Heroic, funny, magical, covetous, evil. These few traits can be used to describe a large number of Disney characters. But what about cowardly? Standing beside some of Disney's greatest heroes and villains is an apprehensive, but loyal, supporting character.
Sometimes, it's even the hero and villain themselves who turn out to be the wimps. Despite their cowardly nature, these ten characters have become iconic in Disney lore.
10 Prince John - Robin Hood (1973)
1973's Robin Hood is Disney's animated adaptation of the famous Robin Hood story. In classic Disney fashion, all the characters are played by anthropomorphic animals. Unlike most villains in the House of Mouse, Robin Hood's antagonist, Prince John, is neither cunning nor physically and magically powerful. Instead, he's spoiled and downright cowardly. Throughout the film, Prince John runs away from the action, not toward it, and is always screaming and whining for his mother. He also childishly sucks his thumb whenever he feels anxious or afraid. Of all the villains in Disney lore, Prince John may actually be the weakest one.
9 Fear - Inside Out (2015)
Inside Out is one of Disney/Pixar's most brilliant films. It imagines the inner workings of our minds, which are operated by group of multicolored feelings. One of these emotions is Fear, voiced to perfection by Bill Hader. Fear is exactly like he sounds. He considers every terrifying possibility (even the most ridiculous ones), quakes at every frightening thought, and jumps at any unexpected sound. In short, Fear is a coward. But that's also his purpose and function. He's meant to protect his human (in this case, Riley) and keep her safe from the dangerous and unknown. You can expect Fear, and all the other emotive characters, to make their grand returns in the Inside Out sequel, which is reportedly in the works.
8 The Mayor - The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Tim Burton'sThe Nightmare Before Christmas is one of Disney's, as well as cinema's, most original films. It imagines a universe where each holiday lives in its own unique world. Halloween, of course, is full of frightening and gruesome monsters and characters. There's Jack Skellington, Oogie Boogie, vampires, a werewolf, and a clown that rips off his own face. And then, there's the mayor of Halloween Town. Of all the characters in Halloween Town, the mayor is by far the least terrifying. In fact, he's more prone to feeling fear himself than instilling it in others.
The mayor has two faces, and each one reflects a different personality. One is happy-go-lucky and joyous. The other spins around to reveal itself whenever the mayor is feeling scared or anxious. Although he's the mayor, it's really Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King, who runs the show. And when the mayor realizes that Jack has gone missing, and that he now has to run Halloween Town alone, the mayor's apprehensive face becomes his permanent one. Until, of course, Jack comes back to relieve him. At the end of the day, the mayor is a coward that happily lives in Jack's very tall shadow.
7 Alfredo Linguini - Ratatouille (2007)
Ratatouille is a great Disney/Pixar film that often gets overlooked. One of its main characters, the incredibly named Alfredo Linguini, is a kind-hearted soul with good intentions. But he's also clumsy, somewhat incompetent, and a bit cowardly. We don't blame him for being terrified when he first encounters Remy the rat; most people would have this reaction. But for most of the film, Linguini passes himself off as a great chef, hiding the truth about himself and Remy's cooking talents under his hat. And whenever he's not throwing ingredients together for Remy, Linguini is worrying about getting caught and being exposed as a fraud. He's not the most cowardly character on this list. But it's not a great look when you're hiding your own ineptitude behind a rat.
6 Pain and Panic - Hercules (1997)
Every great villain needs their minions. Pain and Panic are the appropriately named henchmen of Hades, the god of the underworld and villain from Disney's Hercules. These two are sniveling cowards. They're constantly groveling at Hades' feet, whimpering their way through the movie. They even carry out Hades' orders and attempt to kill the (somewhat) defenseless baby Hercules in the beginning. With names like Pain and Panic, how can you expect anything but cowardice from these two characters?
5 Zazu - The Lion King (1994)
The Lion King is an animated classic that's regarded as one of the best films from the Disney Renaissance. There are so many heroic characters in this movie: Mufasa, Simba, Nala, Pumba. Even Timon, who's a bit of a coward himself, risks his life several times for his friends. Zazu, however, is another story. He may be Mufasa's loyal advisor, but let's face it: the bird is a coward. In his very first scene after the film's iconic opening, we see Zazu flying frantically away from Scar, screaming for help before getting swallowed whole by the lion. And then during the stampede scene, Zazu spends his time panicking and flying uselessly about. It's only at the last second, just before Scar knocks him out, that the cowardly bird thinks to fetch help for Mufasa and Simba. If only his paranoid brain had thought of that solution sooner. Then we all might have been spared a considerable amount of heartache.
4 Roger Rabbit - Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988)
Who Framed Roger Rabbit? is a classic Disney movie that combines live action with animation. Roger Rabbit is one of the film's protagonists, though he certainly wouldn't be described as a hero. He's a neurotic, goofy, and cowardly animated character. He's constantly shrieking and squeezing his human companion Eddie Valiant (Bob Hoskins) in fear, holding onto him for dear life. For a comedic character, Roger always seems to be on edge. Yet despite his cowardly nature, he still somehow managed to marry Jessica Rabbit.
3 Cogsworth - Beauty and the Beast (1991)
Only three animated films have been nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards: Up, Toy Story 3, and Beauty and the Beast. Despite claims of Stockholm Syndrome, this 1991 adaptation might just be Disney's greatest animated film. Aside from its titular protagonists, Beauty and the Beast features many iconic characters: Gaston, Lumière, Mrs. Potts, LeFou, Chip. And we mustn't forget the aptly named Cogsworth, the walking and talking English clock. Cogsworth is terrified of his master, the Beast, and for good reason. Have you seen that guy's temper? Because of this, Cogsworth is the Beast's most loyal and obedient servant, which makes him somewhat of a Debbie Downer. He's a stickler for the rules and constantly opposes Lumière's fun and spontaneous ideas. Although Cogsworth is a coward, he does have an epic moment during the battle at the Beast's castle. He shows up wearing a general's hat and wielding a pair of scissors, which he plunges into the backside of the enemy.
2 The White Rabbit - Alice in Wonderland (1951)
Disney's 1951 Alice in Wonderland is arguably the best adaptation of Lewis Carroll's famous children's book. And of course, it features the iconic White Rabbit, who lures Alice away from reality, down the rabbit hole, and into Wonderland. The first time we meet the White Rabbit, he's in panicked frenzy. He scurries frantically past Alice, screaming about how he's "late for a very important date." As it turns out, this important date involves the decapitation-obsessed Queen of Hearts, so we can't blame him for freaking out. Nevertheless, the White Rabbit is a cowardly character, who bends to the Queen's will and trembles in her presence. You certainly won't find him leading any rebellions against the monarchy.
Alice's White Rabbit has become a fictional icon, a metaphor for chasing our desires and fantasies. There are many references to the White Rabbit throughout pop culture, such as The Matrix and the TV show Lost.
1 Captain Hook - Peter Pan (1953)
Captain Hook from Peter Pan is one of the most iconic villains of all time -- not just in Disney but in media. His signature hook and obsession with killing the boy who will never grow up are as timeless as Peter Pan himself. But that's also what makes this villain such a coward. Captain Hook's one goal in life is to murder a child, and he's likely killed many children and Lost Boys in order to get to Peter. And then there's his intense fear of the crocodile, who ate his missing hand. We don't blame Captain Hook for being afraid. We would be too if we had an enormous crocodile hunting us, hoping to gobble up the rest of our bodies. Even still, this guy's a Disney villain. He can show a little more danger and poise rather than scream and tremble in his knickers every time he hears a ticking clock.
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