An Unofficial Psychoanalysis of Disney Villains

Disney villains are getting more realistic in terms of character.  Decades ago, they were simple, melodramatic archetypes, even if it was the Evil Queen’s narcissism.  In the first wave of Disney movies, the villains’ intents and interactions were simplified, and even fantastical.  Real life bad guys don’t seek vengeance because you fed someone’s hand to a crocodile.  Nor do they tend to curse babies because they weren’t invited to the baby shower.  Then in 1989 and onward, villains revealed more character depth through their songs.  Further into new millennium, they seem to exhibit toxic personalities one may encounter in life, and can probably be diagnosed through the DSM-V.  Look at Disney villains through the different generations.  Below is a table to readily compare the antagonists over time.  Then there are more detailed descriptions afterward.  First listed are the motives from the villain’s first-person standpoint, and then an approximate, but unofficial diagnosis.

In analyzing the table, more than one third exhibit a personality disorder.  However, unless you hold a position of power, you are not as likely to run into a real life Jafar or humanoid Scar.  Their backstabbing plots to gain power only affect you if you have a job they desire.  Regarding the earlier films, Cruella was a true psychopath, but you’re unlikely to encounter a black market fur trader.  The most realistic Disney villains, in my opinion, are Gaston, Mother Gothel, and Prince Hans.  Abusive mothers, predatory incels, and smooth-talking boyfriends with ulterior motives are more commonplace.  The other villains have traits that can be observed in varying degrees in a variety of people you don’t like.

 

Film:  Snow White and the Seven Dwarves (1937)
Villainess:  Evil Queen
Motive:  I hate her because she's prettier than me, therefore I must kill her.
Issues:  Somatic Narcissism. 
Notes:  Her drive to kill is based in her obsession to preserve superiority of her self-image.  She feels no empathy in killing the princess to achieve this, even if it eliminates having any royal successor.  Power doesn’t drive her since she has all the authority, but aging is the only thing she can not control.

Film:  Cinderella (1950)
Villainesses:  Lady Tremaine and Step-Sisters
Motive:  We hate her because she's not related to us, and she's a servant.
Issues: Classism, Elitism. 
Notes:  The anti-social behavior among the trio is rooted in their fear of the impoverished girl being equal competition in their own social climbing.  No matter how humble Cinderella behaved, they were compelled to assert dominance and create separation from their maid.  The step-sisters’ nobility made them flawless in their mother’s eyes, and no improvement was needed, hence their behavioral problems were overlooked, but not by the prince.

Film:  Alice in Wonderland (1951)
Villain:  Queen of Hearts
Motive:  I want to do whatever I want, and chop off people’s heads!
Issues:  Anger Management Problems, Antisocial behavior, Developmental Problems.
Notes:  The queen expresses frequent fits of rage, and will sentence people to the death penalty over petty mistakes.  She exploits live animals just to play croquet.  In real life, the flamingos would just bite her, and then she would sentence them to death too.  Despite her call to behead people, no one ever obliges her, which means she isn't very manipulative like a real sociopath.  She seems to have a delay in development, hence her temper tantrums and antisocial behavior, which may be due to a royal upbringing of constant instant gratification.  If she married into royalty, I wonder if she had the King of Hearts beheaded?  She seems to prefer to have all the power and does not want a new husband, who would then outrank her.

Film:  Peter Pan (1953)
Villain:  Captain Hook
Motive:  Revenge – That kid cut off my hand and fed it to a crocodile!
Issues:  Egotism, Antisocial behavior, Low Self-Esteem.
Notes:  The pirate captain has an ongoing war with Pan, and in a previous battle Pan dismembered Hook’s hand, which fueled his need for vengeance.  At one point, Hook casually discharges his gun, which could have killed one of his crew.  Towards the end, Pan threatens Hook with his own sword.  To spare his life, Pan coaxes Captain Hook into admitting he’s a “cod fish,” which shows his fear and low self-esteem, but it was an act to catch Pan off-guard and reattempt slashing him with his weaponized prosthetic.  His crew had already deserted him so they lacked loyalty and bravery in battle with children in their pajamas.  This reflects poorly on Captain Hook’s managerial skills.
(In the original book by J.M. Barrie, Captain James T. Hook was insecure because he dropped out of college.  He stewed in his thoughts of being doubted by peers that he ever went to Oxford University.) (See reference below).

Film:  Sleeping Beauty (1959)
Villainess:  Maleficent
Motive:  I was not invited to a party.  I will curse this baby!
Issues:  Terrorism. 
Notes:  This draconian fairy organizes an army of minions in attempts to kidnap a royal figure or two, and strike fear into the monarchic political figures.  Her subordinate goblins are incompetent by using outdated intelligence to track down the 15-year-old princess.  “We checked all the cradles!”  Their leader uses intimidation to motivate the minions to improve their technique.

Film:  One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961)
Villainess:  Cruella DeVil
Motive:  I want to do something seriously unethical for the sake of fashion!
Issues:  Psychopathy, Anorexia Nervosa.
Notes:  Cruella lives in a big house with her two accomplices, which means she probably lives off inheritance and her social skills are limited in terms of recruiting goons.  Unlike Maleficent, Cruella lacks ability to build an organization to do her dirty work, and her wealth should be able to attract that.  She constantly berates Horace and Jasper, and it is probably rooted in the permanent changes in personality associated with chronic anorexia.  Most important to note is her psychopathy in harming animals with no regard for society’s standards or reactions to animal cruelty.  Her objective was most likely to produce rare, spotted fur products and sell them on the black market so she can maintain her financial needs if her inheritance is dwindling.
(Fun fact:  Cruella DeVil’s character was based on the leading lady in Sunset Boulevard.) (See reference below).

Film:  Robin Hood (1973)
Villain:  Prince John
Motive:  Living the high life and disregarding poverty
Issues:  Greed, Regression
Notes:  The lion prince is greedy, selfish, and hates anyone who interferes with rich lifestyle.  He disregards the peasants who are suffering, and has a passion for high taxes.  He does not care if the inability to pay up results in peasants getting arrested.  The prince sucks his thumb, which is Disney’s way of emphasizing how immature his greed is, yet still it displays his regression.  Moreover he does not care if people think he’s a big baby, because he can deal out the death penalty.

Film:  The Little Mermaid (1989)
Villainess:  Ursula
Motive: I'm mad at the king for casting me out of the kingdom and I want revenge.
Issues:  Depression, Vindictive, Low Machiavellian. 
Notes:  The circumstantially discontent seawitch attempted to swindle her enemy’s daughter in order to blackmail him into handing over his royal power.  Instead of abducting her and expediting the blackmail, Ursula makes an unfair deal with Ariel with a slim chance of success.  Ursula’s underestimation of Ariel’s charm meant compensating with sabotage twice, so Ursula did not plan very strategically.

Film:  Beauty and the Beast (1991)
Villain:  Gaston
Motive:  I want that woman, and only that woman!  I am jealous over a living throw rug.
Issues:  Narcissistic Personality Disorder, Sexual Predator. 
Notes:  He repeatedly disregards other people’s feelings, whether it’s Belle, Maurice, or even his friend, La Fou.  He thinks his perception is paramount to the villagers’ comments, to which he is blind.  Everyone says Belle is odd, and shuns her inventor father.  He says she’s the most beautiful, and therefore the best.  Moreover, Gaston is stubborn to admitting he’s wrong even when the mirror proves to him about the beast’s existence.

Film:  Aladdin (1992)
Villain:  Jafar
Motive:  I want unlimited power over everyone and everything.
Issues:  Machiavellian, Habitual Liar, Functional Sociopath (until the end)
Notes:  All three of Jafar’s wishes was to level up in power, whereas Aladdin only did that once.  Before usurping the throne, Jafar maintained steady employment, but abused his position to manipulate a royal figure.  He used magic, but chose to use his staff on the sultan, rather than criminals or enemy combatants.  He never wanted Jasmine other than to attain royal status.  In taking the lamp, Jafar did not think through his wishes, and kept changing himself.  He could have asked to become the most powerful sorcerer, stayed in that form, and had two more wishes left.  Jafar had no qualms in attempting to kill Aladdin and Jasmine, and humiliating her father as a jester.  He couldn’t empathize with the genie, hence he could not foresee the consequences of taking that role.

Film:  The Lion King (1994)
Villain: Scar
Motive:  I also want power, and I'll kill a baby lion to get it.
Issues:  Machiavellian, Sadist, Anti-Social Personality Disorder. 
Notes:  He murders a father, then gaslights the child into believing he was culpable to his father’s death.  After advising the child to run away to some place safe, he immediately dispatches assassins in attempt to terminate the child’s life.  Scar was cold-blooded with zero empathy in killing Mufasa, and seemed to relish the fatal move.  He also depleted the food sources without considering the long term consequences, and disregarded those who are starving around him.
(Unrelated by noteworthy:  Before Walt Disney produced The Lion King, Japan created “Kimba, the White Lion,” and sadly Disney plagiarized the entire film, and marketed The Lion King to have “all new characters.”) (See reference below).

Film:  Pocahontas (1995)
Villain:  Ratcliffe
Motive:  Literal gold digging
Issues:  Greedy, Vanity, Rivalry, Laziness.
Notes:  In the animated feature of Pocahontas, Governor Ratcliffe is portrayed as gold obsessed, and wanting heightened esteem and envy from his English countrymen.  He doesn’t want to do any of the work, and doesn’t care that he is digging on someone else’s land for profit.
(In real life, John Ratcliffe was truly selfish, for wanting houses built for him and poorly handling a food shortage for his colonists.  Pocahontas’s tribe, the Powhatans, skinned Ratcliffe alive and threw his flesh into a fire in 1609.) (References below)

Film:  The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)
Villain:  Judge Frollo
Motive:  Hating Romani people.
Issues:  Bigotry, Child Abuse, Repressed Feelings.
Notes:  He is a genocidal maniac who specifically hates Roma.  He was stopped from killing baby Quasimodo just because of his heritage.  Instead he raised him to have low self esteem and work in the bell towers of Notre Dame.  Frollo hates Roma except harbors feelings for the beauteous, outspoken one, Esmeralda.  He hides his feelings and shows hatred so his perception of God approves of him.

Film:  Hercules (1997)
Villain:  Hades
Motive:  Take over Mount Olympus and rule everything, kill anyone capable of interfering, namely Hercules.
Issues:  Power Hungry, Jealousy, Sexual Harassment in the Workplace.
Notes:  In this politically correct adaptation of Greek mythos, Zeus is a faithful husband to Hera, who bear a son, Hercules, who will grow up to stop the Titans from overthrowing rulership of Mt Olympus.  Hades, god of the underworld with the same name, wants to usurp Zeus’s position as king of the gods.  He will kill Hercules in order to prevent his interference.  Hades also has a problem with hitting on Megara, who can not leave and is forced to remain his employee.
 

Film:  Mulan (1998)
Villain:  Shan Yu
Motive:  I want to take over China.
Issues:  Power hungry, Xenophobia.
Notes:  The Huns want to invade China for all the land is worth.  Shan Yu simply leads the Huns.  He is ruthless and wants dominance, which is normal in war.  He views his own people as being superior, treating them far better than the Chinese.
(Historically, Shan Yu was based on Modu Chanyu, who led the Xiongnu (Asian Huns). Chanyu had his father assassinated in order to take his position in 209 BC.) (See reference below).

Film:  Up (2009)
Villain:  Charles Muntz
Motive:  I need to prove to the world, I discovered a new species, and I’ll kill my competition.
Issues:  Dysfunctional Sociopath, Animal Slavery.
Notes:  Muntz was once the protagonist’s idol growing up, but the idol fell from fame, hid in South America, and became a serial killer.  He would murder (and possibly cannibalize) anyone who tried to find the species of bird he tried to prove he discovered first.  He collects the helmets of his victims as trophies.  Muntz seems to treat his dogs well when guests are present, but he “lost so many dogs,” when exploring to find the bird.  He seems to be charming towards Carl and Russell at first, but shows his evil side once Russell mentions the rare bird/pet he found, Kevin.

Film:  The Princess and the Frog (2009)
Villain:  Dr. Facilier/Shadow Man
Motive:  Monetary greed, and no problem with taking more than his share, manipulating, and killing.
Issues:  Anti-Social, Manipulative, Megalomaniac.
Notes:  Like Scar, Dr. Facilier shifts blame to his “friends,” who eventually deal his fate.  Hence, he doesn’t take responsibility for his actions.  He calculates who is vulnerable to manipulation, and carefully plots a transfer of money by using someone else to marry into wealth and execute the benefactor.  Instead of hoarding all the money, Dr. Facilier planned to give a small amount (not 50%) to his puppeteered accomplice, Lawrence.

Film:  Tangled (2010)
Villainess:  Mother Gothel
Motive:  I want to use this girl's hair to keep me beautiful and I don't care if I ruin her life.
Issues:  Narcissistic Personality Disorder, Machiavellian traits, Vanity.
Notes:  Mother Gothel abducts and exploits Rapunzel for her hair’s healing powers in order to give herself eternal youth and cheat death.  She maintains a level of ignorance in Rapunzel regarding her past or the alluring lanterns by dismissing questions, compelling her with pleasant distractions such as her favorite food, or straight up mocking her.  When Rapunzel runs away with a handsome stranger, Mother Gothel hires two big goons to find her.  They find the runaway, and Mother Gothel clubs both her hired men – proving to Rapunzel that she can’t handle the real world.  This false mother has zero empathy for Rapunzel and anyone outside the tower.  When she says, “Oh, now I’m the bad guy!?” it’s not just a joke; it’s gas-lighting, which is part of narcissistic abuse.  Moreover, in her song, “Mother Knows Best,” she expresses her dominant perspective of the world outside, which she deems superior to Rapunzel’s inexperienced point of view, a result of Gothel holding her back from seeing the world outside.

Film:  Brave (2012)
Villain:  Mor’du
Motive:  I want the whole country to myself to rule, and to kill some random maiden.
Issues:  Personality Fuge, Anger Management Problems, Power Hungry.
Notes:  Mor’du’s arrogance, strength, and rage turned him into a beast – with his other personality traits deserting his ego.  His grudges transcended into this form, and his drive to rule was reduced to instilling fear.  Although he can not recall his original self, his mind filled in the gaps with his new character.  His past anger comes out onto anyone he encounters, especially Merida since it fulfills the legend that he would kill a maiden.  He recovers his real personality after death in spirit form.
 

Film: Frozen (2013)
Villain:  Prince Hans
Motive:  I want to take any throne I can, and take no prisoners or princesses!
Issues:  Antisocial Personality Disorder, High Machiavellian.
Notes:  Hans wanted power, and killing was simply a means to that end.  Murdering two girls to become king was easier than killing his 11 brothers to cut in line to the throne in his homeland.  He falsely seduced Anna, who has limited social experiences, which made it easier to manipulate her.  He could read Anna, and deceive her into thinking they had everything in common, and that they thought alike.  In the song, “Love is an Open Door,” Anna abruptly said, “Sandwiches!”  Hans replied with, “That’s what I was going to say!”  Anna could have said anything and Hans would have made the same response!  Why?  It was to create the illusion that they have a “mental synchronization” like the song goes.  Within a few hours of meeting, he aced proposing to her.  Anna was quick to trust Hans to watch her kingdom while she searched alone for Elsa.  Hans readily exploited her trust and the temp-to-permanent position of power she gave him.  He revealed his real side when Anna was dying, and confessed that he didn’t have love.  Sociopaths can not feel love.  He lied to other royal officials about her death, and was ready to assume the role of sovereignty – his ending goal.

Film:  Moana (2016)
Villain:  Te Ka/Te Fiti
Motive:  Someone was stupid enough to steal from me, and now I will end the world!
Issues:  Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Dissociative Identity Disorder.
Notes:  The villain was really the evil side of a good guy.  Te Fiti was the Polynesian equivalent of Mother Nature, and when you mess with nature, disaster occurs.  Te Fiti was of the earth, and her heart was a gem, so it wasn’t a material possession.  Her heart was stolen and she felt a deep sense of loss.  To cope with the loss, she had a separate identity, Te Ka, take over.  Te Ka was a volcanic demoness who wrought about climate change, and then crops would not grow.  Moana returned the heart, and Ta Ka transformed back into her former identity.  Sadly, PTSD is not healed as quickly, like Moana singing a magical song about knowing your true self.

(Important to note:  Dissociative Identity Disorder is extremely rare, and when seeking help for PTSD, the use of hypnosis as therapy can trigger false memories and even induce DID.  Please be careful!) (See reference below).

No one wants to develop a Te Ka side.  Of all villains, Te Ka is a good person deep down, which describes a lot of misunderstood, villainized people in real life.

 

References:  

Barrie, J. M (1928).  Peter Pan.  Publisher: Hodder and Stoughton, United Kingdom.

Di Cosmo, N (2002).  Ancient China and its Enemies: The Rise of Nomadic Power in East Asian History.  Cambridge University Press.  ISBN: 0-521-77064-5.

Paramount Pictures (1950).  Sunset Boulevard.  [Film].  Produced by Charles Brackett, Directed by Billy Wilder.

Powell, R. A., PhD & Gee, T. L., PhD (1999).  The Effects of Hypnosis on Dissociative Identity Disorder: A Reexamination of the Evidence.  The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry.  Vol. 44, p.914-916.  Retrieved from:  https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/070674379904400908

Southern, E, ed (2004).  The Jamestown Adventure:  Accounts of the Virginia Colony, 1605-1614.  John F. Blair Publisher.  ISBN:  0-89587-302-8 

Tyler, Lyon Gardiner, ed. (1915). Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography, Vol. I, pp. 33–34.  New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company.

YouTube (2017 Dec 15).  The “Original Story” – The Kimba VS Simba Controversy. [video].  Courtesy of user:  Alli Kat.  Retrieved from:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfJvKIDS9n8&list=WL&index=100

Originally posted on 10/3/2020.
Updated 10/4/2020.