Movie villains are some of the most important characters in any film; having an antagonist who creates conflict for the main character can be integral to a film’s plot. Many times, the negativity and self-doubt that villains bring about help to reveal a protagonist’s flaws, where they must work to overcome their own shortcomings to achieve a mission, get the girl, or save the day.
Yet, while including a villain can ensure that a movie has a continuing, overt conflict, having a villain isn’t always necessary. In fact, many films do not include an antagonist at all and find ways to drum up the conflict without placing a target on any one character’s back. Whether it’s by showing a character’s internal struggle or by showing two misunderstood people butting heads, plots without an antagonist can defy audience expectations while still having a huge emotional payout in the end.
From Castaway to Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, we list some of our favorite movies that don’t include a villain.
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15 Inside Out (2015)
Walt Disney Studios
2015’s Inside Out follows a young girl named Riley and the people-like emotions that live inside her head: Joy, Anger, Fear, Disgust, and Sadness. When Riley begins to lose all of her happy memories and fall into a deep depression, Joy fights to protect Riley’s innocence and shields her from negative emotions like sadness. Yet, in the end, Joy and Riley realize the importance of negative emotions and how sadness, joy, fear, disgust, and anger can all live in tandem.
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There is no villain in this Disney story. The main conflict stems from Riley, a character who the audience actively roots for. Though Joy and Sadness clash, both characters are well-intentioned and ultimately learn to work together in Riley’s best interest.
14 Castaway (2000)
20th Century Fox
Tom Hanks plays Chuck Noland, a man who miraculously survives a horrible plane crash in the film Castaway. When Chuck, the sole survivor of the accident, washes ashore on a remote island, he must battle to survive and make it back to his former life. Accompanied only by a volleyball he aptly names Wilson, Chuck is stranded alone for 4 years with no human contact.
Chuck’s intense and jarring story of survival does not need an antagonist. Watching as Chuck taps into his primal instincts and struggles to come to terms with the tragedy at hand is heart-wrenching, making this story intense enough on its own without a villain.
13 Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
Paramount Pictures
Top Gun: Maverick took theaters by storm in the summer of 2022. Released as a sequel over 20 years after the original, the story follows the main character Maverick as he returns to Top Gun as a veteran flyer; here, he teaches a new class of pilots how to complete what seems like an impossible mission. As he develops a closer bond with his team of flyers, Maverick must overcome his guilt of the past to ensure the success of the mission.
Top Gun: Maverick is a story that follows the good guys as they fight for the safety of the world. Maverick and Cyclone go back and forth, however, neither is inherently evil, and their interactions are more comical than anything else. Yet while some characters rarely see eye to eye, they are all working with the same end goal in mind.
12 Soul (2020)
Pixar
Soul takes a surprisingly profound premise and adapts it to suit a children’s movie. The story follows Joe Gardner as he chases his dream of becoming a jazz musician. Yet, when Joe finds himself on the brink of death, he is transported to a land where new souls go to find their purpose and in turn, make it down to Earth. Joe meets an old soul named 22 who has been unsuccessful in her attempts to find a life’s purpose.
Though both Joe and 22 create central conflict in the film, they are both lovable characters who ultimately come to understand one another; their complex relationship is the perfect vehicle through which the film’s message is delivered in the end.
11 Grease (1978)
One of the greatest movie musicals of all time, 1978’s Grease follows a group of teenagers as they experience the highs and lows of high school in the 1950s. Danny and Sandy are two of the main characters, who fall in love and change to suit one another’s needs. As a transfer student from Australia, Sandy starts the film out as the typical girl next door, beautiful but reserved at her new school. Danny is a greaser, outgoing, and looking for a girl who can match his macho-man energy.
Sandy and Danny are able to make it work in the end, but not without a few confrontations. One can argue that Rizzo, another high school girl who frequently made fun of Sandy, was the movie’s antagonist. However, Rizzo clearly experiences her own trauma and often garners sympathy from viewers as a misunderstood bad girl. Regardless, the characters are able to come together in the end in a now iconic final dance scene.
10 Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (1987)
Paramount Pictures Studios
The 1987 film Planes, Trains, and Automobiles is full of slapstick humor and outrageous comedy. The story follows two men named Del and Neal as they struggle to make it home to Chicago from New York City. With a slew of diversions and delays, the two men find themselves on a cross-country adventure with a new obstacle around every corner.
Here, there is no need for a villain. The ridiculous antics between Del and Neal create enough hysterical conflict as is. Both men have outbursts and contribute to the challenges that prevent them from making it home, however, the two come out of the experience as friends.
9 The Notebook (2004)
New Line Cinema
The Notebook is a love story for the ages. Viewers watch as Ally, a privileged teen, and Noah, a small-town boy, fall in love as kids and reunite as adults. When the two are eventually driven apart by Ally’s disapproving parents, she starts a relationship with a handsome man named Lon but never forgets her first love, Noah.
Ally’s mother may appear controlling and cold at first, however, she is shown to want to protect her daughter’s heart rather than break it. Even when Ally leaves her fiancé, Lon, for Noah, he lets her go without creating a larger conflict. Without a villain, the film can focus solely on Noah and Ally’s love and place importance on their connection over all else.
8 My Neighbor Totoro (1988)
Studio Ghibli
My Neighbor Totoro is an anime film that follows two sisters, Satsuki and Mei, as they befriend a creature named Totoro. Totoro, who comes from a large tree inhabited by spirits, at first only shows himself to Mei. Eventually, Satsuki is able to see Totoro as well and begins to form a close bond with the large spirit creature.
With Satsuki and Mei’s mother in the hospital, the girls find themselves overwhelmed by the situation causing Mei to run off after an argument. Totoro helps the girls reunite, bringing the film to a close in a lighthearted way.
7 Eat Pray Love (2010)
Sony Pictures Releasing
Eat Pray Love follows a woman named Elizabeth Gilbert as she realizes her discontent with her life and marriage. Despite seemingly having it all, Elizabeth abandons the life she knows, divorces her husband, and sets off on a round-the-world trip to discover herself. She spends a prolonged amount of time in Italy, India, and Indonesia where she immerses herself in new cultures and even starts up a budding romance.
The story is all about self-discovery; without an antagonist, viewers can focus solely on the struggles and realizations of the main character Elizabeth and follow along as she finds meaning through her experiences.
6 50 First Dates (2004)
Sony Pictures Releasing
50 First Dates stars Drew Barrymore as Lucy, a woman with short-term memory loss, and Adam Sandler as Henry, a man who falls head over heels for her. Lucy’s condition prevents her from retaining memories of the previous day and keeps her stuck in the past, remembering only the life she lived before her traumatic accident. Henry must make her fall in love with him every single day and learn to handle her condition that seemingly makes their connection doomed to fail.
The only true antagonist is Lucy’s condition; her short-term memory loss makes it impossible for her to even remember Henry’s name, let alone that they are in a relationship. However, the movie is as silly as it is endearing and is the perfect watch for lovers of the classic rom-com.
5 Finding Nemo (2003)
Another Disney entry to this list, Finding Nemo is the lovable tale about an ocean adventure. Set in the Great Barrier Reef, Marlin and his son Nemo live a sheltered life. When Nemo is abruptly taken, Marlin must go on a wild ocean chase alongside his new friend Dory to bring Nemo home.
Though the film is certainly full of questionable characters like Dr. Sherman and Darla, neither is inherently bad. Darla, who is known to terrorize her pet fish, is ultimately just a young girl with a little too much energy. Similarly, Dr. Sherman only takes Nemo to give as a gift to his niece and doesn’t realize the negative consequences of his actions. Overall, Finding Nemo focuses on the bond between a father and his son, not the actions of some villainous figure.
4 Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)
Paramount Pictures
The original 1971 production Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory may not have a villain, but it certainly has some zany characters. Here, we see a group of lucky golden ticket-holders as they tour the elusive chocolate factory of Willy Wonka, a man known for his private lifestyle and candy-making genius.
Though children like Augustus Gloop and Veruca Salt certainly create trouble, their actions are merely bratty rather than sinister. The strange nature of Wonka’s factory is enough to drive the plot forward without a main antagonist; following as each scene twists and turns with chocolate rivers, fizzy lifting bubbles, and oompa loompas is enough to keep viewers of all ages laughing and on the edge of their seat.
3 Elf (2003)
The 2003 film Elf is all about spreading Christmas cheer. When Buddy, a man who was adopted and raised by Santa’s elves, seeks out his birth father, he takes on New York City and must learn to adapt to life as a human. Though Buddy’s father, Walter, is at first abrasive and dismissive of Buddy’s attempts to connect, the pair are able to forge a relationship even after a slew of awkward confrontations.
Walter is a redeemable character who proves himself to be a good person, despite his initial nasty attitude toward Buddy; in the final scene, Walter even helps get the local New Yorkers to spread Christmas cheer in order to save Santa’s sleigh. Elf is a hysterical holiday classic that can certainly be enjoyed at any time of the year.
2 Forrest Gump (1994)
1994’s Forrest Gump stars Tom Hanks as the titular character, a slow-witted man who leads an optimistic life despite the challenges he faces. The film sees Forrest as he recounts his entire life story for a stranger on a bench. From fighting in Vietnam to meeting the President, Forrest lives a life full of adventure. However, his relationship with his first love Jenny is a troubled one, that ultimately sees Forrest down a path of obsession and depression.
Jenny certainly creates conflict for Forrest whether intentionally or not. However, she herself is a troubled person, fighting her own internal battles that Forrest simply cannot save her from. This in no way makes her a villain however; her sympathetic situation makes her a complex character who many are rooting for in the end.
1 Mamma Mia (2008)
Universal Pictures
There is perhaps no movie musical as upbeat and colorful as 2008’s Mamma Mia. The story focuses on the mother-daughter duo Sophie and Donna as they plan a wedding in the Greek islands; Sophie, who does not know who her father is, invites three of her potential dads to the upcoming wedding. To Donna’s surprise and horror, she must come face to face with the three men of her past after years of no contact.
With hit songs by the group Abba, Mamma Mia is a disco-filled story about growing up and moving on. Donna’s three ex-lovers are all well-intentioned people who jump at the opportunity to meet a daughter they never knew existed. Donna, who struggles to come to terms with the predicament, learns to overcome her past and make amends. In the end, Sophie, Donna, and the men experience positive character arcs that help make this film a classic for years to come.
