Although earlier stereotypes of women in Disney movies typically followed gentle and kind princesses like Snow White, Cinderella, and Aurora, who left the heroism and action to their male counterparts, strong and powerful women in Disney existed even back then. Yes, at first, these women took the shape of villains like the Evil Queen, but quickly, over the years, Disney began to change the roles that women took in their animated films.
Female characters in Disney movies now fulfill a wide range of roles, with some still content to follow a more traditional Disney princess route, others happy to pick up a sword or a bow, and others taking up education or politics. And yet, as the Disney animated universe is mainly a magical one, the strongest Disney women of them all incorporate some type of magic or reliance on a magical tool to gain the moniker of the most powerful of them all. This includes princesses, villains, and all characters in between.
Princess Kida Has Different Levels of Strength in Atlantis: The Lost Empire
Princess Kida, or Kidagakash, is stronger than most women due to her lineage as an Atlantean, which gives her a longer lifespan and seemingly enhanced strength and reflexes. This is due to the crystal worn around the necks of all Atlanteans, which came from a larger power source called the Heart of Atlantis. Using the crystal, Atlanteans can also heal wounds and harness the crystal’s power through specifically built weaponry.
This is not the extent of Kida’s powers, though. Atlantis: The Lost Empire was released in 2001 and follows a journey of adventurers and mercenaries who go searching for the lost kingdom of Atlantis and end up finding a thriving civilization. Kida is the princess of that kingdom, and as a royal, she is chosen by the Heart of Atlantis as its host during a time of crisis.
This is actually a problem, as merging for too long with the crystal could see her absorbed by the crystal completely and unable to retain human form. This means that she cannot connect for very long, but while merged with the power source, she can commit acts of great power to which even the other women on this list would be shocked.
Pepa’s Emotions Can Cause Natural Disasters in Encanto
Emotions control Pepa Madrigal, which means they control her powers as a weather-wielder. Encanto, released in 2021, doesn’t follow Pepa as a main character and instead focuses on Mirabel’s journey as the only Madrigal child without a magical gift. When Pepa is shown, her powers are often seen as a nuisance, rather than being regarded as something good, and she’s often seen trying to calm herself down as she makes it rain, snow, or thunder.
Although viewers do begin to celebrate Pepa’s gifts by the end of the film, as does her own family, it’s clear that the extent of her powers isn’t fully known. Pepa can control all manner of weather, making it rain, snow, windy, and more. But the verbiage used and a few visuals show that when her emotions are extremely heightened, she is capable of causing natural disasters like hurricanes or blizzards, which is why her powers are so feared by others and even herself.
The Underrated Madam Mim Is Just As Powerful as Merlin
This antagonist from 1963’s The Sword in the Stone is more over-the-top than others. But of course, her own words would be that she’s the “magnificent, marvelous, mad Madam Mim.” There isn’t much known about Madam Mim, and she doesn’t even appear until the end of the movie, after Arthur/Wart is on one of his lessons and accidentally flies into her house. It is revealed that she’s a witch who hates Merlin, and Merlin eventually challenges her to a duel.
What audiences do know about her and her powers leaves the impression that she, like Merlin, could virtually do almost anything with her powers. She’s seen shapeshifting, flying, manifesting items, killing plants with just a touch, teleporting, and breathing fire during her time as a dragon in the Wizard’s Duel. With a clear inclination to the dark side of magic, she delights in naturally morbid things, is fine with trickery, and says that she will kill Arthur without a second thought.
Elsa Goes From Snow Queen to Guardian Spirit in the Frozen Franchise
Being a princess or a queen can be hard, but it’s especially hard when carrying secret ice and snow powers. Throughout Frozen and Frozen II, viewers see Elsa wrestle with her natural-born powers as she transitions from princess to queen to guardian spirit, eventually accepting herself fully as she is. In other words, Elsa goes from Snow Queen to the Enchanted Forest’s Fifth Spirit, leveling up both in title and in strength.
Although her powers are limited to snow and ice, within these snow and ice boundaries, they are utterly limitless. She can freeze entire kingdoms in an eternal winter, create massive buildings out of ice (as well as new dresses), cause people to freeze to death, and even create lifeforms made out of her snow. However, her powers are very much tied to her emotions, like Pepa Madrigal’s, making her a somewhat unreliable source of power until she learns control.
Maleficent Is an Over-Powered Disney Villain
Maleficent isn’t just one of the most powerful women in Disney, nor is she only one of the most powerful villains; she’s one of the most powerful characters in all of Disney animation entirely. Although the newest remakes of this character come from Maleficent in 2014 and Maleficent: Mistress of Evil in 2019, and portray her as a Dark Fey and an antihero, the original Disney portrayal of Maleficent came from the 1959 movie Sleeping Beauty.
In this film, she is a ruthless, cruel sorceress with enough power to topple kingdoms. After cursing a baby without a second thought, the plot of the movie follows her numerous attempts to have Aurora murdered after extreme lengths are gone to hide the princess from Maleficent. This doesn’t work, and Maleficent technically does succeed for a while before ending up with a sword to the chest.
In terms of power, Maleficent says herself that she can call on “all the powers of hell.” This isn’t just bluffing; Maleficent can control what seems like an endless supply of dark magic. She can cast curses and spells, control the weather, control fire, teleport, control plant life, shapeshift (most famously into a large dragon), can scry, and has prophetic abilities. This, plus the malice in her heart large enough to murder and curse without thought, makes her extremely dangerous.
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Pinocchio, Frozen, Peter Pan, 101 Dalmatians, Cinderella, The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, Toy Story, The Incredibles, Finding Nemo, Moana