While many people associate Disney with princesses and fairy tales, there have also been many witches that have appeared in Disney movies and television shows throughout the years. Although these characters were almost exclusively used as villains in the early days of Disney, Disney's portrayal of witches has expanded to include good, evil, and neutral magic users.
Some characters, such as Maleficent or the Genie, are iconic Disney figures who use magic but are not classified as witches. However, within the category of witches, witch doctors, and sea witches, there are plenty of compelling and entertaining characters from the world of film and television.
Madam Mim
Appearing in the animated film The Sword in the Stone, Madam Mim is a wicked and villainous witch who uses her magic abilities to make life miserable for others. She demonstrates some considerable power as she is able to transform herself into several different forms, including a dragon.
She is a cruel and foul woman who despises anything wholesome, such as sunshine. As a foil for Merlin, she proves herself to be a worthy opponent who simply gets outsmarted by the famous wizard.
The Cromwells
At the center of the Halloweentown movies is the Cromwell-Piper family, three generations of powerful witches. Though Gwen initially tries to keep her mother from training her kids to be witches, Aggie eventually helps Marnie, Sophie, and Dylan learn to use their powers.
Despite being outsiders, the kids grow to become powerful magic users throughout the film series as they do battle with Kalabar. They show a natural proclivity for magic and learn to use their powers in short order. Additionally, their strong family bond only magnifies their abilities.
Tia Dalma
First appearing in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Tia Dalma is a mystic magic user who is revealed to be the human form of the sea goddess Calypso, bound to this form after she betrayed Davy Jones and was enprisoned by the Brethren Court.
In the films, she demonstrates immense power such as divination, control over the weather, and shape-shifting. On pure magic powers alone, Tia Dalma is one of the strongest characters in Disney history. However, her unpredictable and unstable personality prevents her from fully utilizing her abilities.
Agatha Harkness
After initially pretending to be just another trapped citizen of Westview, it is revealed that Agatha is actually a powerful witch who single-handed defeated her entire coven and has a plan to absorb Wanda's powers. With hundreds of years of experience and practice, Agatha is a polished and refined witch who is easily capable of defeating most magic users.
She is also a skilled manipulator who is able to lie her way into Wanda's inner circle. While she is shown to be more powerful than almost every other witch, she is eventually outsmarted by Wanda. In her upcoming spinoff, fans are hoping to see her redeem herself and prove she is more than just a villain.
Dr. Facilier
After growing up poor, the villainous Dr. Failier became a powerful voodoo witch doctor who uses his connection to the dark loa to swindle people. This culminates in his master plan to sacrifice the citizens of New Orleans to his "friends on the other side" in exchange for immense wealth and power.
His access to this dark magic gives him fortune-telling, spell-casting, and voodoo abilities that he uses with great efficiency. But because he is not fully in control of the magic, he is always one costly mistake away from becoming a victim of his own source of power.
Jadis The White Witch
As the titular witch in the first Chronicles of Narnia movie, the White Witch is a fierce and terrifying magic user who is able to put a curse on the entire land, plunging Narnia into an eternal winter. She is a cruel and powerful tyrant who deals harshly with anyone who opposes her.
The White Witch is a great classic representation of the stereotypical dark magic user who uses her abilities for her own selfish gain. As powerful and intimidating as she may be, she is prophesied to lose and is eventually undone by Aslan and his understanding of the Deep Magic.
The Sanderson Sisters
The cult classic Hocus Pocus focuses on the Sanderson sisters, a trio of witches from the late 1600s who come back to life on Halloween night in 1993 and have one night to steal the souls of children in order to live.
They are wicked and powerful, capable of putting people into trances or transforming them into animals. The power of their magic allows them to even return for the dead, demonstrating their considerable abilities. However, they are ultimately outsmarted and defeated by a group of children.
The Evil Queen
As the antagonist of Disney's first animated feature film, the Evil Queen from Snow White and the Seven Dwarves helped establish the formula for how the studio would portray villains. She has the signature evil plan, the sinister look, and an iconic Disney villain laugh.
The Evil Queen is able to use her abilities to deceive and poison Snow White. Though she ends up dying in the process, she is able to successfully execute her plan of getting Snow White to eat the poison apple.
Ursula
The sea witch Ursula is a devious and theatrical trickster who takes advantage of the desire of others. In her iconic Disney villain theme song, she positions herself as just a means to an end for the "poor unfortunate souls" that come to visit her.
Her magic is incredibly powerful and binding as she is able to transform and imprison people. She is also capable of making herself grow to an intimidatingly large size. With her manipulative nature and impressive abilities, she is one of Disney's most menacing magic users.
Scarlet Witch
While most Disney witches are portrayed as either completely good or entirely wicked, Scarlet Witch is the most nuanced and complex witch in the Disney pantheon. Scarlet Witch has done some awful things, such as holding the people of Westview hostage, she is never shown to be an evil character.
She is one of the most powerful beings in the MCU, nearly singlehandedly defeating Thanos, who has a good heart and wants to do the right thing but is deeply impacted by her grief. Because of her immense power and nuanced morality, Scarlet Witch is an incredibly compelling character and the best witch in any Disney movie or television show.