The 10 Best Animated Villains Voiced by A

Who could forget their performances?

It’s difficult to get emotions across when neither the actor’s face nor hands can complement the lines. When actors primarily act on-screen, trying to act in a recording booth can be a daunting experience—but when it’s done correctly, the results are phenomenal.

Animated villains, especially the over-the-top ones, require an extra helping of expression to showcase their unhinged, unforgettable personalities. Animated films have these kinds of villains in abundance, and star on-screen actors can surprise audiences when they’re given the part. Animated villains don’t have to be voiced by seasoned celebrities all the time, but when they do it right, a movie becomes that much better.

In the Aardman and Dreamworks film, McKellen plays the Toad, the Prince of England’s rejected pet flushed away in favor of a rat. Left jaded and alone, Toad intends to wipe out the sewer’s entire rat population, providing space for him to raise his family of tadpoles. Though it’s clear he’s spent enough time underground to make a comfortable evil lair (and grand collection of England memorabilia), he makes it clear to his French cousin Le Frog in monologue fashion that he’s never forgotten his tragic past. In short, McKellen perfectly portrays Toad’s boisterous personality and thirst for revenge.

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TheFlushed Awaycast is filled with big-name British actors each assigned to a unique, dynamic character. Toad is not short of his own visual gags, which McKellent follows through perfectly, from his evil laugh that goes on a little too long to his explosive hand gestures and impulse to catch the nearest fly. Unhinged and artistic, Toad brings 110% to each one of his scenes, making them hilarious and unforgettable—even to Le Frog, who often finds amusement in his suffering.

The Lion King’s primary villain demands a softly evil voice create a sinister character whose threatening nature is clear from the very beginning. Even after two decades, Scar’s famous “long live the king” line is still as chilling as before; who else could so impeccably turn four simple words into a sinister seizure of power?

Irons' singing performance can’t be overlooked, either; though he stays consistent with Scar’s low growl of a voice, his soliloquy is passionate and exciting enough to rile up his army of hyenas (and the audience). Scar maintains his sly personality throughout the film but conveys a range of emotions throughout; there’s not a scene where his line performance feels uninspired.

Ralph Fiennes’s performance as the ruthless pharaoh Rameses in The Prince of Egypt is that of a calm, manipulative figure. Rameses maintains the level-headedness needed for his role, but he can also suddenly raise his voice and issue a new command. What’s more, his performance during the film’s musical numbers further shows his range, singing softly and then with annoyance and authority during “The Ten Plagues.”

Towards the end of the film as the tenth plague falls over Egypt, Rameses’s heartbreak at the death of his oldest nephew is woefully apparent; Fiennes’s voice is broken and soft when it was cocky and clear in the scenes before.

Will Ferrell is not unfamiliar with the “animated villain role”--he played Megamind, one of Dreamworks’s most intentionally stylistic and performative villains. As a result, Ferrell’s performance as the evil Lord Business in The LEGO Movie adds to his portfolio of humorous-yet-formidable villains.

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As his name suggests, Lord Business maintains a kind, formal demeanor around his robotic coworkers while laughing and acting like a friend to Bricksburg citizens on TV. However, as his true intentions are revealed, Ferrell delivers a delightfully evil monologue about Business’s quest for perfection, happily dreaming about his ideal world and violently threatening Bad Cop. The cherry on top is Ferrell’s performance as the Man Upstairs, maintaining Lord Businesses’ motivations and personality but having a much friendlier and fatherly voice.

Mark Hamill’s range of acting gives him access to the unpredictable mania of the Joker in Batman: The Animated Series. Unpredictable, sadistic, and always laughing, the Joker brings the energy level to eleven regardless of what scene he’s in. He mentions in an interview that, in contrast to his iconic role as Luke Skywalker, the Joker is chaotic and fun, making him one of Hamil’s favorite roles.

Hamill embodies the Joker’s silliness by going beyond a one-note performance—specifically, he makes the Joker’s laughs unique by incorporating all the sounds used in comics. Judging by the plethora of YouTube compilations showcasing all his laughs, his decision was a massive success. “I didn’t want to have just one rote laugh,” he says. For every emotion the Joker feels, Hamill brings a new sound to the screen.

Jack Black has been featured in a variety of animated projects, from his protagonist role in Kung Fu Panda to his cameo appearance in Double Fine’s Broken Age video game. Thus, Black’s performance in The Super Mario Bros. Movie was anything but unsure; he embraces the role of the over-the-top, villainous, and destructive Bowser almost to the point of parody, celebrating the character’s past evolutions while giving a new spin to his personality. The Peaches song on its own utilizes Bowser’s rough voice for something more emotional than fans could have ever predicted.

The first announcement of the cast of The Super Mario Bros. Movie brought about a wave of memes predicting how Mario and Bowser, among other characters, would sound. Hundreds of clips of Black from other films and shows were reanimated into Bowser, overlaid with Mario-themed effects, or just shown as a way to gauge how Black would pull off the classic villain. Luckily for fans, his performance was bombastic and hilarious, capturing Bowser’s deep-voiced fury and his softer side for Peach.

Disney Pixar’s Up features a twist villain who, despite his age, is rife with fury and fueled by unfinished business. Plummer’s performance as Charles Muntz captures the character’s outer charisma before his voice gradually gets gruffer and harsher as the guise wears off.

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While rewatching the film knowing Muntz’s true identity, Plummer’s performance as a deceptive figurehead is clearly visible. Muntz plays along with Carl’s excitement and seems a little weary of company. Knowing that he’s been isolation for so long and has stuffed a few skeletons in the closet, his demeanor makes perfect sense.

The Bad Guys showcases a group of typical villain archetypes struggling to learn to be good; thus, each character has their own sinister, overconfident, or abrasive voice. The leader of the Bad Guys, Mr. Wolf, serves as the confident, sociable villain, and Sam Rockwell’s performance more than proves the character’s skill in flattery.

Wolf is the most charismatic and rugged of The Bad Guys, donning a suit and constantly keeping cool during heists. Throughout the film, Rockwell excellently captures Mr. Wolf’s struggle choosing good or evil, playing off the dilemma with his usual charm while giving subtle cues of mystery.

Though maintaining a frightening outer appearance, Gru’s confident, raspy villain voice resembles that of a cartoonishly evil villain-of-the-week. Gru’s iconic voice in Despicable Me suits both his role as a worried parent and a wannabe supervillain, as Carell carries Gru’s confidence and sinister demeanor while being capable of goofy screams and dramatic reactions during the film’s funnier moments.

In an interview, Steve Carell recounts how he experimented with his voice to find the perfect fit for Gru, an unusually over-the-top character compared to Carell’s usual, nonchalant roles. The result was a character with just the right amount of energy and chaos to pair with his dark exterior, complete with endlessly quotable one-liners.

The first time we hear Eris, her voice is soft and kind…until she looks at the world, and her voice turns deep and sinister. As the Goddess of Chaos, Eris’s calmness and soft, slow movements seem to contradict the idea; however, she’s always in motion, leaving things to the unexpected.

Eris’s voice completes her “femme fatale” demeanor; she’s constantly whispering to match her sensual gestures while she tries to convince Sinbad to steal the Book of Peace. Alongside her long, flowing hair, ghostly smoke, and fluid movements, Pfeiffers' voice completes the character to make her undoubtedly sinister.

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