Top 5 Movie Witches (Kid-friendly)

Tis the season for some spooky fun. Here is a list of my top 5 movie witches to share with the little ones in your life. Disclaimer: all the witches on this list have been carefully vetted by the children in my life.

Credit: Studio Ghibli, Yubaba

Credit: Studio Ghibli, Zeniba

5. Yubaba (Spirited Away)

Spirited Away is not a traditional Halloween movie. It does, however, contain many spooky elements. First, we have the spirits that use the bathhouse. And then there is No-Face who eats people whole. To top that all off there is Yubaba, the witch who rules the bathhouse. She steals people’s names and is very greedy. Her sister, Zeniba, is also a witch, but she is a good witch. Zeniba’s house has the feel of a classic witch house: it’s in a swamp, it has an enchanted light post, it’s in a dark forest. But, inside it’s cozy and nice.

Credit: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

4. Wicked Witch of the West (Wizard of Oz)

This witch is a classic. The Wicked Witch of the West from the Wizard of Oz is the epitome of witchiness. She has a long nose, green skin, dresses in all black, and most importantly, melts when water is poured on her. She is what all witches aspire to be, at least in looks. Also, she has troops of flying monkeys that obey her commands. That’s pretty cool too.

Credit: Studio Ghibli

3. Kiki (Kiki’s Delivery Service)

Kiki’s Delivery Service features a 13 year old witch who has to learn, as part of her apprenticeship, how to make her way in the world. Kiki wears a black dress, typical of witches, and flies on a broom. She also has a black cat. Because of these classic witch elements, Kiki definitely earns her place on this list.

Credit: Disney

2. Madam Mim (The Sword in the Stone)

The Sword in the Stone is a classic Disney movie featuring a young Arthur Pendragon and his adventures with Merlin. Madam Mim is the antagonist, causing trouble for the duo. She uses her magic to transform herself into all sorts of animals including a dragon, to make herself invisible or stealthy, and to make herself look younger. She takes pleasure in killing plants and hoping visitors have contracted something fatal. Mim is petty and dark; her use of spells for general meanness have earned her a spot on this list.

Credit: Disney

1. Sanderson Sisters (Hocus Pocus)

Nothing is meaner or witchier than trying to kidnap a bunch of children so that you can steal their youth. The movie starts in the 1700s with the Sanderson sisters doing exactly that. They steal the youth of a little girl and transform her brother into a black cat. Then they are hung and while being tied up cast a spell that will bring them back. Two hundred years later this comes to pass, and the Sanderson sisters are once again on a quest to steal youth from all of the children in the town. As you can tell from reading the sentences prior, the sisters are very witchy. Killing children? Check. Hung for being witches? Check. Casting spells? Double check. Once back they fly around town bewitching the adults and luring children to them. Thankfully our protagonists are there to prevent the sisters from completing their plans. Three sisters means three times the witchiness earning them a well deserved first place on this list.

Honorable Mentions:

• Many Disney princess movies: Snow White has the Evil Queen, Sleeping Beauty has Maleficent, The Little Mermaid has Ursula
• The Witch of the Waste in Howl’s Moving Castle
• Any number of witches in the Harry Potter series but especially Hermione Granger and Professor McGonagall
• Glenda the Good Witch also from Wizard of Oz
• Miss Eglantine Price, an amateur witch from Bedknobs and Broomsticks

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