Part of what makes the best Disney movies so much fun is their magnetic villains. Most of the lesser Disney villains are just boring. Only one is deeply irritating.

The worst Disney villain came from an awful Tim Burton movie

Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass are likely the most acclaimed children’s books ever written. Walt Disney incorporated elements of both into his beloved film Alice in Wonderland in 1951. In 2010, Tim Burton changed the history of The Walt Disney Company by directing a live-action remake of the 1951 film. Since then, the studio has been cranking out numerous remakes of their most famous cartoons.

Burton’s film received a lukewarm reception from his fans, Disney fans, and Carroll’s fans. The film’s deviations from Carroll’s books and abrasive visual style were too much for many viewers. However, these weren’t the worst aspects of the film.

The movie combined the Queen of Hearts and the Duchess from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and the Red Queen from Through the Looking-Glass into a new character named Iracebeth (played by Helen Bonham Carter). She’s an immature adult with an oversized head who never stops screaming. It’s bad enough when children don’t stop shrieking. Watching an actor as talented as Carter do the same is just embarrassing.

The best Disney villains, like Ursula or Gaston, are funny and threatening. Iracebeth is too obnoxious for words. While she’s very goofy, none of her lines are remotely amusing. Furthermore, does anyone want to watch such a hideous character?

Who do we blame for such an awful Disney villain?

It would have been all too easy to remove Iracebeth from the sequel, Alice Through the Looking Glass. After all, the movie has a new villain called Time. Yet, Iracebeth is still there. 

Cater doesn’t deserve the blame for this travesty of a villain. She’s insufferable, but she’s just doing what the script required of her. Screenwriter Linda Woolverton, who previously penned Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, should have known better.

What Helena Bonham Carter was thinking

During a 2010 interview with JoBlo, Carter discussed working with Burton to create the character. “Simplicity is always a big thing with him,” she said. “He’ll always go for the least over-the-top choice. So on the whole, we are learning better and better how to work with each other ’cause it is definitely a different pressure because we are with each other. 

“So we tend to have a conversation before we actually get to set about something,” she added. “He gives you a few pointers, reference points for each character beforehand. So there is Mommie Dearest and Elizabeth I, Bette Davis was one of his things. 

“And he always draws something, so it always starts with a drawing with him, so you’ve got a little sketch,” Carter continued. “That’s why he said, ‘Oh, it’s got to be you because I drew you.’ And you’re like, ‘Oh, that’s me?’ This huge-headed, angry person with really hyperactive eyebrows. And you’re like, ‘OK, that’s me… how is this me now, nine years into the relationship.’ [Laughing] ‘Oh, marvelous!’”

Burton tried to craft a character who wasn’t over-the-top and crafted a massive annoyance in the process.