While DreamWorks still has a long way to go to achieve the cultural spotlight enjoyed by Disney and Pixar, the production house is by no means a newcomer to the animation industry. Several of its films have long since become cinematic landmarks, from the Shrek and Kung Fu Panda franchises to stand-alone movies like Abominable and Megamind.

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Nearly all films made by DreamWorks take their cues from the classic Hero's Journey, but their narratives are occasionally subverted in new and unique ways. In other words, each protagonist is mirrored by a counterpart, an antagonist, a villain whose only purpose is to cause problems for the hero. Given the power they often hold over the other characters, many of these villains are usually quite intelligent.

10 Lord Farquaad Is Self-Centered & Delusional To A Fault — Shrek (2001)

Lord Farquaad from Shrek

Lord Farquaad is a self-centered, xenophobic despot who believes that the entire town of Duloc is his personal property. His bossy nature is obviously a result of overcompensation—mostly deriving from his relatively small size.

Farquaad is more than happy to send his soldiers to their deaths, as long as he obtains a princess in return (without doing any actual work himself). The Shrek dictator is so delusional that he genuinely expects Fiona to fall in love with him, which also means that he's not really all that smart.

9 Mrs. Tweedy's Logical Brain Conflicts With Her Stubbornness — Chicken Run (2000)

Mrs. Tweedy — Chicken Run

Mrs. Tweedy possesses a sharp tongue and an iron fist, subjecting her chickens (and her husband) to a constant torrent of terror. Her business acumen is well-developed, as seen when she suggests purchasing a pie machine in order to improve the farm's financial yield.

Mrs. Tweedy's stubborn attitude and recklessness combine with her rational psyche to produce a paradox. The protagonists take advantage of her internal conflict to shift the tide in their favor.

8 Drago Bludvist's Intelligence Is As Much Of A Threat As His Willpower — How To Train Your Dragon 2 (2014)

Drago Bludvist

The only thing more shocking than Drago Bludvist's bloated ego is his utter lack of basic decency. His greed for power balloons into near-comical proportions, given that he somehow manages to mobilize an all-dragon army under his command.

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On the other hand, the depth and complexity of his military tactics cannot be underestimated, regardless of how cruel and violent his methods might be. Drago's cleverness is as much a threat as his physical strength and willpower.

7 Chantel DuBois' Olfactory Sense & Tracking Techniques Are Downright Incredible — Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (2012)

Madagascar 3 — Chantel Dubois

Chantel DuBois's career with Monaco's animal control department is untainted until Gloria, Marty, Alex, and Melman enter the picture. She uses her highly advanced olfaction to locate and identify her targets with unbelievable accuracy.

In fact, the four heroes escape by the skin of their teeth on several occasions, a sign of Dubois' unwavering dedication to the job. She even secures the "escapees" by the end of Madagascar 3, although her decision to assassinate Alex doesn't play out well for her.

6 Ramses II Displays A Sense Of Wisdom Beyond His Years — The Prince Of Egypt (1998)

Rameses — The Prince of Egypt

Ramses II isn't the typical antagonist because he shares a fraternal bond with the protagonist; still, he continues to exhibit several standard villain tropes.

Even before inheriting the burdens of the Pharaoh, Ramses displayed a sense of wisdom far beyond his years, which is why his father officially proclaims him the Prince Regent of Egypt. Ramses ultimately stands against Moses at the shores of the Red Sea and fails, but only because God's miracles block his path at every turn.

5 Tai Lung Can Improvise In The Most Hopeless Of Situations — Kung Fu Panda (2008)

Tai Lung attacks Po and Shifu

Tai Lung grows from a sweet Snow Leopard cub into a vicious monster, forcing Oogway to neutralize Shifu's beloved pupil. While he finds it very difficult to see past his rage and animosity, Tai Lung's strategic thinking skills remain as sharp as ever.

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He converts a stray feather into a lockpick, twisting it around with his tail until his restraints unspool and his handcuffs crack open. With that said, Tai Lung's arrogance holds him back from understanding the true meaning of the Dragon Scroll.

4 Don Edward Lino's Rational Side Helps Regulate His Hot-Headedness — Shark Tale (2005)

Don Lino — Shark Tale

Don Lino's only weakness is his son, Lenny, explaining why he tries so hard to make the latter a "real" shark. That is until he meets the so-called Sharkslayer Oscar, who eventually helps mend the rift between father and son.

Lino's mafia-esque business takes considerable intelligence to maintain, not to mention how quickly he calms down after Oscar reveals the truth about Frankie (that he was killed by a falling anchor). Lino doesn't let his innate hotheadedness take over his brain's logical circuitry, even if it takes him some time to cool down in stressful scenarios.

3 General Mandible's Incredible Ingenuity Is Geared Towards War  — Antz (1998)

Antz — General Mandible

As the leader of the army, General Mandible's entire existence revolves around war. In fact, his predisposition towards arbitrary violence is a far more integral piece of his personality than the interests of the colony as a whole.

Although the Antz antagonist's creativity and ingenuity are quite impressive, Mandible utilizes his intellect to overthrow the Queen in an attempt to build the perfect colony (composed only of soldiers). The only reason for his inevitable failure is because thousands of ants work in perfect synchrony to escape their death trap.

2 The Fairy Godmother Is Extraordinarily Gifted At Playing The Long Game — Shrek 2 (2004)

Fiona's Fairy Godmother singing in her red dress

The Fairy Godmother is extraordinarily crafty—some of her plans are crafted months or even years in advance. She "helps" Harold by giving him a human form, lording it over him every possible chance she gets.

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There are fan theories suggesting that the Fairy Godmother is responsible for Fiona's ogre curse, which would make sense given her interest in playing the long game. Her schemes are eventually uncovered when her son, diametrically opposite her in the intelligence department, calls the Fairy Godmother "mummy" at the end of Shrek 2.

1 Megamind's Name Is The First Clue To His Intelligence — Megamind (2010)

Megamind enjoying his victory in Megamind movie

Megamind's name itself reveals the extent of the villain's genius, unlike those whose intelligence can only be gauged with the help of contextual clues.

Despite his incompetence as an antagonist, Megamind builds many nifty devices to help him defeat Metroman, from the adorable Brainbots and versatile De-Gun to the seriously questionable Death Ray. Megamind might be socially inept and unable to pronounce basic words, but his brainpower is indisputable.

NEXT: Every Animated DreamWorks Film, Ranked By Box Office Success