Credit: DisneySnow White and The Seven Dwarfs, released by Walt Disney Pictures in 1937, marked a significant milestone for The Walt Disney Company as their first-ever full-length animated feature film. This remarkable cinematic achievement revolutionized the animation industry, solidifying Disney’s position as an innovative storyteller with unparalleled craftsmanship. Over the course of a century, Disney’s influence has grown immensely, leading to the creation of a diverse library, from the creation of superhero cinematic universes within Marvel Studios’ Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), captivating sci-fi adventures through Star Wars and Lucasfilm, the groundbreaking Avatar film franchise by James Cameron, and the innovative world of 3D animation developed by Pixar Animation Studios. Disney has even spawned its own dedicated streaming service, Disney+ (Disney Plus).
It’s not just about establishing icons of animation like Mickey Mouse — The Walt Disney Company’s dominance extends to its world-renowned international theme parks, ranging from the original Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California, to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida (housing the Magic Kingdom Park, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios), as well as Disneyland Paris, the Tokyo Disney Resort, the Shanghai Disney Resort, and Hong Kong Disneyland.
Disney Villains… and their sidekicks
What is an evil villain without a loyal henchman?
Disney villain sidekicks play a crucial role in Disney movie narratives for several reasons. First and foremost, they provide companionship and support to the main antagonist, often serving as their trusted confidant and ally. Narratively, a villain’s henchmen often serve as a contrasting presence to the main antagonist, highlighting different personality traits or providing comic relief.
What makes a helpful henchman? (or henchwoman… henchperson?)
We’re going to be looking at actually good Disney villain sidekicks. And we don’t mean “good” as in, morally good — they are helping dastardly individuals, after all — but genuinely good at what they do!
A Disney henchman is considered helpful when they demonstrate unwavering loyalty, possess valuable skills and resourcefulness, consistently deliver results, provide emotional support, take initiative, and potentially bring comedic relief. These traits enable them to effectively assist the main antagonist in achieving their goals, overcoming obstacles, and contributing to the success of their plans. While serving the antagonist’s interests, a helpful henchman adds depth to the narrative and enhances the overall enjoyment of the Disney story.
Ranking the most helpful Disney Villain sidekicks
Going from worst to best, here’s Disney’s actually helpful Disney Villain sidekicks!
6. Mr. Smee from Peter Pan (1953)
Okay, we’re starting at the worst for a reason.
First Mate Smee (Bill Thompson), the loyal Disney sidekick of Captain Hook (Hans Conried) in Peter Pan, proves himself to be a helpful henchman through his unwavering loyalty, competence, resourcefulness, supportive nature, and comedic relief. He’s not really evil per se, but he has a steadfast devotion to Captain Hook, regardless of the latter’s failures. Additionally, Smee has to be competent in tasks on the ship, as a first mate — such as sailing the ship and managing the crew — which does contribute to the smooth functioning of Hook’s operations. His resourcefulness shines in critical moments, as he aids Hook in strategizing and finding solutions to outsmart Peter Pan (Bobby Driscoll). But most importantly, Smee provides emotional and moral support to Hook, boosting his confidence and determination.
It may be a thankless job, but someone’s got to do it!
5. LeFou from Beauty and the Beast (1991)
The ultimate hype man.
LeFou (Jesse Corti) might be a bit of a contentious pick — but at the end of the day, his presence gives Gaston (Richard White) the confidence to go achieve his goals — even if his goals were to forcefully attain Belle (Paige O’Hara) as his wife.
He may seem bumbling, but LeFou does a lot! Yes, part of that is about consistently standing by Gaston’s side and enthusiastically supporting his pursuits. LeFou’s admiration for Gaston is evident through his willingness to go to great lengths to assist him, whether it’s boosting Gaston’s ego or actively participating in his schemes. He often acts as the “brains” behind Gaston’s plans, offering ideas and strategies to achieve their objectives. Moreover, LeFou’s comedic nature provides a light-hearted and entertaining element to their dynamic, adding a touch of humor to Gaston’s nevertheless evil pursuits.
4. Hyenas (Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed) from The Lion King (1997)
I mean they marched in lockstep for their villain!
The three hyenas Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed (Whoopi Goldberg, Cheech Marin, and Jim Cummings respectively) represent the greater hyena community when it comes to this movie — and all of them are loyal to Scar. They unquestioningly follow his orders and provide unwavering support, and are fiercely dedicated to his cause, helping Scar in his pursuit of power and control over the Pride Lands, and overthrow both Mufasa (James Earl Jones) and later, Simba (Matthew Broderick). The hyenas’ pack mentality and cunning nature make them formidable allies, with their numbers and ability to work together enable them to overpower and intimidate their adversaries.
That is, until the food disappears. Then it looks like (scarred) meat is back on the menu, boys!
3. Kronk from Emperor’s New Groove (2000)
Hear us out on this one! Well-meaning, Kronk (Patrick Warburton) is the ultimate “himbo” (male-bimbo) — and he’s actually a good henchman!
In my defense, your potions all look alike. You might want to think about relabeling some of them.
It’s wasn’t Kronk’s fault that Kuzco (David Spade) didn’t die from poison — it was Yzma’s (Eartha Kitt) shoddy labeling! Yzma is perhaps the one who isn’t the best villain.
Despite his occasional fumbles, Kronk’s remains faithfully dedicated to carrying out Yzma’s every command. His genuine commitment to helping her achieve her goals is almost wholesome. Additionally, Kronk’s impressive physical strength and athleticism prove invaluable to Yzma, allowing him to effortlessly overcome obstacles and execute her plans — he basically carried her all the way up and down that giant mountain! Furthermore, he’s got unexpected moments of brilliance — like speaking Squirrel.
At the end of the day, it’s all about communication. And if Yzma met Kronk halfway — maybe they’d be half successful!
2. Lucifer the Cat, Cinderella (1950)
We all love to hate Lucifer.
This conniving little kitty is one loyal fat cat.
He is an invaluable henchman for Lady Tremaine (Eleanor Audley), Cinderella’s stepmother. With unwavering loyalty, cunning, persistence, and a knack for intimidation, Lucifer aids Lady Tremaine in her schemes to make Cinderella’s (Ilene Woods) life difficult. Always on the hunt for Cinderella’s friends the mice Jaq and Gus (Jimmy MacDonald), he never lets up — staunchly getting in the way of Cinerella’s happy ending. And a wonderfully devious sidekick to Lady Tremaine!
1. Flotsam and Jetsam, The Little Mermaid (1989)
They basically do all of Ursula’s (Pat Carroll) work for her!
In The Little Mermaid, Flotsam and Jetsam (Paddi Edwards and Edie McClurg) essentially do all the convincing when it came to getting Ariel to even consider the Sea Witch.
The menacing eel duo serve as excellent henchmen for Ursula. Their unwavering loyalty is a given — they are fiercely devoted to her and work tirelessly to assist in her devious plans. But it’s their combined abilities and unique attributes make them truly valuable assets. Flotsam and Jetsam possess an essentially hypnotic ability, which they use to manipulate and deceive others on Ursula’s behalf, aiding in her schemes to achieve power and control. They’re physically capable, too — being able to move swiftly and agilely through the water to restrain any targets — often before Ursula even needs to lift a finger!
The epitome of loyalty, these two are literally at Ursula’s beck and call — more or less a part of her already — I mean, look at their eyes! Yes… even deeper.
Do you agree with our list of the most helpful Disney Villain sidekicks? Did we miss anyone? Share your thoughts in the comments below!