Who doesn’t love a good villain musical number? They’re usually the most fun part of the Disney classic, or Don Bluth film if we want to include honorary Disney movies Anastasia and The Swan Princess. The villain gets to swan about, dramatically laying out their evil plan or their motivations as the animation department kicks it into high gear on the visuals. Since it’s the spookiest of all seasons, let’s run down a few of our favorite villain songs to celebrate. After all, if you’re not big on the scary stuff, having a couple creepy numbers is definitely the best soundtrack for your Halloween party.
The best villain song of all time, bar none, is Hellfire from The Hunchback of Notre Dame. It is less cheery and fun than the others on this list, because it’s entirely about sexual repression and lust in the Church. Really cheery stuff, I can’t imagine why the film didn’t do as well as they hoped at the box office. The film wasn’t a commercial success, but Alan Menken truly outdid himself with the score and Hellfire is the film’s crowning glory. The animation, the music, Tony Jay’s nearly Oscar-worthy performance… it’s all there. For those of you who want some extra creep, google some of the female covers of the song and let those chills sink in. Though be warned, the song does use a slur for Romani people, which does dampen how well it holds up.
Another fantastic villain song that’s a lot more fun and a lot less heavy for kids is The Lion King‘s Be Prepared. Jim Cummings does his best Jeremy Irons impression as Scar gets the monologue that Claudius deserved in Hamlet. Humor comes in the form of the three hyenas, but the song is deeply chilling, especially with some of the imagery used in the number. Who doesn’t love a good Elton John written song for one of Disney’s best villains? Come on, you can’t resist.
Also, Disney sequels are never as good as the original, but Zira performing My Lullaby in The Lion King 2? That’s worth standing alongside the theatrically released films.
To venture away from Disney, Rasputin’s big number In The Dark Of the Night from Anastasia is also great. The Don Bluth animated films never got as much traction as their Disney counterparts, but Anastasia is amazing and deserves all the love. Rasputin spends most of the film stalking around purgatory yelling at Bartok, but here he gets to show off his villainous side. The song is just all-around a great villain number, and the background chorus is suitably creepy. The history doesn’t work, but the music definitely does.
Another iconic Disney number is Ursula’s Poor Unfortunate Souls from The Little Mermaid. If you need something to do some Halloween karaoke, this might be the best number for how fun it is to perform. You get to be dramatic, over-the-top, and have the time of your life shimmying around to it. Plus, who doesn’t love Ursula? No one, that’s who.
More recent films haven’t let up on the villain song front, though Frozen could’ve used a better number than Love Is An Open Door (it totally counts). Lin-Manuel Miranda absolutely delivered with Shiny from Moana, which is so much fun to belt on car rides or when you’re alone in your room. David Bowie never did a Disney movie, but this inspired number definitely has the feel of what he might have sounded like as a villain. Plus, who doesn’t love Jermain Clements? He’s also an icon.
And of course, would a list be complete without everyone’s favorite Disney MRA? No one has a song quite like Gaston, after all.
What’s your favorite villain song? Do you have a favorite one to sing around Halloween? Let us know in the comments or on Facebook!
(Image: Disney)
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