The Villains of the Halloween season at Disneyland Paris

At Halloween, the Disney Villains take centre stage. The rest of the year, you mostly meet the heroes. During this season, the villains come out in force in the parks. For most of them, it’s even the only time you can meet them, even though a few are around all year.

This article introduces the season’s characters: who they are, which film they come from and what makes them Halloween characters. For the full run-down of the season, see the complete Halloween season guide.

Maleficent is the villain of Sleeping Beauty (1959), known as the "Mistress of All Evil". She’s the one who dooms Princess Aurora to prick her finger on a spindle on her 16th birthday.

With her horns and long silhouette, she has one of the most recognisable looks among the Disney Villains. She also has a strong link with the park, since the Disneyland castle is the one from her story.

On the big screen, the character was reimagined in 2014 in the film Maleficent: there she is a fairy protecting the Moors who, betrayed by the man she loved, turns to revenge by cursing Princess Aurora, the daughter of her former love. Her look owes a lot to the style of 1930s and 1940s horror films, and her horns draw on the traditional image of witches.

Oogie Boogie is the villain of The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993). He’s a burlap sack full of bugs who rules beneath Halloween Town. Since he comes straight from that town, he’s one of the characters most closely tied to the holiday: it’s hard to get more on-theme for the season.

In the film, Oogie was banished from Halloween Town by Jack Skellington for his trickery and has lived ever since in a lair beneath the town with his three sidekicks, Lock, Shock and Barrel. The Nightmare Before Christmas was directed by Henry Selick and produced by Tim Burton. The character pays tribute to jazz musician Cab Calloway, borrowing his style, both sinister and full of swing.

Cruella de Vil is the villain of 101 Dalmatians (1961). Obsessed with fashion and fur, she wants to kidnap Dalmatian puppies to make herself a coat. With her half-black, half-white hair and angular silhouette, she’s instantly recognisable, which makes her a top choice for Halloween.

Captain Hook is the villain of Peter Pan (1953), leader of the pirates of Neverland. He’s obsessed with getting revenge on Peter Pan, who cut off his hand (fed to a crocodile), while keeping a stubborn fear of that same crocodile, a more comic touch. Elegant and refined, he’s one of the few villains you can meet all year round, not just at Halloween.

Ursula is the sea witch from The Little Mermaid (1989). Half woman, half octopus, banished from King Triton’s kingdom, she convinces Ariel to give up her voice in exchange for being turned into a human. Her imposing presence and booming laugh make her a striking character among the Disney Villains linked to Halloween.

Gaston is the villain of Beauty and the Beast (1991). A vain village hunter, he wants to force Belle to marry him and ends up leading the attack on the Beast’s castle. What sets him apart: he’s a villain with no supernatural powers at all, unlike the rest of the line-up, which is more about witches and spells.

Jafar is the villain of Aladdin (1992), grand vizier of Agrabah and a power-hungry sorcerer who covets the lamp. Over the course of the story, he turns into a giant snake and then a genie. At Disneyland Paris, he’s one of the villains around all year: I regularly see him in Adventureland, in the Aladdin area. He’s also in the spotlight during the Halloween season.

Dr. Facilier is the villain of The Princess and the Frog (2009). A voodoo sorcerer from New Orleans, he makes deals with his "friends on the other side" to take control of the city. He’s the one who turns Prince Naveen into a frog.

With his top hat, unsettling smile and tarot cards, he’s every inch a Halloween character. During the season, you’ll usually find him in Frontierland.

The Queen of Hearts is the villain of Alice in Wonderland (1951), a hot-tempered, tyrannical ruler famous for her "Off with his head!". When she’s part of the line-up, you’ll usually meet her in Fantasyland, at the meet and greet with the Alice characters. The villain line-up changes every year: her presence one year doesn’t guarantee she’ll be back the next season.

The Evil Queen, sometimes called Grimhilde, is the villain of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), Disney’s very first animated feature film. Consumed by jealousy of Snow White, she questions her mirror and, furious to learn that she is no longer "the fairest in the land", turns herself into an old witch to poison the princess with an apple. With her crown, her tall upturned collar and her icy stare, she has a regal, menacing look that makes her a top choice for Halloween seasons.

Lady Tremaine, the stepmother in Cinderella (1950), and her two daughters Anastasia and Drizella make up the film’s trio of villains. Cold and calculating, the stepmother reduces Cinderella to a servant, while her vain and jealous daughters humiliate her at every opportunity. I often meet all three together, which makes for lively meet and greets: they try to outdo each other with bad faith and haughty looks. A trio you’ll find during the Halloween season.

Mother Gothel is the villain of Tangled (2010). To stay young forever, she kidnaps Rapunzel as a baby to use the healing power of her long golden hair, and raises her in isolation at the top of a tower, pretending to be her mother. Manipulative and possessive, she hides her cruelty behind a show of kindness. She’s one of Disney’s most devious villains. She first appeared in 2024 and isn’t there every Halloween season. The list of the year’s Villains is in my Halloween programme.

Most Villains can be met during the Halloween season. A few, such as Captain Hook and Jafar, are around all year, but for the rest, this is the time to come. The meeting spots and the exact list of villains vary from year to year, so there’s no fixed location to remember from one season to the next.

For the practical side (where, when, how), see my Halloween programme for the year and the meet and greets hub. For context, the Halloween party and the season guide give you the background. The Halloween cavalcade, on the other hand, puts Mickey and friends in the spotlight, with no villains at all. And at Halloween, you’ll also meet cult characters such as Jack Skellington and Sally, even though they aren’t villains.