Disney villains that aren't one-dimensional

[Wussycat]

Because young children are their primary audience, one-dimensional villains are the most common kind in Disney films and TV shows. They don't want to make the effort of writing a complex villain if it's going to confuse the target audience.

What Disney villains aren't one-dimensional? I can only think of Amos Slade and Captain Gantu. Would Jumba count too?

[Caswin]

Would Jumba count too?Was he even a villain, really?

Past the two you mentioned, I can't think of any... although, in Disney's defense, pretty much every adult-oriented action movie I can think of had a one-dimensional villain, too.

[Junko Black]

Mozenrath from Aladdin and Zanatos from Gargoyles.

[Wussycat]

Mozenrath from Aladdin
What makes you think he's not one-dimensional?

[tb4000]

Yzma is evil, but she has a lot more depth than most of the other Disney villains.

[GuardianKid13]

Nerissa from W.i.t.c.h.

[Donald Duck 12]

Frollo is one of the most human Disney characters ever. There are several more, I'll get to them later.

[Cortez2301]

Because young children are their primary audience, one-dimensional villains are the most common kind in Disney films and TV shows.Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww you make me feel sad.Disney characters are made for everyone.

[Luna]

Non-One Dimentional Disney villains....

Gantu(Lilo and Stitch)
Jumba(Lilo and Stitch)
Yzma(The Emperor's New Groove)
David Xanatos(Gargoyles)

...and if video games count,Axel from Kingdom Hearts:Chain of Memories/Kingdom Hearts 2(all the original characters created for the games are considered Disney characters)....

[Aldrius]

Most disney villains are pretty 3-dimensional. Gaston was a narcissist, Ursula was an outcast...

3 Dimensional doesn't mean 'not a bad guy'. :P Just means 'having a clear and reasonable motivation'. Which most if not all of them have.

[DarthGonzo]

What makes you think he's not one-dimensional?

Mozenwrath is incredibly one dimensional. Someone explain why he's not?

[mothz2]

I personally think Scar and Hades aren't one-dimensional, seeing how both had the same motivation to become ruler of their domain.

[Wussycat]

Mechanicles: He did all those things because of his OCD, not because he wanted to do evil things.

[Harukuro]

I personally think Scar and Hades aren't one-dimensional, seeing how both had the same motivation to become ruler of their domain.

Same here. Hmm I think almost ever villain can have something to say they aren't just a cookie cut out (depending on people's opinions of course)

[mothz2]

Also, both, didn't necissceraly want to be evil, howver it was the only way to get what they wanted, like Scar said in Be Prepared, I don't want to do this, but to get what I want I will have to this is summarized not exact.

[tucsoncoyote]

Well What about Shen Yu (From Mulan..) I think this guy wasn't one dimensional.. heck look at how evil he is.. I mean he's cunning, yet sadistic, and his attitude is a one track mind..(Get to the Chinese Empire's Capital City, Capture the Chinese Emperor, and in fact take over the whole of China... (and when Mulan destroys his army in the Pass? Well Rage and Obsession become his chief Motivators...)

so if anyone thinks Shen Yu is one Dimensional Just remember, Most Military generals aren't that way..

Another Villains who's not One Dimensionl is of Course Frolio.. Sure he's part of the religious sanctum.. but he shows his weaknesses towards Esmerelda.. and his attitude is about Wanting something he can't have..(Namely Esmerelda).

And Clayton (From Tarzan)? this guy didn't care about Exploration of the Jungle but rather Exploitation..(Let's round up the Gorillas and use them as trophies of our conquest-type attitude.. but in the end, Clayton shows his true colors..)

so if folks think Disney Villains are one dimesional it's not always true.. However I can name one guy who was a bumbler and who in fact was very one dimensional.. Edgar (the Butler) from The Arisocats...This guy wasn't only a bumbler.. but his motive was just to get the cats out of the way to get to the money.. pretty shallow don't you think?)

:coyote:

[R-Taco]

I'm surprised that no one's mentioned Long John Silver from Treasure Planet yet.

[Prof. Mecavio]

Also, both, didn't necissceraly want to be evil, howver it was the only way to get what they wanted, like Scar said in Be Prepared, I don't want to do this, but to get what I want I will have to this is summarized not exact.

I haven't seen 'The Lion King' in a long time but when during the 'Be prepared' song was there a hint that Scar regretted planning to get rid of his brother and nephew?

[90'sCartoonMan]

Mozenwrath is incredibly one dimensional. Someone explain why he's not?

Mozenwrath still has more dimension than Jafar. His obsession with gaining power may seem limiting to his character, but he did have to sacrifice his hand. Knowing how far he'll go to get what he wants adds a bit of dimension to him.

Pretty much all the Gargoyles villains (Xanatos, Demona, MacBeth, The Pack, etc.) have different dimensions. In some cases, we see more sides to them than we do the heroes.

Do reformed villains count? Like Iago?

[tucsoncoyote]

I would say if you look at villains as a whole here's one that isn't really one dimensional but in a way he is..

Namely Emperor Zurg (of Buzz Lightyear of Star Command)

I mean this guy does come more across like a Mid Level Manager then an Evil Villain, Granted, but there are those moments when Zurg really gets into his evil plans.. For Example in Nos-4-A-2 he is talking to his 2nd in Command (Warp Darkmatter) and Darkmatter comes out of the conversation rather confused. (did you attack the freighter? Yes, Did Buzz Light year come to the rescue? Uh.. yeah... Did he get the box? Uh yeah... GOOD! (Darkmatter at this point states: Don't you have a Failure means death Policy? at which point Zurg says, "Usually do, but not today!"

now if that's not a two dimensional villain, I sure don't know what is..

:coyote:

[PeppeRaskell1]

Has anyone mentioned Lady Tremaine from Cinderella yet?

[Wussycat]

Has anyone mentioned Lady Tremaine from Cinderella yet?
How is she not one-dimensional?

[Elder Leaf]

I'm surprised that no one's mentioned Long John Silver from Treasure Planet yet.

Yeah, he's a truly multi-dimensional villain. Plus, he's a cyborg. ;)

[wonderfly]

Mozenrath from Aladdin and Zanatos from Gargoyles.

Just about EVERY villian from Gargoyles wasn't one-dimensional.

[Dudley]

It's been a while but DN Amy from Kim Possible isn't very one-dimensional. Was she actually evil?

[Shrek976]

The enchanted evil villian is the most human villian because she can use her magic to get out of the animation world.By the way enchanted opens next year november 2007

[tucsoncoyote]

It's been a while but DN Amy from Kim Possible isn't very one-dimensional. Was she actually evil?

Quirky and Eccentric? I would say so, Evil? Maybe... but she definitely was crushing on Monkey Fist. But I would say that DNAmy would be the bare minimum when it comes to not being "One Dimensional."

:coyote:

[CookieS]

The problem with this thread is that no one has defined what it means to have a one-dimensional personality. I think it means that when a character's motives are very specific or singular. For example, we'll look at the Wicked Queen (Snow White's mother). Her agenda was very clear, concise, and direct. The queen wanted to be the fairest of them all and she found a way to reach that goal. The film never went into detail about why she wanted to be the fairest. Was it to only feed or ego or to win someone's heart? Many one-dimensional characters could be more rich by simply adding additional motivation to their actions.

Scar, Hades, Long John Silver, and John Radcliffe, and various others all had other reasons that lead to their destructive path. Take Cruella DeVille for example. She wanted those puppies to make a coat. Why not just buy a cheaper coat in the store? Although it wasn't directly said, she was very fashion conscious. Having that coat meant more to her than the lives of the dalmatians. That tells a lot about the character's morals and ethics. I do think her character came off as over-the-top, making it easy to call it one dimensional, but there is obviously something deeper. In her world, she is not only judged by what she wears, but she also actively participates in a social hierarchy that supports very shallow ideals.

[RAINMAN]

I always felt that bushroot (DWD) was not too one-dimensional. Althougth he was obsessed whit plants,deep down he was just loney.

[Aldy]

Well,I think we can conclude that several Disney villians aren't one-deminsional.And maybe Shego and Dr.Drakken from Kim Possible?Shego's a sidekick who was formerly a superhero and Dr.D. wanted to take over the world mainly for payback.Or is that still called one-dimensional...?

[sun]

One of the drawbacks in most Disney full length films, is that we do not get a real chance to know the villian. Usually, the full length films, spend a lot of time on other script concepts other than building up the villians. Often there is music, character development of "sidekicks", the journey..etc.
..The multidimensional character development takes real time and effort. I suspect, the "time and effort" that goes into character development of "vilians" is spent mainly on getting the evil "out there" so that the good can combat it.. Whatever the combat is going to be, the ultimate battle at the end, must be clear and simple..After all, the films for the most part, are family oriented. Subsequently, they must get their message through quickly, The directors, and writers really have only 80-90 minutes..and so many things to think about.
...Although off topic..but I think is really important to this discussion, (so let's not drop it) let's look at "Darth Vader" as a villian..It wasn't till the second film, "The Empire Strikes Back" that Lucas was really able to deveope that character beyond the "one dimensional view" that we were given in "A New Hope." As more films were made, and more time was given to the character's development, we see more sides to his personality. In the end, it is his character which ties the films togeather.
..But we do not get this kind of development in the Disney films..In almost all Disney films, , the villian is killed off in the final 10 minutes. There is a period of recovery and happiness.. We don't see the Queen from Snow White anymore, anymore then we see more of Gason from Beuty and the Beast..He is extremely interesting..well thought out, and maybe multidemnsional..but off the clif he goes..Well, I would like to see more of the villians, becasue even though they are usually one dimensional..they make the films.. (if I had cable I could comment on the weekly shows, but I cannot..I suspect that those deal with question better.) ..................sun

[Wussycat]

Well,I think we can conclude that several Disney villians aren't one-deminsional.And maybe Shego and Dr.Drakken from Kim Possible?Shego's a sidekick who was formerly a superhero and Dr.D. wanted to take over the world mainly for payback.Or is that still called one-dimensional...?
I'd say they are one-dimensional, since they're actually trying to be evil.

[tb4000]

Drakken just turned evil because Kim's father and his friends shunned him in college. Shego was just a bad seed from a good family.

Other evil characters are Flintheart Glomgold from the Uncle Scrooge and DuckTales show. He's basically Scrooge's counterpart, only difference being that if Scrooge didn't have family that cared about him and vice versa, he'd end up being as much of an evil figure as Glomgold is, as he's a pretty tyrannical corporate slavedriver.

[John Pannozzi]

The enchanted evil villian is the most human villian because she can use her magic to get out of the animation world.By the way enchanted opens next year november 2007

That's like saying Holli WOuld (from Cool World) is a deeper character than :brain:.

[Yash]

I'm going to have to say Frollo.

I've never really thought about it, but a lot of Disney villains are shallow. Frollo is the most recent Disney villain I can think of who wasn't driven by power.

Although, Amos from The Fox and the Hound did have a good side to him.

[creativerealms]

Nerissa from W.I.T.C.H the cartoon made her more of a three dementional character. She is driven by power yes but what she wants is peace. She goes after power so she can create a utopia, which she does in her mind in the last episode. She wants to be loved by her son.

[Bomby]

I can't believe no one's mentioned Davy Jones yet. Personally, I don't think he's one-dimensional. He would seem to be, if they hadn't given us part of his backstory, but they did. He wasn't always evil, he's not "evil for the sake of evil", he just fell in love *coughtadalmacough*. He's "evil" because he is literally heartless, and so his actions are more out of the inability to feel than the desire to be evil. At least in my opinion.

[Booncy]

How about Zira from The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride. She wasn't truly evil (heck she was a mother of 3 for crying out loud). Just a bitter lioness who wanted revenge for the death of her lover, Scar, and a better life for her kind.