#10 King
Winterbolt from “Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July”
Rankin Bass’s
holiday specials have featured some of the most famous animated Christmas
villains ever, including The Abominable Snow Monster of the North, Burgermeister
Meisterburger, Ben Haramed, Professor Hinkle, Winter Warlock, Kubla Kraus, and
of course The Miser Brothers … who both came very close to making my countdown.
However, if I had to single-out one personal favorite for my countdown, it would
have to be King Winterbolt without question. He’s an evil snow sorcerer who
creates blizzards, snowstorms, and is voiced by the late Paul Frees ... I’m sure
he was casted just for the irony of his last name. Aside from his malevolent presence,
he’s also got all the good stuff ... or bad stuff, like snow dragons, a genie of
the Ice Scepter, flying ice snakes, and a diabolical plot that’s got more layers
then an onion. I think the writers may have enjoyed their vileness creation a
little too much, because he gets more screen time, backstory and motivated plot
then any other character in the film. Keep in mind, this is a special packed
with iconic Christmas characters like Santa Clause, Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph
the Red Noised Reindeer, and even Jack Frost … and yet, it’s the villain who
somehow steels the whole show.
#9 Stripe from "Gremlins"
Of course, the Gremlins in general are some of my all-time favorite movie monsters, as they have no clear evil motives ... these little beasts just want to have a party and let loose ... all at the coast of every ones Christmas. Chief among them is a nasty little Gremlin with a furry Mohawk, who's lovingly nicknamed Stripe. Despite having the same personality of the others, he's unmistakably the most wicked of the bunch, and an iconic monster villain in his own right. He's also blessed with the vocal talents of the great Frank Welker, who’s one of the best animal/creature voice actors to ever live. He’s also famous for voicing various cartoon bad guys, including Dr. Claw from “Inspector Gadget” and Megatron from “Transformers” ... all great, but for me, nothing beats Stripe ... the one villain who aimed to make Christmas go to the monsters.
#8 The Mouse
King from “The Nutcracker Prince” (1990)
The
Nutcracker was a common Christmas tale read to me by my parents during the
holiday season, and as such, the Mouse King always stood out to me as a
memorable Christmas villain in his own right. My favorite portrayal of him was
in the 1990 animated movie “The Nutcracker Prince”. His design was very
Don Bluth-esk, and didn’t quiet resemble his book illustration … this version
just has one head as opposed to several. Never the less, he was menacing,
deadly, and this was the version of The Nutcracker I watched the most
frequently as a kid. The highlight comes near the climax, in which the Mouse
King is near death, yet still clinging to life in an effort to do-away with Clara.
The animation on the Mouse King during this confrontation is the stuff of nightmares
for little kids, which made him all the more memorable.
#7 King Herod
from “The Nativity Story”
Of all the bad men to be associated with the holiday, King Herod is perhaps the most
nefarious of all, as he aimed to kill Jesus Christ himself while just a baby in
a manger. It’s Ciarán Hinds portrayal of Herod from the 2006 movie “The Nativity
Story” that always comes to mind first when I think of him, and he gives
the role his usual stamp of both menace and class. He was everything cruel, heartless,
and the most dangerous villain to nearly end the holiday season itself from ever
taking shape.
#6 Evil
Robot Santa from “Futurama”
In this
shows odd-ball setting of the future, Christmas is a time when families and
friends are brought together, not through peace or love, but because there’s a
crazy, laser gun shooting robot Santa who’s determined that everyone’s holiday
is a real “BLAST”. However, the boy from the past named Fry is feeling
nostalgia for the original spirit of Christmas and is determined to go out and
get his girlfriend Leela a present … even if that means battling an evil robot
Santa in the process. It’s a hilarious concept with no shortage of funny
quirks, like how a mistletoe is no match for robot Santa’s toe-missile. John
Goodman is fantastic as the evil Santa robot, and it’s pretty surreal hearing
him as the voice of a villain, as opposed to all the nicer cartoon characters
he usually voices
#5 Scut
Farkus from “A Christmas Story”
Enter a
generic, a yellow eyed, school bully, who despite his basic character status … somehow
leaves a memorable impression, and just owns every scene he’s in. Yeah, he’s as
one-note a bully character as they get, and yet he’s a strong addition to the
film. He’s all for show, and has no real guts of his own, but man does he love
spotlighting himself as the ultimate tough guy on the block. One little detail
that always stuck out is that Scut Farkus sinister theme music is lifted right
from Disney’s “Peter and the Wolf” cartoon. Seriously, watch that short
and tell me it’s not the wolfs exact music score, and heck, even Scut Farkus’s
introduction scene mirrors how the wolf was introduced in that short.
#4 Forte
from “Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas”
Voiced by the
distinguished Tim Curry ... need to say any more than that? I mean … it’s Tim
Curry as an over the top cartoon villain, and he livens up everything. You
could have the most passive, one dimensional character in the world, and he’ll
still make the performance a lot of fun to watch. I especially love the design
of this guy, as he’s basically a giant pipe organ with a scary face. The
animation on the character is great, and while he’s obviously CGI in a 2D
setting, the effects are still cutting edge for the time. In fact, he just
looks like something that should be CGI, and it’s also cool to have a villain
that’s just towering over our heroes. While the motivations are by the numbers,
and really don’t make any logical sense, he still has an engaging presence, and
steels every scene. It really is Tim Curry who redeems this otherwise shallow character,
just by acting so deliciously over the top.
#3 Hans
Gruber from “Die Hard”
I’ve always
viewed Alan Rickman as one of the most charismatic villain actors to ever live,
and this is the performance that stands in the Hollywood hall of fame as one of
the absolute greatest. He’s suave, charming, laid back, yet extremely ruthless
and unsympathetic. He’s also a villain who’s self-aware, as he knows he’s just
a common robber, but wants to be viewed as someone of class and high stature.
So, he puts on a show, dresses up, is well versed and postures like he’s a
brilliant mastermind with greater ambitions then the situation would suggest.
The back and forth between he and John McClain is one of the greatest hero/
villain relationships I’ve ever seen. The two don’t even meet face to face
until the very end, and the majority of their conflict is conveyed through
conversation on walkie talkie’s, yet it’s still extremely engaging. Just
watching these two one up each other with their own distinct mannerisms and
witty comebacks is highly entertaining, as well as brilliant film-making.
#2 Scrooge
from “A Christmas Carol”
No matter
which version you go by, the story of Ebenezer Scrooge is one of the most
enduring and downright heartwarming redemption tails of all time. This grumpy
old miser just couldn’t get into the spirit of the holiday and made sure that
everyone was just as miserable as her was. Through some serious soul searching
from his past, present and future, he was finally able to let the warmth of the
holiday touch his soul, and everyone turned out better for it. It’s such a
timeless tail, with a rich message and he remains both a famous literary
character, and one of the all-time greatest Christmas villains. He could have easily
been number one, but … of course there’s one other I haven’t mentioned yet
Before I
reveal my #1 favorite, here are some Honorable Mentions …
Mr. Potter from "It's a Wonderful Life"
Harry and Marv from "Home Alone"
Toy Santa from "Santa Clause 2"
Pitch from “Rise of the Guardians”
#1. The
Grinch from “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”
He was as
cuddly as a cactus, as charming as an eel, and the biggest monster that would
stop at nothing to ruin everyone’s favorite holiday, just for the sake of being
nasty. Of course, he reaches an epiphany in the end, and realizes just how wrong
he was in judging both the holiday, and those who celebrate it. Seeing this miserable
creature open-up to the light of Christmas is simply one of the warmest feel
good moments I’ve ever seen any character go through. Just like Scrooge, the
Grinch has had his share of film portrayals, and for the sake of this countdown,
things don’t get any better than the original classic voiced by the Frankenstein
monster himself Boris Karloff. Although, I do still admittedly have some fondness for Jim Carry in the role. Either way, he’s one of the all-time greatest holiday
characters, and absolutely my favorite Christmas villain.
Thanks for reading my countdown ... and lets continue to make every day in December feel like Christmas!
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