From sinister stop-motion tunes to Disney classics, these animated sidekicks and minions delivered some unexpectedly amazing musical performances! Join us as we celebrate the catchiest and most memorable songs performed by animated baddies' loyal followers. Which villainous backup singer is your favorite?
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00:00We're painting the roses red, go tell the queen what you have seen, or say, that's what we said.
00:05Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the top 10 best bangers sung by villainous sidekicks and henchmen in animated movies.
00:14You're playing with the big boys now.
00:18Fight.
00:20Number 10, Other Father Song, Coraline.
00:23In this sinister stop-motion animation film, the eponymous Coraline finds herself in a different dimension, full of button-eyed doppelgangers full of her family and friends.
00:34The Other Mother is the perfect Stepford mom, while her other father is never too busy to talk, and he also plays the piano.
00:42Or at least, the piano plays him.
00:45This piano plays me.
00:47The Other Father Song is entertaining and sweet, but there's also some foreshadowing here.
00:52She's as cute as a button in the eyes of everyone who ever laid their eyes on Coraline.
01:00He sings, Our Eyes Will Be on Coraline, hinting at the Other Mother's plans to literally sew buttons onto our heroine's eyes.
01:08When she comes around, it's boring, mom, and I will never, ever make it boring.
01:12Our eyes will be on Coraline.
01:16Number 9, Where There's a Whip, There's a Way, The Return of the King.
01:20J.R.R. Tolkien's novels are packed full of songs, and the Rankin-Bass animated movies really embraced the music.
01:28The Hobbit gives us a couple of numbers for the goblins, with lyrics straight from the book.
01:32They had no wings, or what shall we do?
01:37With the funny little things, or what shall we do?
01:41However, the catchiest song of the canon has to be Where There's a Whip, There's a Way, from 1980's The Return of the King.
01:49The lyricists took a throwaway line of Tolkien's and crafted a memorable marching song for Sauron's orc army.
01:55It may humanize these villainous henchmen more than we're strictly comfortable with, but we're here for the dark humor and the vibes.
02:10We don't wanna go to war today, but the Lord of the Lashers says, oh, nay, nay, nay.
02:18Number 8, I'm Looking Out for Me, The Return of Jafar.
02:22The Aladdin sequels can't boast the musical stylings of Ashman and Mencken, but there are still some fun songs, especially for the bad guys.
02:31The third movie has a couple of group numbers for the henchmen, and Aladdin's induction into The Forty Thieves is a highlight.
02:38And if you like to work, you're gonna love this work.
02:41Welcome to The Forty Thieves.
02:43Meanwhile, the saving grace of The Return of Jafar is Gilbert Gottfried's Iago, and he gets his own solo in this one.
03:03Arrivederci, c'est la vie, hope all goes well, I'm looking out for me.
03:10Once the wisecracking sidekick to the villainous Grand Vizier, in I'm Looking Out for Me, Iago asserts his independence, and when he does it alone, he does it with style.
03:21Number 7, Marry the Mole, Thumbelina.
03:34Thumbelina faces her fair share of villains and villainesses, but the most memorable is Miss Fieldmouse, wingwoman to Mr. Mole.
03:41In your typical fairy tale, true love is often the goal, so what could be more wicked than suggesting Thumbelina marry for money?
03:49How could I possibly marry Mr. Mole? I don't love him.
03:55Love. Love is what we read about in books, my dear.
04:00Sung by Broadway legend Carol Channing and composed by Barry Manilow, Miss Fieldmouse's signature solo is a certified banger full of witty lyrics and sly humor.
04:11Cause love won't pay the mortgage or put porridge in your bowl, dearie, marry the mole.
04:19Marry the Mole bagged Thumbelina its one and only award, a golden raspberry for Worth's song, which we consider a gross injustice.
04:27It's a great number, firmly tongue-in-cheek, but delivered with flair.
04:32L is for money.
04:34Oh, L E.
04:36Number 6. Kidnap the Sandy Claws, The Nightmare Before Christmas.
04:41In Tim Burton's creepy classic, Santa Claus is kidnapped by Lock, Shock, and Barrel, also known as Oogie Boogie's Boys.
04:48I say that we take a cannon, aim it at his door, and then knock three times and when he answers, Sandy Claws will be no more.
04:55This trio of trick-or-treaters are henchmen to the evil Oogie Boogie Man, but are said to capture Santa Claus on the orders of Jack Skellington.
05:03Throw him in the ocean, and see if he is back, because Mr. Oogie Boogie is the meanest guy around.
05:10If he might work on his boogie list, I'd get out of town.
05:16As they set out on their wicked mission, they sing about all the ways they might carry out their plan,
05:21and what they're going to do to Mr. Christmas when they catch him.
05:25Lock him in the kitchen, then throw away the key.
05:29It all sounds very dramatic, but when it comes to the point, they just knock on his door and throw him in a sack.
05:39Trick-or-treat!
05:42Number 5. The World's Greatest Criminal Mind, The Great Mouse Detective.
05:48Every great hero needs a worthy nemesis, and all good villains need an epic villain song.
05:53Professor Rattigan is the Moriarty to Basil of Baker Street's Sherlock Holmes.
05:57With an intimidating physique and a personality to match, the Victorian villain is best remembered for his rousing chorus led by his loyal henchmen.
06:06In my great criminal brain.
06:09Even meaner, you mean it.
06:12Rattigan himself kicks off the number, listing his former dastardly deeds and suggesting that his new plan will outstrip them all.
06:20To Rattigan! To Rattigan! The World's Greatest Criminal Mind!
06:26His gang sings Rattigan's praises, but woe betide any underling who dares to suggest their boss might be an actual rat.
06:35He's just a very big mouse. Obviously.
06:38What did you call me?
06:40Oh, he didn't mean it, professor.
06:42It was just a slip of the tongue.
06:44I am not corrupt!
06:46Of course you're not. You're a mouse.
06:47Yeah, that's right, right. A mouse.
06:49Yeah, a big mouse.
06:50Silence!
06:51Number 4. Trust in Me, the Jungle Book.
06:55Although not strictly a sidekick, Ka the Snake is one of the Jungle Book's secondary villains and Shere Khan's fellow predator.
07:03The terrible tiger is searching for Mowgli, but when the man-cub strays into Ka's path, the snake can't help but keep such a tasty treat for himself.
07:12Trust in me, just in me.
07:21In a movie featuring some upbeat Sherman Brothers songs, Trust in Me, with its slow psychedelic jazz theme, is an effective change of pace.
07:29Slowly and surely, your senses will cease to resist.
07:37The song is intended to send Ka's prey into a deep sleep, and it would have worked, too, if he wasn't interrupted.
07:44Trust in me.
07:47Oh, now what? I'll be right down.
07:59Number 3. Hi Diddle Dee Dee, Pinocchio.
08:03Pinocchio is essentially a morality tale that teaches kids to listen to their conscience and stay in school, resisting the evils of drink, pool, and cigars.
08:12The first dodgy characters to lead our hero from the straight and narrow are Honest John and his accomplice, Gideon.
08:19And with that personality, that profile, that physique, why he's a natural-born actor.
08:26Hey, Gideon.
08:27The pair persuade Pinocchio that his life's ambition is to be an actor, and with the help of a catchy little song called Hi Diddle Dee Dee, they usher him into the path of Stromboli the puppeteer.
08:37Hi Diddle Dee Dee, an actor's life for me.
08:41A high silk hammer, a silver cane, a watch of gold with a diamond chain.
08:45The tune becomes synonymous with temptation, as John later returns to lure Pinocchio into the clutches of a new and more frightening master, the Coachman of Pleasure Island.
08:56Hi Diddle Dee, an actor's life is gay.
08:59It's great to be a celebrity, an actor's life for me.
09:03Honest John is not officially a henchman, but he certainly aids the more sinister Stromboli and Coachman.
09:09Number 2, Playing With The Big Boys, The Prince of Egypt.
09:13This DreamWorks classic has a fantastic soundtrack, and has even been made into a stage musical.
09:19But one of our favorite songs didn't make the cut on stage.
09:23Playing With The Big Boys is sung by two of Ramses' priests, Hotep and Hoy, in response to Moses' first demonstration of his connection with God.
09:31Every spell and gesture tells you who's the best.
09:36You're playing with the big boys now.
09:39The priests deploy all their arts of showmanship and trickery to prove that the ancient Egyptian gods are the ones with the real power.
09:47Playing With The Big Boys, Playing With The Big Boys, Playing With The Big Boys, Playing With The Big Boys now.
09:53It's not the best song in the movie, but it's still a great time.
09:57And it's sung with the required drama by voice actors Steve Martin and Martin Short.
10:02When I heard the voice of Steve Martin, I thought they fit very well together.
10:07Yes, your greatness. It's not your fault your sons learn nothing.
10:11And Hoy, with Martin Short, I thought it worked very well.
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10:30Number 1. Gaston, Beauty and the Beast.
10:34What else could possibly top this list but one of Disney's all-time best villain songs led by Gaston's loyal henchman LeFou?
10:41Looking so down in the dumps.
10:45Every guy here'd love to be you, Gaston.
10:48With music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman, and vocals from Jesse Cordy and Richard White,
10:53Gaston is a riotous drinking song calculated to improve the mood of the boorish villain.
10:59I'm especially good at extract a rating.
11:0310 points for Gaston.
11:05It's lively, funny, and full of memorable lines.
11:09The scene was recreated to great effect in the live-action remake,
11:12which included verses cut from the animated version.
11:15It just occurred to me that I'm illiterate and I've never actually had to spell it out loud before.
11:22The reprise has some great one-liners too.
11:25With its rowdy chorus, fun details, and off-the-wall lyrics, we're giving top marks to Gaston.
11:31Lots like Gaston takes cheap shots like Gaston.
11:34Plants to persecute harmless crackpots like Gaston.
11:38Which is your favorite, and which other animated henchmen would you like to see get a song of their own?
11:43Let us know in the comments.
11:44Do you agree with our picks?
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