It makes me wish Kingdom of the Sun had actually worked out.

2. “Be Prepared” — The Lion King

This is an obvious choice. Every song in The Lion King is a paragon of awesome, and “Be Prepared” is no exception. The song bleeds evil, which is all accentuated by Jeremy Irons’ great performance (though the second half of the song is actually sung by Jim Cummings, who took over after Irons blew out his voice). It starts out quietly sinister, with Scar explaining his plan to the hyenas, and builds from there, intensifying with each verse. The hyenas go through their own development too, providing us with Disney’s most heavy-handed Nazi allegory until this, before joining in the song as Scar’s backup towards the end.

The animation is fantastic too. Lime green and red must be evil colours, because the entire song is drenched in those tones. This song is placed as number 1 on a lot of lists, and it’s easy to see why.

But, before I talk about my number 1 choice, here are a few honourable mentions.

Honourable Mentions:

      “Oogie Boogie’s Song” — The Nightmare Before Christmas

      “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” — Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

      “Trust in Me” — The Jungle Book

      “In the Dark of the Night” — Anastasia

      “You’re Only Second Rate” — The Return of Jafar

      “My Lullaby” — The Lion King 2: Simba’s Pride

1. “Hellfire” — The Hunchback of Notre Dame

I really hope you saw this one coming. “Hellfire” is, without a doubt, the best animated villain song I’ve ever heard.

This list features a lot of songs which diverge from the traditional formula, but “Hellfire” takes the cake in terms of uniqueness. Frollo isn’t singing about his evil plans from a self-aware perspective, because he genuinely doesn’t see himself as evil. The entire song is about his internal conflict and self-hatred over his lust for Esmeralda, which ultimately manifests in him deciding that she must die.

You know, kid stuff.

The song perfectly exemplifies Disney’s most complex villain, while also providing great contrast to Quasimodo’s song “Heaven’s Light,” in which he sings about his love for Esmeralda.

With its chilling lyrics and visually stunning animation, “Hellfire” is definitely deserving of the number 1 spot.

Do you agree with my list? Which villain song is your favourite? Leave a comment below!