14 Disney Moments Of Villains Who Have Mastered The Art Of Gaslighting And Manipulation

Who else felt so betrayed when Hans was revealed to be the villain in Frozen?

Sophia

• Published in Disney
• July 28, 2022

As much as we love our Disney princesses and princes, most of their villains are just notably iconic. As kids, we tend to automatically side with the good ones, but as adults, we come to realize how truly smart these villains are for being able to successfully manipulate the protagonists in the first place—that, or the princesses are just completely naive and clueless of the acts of manipulation and gaslighting done to them.

In real life, manipulators are masters in taking control of others to do or say anything they desire, and they use their cunning charm to their advantage. This is evident in a lot of friendships and romantic relationships, especially when it's hard to spot the red flags in the first place.

Contrary to what people may think, a lot don't even realize they were actually being manipulated to do or say things until years later when they look back at what they have gone through. That's what they do—manipulators will put you in some sort of trance or hypnosis to make you believe you are doing something out of your interest, but in reality, they were actually just twisting you to bow down to their wishes.

Disney is definitely great at showing this kind of mental magic in their films, especially the animated ones we used to watch as a kid (and until now, honestly). Instead of just having a typical bad villain who has some powers they use to wreak havoc, they also make use of manipulation and gaslighting techniques to make their character even eviler.

Just take Mother Gothel, for example—she's the epitome of a gaslighter and a master manipulator all rolled into one. She keeps making Rapunzel feel naive and clueless, and the princess has questioned her worth all throughout the time she was under the hag's care.

Take a look at some of the most prime examples of gaslighting and manipulation used in Disney films:

1. When Scar manipulated Simba to think that it was his fault Mufasa died.

2. This scene with Jafar from 'Aladdin'

3. When this stinky Pete scene happened in 'Toy Story 2'

4. Mother Gothel, master of guilt tripping

5. Lotso's scene in 'Toy Story 3'

6. This one's more on the humorous side, but it's still a form of manipulation—when Hades invalidated Megara's feelings.

7. When Gaston and LaFou painted Belle's father to be a crazy man

8. Gothel making Rapunzel question her choices once again

9. When this scene happened in 'Zootopia':

10. Mother Gothel's consistent attempts to keep Rapunzel from leaving the tower. She's using scare tactics this time.

11. This Judge Claude Frollo scene in 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame'

12. Let's face it, this scene in Frozen was the ultimate betrayal of all! Hans was even marketed as the good guy in their promos.

13. When Mother Gothel used a guilt tactic that parents usually do to gather sympathy from their kids even if they're the one in the wrong.

14. When Madame Medusa said this in 'The Rescuers'

Disney definitely has a knack for making multidimensional characters as villains, and honestly, if it weren't for the presence of these manipulators in their films, everything would have been dull and boring—and naturally, there wouldn't be any story to tell! It's great that they are shedding light on these kinds of behaviors, though, and while kids may have a hard time digesting the concepts of manipulation, it sure is a great medium for us adults to teach them about it.

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Sophia