So this is a list of cartoon kings from the big and small screen based on their impact on culture and the movie/series. Both heroes and villains will be considered for this list.
#10: Babar The Elephant- Babar
I had only seen glimpses of “Babar” as a child, so I had never truly watched it. I didn’t realize that the character was actually pretty tragic. His mother was killed by poachers, leading him to flee to Paris. After he is adopted by Madame, he becomes more civil and was able to mix his love for the city with his roots, therefore creating Celesteville, for which he rules over. Probably the best thing about Babar is that he could’ve easily wanted vengeance against the people who killed his mom, and anyone like them. But instead, he let his tragedy turn him into a better person and create a world for both sides of who he is. That is a mark of a king. The only negative trait he took from this incident is his overprotectiveness over his wife and kids. But if you ask me, that’s pretty justified.
#9: King Triton- The Little Mermaid
We all know King Triton as Ariel's weirdly buff father and the ruler of Atlantica. Most of the time we see Triton, he's either chatting with Sebastian or bickering with Ariel. His protectiveness over Ariel is justified. However, destroying her stuff was a bit over the top, and it did lead to her making a dumb decision. But his best moment was when he sacrificed his soul to save Ariel. This moment shows that while his kingdom is important to him, his family is even more important, and he'll do pretty much anything for them. I'll also give him props for letting Ariel go and marry Eric. That was probably hard for him to do as no parent wants to let go of their child. But hey, we can't stay babies forever. It's bound to happen at some point.
#8: King Neptune- Spongebob Squarepants
Neptune in my opinion is King Triton if he were stupid and power-hungry. His first appearance in “Spongebob” was in the episode “Neptune’s Spatula”, when he challenged Spongebob to a cook off. He is shown to be more of a showman than a hard worker, as despite making 1’000 patties, they tasted horrible. His most notable appearance however was in the movie, where he seems to care more about his crown than his subjects or even his daughter. I think it’s safe to say that he’s not the greatest king, but he has shown after learning his lesson both times that he’s open to change which is always good. If this list was ranked on the character's ruling abilities, then he would still be pretty low on this list. But even though his ruling abilities are pretty suck-ish, I won’t deny that Neptune is hilarious to watch.
#7: Kuzco- The Emperor's New Groove
Kuzco might’ve been a total jerk, but he Is absolutely hilarious and is probably the funniest character on this list. He’s also the most savage character on this list as he said some nasty burns to Ezma and there’s literally one scene where he insults an entire line of potential wives for him. That scene was hysterical. Rude but hysterical. Only David Spade could bring so much personality and growth to the character as Kuzco does become a better person throughout the movie without losing his spark. He still has a long way to go as we see in the tv series “The Emperor's New School”. But you still can’t help but root for the guy. Also, Kuzco is also probably the best dancer on this list as he was definitely not afraid to get his groove on throughout the movie.
#6: Ramses- The Prince Of Egypt
Ramses is often seen by fans of the movie as somewhat of a tragic character. While I don’t pity him at all, I understand why people would as the man was under constant pressure from his father. That’s pretty much what drives his ridiculous motives, stubborn personality, and his ice-cold nature towards the Hebrews. The Bible is not very specific on Moses’ relationship with the Pharaoh, which gave the movie freedom for dramatic license. And I think I speak for a lot of people when I say, they used it incredibly. The best part about Ramses character is that it still stays faithful to the Bible but also adds just the right amount of dramatic license without overpowering the Bible. That was probably not easy to do, but it worked.
#5: King Candy/Turbo- Wreck It Ralph
King Candy is responsible for one of the biggest plot twists in Disney history. When we first meet him, he’s seen as the jolly ruler of the Kingdom Of Sugar Rush with something against Vanellope. At first we were led to believe that it was for her own good. But even that was a load of crap. Not only did he reprogram the game, but he’s not even from the game. His reveal as Turbo was done INCREDIBLY as I genuinely did not see that coming. It’s also one of Disney’s most well written twists as it added even a little bit of sympathy for the character and made us somewhat believe that his intentions were good, but still adding some small details that something wasn’t quite right. He may not be an actual king, but he sure as Hell knew how to keep people guessing.
#4: The Ice King- Adventure Time
This might be an unfair pick as I was never a fan of “Adventure Time” due to it being a little too weird (even for Cartoon Network’s case). But what really put the Ice King on the list was my surprise at the all of a sudden change towards how fans look at his character. Originally, he was just a regular person named Simon Petrikov and was engaged to be married. But that all changed when he found an enchanted crown. As he wore it more frequently, he began to lose his memories, including that of his fiancée and his friendship with Marceline. I find this surprising because he seemed pretty incompetent in my eyes. It also makes his obsession with finding a princess kind of sad as well, as he didn’t remember that he had a true love already. That is quite depressing.
#3: Jack Skellington- The Nightmare Before Christmas
For my next pick, we have the one known as “The Pumpkin King”. And for good reason, as he’s responsible for planning Halloween every year for Halloweentown. I think it’s safe to say he’s pretty good at his job, except when it comes to planning Christmas. While he seems to understand it to an extent, he could not resist adding some horror elements to it. And I get if people get bored at doing the same thing over and over again but trying to take over Christmas is a really bad idea. Thankfully, he understood that and was able to make things right. I will give props to Jack for not only owning up to his mistakes, but also trying to fix them as well. Hopefully next time he has an over-the-top idea, he’ll start listening to Sally more. That’s probably not guaranteed, but it is the way it is.
#2: Fire Lord Ozai- Avatar: The Last Airbender
As someone with Zuko as her all-time favorite character from Avatar, it would be pretty easy to list all the things wrong with his piece of trash of a father Ozai. He’s the literal definition of a tyrant and is probably the most power-hungry character on this list. Of all the fire lords of the nation, he’s the one who almost succeeded in winning the 100-year war. That’s pretty scary. His tyrant behavior has also extended to how he raises his kids as well, as he treats Zuko like dirt. And while he did favor Azula, it was shown in the last episode that even Azula was nothing more than a toy for him and his plans. Fire Lord Ozai: Horrible king, horrible father, but a good villain. He’s #2 for a reason, which would probably piss the so-called “Phoenix King” off (Not that I care).
And Like Always, here are some honorable mentions.........
-He's kind off bland, but decent - Incompetent, but well-meaning
-He's a jerk, but well-meaning - This guy is kinda aweseome
-It's obvious where Merida gets her traits from -A bit brutal, but well meaning
- ZEUS!!!!!!!!
#1: Mufasa- The Lion King
Coming as a surprise to absolutely no one, the King Of Pride Rock tops my list. Voiced by a king himself Mr. James Earl Jones, Mufasa rules Pride Rock with both an iron and gentle fist. It is clear from the beginning of the film that he only wants what’s best for his kingdom and his family. Particularly Simba, whom he wastes no time teaching the circle of life. Hell, not even death stopped him from giving his son advice. Also I think it’s safe to say that Simba was not the only one crying over his death (#saddestcartoondeathEVER!). Mufasa was a true king in more ways than one. His presence was truly majestic, and he demanded respect each and every time he was on the screen (and it was well earned). It's just hard not to love him (unlike his brother). Mufasa is the true GOAT and deserves my #1.
Like always there's a link to the google slides down below. Thanks for reading.
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1aQXVUnrVV-A3wf2ucpZw0mS0eguLj-0LtAyKOfjLHrI/edit?usp=sharing
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