When it comes to the dwellings in Disney films, what images first come to mind? Chances are, many fans think of Cinderella's Castle, Elsa's Ice Palace in Arendelle, maybe even Winnie the Pooh's honey tree or the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. What about those characters who do the best to give fans their worst? What about the villains?
Every good villain deserves an evil lair where they might plot their wicked misdeeds, deliver their maniacal monologues, and take their frustrations out on their foolish henchmen. Everyone needs a place to hang their horns, black capes, and evil attire, don't they?
Hell Hall
For a place named Hell Hall, one would think that the creepy mansion owned by 101 Dalmatians' Cruella De Vil would be a little more eccentrically evil. Instead, it's every standard-issue creepy mansion seen in a typical episode of Scooby Doo.
That being said, it is remarkable how much detail and design went into it. In line with the film's sketchbook style, it looks like an early draft of the Haunted Mansion. Inspired by a real-life home, some Disney artists had fun designing this structure.
Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated
Admit it, it's impossible to see this name without hearing the jingle. Some villain lairs are fearsome, some are festive, but Phineas and Ferb's Dr. Doofenshmirtz's place of business and residence is functional.
How many Disney villains can say that their line of work can afford a giant skyscraper in downtown Danville? Although his many machines might not be the most successful, something must be going on in his place of business to turn such a big profit.
Ursula’s Lair
Ursula's lair in The Little Mermaid has two things going for it: it has that giant skeletal sea monster structure that would give any curious mermaid a case of the shivers, and inside, it has the garden of those "poor unfortunate souls."
Props to the designers, as its composition also coordinates with Ursula's purple color scheme. Simply put, all of its sinister sea-themed elements combine to make it one of the most memorable evil locations of the Disney Renaissance.
Yzma’s Secret Lab
When it comes to places for plotting and planning Emperor Kuzco's demise, Yzma's secret lab is perfect. How many Disney villains can say they have an entire rollercoaster as the entrance to their evil lair?
Not only that, but Yzma's lab in The Emperor's New Groove is one of the more colorful ones on this list, relying on bright neon colors, sharp angles, and vibrant designs to reflect her eccentric personality.
Oogie Boogie's Casino
If there is anyone that could give Yzma's lab some serious competition, it's Oogie Boogie's creepy casino in The Nightmare Before Christmas. If Tim Burton were to suddenly decide to give up filmmaking and move to the Las Vegas strip, he'd build a place like this black-lit, skeleton-and-bat-infested house of cards.
Armed with gunslinging slot machines, demonic-looking dice, and a wheel of misfortune, this gruesome gambling den proves the old maxim right. Nobody beats the house.
The Elephant Graveyard
Although it's impossible to say that this particular shade of lime green is a natural occurrence in the savannas of Africa, The Lion King's Scar has it as a key player in his home's design. The elephant graveyard looks less like something out of a Disney movie and more like an 80s metal album cover, especially at the end of "Be Prepared."
It's a dark, shadowy place, littered with the bones of dead elephants and other African wildlife. Where else would an evil lion live?
Salazen Grum
There are a number of Disney villains with creepy castles. Maleficent, the Horned King, and the Evil Queen were all contenders for the spot, but the crown goes to the Red Queen of Alice in Wonderland fame.
Why? How many Disney locations have a literal bloody moat of severed heads? The rest of the castle can be as Wonderland or Burton as can be, but the audience is never going to forget that image. What was this movie rated again?
Dr. Facilier’s Voodoo Emporium
Taking a cue from Oogie Boogie, Dr. Facilier's place of residence and business in The Princess and the Frog is as shadowy and colorful as he is.
The walls are adorned with shrunken heads, voodoo dolls, and tribal masks, there's a Southern Gothic theme to the design, and there's an unmistakable air of black magic to the entire layout. If one were in the market for some seriously potent voodoo, this would be the place to shop.
The Underworld
There are many representations of the underworld and the afterlife in fiction, but for one that breaks with the traditional fire and brimstone motif, look no further than the location of the Lord of the Dead himself, Hades, from the Disney film, Hercules.
Disney's take on the Grecian underworld is not only visually interesting but breaks with the hellfire stereotype. Using the theme of skulls and the River Styx, this gray-green ghoulish location stands out sinisterly from the competition.
Bald Mountain
Is it cheating if the villain in question is his evil lair? Bald Mountain, as seen in Disney's Fantasia, is the dwelling of Chernabog and his legions of darkness. On Walpurgis Night, beavers are treated to a hellish bacchanal of frightening proportions, complete with skeletons, witches, demons, and monsters of all shapes and sizes.
Not many villain dwellings have a literal portal to Hell at its very center. Needless to say, a lair of this scope, scale, and magnitude will always win first prize.