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Top 20 Disney Golden Characters

The Golden Age of Disney Animation isn’t just amazing in music, animation and storytelling, but also in its character development which was so strong here. This era is populated by a very high number of endearing, iconic creations so of course I just had to spread the list from top ten to top twenty, just as I did with the Renaissance era. So here are my personal picks for 20 finest Disney Golden Age characters.

20. Madame Mim

The Sword in the Stone certainly isn’t the strongest movie when it comes to this period, but one of the standouts there are the characters as it does feature a few great ones. Madame Mim is certainly one of them. She’s a powerful witch, but still very much a comedic villain which is a good thing as her cranky, goofy persona is just a lot of fun. The design on her is great too.

19. Prince Phillip

By far the most proactive and simply the best of the early Disney Princes, Phillip isn’t just your regular good looking, bland prince as are the ones from Snow White and Cinderella, but he’s also got a charismatic, charming personality to himself along with a good sense of humor. And he beat freaking Maleficent in the dragon form so of course the cool guy had to be in here.

18. Lady and Tramp

These two characters from the titular movie get their shared spot as I am going to do here with all the characters that seem inseparable from one another. They’re among the cutest Disney couples out there and just her elegant demeanor and his outdoors, fun personality led to a very interesting clash of personalities. Their romantic dinner spaghetti scene of course is iconic.

17. Captain Hook

By far the most goofy character on this list, Captain Hook grew on me upon subsequent viewings of Peter Pan as I found him too comedic at first, but now I do realize that he’s great at being that kind of goofy, cartoony villain as he’s so much fun to follow. But he can be competent and clever at times which was also nice to witness.

16. Merlin

This version of Merlin is again more comedic than serious, but it worked as it led to a very entertaining creation. He is so well animated and voice acted, but the highlights include his wits and brains. I also loved his mentor relationship with Arthur. He’s such a sweet, endearing wizard and perfect for this flick.

15. Queen of Hearts

Although she did not get nearly enough time as she deserved, Queen of Hearts was still very much a perfect villain for her crazy film. She is, well, crazy. In fact, she’s so crazy that she’s the craziest of all the Wonderland inhabitants which speaks a lot. Angry outbursts and her iconic line “Off with her head!” makes her probably the darkest and looniest Disney villain.

14. Flora, Fauna and Merryweather

These three come together in a full, neat package of awesomeness. Yes, many fail to pinpoint, but these three fairies are actually essential for the Sleeping Beauty movie as they actually serve more as protagonists than Aurora does. They are so wonderful, heartwarming and charming while also being the comedic breath of fresh air in an otherwise highly dark film.

13. Shere Khan

The Jungle Book is populated by so many iconic characters so choosing them was tough, but Shere Khan just had to be one of the choices for this list. This creepy tiger is a pure animal menace with his horrible eyes and such a sultry, villainous voice. He’s also very elegant, smart and calculated in his actions which makes him even more of a formidable villain.

12. Cheshire Cat

Another of Wonderland’s crazy creations gets on my list, this time it being the Cheshire Cat. He is incredibly well animated and so memorable in his design, but also very well voiced. He appears at just the right times in the movie and remains the film’s most mysterious, otherworldly character which says a lot. His line about him being crazy cracks me up every time.

11. Dopey

Snow White is a wonderful movie mostly because of the dwarfs so naturally two of them got on my list. The first one is Dopey who’s such an inherently endearing, sweet soul and the most purely childlike and innocent of all the dwarfs. He’s also the first and in my book the ultimate mute Disney character. The fact that they made him so memorable without any words is admirable.

10. Mad Hatter

Yes, another Alice in Wonderland character gets the spot, but this is the very best one. Mad Hatter is so incredibly funny with a couple of hilarious, ridiculous lines spoken by him while also being so well designed and of course voiced. He’s quite probably the first one who pops to my mind when it comes to this movie as he’s just so iconic.

9. Evil Queen

The first and one of the best Disney villains is the Evil Queen from Snow White. She is actually rather underrated among modern viewers which is a shame as she’s a terrific creation. She’s great in the first form, but as an old witch, she’s absolutely magnificent and actually very smart and competent. The transformation remains the darkest scene of that movie.

8. Pinocchio’s Villains

Yes, I am cheating here a bit, but I wanted to include all of the villains from Pinocchio as they all received little screen time and serve as the same detour/threat to the protagonist. Honest John and Gideon are the most amusing whereas Stromboli is the most menacing. The Coach is actually the most diabolical in his plans. They all get away with their crimes which is so admirable.

7. Grumpy

The best and most memorable dwarf is Grumpy. As his name says, he’s very much an unpleasant, unhappy and always irritable little man who distrusts everyone and dislikes Snow from the start. But he eventually starts to care for her and that progression is beautiful to follow. The relationship between the two is the heart and soul of this film.

6. Pinocchio

This protagonist of the titular movie is the only main character which is placed high on the list. Yes, I have a tendency to like the more supporting players much more as the leads are usually bland. But Pinocchio is the exception as he’s at first a naive, even unlikable at times kid who needed to learn and change to become a better man. He had a great journey which needs to be seen by every child out there.

5. Lady Tremaine

The villains are going to dominate the top of the list because Disney Animation surely knows how to create an amazing villain, especially during the Golden Age is that the case. Lady Tremaine is one of the best ones as she torments Cinderella so horribly that you root for her demise. She is all the more menacing and powerful because she’s not magical, but an everyday, terrible woman who is conniving in her actions and actually immensely competent.

4. Jiminy Cricket

One of the ultimate Disney sidekicks is Jiminy Cricket as he basically is the living conscience of Pinocchio’s. He guides him throughout the movie and although not particularly funny, he is an incredibly important, smart and necessary mentor to the little wooden boy which makes him literally the most quientessential sidekick ever.

3. Cruella de Ville

Diabolical, twisted, so crazy, horrible and yes, delightfully entertaining and funny, Cruella de Ville is a memorable presence in her every scene with so many killer lines and such an unforgettable look to her. But her goal to literally kill hundreds of puppies and make coats out of them makes her the most purely evil of all Disney villains.

2. Maleficent

But Maleficent is even better. How can you deny her place among the best, and quite possibly the very best, of all the studio’s villains. She is immensely powerful in her magic, very menacing in both her looks and voice, but also very smart and calculated. Her dragon form is also amazing and the fight between her and Prince Phillip is a pure spectacle to behold.

1. Baloo

Topping this list of iconic, truly timeless animated characters is tough, but it just goes to show how great Baloo is that he did it with ease. Yes, this lovely bear is by far one of the funniest characters ever from Disney, but he also is immensely entertaining, energetic and simply a lot of fun to hang around. Basically a hippie, his life lesson to just focus on The Bare Necessities is relatable to me. However, what makes him a clear winner here is his relationship with Mowgli which is the heart of the film as he cares so much for him. He also has a fantastic buddy relationship with Bagheera. Baloo’s a wonderful soul and Disney’s best sidekick ever along with Sebastian from The Little Mermaid.

Honorable Mentions:

Bagheera – This harsh and strict, but still very much loving panther is also quite essential as basically a mother figure to Mowgli. His relationship with Baloo is so great.

Tinker Bell – Yes, she can be too unlikable, but that’s also the point. I loved how different of a sidekick Tink is, very jealous and flawed, but still her love for Peter is obvious.

Geppetto – This wonderful old man is a terrific father to Pinocchio and one of the best Disney dads ever. The film’s an admirable proponent of non-biological dads actually.

Cinderella – Yes, Cindy is by far the best Disney Princess from Walt’s period as she is not as underutilized or as naive as Aurora or Snow, but actually went and found the prince herself. She’s rather underrated and progressive for her time.

The Crows – These crows from Dumbo are frustratingly underrated characters who are judged solely through the race card when in actuality they are positive, funny characters with a killer song.

Horace and Jasper – This buffoonery duo is a perfect counteract to Cruella as they are pointless, incompetent and very dumb. They got some of the funniest moments in the film.