As September gives way to October, the leaves begin to change and that good old feeling of spookiness starts to fill the air, audiences find themselves enchanted by the supernatural. From werewolves to vampires, images of creatures of the night leap to mind, with the most prominent being witches.
Through the years, witches have dominated live-action films and tv shows, but as time wore on, they took on another form: animation. Whether created by Disney, coming in the form of teenagers, or have some nefarious goal, witches are abundant in animation and both the new and old have become iconic.
10 Eda (The Owl House) (2019)
The term iconic has become loose over the years. Typically, audiences and viewers assume that for something to be iconic, it must have been around for a period of time. However, just because a character is new, doesn't mean they can't be iconic.
Hailing from The Owl House, Eda, a cursed witch, con woman, and one of the Owl Houses top characters, living in a far off land is already on her way to becoming iconic. From sassy lines, epic magic uses, and heart to heart moment with her human companion Luz, Eda is quite the awesome witch.
9 Evil Queen (Snow White And The Seven Dwarves) (1937)
For one reason or another, Disney seems to have a monopoly on witches. Ranging from simple megalomaniacs out for revenge to monstrous beings hunting for princesses very souls, Disney has amassed a collection of magic users over the decades.
One of the oldest witches, known only as the Evil Queen comes from the classic animated film, Snow White And The Seven Dwarves. Not only does she have the ability to poison an apple or turn herself into a hag, but the queen utilizes a magic mirror for many nefarious reasons.
8 Yubaba (Spirited Away) (2001)
Perhaps it's funny or even ironic how many times people assume that just because something is animated, it still can't be scary or intimidating. This can be said for any number of films, with the Japanese fantasy film Spirited Away at the top of the list.
As such, one of the antagonists in Spirited Away, Yubaba, a witch who periodically harasses and torments the main character Chihiro throughout the film and stands as one of Studio Ghibli's best villains. With some truly terrifying magic and skills that aren't seen much in animated movies, Yubaba is quite the witch.
7 Mary (Mary And The Witch's Flower) (2017)
Despite most witches being antagonists, some can instead be a little closer and relatable to the audience's heart. After all, even though they've painted in a villainous light, who wouldn't want the chance to learn how to use magic?
Mary And The Witch's Flower, one of the best-animated films on Netflix, does just that, allowing a young girl the chance to have magical powers and be a witch for one night. Even with the power, though, Mary still grows a character throughout the film showcasing the downsides to magic and giving up the power in the end.
6 Sabrina (Sabrina The Teenage Witch) (1999)
Every now and then, a character has the fortune of appearing in both live-action and animated. Of course, nowadays with live-action remakes clogging up Hollywood, the lines have become blurred but back in 1999, it was highly unusual yet welcome.
Serving as a prequel to the classic 1996 show Sabrina The Teenage Witch followed a younger version of everyone's favorite teenage magic user and her sassy/relatable black cat, Salem who always has a great quote. While only lasting one season, Sabrina managed to captivate the animated world in magical splendor and enjoyable episodes.
5 Ursula (The Little Mermaid) (1989)
Somewhere along the line, witches got even more freaky. They went from just being after a princess, trying to poison or kill some poor unfortunate soul, to literally stealing their souls and making deals like some twisted demon.
The sea witch Ursula is probably one of Disney's scariest villains. Not only did she trick The Little Mermaid, Ariel, into giving up her voice, but she took down Triton, nearly married Eric through illusions, and grew to the size of a skyscraper. Definitely not your typical witch.
4 Madam Mim (The Sword In The Stone) (1963)
An antagonist is always a tricky word to work around. Usually, the antagonists in our minds are the worst of the worst, villainous people who strive to only impart wicked and evil acts upon our heroes. Sometimes, antagonists are just there to slip the protagonist up.
Madam Mim from The Sword In The Stone is such a character. While she's labeled the antagonist, the most she does is challenge Merlin to a shapeshifting duel and overall just be a joy to watch on screen with her goofy antics and over-the-topness.
3 Magica De Spell (Duck Tales) (2017)
It goes without saying that witches are... an odd bunch. Yet, despite what many may think, they can always get stranger. From shapeshifters to soul collectors to anything in between, witches are always weird, and Magica De Spell takes the cake.
Introduced in the classic and now rebooted series that many consider being better than the original Duck Tales, Magica is an anthropomorphic duck who uses magic to harass gazillionaire Scrooge McDuck and his nephews in an everlasting war to get... a dime. Despite her strange goals, De Spell is a wonderful witch to watch on screen.
2 Sarah Ravencroft (Scooby-Doo And The Witches Ghost) (1999)
Of course everyone's favorite mystery hunting, supernatural finding, Scooby snack loving dog was going to find their way onto this list. While Scooby-Doo and the rest of the gang have gone up against shady businessmen disguised as monsters, they've encountered a number of real ones as well.
Scooby-Doo And The Witches Ghost, considered to be one of Scooby-Doo's best films has the benefit of having both a ghost and a witch, in the form of Sarah Ravencroft, a spooky, revenge-seeking ghoul who uses magic to turn an idyllic town upside down in a fit of supernatural revenge.
1 Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty)(1959)
Among all the pointy hatted magic users out there, none are as iconic or noteworthy as the nefarious Maleficent. While in recent years, she's been painted as more of an anti-hero or misunderstood villain, Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty was quite the force to be reckoned with.
The list could go on for hours. From cursing the princess Aurora to die a horrible death, to using magic in terrifying manners to even becoming a giant dragon to face down the dashing prince, Maleficent has and always will be a phenomenal witch.
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