Saturday is list day. And today’s list is my “Favorite Animated Villains.” I am especially fond of certain types of voice work; consequently, I am always ready to appreciate a really terrific vocal performance. So here they are (in no particular order) fresh from the Disney vault:

1. Ursula voiced by Pat Carroll from The Little Mermaid

That nicotine-soaked voice; the ironic tone; the ample ch-estrogen… and the icing on the cake: the animators made her an OCTOPUS! Priceless.

2. Captain Hook voiced by Hans Conried from Peter Pan

He redefines “over the top” and it totally changed my approach to children’s theater. Hats off to you Mr. Conried. Hats off indeed.

3. Maleficent voiced by Eleanor Audley from Sleeping Beauty

To this day, this woman’s voice, coupled with the way she’s drawn, scares the s@#t out of me. Chilling. Brilliant. But chilling.

4. Gaston voiced by Richard White from Beauty and the Beast

This guy MADE the film for me. And one of the few voice-over actors who’s actually better in song than in dialogue. Hilarious. When I directed this fairy tale at the theater, a lot of people asked me why Gaston wasn’t in the play. My answer was – he wasn’t in the original fairy tale that I adapted. However, if Richard White had been available to play him for us, my show might have been titled “Gaston!”

5. Yzma voiced by Eartha Kitt from The Emperor’s New Groove

This is without a doubt the funniest performance on the list. Eartha Kitt – WHO KNEW??? I mean, really, who knew she had it in her. Patrick Warburton as Kronk is hilarious in his own right; but Eartha totally OWNS this film. I bow to you Ms. Kitt.