Character Gush / Animated Films

Characters from Animated Films that are so awesome!

---

Disney

• Aladdin:
  • The Genie. Best Ink-Suit Actor ever. And one of the best providers of Parental Bonus; he provided the right amount of bonus, but still was kid-friendly.
  • Everyone in Aladdin is awesome. Aladdin is awesome. Jafar is awesome. Jasmine is awesome. Iago is awesome. Abu is awesome. The Sultan is...well, okay, maybe not everyone in Aladdin is awesome.
  • Well, the Sultan can be awesome in the TV series...
  • Mozenrath- no, not for the obvious reason, but because he's one of the most capable villains on the show- and probably the most powerful- while being the youngest of the villains, a Knight of Cerebus, has fantastic lines, is funny as well... he's pretty much the best villain on the show, (Jafar is kind of awesome, too, but he's from the movies...) and he may not be a Magnificent Bastard but he comes pretty darn close. The episodes with him are some of the most fun ones. Especially when he's well-animated. (And as a bonus, he has Ho Yay, too.)
  • Even the freaking carpet is awesome!!
• Beauty and the Beast:
  • Belle, a Badass Bookworm and a Disney Princess. Belle was one of the early pioneers in the field in showing that Disney heroines are capable of stepping up and holding their own. She rides her horse through the castle gates during the film's climax!
    • Not only that, but she also stands up for herself while not coming across as a grumpy teenager in the process. Instead, she is a mature person who is able to hold her own.
  • The Beast, for some truly astounding Character Development. Sure, he starts off as an ass...but then a daring rescue, a surprise gift ("All right...now.") and a stunning ballroom waltz later, he became my favorite of all the Disney blokes. (Yes, even including Naveen.) His awesome voice and presence doesn't hurt, either.
  • No one is worth gushing about like Gaston! Instead of being the predictable Prince Charming archetype, he's actually the main villain of the movie. That, and his over-the-top acting is just awesome!
• Brave:
  • The protagonist's dad, Fergus, who got his leg bitten off by a bear and has since declared war on all bears. And he's winning.
  • Merida. She takes the usual "princess/rich kid wants more" plot where it rarely goes. She's badass but has her flaws and moments of vulnerability and her hair is a mass of curls she can barely tuck into a headpiece. Her archery skills are unmatched. Hell yeah!
• The Brave Little Toaster: Lampy is just too endearing to me. His habit of repeating isn't annoying, and he's a great singer, and oooh, his Heroic Sacrifice...mmm...now if only I would stop doodling him so often.
  • Seconded. The first time seeing The Brave Little Toaster he reminded me of Itchy for some reason and that immediately made him awesome.
  • Thirded. His Heroic Sacrifice is, in my eyes, the defining example of Badass Adorable. Not to mention he's female in some countries.
  • I love Lampy too, but I'd like to add Radio. I just love the way he's the only main character without eyes or a mouth, but they still manage to make him so easy to read. I just like him.
  • Lampy's definitely the best character, but I have a soft spot for Kirby. I still cheer when he jumps off the waterfall.
• Big Hero 6:
  • How can you not love Baymax? He's adorable! He calls the cat a "hairy baby"! He cares so much about Hiro! I just want to give him a big hug (which is part of why he looks the way he does, to make him seem more approachable to patients)!
  • Hiro Hamada himself. A handsome young boy who graduated school at around 14, very smart, talented, a little socially awkward and aloof because of being bullied at school, and he lost his parents and later brother but still copes with it. You would want to give him a hug.
  • Aunt Cass had been bringing him and his brother up for over ten years. A good chef, a caring parent, and just a Nice Girl... and bonus points for being a Kindhearted Cat Lover.
• The classic animated Disney adaption of Cinderella:
  • Anastasia, the not-so-ugly step sister. Sure, in the first movie, she was a bit of a bitch, but she softened up so much during the third movie, that you just can't help but love her. * Sigh*
  • I became rather fond of most of the cast of Cinderella in the third movie. We have Anastasia sweetly and naively just looking for love, Cinderella actually showing some pluck and initiative to help herself out, the King being very kind and accepting of Anastasia and assuring her that a person doesn't have to be a Princess Classic to be a queen, the Prince being fun and rather snarky, and Lady Tremaine being even more of a bitch.
• Frozen:
  • Prince Hans is one hell of a villain. He plays everyone like Talia with a rather brilliant plan to take the throne that he almost effortlessly adapts as the situation continues. As a villain he gets points for just so much realistic nastiness and pragmatism.
  • Elsa, also known as 'The introverted, morally conflicted, angsty- yet completely sympathetic- cryokinetic Snow Queen,' who redefined what could be done with Disney princesses. Also, she gets the best song, and her powers that are about 50% of the film's Scenery Porn. Detailed further here.
    We got a princess who was powerful. Like really powerful! Not "I could be so much more if the world would let me" ala "Brave" or "I have a totally socially acceptable nice little power" like "Little Mermaid" and "Tangled." Not even "I am pretty powerful, but someone's going to come along and whomp me flat."
    We didn't even stay stuck on "I wish I didn't have these powers and I could be normal" which is so damn default that I am beyond sick of it. After the initial concealment was off, she was like "Yes! Finally! I'm so relieved I don't have to hide that anymore! This is so much better! Let me make a ginormous ice castle and a snow golem servant and sing a really kickass song and you know, I think this place needs some more flying buttresses..."
    They never let you be glad to be powerful! You're supposed to hate it and wish you were normal! Girls aren't allowed to go "Hot damn, I am the shit! Look at my ice palace!" But they did! She got a musical number about it! Usually only villains get musical numbers where they do awesome magic!
  • Elsa has officially become my favorite Disney character, and it surprises me that I never had a real favorite Disney character until now. She's classy, elegant, kind, smart, one of Disney's biggest woobies and...well, I apologize in advance for my perviness but she's also easily the sexiest Disney Princess thus far, at least after her ice dress makeover (which I'm glad she kept). She's got a lot of gush-worthy qualities.
    • I'm here to second everything about Elsa. Adorable, kind, magic, with the voice and singing ability to make angels weep with envy. And then they went and made her even prettier in the sequel when I didn't think it possible. Let me put it this way. I've seen the sequel 4 times already, and I'd gladly go back and watch it 4 more times, just for her. UPDATE: I've seen the sequel way more than 4 times now, to the point I've got half the movie memorized word-for-word, and Elsa gets prettier each time I see it.
  • The utterly lovable protagonist, Anna. She's quirky, funny, innocent and the ultimate Adorkable princess.
  • Kristoff and Sven. They're intelligent and friendly (if a bit rude sometimes) and Kristoff imitating Sven and the "reindeers are better than people" song are hilarious.
  • Olaf. He's very friendly (if a bit Innocently Insensitive at times, but he makes up for that by being a "love expert"). Besides, he's hilarious!
• Ratigan! The world's greatest criminal mind! He's funny, manipulative and over-the-top! He's also one of the best examples of Faux Affably Evil in history. That and he is also voiced by Vincent Price.
• The Hunchback of Notre Dame:
  • Claude Frollo. He is one of the darkest yet most realistic villains in Disney history, and he's voiced by the late great Tony Jay. Great music theme for him too. What's not to like?
  • One word: Quasimodo. He's been through a lifetime of abuse just because of his deformity and he even gets friendzoned by Esmeralda, and yet that never fully prevents him from doing the right thing. His happy ending of finally being accepted into society is well-deserved. He's also remarkably strong and agile.
• The Lion King:
  • Simba, Scar, Mufasa, Nala and any of the other characters from the movie. Scar is the best Disney villain, hands down.
  • Shenzi is one of the best villainesses ever, with her design and persona, so she definitely deserves a mention. Then there's also Zazu, who spends a lot of his time being the Designated Monkey and rarely gets any love.
• The Little Mermaid (1989):
  • Just. One. Sentence. "And don't underestimate the importance of BODY LANGUAGE, HAH" Ursula the Sea Witch is easily one of Disney's greatest villains. She's bombastic and flashy yet simultaneously devious and witty. She's evil to her core and proud of it, but we see that even she has a heart because she truly loves her slimy little eel henchmen as if they were her own sons. And of course, she understands the power of BODY LANGUAGE!
  • Eric could use more love. He's independent, sweet, fun-loving, but also insanely brave. He risks his life for his dog! (Speaking of which, his dog is pretty awesome too.) And he only gets better in the stage musical.
  • Ariel: adventurous, fun, sweet, naive and adorable. And on the level of show-stealing, there's Sebastian.
  • Melody, Ariel and Eric's daughter from the sequel. Melody is just like her mother. She's brave, level-headed, spunky, and adventurous. She also belongs on the land and sea!
  • Undertow the Shark is an awesome sidekick for Morgana. Him being voiced by Clancy Brown also helps.
• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh:
  • Tigger. I've always Ioved how confident, cheerful, hilarious, and just plain fun Tigger is. He's always so endearingly happy that I just want to hug him. And when he's not happy, I still want to hug him. Not to mention that his song is incredibly catchy.
  • I have not seen a single Winnie the Pooh movie, short, or TV show where I didn't love Eeyore. His constant depression (or else Flat Joy) makes him one of the funniest characters in the franchise. (The low voice helps too.) I'd also like to mention the ever-adorable Piglet.
• Moana is awesome! She longs to see the world but is also devoted to her people, and her big strength is her compassion, which ends up saving the world!
• Mulan:
  • Shan Yu is one of the most ferociously clever and ambitious Disney bad guys ever. He doesn't even need a Villain Song.
  • Mulan herself. Not everyone can climb a pole with two weights, decimate an army with an avalanche and disarm a man with a fan!
• The Princess and the Frog:
  • As a TV Troper, I couldn't resist the temptation to see the movie. Now that I have, I can safely say I love Tiana (should I clarify that I'm female and white, just in case it matters?). Why? Unusually for a Disney Princess, the Disney character that Tiana instantly reminded me of was Scrooge McDuck, and I admire her for being Disney's female spokesperson for the Protestant work ethic. I can easily picture her vowing verbatim to achieve her dream by being smarter than the smarties and tougher than the toughies. All right, Disney, you win on this one.
  • Adding up to the Tiana love, she's just frigging awesome and I have the biggest girl crush on her, I've repeatedly stated that she is freaking adorable! She's also pretty different from some of Disney's other Princesses.
  • I loved Tiana as well but my personal favorite was Louis. I've had a soft spot for alligators since second grade and there was nothing he did that I didn't find funny.
  • Charlotte. Super funny and super sweet. Yeah, she's spoiled and a serious ditz, but you can count on her to be there for you when it really counts. I'm such a sucker for Spoiled Sweet characters.
  • Based on his Villain Song, Doctor Facilier is made of epic win.
  • Facilier is Disney most awesome villain ever, no seriously he is. He's voiced by Keith Fuckin' David for god's sake. Excellent character, charismatic as hell, great singing and speaking voice and dance skills as well.
  • Prince Naveen - likeable from start to finish with some truly sweet character development along the way. And Ray, too: one of the best Disney sidekicks ever, with what is quite possibly the best song in the movie (well, after the aforementioned Villain Song, anyway): "Ma Belle Evangeline."
• The Rescuers:
  • Miss Bianca
  • Bernard. Bernard is the most Badass Adorable character in history, and I really love the little guy.
• Sleeping Beauty: Prince Philip is too often overlooked. The man killed a dragon BY THROWING A SWORD ACROSS A CHASM. Philip is pretty awesome as that dragon is friggen Maleficent! Hands down one of the best villains EVER in ANYTHING. And somehow, manages to be that WITHOUT a Villain Song. Daaaaamn!
• Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Let's give Snow White some love. She easily has one of the darkest backstories in Disney, having an abusive parent who was deliberately trying to humiliate her everyday and who forced her into scullery work, and then that parent tries to kill her just because of how she looks. It can be easy to overlook because of how well she picks herself up after, even though she naturally freaks out at first. Girl's awfully resilient. And she's still able to find shelter and a way to convince the dwarves to let her stay. Plus, she's kind and doesn't judge people based on appearances.
• Tangled:
  • Flynn freaking Rider. Best (and sexiest) Disney male lead ever. Rapunzel is one lucky girl.
  • Rapunzel is also the single most Badass Adorable Disney Princess ever. She's cute, funny, adorable, badass, has a great voice, and saves Flynn more often than he saves her. And seeing her work to get her goal makes her all the more admirable.
  • There's also Maximus, who has got to be both the funniest and most badass horse ever.
  • Gothel is one of my favorite Disney villains ever. Why? Her weapon of choice isn't any conventional weapon - it's her manipulation of Rapunzel that she uses, making her believe in lies for her own selfish gain. Rapunzel angsting about being a bad daughter after escaping the tower shows just how effective her manipulation was.
• I know the movie hasn't come out yet, but I really find Vanellope Von Schweetz from Wreck-It Ralph to be adorable, and her backstory that has been revealed so far seems really sad.
  • SECONDED. Vanellope's story is heart-wrenching, and what makes it worse is how brave she is about it all. It's incredible. Most people would have a mental breakdown from half the shit that poor kid is put through. Ralph. Just...everything about Ralph.
  • Now that I've seen the movie, Vanellope is still my favorite character, but Felix has also grown on me by being such a nice guy, also Sour Bill: The juxtaposition of apathetic pessimism and a character design that looks like he wandered off from a Kirby game makes him all the more hilarious. It is a marvel when even the villain's lackey is likable.
  • Thirded in the case of Vanellope! She's entertaining to watch, adorable, plus her friendship with Ralph is freaking adorable.
  • Seconded in regards to Felix. Ralph's the sort of character I tend to like, and some of Vanellope's lines in the trailer alone won me over, but Felix? I was pleasantly surprised to learn that he is an awesome, equally well written, character. For once we've got a "Villain Protagonist" story where the good guy is actually a genuinely good guy. Plus he's absolutely Adorkable.
  • You know what? Zangief was right. Ralph may be a "bad guy", but he's definitely not a bad guy.
• Zootopia:
  • Let's talk about Disney's other leading Fox, Nick Wilde. This fox is the definition of a fox. He is skilled con artist, tax evader, and trickster! Some of his facial expressions and remarks are some of the best in the entire film, especially his Oh, Crap! face when he's blackmailed by Judy Hopps, the other lead, into working with her to solve the case regarding the missing predators. While their relationship starts out quite rough, seeing as they have to work with one another, they eventually warm up to one another. Then there's the reveal of Nick's backstory. ...Poor little Guy...
  • Judy is pretty awesome too. She never gives up on her dream to be a cop, even when everyone doubts her, and she doesn't back down from getting treated right by her chief. When she accidentally starts a whole lot of racial tensions, she feels bad about it and does whatever she can to fix it. And she encourages Nick to believe in himself.

Other Animated Films

• All Dogs Go to Heaven:
  • Charlie. From the first film. That is all.
  • Not all. How about sweet, adorable Anne Marie? You'd have to have a heart of ice not to possibly love her.
• The Angry Birds Movie:
  • MIGHTY EAGLE!!! Even though he had been hit with Adaptational Jerkass treatment (he's far cry from his Toons incarnation that presented him as Mentor Archetype) his Awesome Ego is in fact the reason why I fallen in love with his character. Also, we can't forget about how Bomb and Chuck imagined him.
  • Chuck, full stop. Not only is he fast as light, he's also sweet natured (if a bit mischievous) Big Eater goofball. How can't you love him?
  • Bomb. He's such a dork and nice guy despite his disease.
  • Leonard is probably the only evil king in media that treats his subjects kindly and is loved by them, and that's one of the reasons why I love him. The other reasons include how he's a nice guy despite being a villain, his Large Ham (heh) antics and the fact that he pulls a Heel–Face Turn in the sequel.
• Barnyard:
  • Ben is just the coolest cow ever! He's voiced by Sam Elliott, he's a very stern yet caring leader and father, and he's a badass fighter to top it all off. Rest in peace you legend, you sure did not back down.
  • Seriously, who doesn't like Dag's Creepy Awesome design and personality?
• Coraline:
  • The title character goes to a world controlled by an eye-mutilating batshit crazy witch to near-single-handedly rescue her parents. In case that didn't sound impressive to you, she does all this as an anorexic 11-years old.
  • One of the best things about the character is simply how real the character feels while still being awesome. She most often behaves exactly how a real kid would behave (how many other movies would show a preteen finding a burlesque show hilarious?), but when the situation calls for it, evolves into the Badass Adorable described above. It's simply awesome.
• Corpse Bride:
  • Victor Van Dort. Adorably shy and sweet, very intelligent, and extremely brave when it comes down to the wire. Plus, those Victorian clothes help a lot.
  • Emily: How many people, after years of waiting for love after your lover murdered and abandoned you, would then give up the chance to marry your beloved so as not to condemn your beloved's beloved to the same fate? Hell, if this isn't in the Moment of Awesome page, it needs to be!
  • Also, Bonejangles. His song is frikkin' awesome!
  • Seconded about all three of them. Danny Elfman knocks it out of the park as Bonejangles, Emily I seriously want to hug (Tears to Shed, anyone?), and Victor's such an adorable dork I can't help but love him.
• FernGully: The Last Rainforest:
  • Batty Koda. Poor little guy, even though he's the comic relief, he's got a tragic back story, which makes viewers just want to hug him. He's got the best song in the movie, IMHO.
  • Hexxus. Tim Curry, guys, come on. This guy is the embodiment of pollution and he still is the most likeable character in the movie, except perhaps for Batty. His song is made of love, comments on Youtube include such examples: "I think this song took my virginity." He makes pollution seem like the sexiest thing ever. Then, he doesn't exactly "drive" but still controls a juggernaut of a machine armed with claws and chainsaws and all other kinds of razor blades and even wickedly spiked tracks! His final form doesn't get to do much, but looks-wise, it's still one of the most badass desperation forms ever.
  • Seconded so hard. That movie is one of my guilty pleasures, but Hexxus is the only part of it that I feel no shame for liking. Also Toxic Love is one of the best villain songs EVER.
• Adding some Pixar love for DORY!!! Oh so much. Just so friggin hilarious, and also heartwarming. IMHO she was the best thing about Finding Nemo.
  • Dory from Finding Nemo has to be one of the best characters in all of animated media; she may be comic relief sometimes, but she doesn't outright make or break the film. Her moments throughout are just... well, moments, and she still feels about as real as everyone else does. Finding Dory makes her even better; they could have very easily gone the route of just using her quirks to get a cheap laugh, but they didn't do that; they only used it for some funny jokes while the rest of the film focuses on her backstory and finding her parents. The best thing about her is that in no way is she ever, in either film, portrayed as outright stupid; her short-term memory loss is simply a flaw that she often works around, and all it takes for her to remember something is just a gentle push in the right direction, or a certain trigger word. Pretty much everyone at this point has adopted the idea that Dory is some form of mentally impaired, most likely autistic, and in the eyes of this autistic troper, who also happens to have a cousin with the condition, it's a good thing because it makes her struggles that much more satisfying to overcome.
  • Seconded to hell and back. She's a wonderful comic relief and an amazing character. Not only that, but as mentioned before, unlike in some media where a character's stupidity is played for laughs, Dory's main personality quirk of Memory Loss becomes one of the most important things about her character- Not just anexcuse to make something funny. Ellen's performance as her is top-notch as well. Also, can we have another gush for Dory's own parents? They're some of the best and most dedicated parents this troper has seen in media!
• We all know why we really watched Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer. For the antagonist, Cousin Mel. She may exhibit a plethora of tropes and cliches, but damn is she sexy! Her luscious lips, beauty mark, and seductive voice almost distract you from the fact that her impossibly attractive body would give Jessica Rabbit a run for her money.
• Hoodwinked!: Japeth, the most awesome mountain goat ever. Just watch him in action for more, as I'm pretty sure Red's the only live person who's come by his shack in many years.
• Dmitry from Anastasia. He started off as a Jerkass Woobie con artist but Took a Level in Kindness as he develops feelings for Anya. Not to mention his Snark-to-Snark Combat with Anya, and his choosing to hide his own feelings for her in order to let her stay with her grandmother in Paris, because 'princesses don't marry kitchen boys'. He's also 100% Adorkable.
• How to Train Your Dragon 2: I'm going to talk about Drago Bludvist. Some people call him weak as a villain and while I can see where they are coming from there is no doubt he is a complete and utter badass. He has a deep and threatening as hell voice. He does not hesitate to do his own dirty work when it comes to fighting. He never shows fear. Even the other characters are afraid of him. He absolutely owns any scene he is in.
• Buck from Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs is easily the most badass (and most crazy) heroic weasel in a cartoon film. Every scene involving him is awesome and funny at the same time, and not to mention he has a giant albino Baryonyx as his archenemy
• Would Kung Fu Panda have even been half as interesting if not for Tai Lung?
  • Jack Black doesn't get enough support. I, for one, still root for him. In every role he's ever played, he's just been himself—an overactive metalhead kid in an adult's body. And damned if I don't like him for it. No matter what movie he's in.
  • Tigress! She might come off as mean to Po in the first movie, but that's only because she feels like she let down Shifu. By the second movie it's easy to see what she's really like. She's tough, genuinely loves her True Companions, never complains, and she's a cat! And it's all summed up in one line in the second movie:
    Tigress: The hardcore do understand. But I can't watch my friend be killed.
  • Lord Shen is kung-fu-performing-peacock CGI-porn in action. Especially in 3D.
    • Seconded. An interesting backstory, an incredibly cool design and an outstanding performance by Gary Oldman make for one of the best animated villains this troper has ever seen.
  • Master Shifu: Total badass, despite what a Jerkass he was at the beginning of the first movie.
• No love for the Madagascar trilogy? First off you've got the penguins- a veritable icon of the series with their own cartoon resulting from their popularity. For a lot of people, these guys were what made them watch the movie at all, and they pretty much steal the show. But you've also got the actual zoosters themselves who are all pretty likable, but a lot of the heart and comedy come from Alex and Marty- main characters, I know, but it works because they both have very vivid personalities that play off each other very well. then in the third film we get introduced to the circus trio and they're all very cool, seeming to have a genuine camaraderie that almost overshadows that of the zoosters. Stefano was cast perfectly, and I thought he was a really fun character, I actually really liked the romance arc with Gia and liked how energetic and whatnot she was instead of just being a tough girl. And oh my gosh Vitaly is freaking coolest in the series. This blogger sums it up rather nicely.
• My Little Pony: Equestria Girls series:
  • Sunset Shimmer from My Little Pony: Equestria Girls. She's fascinating on how she goes from one of the most boring and unlikable villains the 4th generation got to one of the most likable protagonists the franchise has. The second film, Rainbow Rocks, really emphasizes the depth of her desire to actually atone for her past actions and how much she is willingly to put up with to do so. And the third film, Friendship Games, shows that she can lead as a conflicted, complicated hero.
  • Rainbow Rocks easily propelled Sunset to second favorite character of the entire Friendship is Magic series, only barely behind Twilight. Really hoping for her to show up in the series proper at some point—season 7 or later, I can wait, I just want to see more Sunset awesomeness!
• The Nightmare Before Christmas:
  • Two words: Jack Skellington. Despite the fact that Hot Topic and Spencer's are making him into a cash whore, he remains an interesting character. He's charismatic, kind-hearted while still being scary, and a great singer to boot (Thanks, Danny Elfman!). Plus, how many characters are both cute and scary, without the former being the cause of the latter?
  • Seconded to hell and back. The guy's a seven-foot-tall walking skeleton, and he manages to be one of the most real, human characters in any animated film. The guy's practically at a midlife crisis! Who didn't want to give him a hug when he expressed his despair at being stuck in a routine? The guy's both silly and funny, and a real class act. Not to mention, Nice Guy that he is, if Jack, the Pumpkin King, wants you to be afraid, you gonna be afraid. He can make you laugh and make you scream, often at the same time.
  • While Jack's epically awesome, and Oogie Boogie is a kickass villain with a great Villain Song, my fave will always be Lock, Shock, and Barrell. "Kidnap the Sandy Claws" is one of the most fun songs in the show, and the childlike glee they have while singing some damn creepy lyrics is friggen ADORABLE. They're cute because they LOVE being creepy and causing havoc and mayhem, and they're good at it.
• 9:
  • Two. As said on the movie's page, he's basically a walking Heartwarming Moment. He's so sweet! And he's a genius and inventor, and a Cool Old Guy, he has a sort of pureheartedness and innocence that doesn't equal naivete (obviously, as he's basically an apocalypse survivor), and he seems a bit eccentric.
  • I love 7. She is kickass without being badass, so you can see that the reason why she is so tough and adamant about fighting the machines is because she actually cares about her companions and wants to protect them. It's not some lame attempt on the writer's part to make a character that is liked only because she can fight, it's an actual motivation behind her actions, and it makes her so much more awesome. Oh, and she's like a knight with the moves of a ninja. Awesome!!
• ParaNorman:
  • Norman. Just... Norman. How many of us were this kid at that age? The kid that's always bullied but never really let's it get to him and is always ready with a snarky comeback? It's like watching my childhood! Y'know... minus the undead zombies.
  • The witch herself is the poster girl for Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds. Sympathetic, but incredibly powerful and complex.
• Despite being one of the most horrifying characters in children's film, there's something about the Wolf from Puss in Boots: The Last Wish that makes it easy to enjoy him. He immediately makes an impression with his whistling leitmotif, him nearly managing to not just defeat but kill Puss in his first appearance, and is overall a very villainously scary but memorable presence throughout the film whenever he appears. At a late point in the film, he reveals that he's Death himself, and he's a very interesting interpretation of the Grim Reaper at that, managing to combine all sorts of tropes and use them uniquely - he's a wolf, which is perfect since 1. wolves are known to be used as villainous animals, and 2. he's attempting to kill Puss, a cat, so he's using the form of an animal that would be Puss's greatest rival. He's a very mature character for a children's film, but he sticks out all the more for it. Oh yeah, and he's insanely quotable for such a frightening character ("Slow. Sloppy. Sad." "And I don't mean it metaphorically, or rhetorically, or hypothetically, or theoretically, or any other fancy way.").
  • Puss in Boots himself! Such an adorable, yet really fun and charismatic character voiced impeccably by Antonio Banderas who has been with me since my childhood and so it was really fascinating yet somewhat upsetting, though ultimately pretty heartwarming, to see him come face to face with his mortality and go through such great Character Development. Everybody now - who is your favorite fearless hero?
• Rio:
  • What about our favorite bird couple Blu and Jewel?
  • Blu I liked the most out of all of them. He is probably the smartest, nicest, funniest, most Adorkable bird you'll ever see, and how he develops as a character from a flightless Cowardly Lion to a Badass Bookworm, with his newfound ability to fly to add to his colorful collection of abilities.
• Toy Story:
  • Buzz. Friggin'. Lightyear. "To infinity and beyond!"
  • Woody is more human than most humans I know.
  • Rex. "Dinosaur overboard!"
    • Seconded. Rex may be The Ditz and The Klutz, yet it's totally understandable for him and he's still likable.
  • Jessie. She's a badass cowgirl, has a sad backstory, and I love her chemistry with Buzz.
  • Lotso. Oh, where do I begin? Okay, so first of all, Syndrome's a great, great character, but let's be honest: he's everyone's favorite Pixar villain because everyone wants to be him. However, he is not the best Pixar villain. That title, without question, goes to Lots-o'-Huggin' Bear; first of all, he has THE most tragic backstory of any villain Pixar's ever had, he's incredibly charming even while he's brutally torturing/murdering you, he's a perfect Shadow Archetype for Woody, and he is hands-down one of THE vilest and evilest villains to ever shine on the big screen. Oh, and he's also a Teddy bear, which is the first thing most people think of when they think of "toys," which makes him pretty much the absolute perfect villain for Toy Story's finale.
• I'mma talk about Trolls. Biggie is so goofy and lovable that I can't help smiling when I see him. How can you resist his big smile? That, and he's voiced by James Corden.
• WALL•E
  • EVE truly impressed me. A strong feminine character with appreciable depth, and she's not even human.
    • Seconded. When someone says "well-done character development", I instantly think of her.
  • WALL•E himself isn't half bad, is he?
    • 'Course not! Cutest thing on treads.
    • They're both incredibly likable characters. It's amazing how much depth they have with their limited design and vocabulary.
  • M-O is the Robot Lord of Awesome. Seriously, try not to smile whenever he's onscreen.
    • MMMMMMMMMM-O!!!