These monsters turned seemingly unassuming animated movies into terrifying experiences, but which classic cartoon creature is the best? In the Western world, animation is predominantly seen as a children's medium. Studios like Disney have shaped what many viewers think about animation, for better or worse. Nevertheless, animated movies aren't without their scary moments and monsters.
Regardless of the scope of their role, a good animated movie monster must be both scary to look at and frightening in theory. Some are scarier than others simply because they are so unabashedly evil that there is no reckoning with their wrath. Many such monsters stick out from the rest of their relatively tame movies, which helps to make them even scarier because they come out of nowhere.
This list of memorable animated movie monsters assembles the ultimate rogue's gallery, and ranks them based on their scare factor. Scariness is an entirely subjective concept, but these monsters undoubtedly take the cake. Even though they all come from films aimed at younger viewers, their nightmarish appearances and vile villainy are enough to spook viewers of any age.
10 Oogie Boogie - The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Even though he's the main villain of The Nightmare Before Christmas, Oogie Boogie is far from the only monster in the classic stop-motion flick. Nevertheless, the burlap baddie is scarier than the rest of his Halloween Town neighbors because of his ill-intentions and the gruesome concept behind his character design.
Oogie Boogie is a sack filled with bugs, a pretty disgusting and hair-raising concept in general. Add in the fact that he's a remorseless heel, and he can be quite frightening. However, he's also very silly and his overt cruelty is offset by his penchant for singing. His jovial nature is merely a cover for his bad intentions, making him more slyly sinister than other animated monsters.
9 No-Face - Spirited Away (2001)
Ironically, the most memorable character from Spirited Away, No-Face is a literal blank slate without a personality of his own. He is a wandering spirit that becomes obsessed with Chihiro after her mannerisms intrigue him. He's an antagonist because of what he's capable of, not because of his overtly bad intentions.
Despite being an allegorical creature, No-Face is still pretty darn scary. His huge gaping mouth is the stuff of nightmares, and his unpredictability makes him a dangerous loose canon. He's capable of being positively influenced though, so he falls toward the bottom of this list. Like the rest of the film, No-Face requires contemplation to fully appreciate.
8 Celaeno - The Last Unicorn (1982)
There are quite a few scary moments in The Last Unicorn, but one scene in the classic dark fantasy animated film takes the cake. Celaeno the harpy only appears briefly during the sequence where the title character is captured by Mommy Fortuna, but it's implied she might be the most powerful villain in the entire story.
Resembling a vulture-like monster, Celaeno's appearance is enough to land her somewhere on this list. However, it's her symbolic value and wrath that makes her a truly frightening monster. After being freed, she tries to kill the Unicorn and Schmendrick, despite the fact that they helped her. The mythical creature represents the inevitability of death, a pretty scary concept for a kid's film.
7 Maleficent - Sleeping Beauty (1959)
Disney wasn't afraid to toss in a frightening monster in their classic movies, and Maleficent is arguably the most iconic antagonist of the studio's golden era. As Sleeping Beauty's main antagonist, the evil fairy witch is the impetus behind the story's entire conflict. She curses Aurora, and she's more than willing to take matters into her own hands to make sure the curse comes to fruition.
Her bat-like appearance is pretty spooky in its own right, but she really becomes a classic animated movie monster when she transforms into a giant dragon to fight Prince Phillip. Her dragon form spits fire and slithers like a deadly snake, and is a nightmarish hint at Maleficent's true power. Though she's defeated, it isn't without a fight.
6 Hexxus - FernGully: The Last Rainforest (1992)
FernGully: The Last Rainforest is a hidden gem of '90s animation, and it has an oft-overlooked villain that deserves more attention. Existing as a living embodiment of pollution and environmental destruction, Hexxus adds another layer of conflict to the beloved animated flick. He's a symbolic villain that poses a very real threat to the movie's heroes.
Tim Curry lends his voice to Hexxus, who is an amorphous blob of sludge that can take any form. Typically, the monster sports a sinister grin that is enough to make any young viewer's blood run cold. Unlike the human villains of the story, Hexxus is totally unreasonable. This added danger, on top of his many frightening appearances, makes him pure nightmare fuel.
5 The Headless Horseman - The Adventures Of Ichabod And Mr. Toad (1949)
The last of Disney's original run of "package films", The Adventures of Ichabod And Mr. Toad features two segments that are both a bit spooky. The second story, "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" adapts the classic Washington Irving tale, and features the Headless Horseman as the main villain. As with all the folk character's appearances, he's not for the faint of heart.
Draped in black and seen on horseback (sans head), the evil spirit swings his sword in search of his next decapitation victim. He's a malevolent monster with no motivation other than pure chaos, which is more than a match for the short film's titular hero. The Headless Horseman is one of the creepiest creations in Disney history, but he's usually overshadowed.
4 Constance - Monster House (2006)
With its groundbreaking technology, Monster House was a cutting-edge animated horror film for younger viewers that was ahead of its time. Since it was trying to be scary, it's only natural that the film's villain would be absolutely spine-tingling. It's revealed that the haunted house at the center of the story is possessed by the spirit of Constance, it's former resident who died tragically.
The house itself is an excellent animated movie monster, but it's chilling backstory makes it all the more compelling. Constance is out for revenge against children in general, and it's always extra scary when young people are put in danger. The movie's motion-capture animation has an added uncanny valley effect which only adds to the creep factor. Constance, like a lot of great monsters, is sympathetic but evil.
3 The Horned King - The Black Cauldron (1985)
One of the most common critiques of Disney's The Black Cauldron is that the movie is just too darn scary for its intended audience, and one look at the movie's villain lends credence to that argument. The Horned King is in search of the eponymous relic that will give him the power to raise an army of undead warriors. His motivations are scary enough, but his ghastly visage puts him into nightmare territory.
His skeletal face and sunken eyes are a far cry from Disney's usual style, and his long fingers practically reach off the screen to grab the viewer. He transcends mere fantasy and nearly enters horror, especially as he begins to put his devious plans into action. He's so high on the list because he's a totally unexpected monster from a studio known for its squeaky-clean image.
2 Chernabog - Fantasia (1940)
Perhaps Disney's earliest movie monster, Chernabog only appears in one segment of Fantasia but makes a big impact. The giant horned devil is the centerpiece of the "Night on Bald Mountain" sequence, and he's surprisingly frightening for an otherwise lighthearted animation showcase. The implications of the character are just as scary as his looming presence, and he's literally the embodiment of evil.
The winged creature closely resembles a gargoyle with glowing eyes and sharp teeth. He is able to conjure up the dead at will, and he's the size of the mountain itself. With its soaring music, moody animation, and occult themes, the "Night on Bald Mountain" scene in Fantasia is arguably one of Disney's scariest moments. As for Chernabog, the studio has yet to make a more imposing antagonist.
1 Other Mother - Coraline (2009)
It's unlikely that any animated movie monster will ever top the sinister antagonist at the heart of 2009's Coraline. The Other Mother, eventually known as Beldam, is an evil entity that exists in the alternate realm that uses disguises to lure unsuspecting victims. In this case, Beldam appears as an idealized version of Coraline's mom.
The villain is so impactful because it is a perversion of the sacred bond of parenthood. For a young audience, seeing an evil version of their mother or father onscreen is a hair-raising experience, especially when the Beldam reveals its spider-like final form at the end of the movie. Other mother isn't just a scary animated movie monster, but one of the most effective monsters in cinema history.
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