20 GREATEST DISNEY CHARACTERS

20) Jim Hawkins

Voice: Joseph Gordon-Levitt

You probably wrote me off already. Jim Hawkins? Treasure Planet? Who even saw this movie? I did. I was one of the 8 or so people who actually saw (and liked) this film. And I really like the character of Jim. I found this film to be kind of a landmark in a lot of ways. This is the first Disney character who can be described as “angsty,” and from what I can remember, he’s also the only Disney male who is suffering from teenage issues. His dad left (also a Disney first), he has rejection issues, and he’s got a rat tail. That’s pretty impressive. I love his sheer vulnerability; he seems like the type of guy I would totally have a crush on; vulnerable, sexy, angsty, but good to his core.

19) Peter Pan

Voice: Bobby Driscoll

I’ve figured out that I can’t sit through the Peter Pan movie (I get bored about the time the Indians kidnap the Lost Boys), but the more I learn about Peter Pan himself, the more I like about him. If you read the book, he’s not the teenaged prankster he is in the Disney film. He’s a little boy who hides away in a lonely paradise because he’s so terrified of death, because anyone who grows up has to die someday. In the Disney film, he’s more of a punk teenager whose good heart is buried by under a thick layer of bad attitude, but I give Peter Pan props for his potential and intention.

18) Ursula

Voice: Pat Carroll

I LOVE Ursula, the maniacal, deep-voiced sea-witch from The Little Mermaid. In fact, I would dare say that the Disney villain makes the movie, rather than the hero/ine. (Prime example: Sleeping Beauty.) Ursula really was a big deal in making the Little Mermaid the smash hit that it was. For one thing, she has the absolute greatest Disney villain song ever (“Poor Unfortunate Soul,”) she has an incredible design, and, while her motivation seems a little weak at times, she’s such a strong character and has such an incredible climax that it more than makes up for her few weaknesses. Poor unfortunate souls indeed.

17) Cruella deVille

Voice: Betty Lou Gerson

Another one of my absolute favorite villains, Cruella deVille is fabulous, completely insane, and hellbent one committing one of the most horrible crimes ever: puppy-cide. How evil do you have to be to kill puppies? PETA would be all over this woman with red paint, and let’s hope she wasn’t driving at the time. I love her attitude more than anything; she’s so outrageously flamboyant that you can’t help wondering where she got this sense of self entitlement. I wish Disney had elaborated a little more on her back story, but such is life.

Hopper

Voice: Kevin Spacey

I know, I know, three villains in a row, but villains are consistently the best characters in the movie. Hopper is another character in a mostly forgettable (if enjoyable) movie, A Bug’s Life, that didn’t quite make it to “classic” standards. Just like most great villains, his main strength is in the force of Kevin Spacey’s performance; he’s coldhearted, ruthless, and very intelligent. It’s like he majored in psychology in college, and knows exactly how to keep the “lower beings” down, but also what could happen should they choose to revolt. Kevin Spacey’s Hopper is like the leader of a gang of 50’s bikers, but instead of terrorizing a high school, Hopper terrorizes a whole legion of creatures he’s secretly afraid of.

Prince Edward

Voice/Actor: James Marsden

“I don’t know what melodramatic means, but you’ll be removed from the throne. I’ll see to it!” So says Prince Edward, a better Disney prince than most of the Disney princes in history. Do you remember all those princes in the early Disney movies (Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, even Prince Eric?) No one knows their names, and if they do, they basically have the personalities of Calvin Klein underwear models. They just exist to give the heroine something to pine over and work toward. Prince Edward, played with gleeful narcissism by James Marsden, expresses the personality that most of these princes probably have, and he manages to be loveable, funny, and eternally our Prince Charming.

) Mulan
Voice: Ming Na

While not exactly one of my favorite Disney heroines, Mulan was one of the first successful kick-ass heroines of Disney history. Disney first tried the concept with the creation of a dull, pointless movie called Pocahontas, but Mulan was considered a very successful heroine. Also, Mulan is not the first princess to struggle with an identity crisis, but her problems seem more pressing than, say, Ariel’s. Mulan is well-intentioned, if clumsy, and free-spirited, a quality her restrictive Chinese society doesn’t value highly. When she finally accepts that she’ll never be what she is told she is supposed to be, Mulan refuses to lie back and waste away: she decides to kick some ass instead, and ultimately finds who she is, as well as acceptance from her family. That’s my idea of a happy ending.

) Basil of Baker Street

Voice: Barrie Ingham

Once again, a great movie that everyone seems to have forgotten about, “The Great Mouse Detective” is one of the Disney movies from the 80s that doesn’t suck. I have always like the savvy, Sherlock-esque manner and brisk demeanor of Basil. He kind of reminds me of Willy Wonka; you never know if he’s serious or kidding, completely mad or totally in control. He also has irrepressible arrogance that comes to people who know everything, which makes him a rather playful protagonist, and when he finally expresses weakness, it makes you wonder if he really had that confidance all along.

) Hades

Voice: James Woods

Hercules is highly underrated, in my opinion, and I blame it’s artsy design for it’s untimely disappearance. People sort of wrote it off as cartoony, with good reason, unlike great animated films, like “The Lion King.” Hades is a fantastic villain; he’s a slick salesman, a hothead, and, oh yeah… he’s the God Of Death. How cool is that? His design is fantastic (the fire for hair was sheer genius) and James Woods’ smooth, fast-talking car salesman technique was perfect for establishing a funny, but also very dark, Disney villain.

) Captain Amelia

Voie: Emma Thompson

Once again, that awful movie no one saw. Captain Amelia is a feline femme-fatal that has the absolute best lines in Disney history. It’s like James Lipton wrote her dialogue. Take this gem for example: “Doctor. To muse and blabber about a treasure map in front of this particular crew, demonstrates a level of ineptitude that borders on the imbecilic! And I mean that in a very caring way.” Pure poetry. Her design is very sleek and catlike, and I love that someone in Disney thought up the idea of a female captain of a pirate ship. Take that, Barbossa.

) Carl Fredrickson

Voice: Ed Asner

I’ll be honest: I was underwhelmed with Up when I saw it the first time. And even the second time, it was just pretty good, which earned me a lot of flak from my film buddies. But whatever my thoughts on the movie as a whole, I LOVED the character of Carl Fredrickson. He’s the first Disney hero who was over 30, and he was so well developed. His relationship with his dearly departed wife, Ellie, is one of the greatest love stories in Disney history, and his need to keep her close by literally dragging her house over his shoulder is simply touching. This old dog learned lots of new tricks, and made an “ok” movie so much better for it.

9) The entire cast of Toy Story

Voices: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles, Jim Varney, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenburger, Annie Potts, Joan Cusack, Kelsey Grammer

I was originally going to add Buzz to this coutdown, but I realized that this movie worked as a complete whole. Most ensemble movies rarely work as an ensemble, but this loveable group of toys was so perfectly cast that I couldn’t pick just one character. Although I will say that Buzz is my favorite. J

) Wall*E

Wall*E is the perfect example of how well developed characters can literally keep a story from going under. Our hero only says a few words, and doesn’t say any at all for the first half of the movie, but we know him so well by the end that it doesn’t matter. Our curious, romantic little hunk of metal’s devotion to his ipod-esque lady love is touching and funny, and made one of the best Disney movies of 2008.

) Dory
Voice: Ellen Degeneres

Ellen Degeres’ “speaking whale” moment, she says, was a compelte surprise. She said in an interview that the script literally said, “speaks whale,” and she had no idea how to do it. But she pulled it off, and Dory, the forgetful, optimistic, ever-cheerful blue tang succeeded in creating one of the most memorable moments in movie history. This character is so likeable on so many levels, and Finding Nemo was a completely different experience with her in it. Dory is one of the most hilarious animated characters ever to walk… or, rather, swim…across our screens.

) Frollo

Voice: Tony Jay

Frollo, the self-righteous, hypocritical, lust-filled judge from The Hunchback of Notre Dame, is a terrifying villain purely because he sincerely believes he is doing the right thing. He is very human in his prejudices and very cold in his execution. Tony Jay’s rich, elegant voice along with spectacular animation create one of the most chilling villains in Disney history.

) Jack Sparrow

Actor: Johnny Depp

I really don’t have to say much about this one, do I ?

) Meg

Voice: Susan Egan

Once again, I blame the quirky design (and her creepy eyebrows) for Meg’s lack of staying power. She was the first Disney heroine with some sort of bite to her, and she carried her own backstory instead of just being eye candy for Herc to drool over. I loved that she worked for Hades; that idea made her seem more like a girl in trouble rather than a damsel in distress. (Trust me, there’s a difference).

) Cheshire Cat

Voice: Sterling Holloway

This crazy, clever, creepy cat has given more than one person the willies to more than one viewer, but like everything else in Wonderland, he seems to possess an imminent wisdom, even if he doesn’t know it. He’s full of one liners and small wisdoms, saying things like, “Can you stand on your head?” while literally standing on his head. And of course, everyone’s favorite: slowly disappearing, leaving everything but his creepy, toothy grin behind.

) Belle

Voice: Page O’Hara

Belle might be the perfect Disney heroine, and she’s definitely the best princess. Belle is understanding, smart, subtly witty, and refuses to be just a pretty face, but she isn’t so far on the other end of the spectrum (like Meg, for example) that she is hard to love. Belle sacrifices her life for her family (unlike other certain Disney heroines, who sacrifice their families for some boy) and doesn’t give into the pretty boy of the town purely because every other girl in town does. She found love in the worst of circumstances, and what girl doesn’t dream of that?

) Mickey Mouse

Voiced by: Originally, Walt Disney

Mickey doesn’t really mean much to you unless you work in Disney World, but after working there you realize exactly how important Mickey is. Walt said this of Mickey, his finest creation: “I only hope that we don’t lose sight of one thing; that it was all started by a mouse.”