Since the 1920s, Disney has been responsible for creating some of the most beloved characters on the silver screen.
They feel whole and interesting despite being animated!
Can you name some of the most popular Disney characters starting with M?
Disney characters that start with M include Mickey and Minnie Mouse, monster Mike, Mowgli, Marlin, princesses Moana and Merida, Megara, Mei Lee, Miguel Rivera, and Milo of Atlantis.
There is also the Mad Hatter and the March Hare, Maid Marian, Merlin, and Mufasa. Plus, the villains Maleficent, Madam Medusa, and the witch Madam Mim.
Read on for a complete list of Disney characters beginning with M.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Young MacGuffin (Brave)
Young MacGuff is one of the many sons of local chiefs who arrive in the kingdom as a suitor for Princess Merida.
He is a gentle giant and speaks in a dialect that most people can’t understand. His father is often explaining what exactly he has just said.
Machiavelli (Luca)
Guilia’s dad has a pet cat called Machiavelli, named after the infamous Italian strategist.
Machiavelli is the first member of Guilia’s family to realize that Luca and Alberto are sea monsters, and he is naturally suspicious of them.
Read more: Luca Characters Ages & Heights
Lord Macintosh (Brave)
Lord Macintosh is a little strange, even when compared to the other Scottish nobles that turn up with their son to court Princess Merida.
He is almost always clad in his blue war paint and claims to be ready for battle at any moment.
But he seems to be more talk than action.
Young Macintosh (Brave)
Young Macintosh is the confident young son of Lord Macintosh who arrives to seek the hand of Princess Merida in marriage.
While he is a nice person, he has a very high opinion of himself and does not deal well with failure or being laughed at.
Mack (Cars)
Mack is Lightning McQueen’s closest friend.
He is also the racer’s transport vehicle and takes the smaller car to all his events.
He is very loyal to McQueen and firmly believes that he is going to win every race.
Mad Hatter (Alice in Wonderland)
The Mad Hatter is one of the characters that Alice meets during her adventure in Wonderland.
She attends a tea party that the Hatter is throwing with the March Hare and the Dormouse.
They are initially reluctant to let Alice join them until they realize that it is also her unbirthday.
Maggie (Home on the Range)
Maggie must leave her home farm when all the other cows are stolen by cattle rustler Alameda Slim.
Instead, she finds herself on the Little Patch of Heaven Farm.
When Slim shows up here, Maggie is determined to protect the farm, with a little help from the other animals.
Major (Cinderella)
Major is a horse who originally belonged to Cinderella’s father, but he gave the horse to her before his sudden death.
The fairy godmother transforms him into the coachman of Cinderella’s magical coach, but he is able to pull her carriage as a horse for her wedding.
Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty)
Maleficent is a malevolent fairy who is upset when the king and queen do not invite her to the christening of their new baby Aurora.
In retaliation, Maleficent curses the infant so that she will prick her finger on a spinning wheel and die before her 16th birthday.
While other fairies work to protect the young princess, Maleficent is determined to ensure that her curse comes to pass.
Manny (A Bug’s Life)
Manny is an English praying mantis who works as a magician in the insect circus.
It is Manny who convinces Flik that he should return to the ant colony and help save the Queen from the grasshoppers.
March Hare (Alice in Wonderland)
The March Hare is one of the characters that Alice meets in Wonderland.
She encounters him having a tea party with the Mad Hatter and the Dormouse as they celebrate their unbirthdays.
Marian (Robin Hood)
A member of the royal bloodline, the foxy Maid Marian fell for the outlaw Robin Hood after being saved by him.
But when she returns to court, she worries that he will forget about her.
When she encounters Robin again, she helps him and his merry men of Sherwood in their uprising against the usurper Prince John.
Mariano Guzman (Encanto)
Mariano is an attractive and caring young man from the local village.
At the start of the film, he is engaged to Isabela.
But Dolores has always had strong feelings for Mariano but was too afraid to speak about them due to a future seen by Bruno.
When Bruno is discovered, that future no longer seems so certain.
Read more: Encanto Heights & Ages of Popular Characters
Marie (The Aristocats)
Marie is one of Duchess’ three kittens and a talented musician like her mother.
The entire family is kidnapped and sent away and must find their way home across the French countryside.
Markowski (Wreck-it Ralph)
Markowski is one of the soldiers that Ralph meets in the Hero’s Duty game.
The soldier seems to be suffering from PTSD or faulty programming as he is always walking into walls.
Marlin (Finding Nemo)
Marlin is a clown fish and the father of Nemo.
When Nemo goes missing, he crosses the ocean with his friend Dory to find him.
In the sequel Finding Dory, it is Marlin and Nemo who set out to find and help their forgetful friend Dory.
Marshmallow (Frozen)
Marshmallow is a snow monster created by Elsa in an attempt to force her sister Anna and Kristoff to leave the ice palace.
She uses him to keep away unwanted guests while she seeks the protection of solitude.
Mary (WALL-E)
Mary is one of the human passengers on the Axiom, which has been in space for 700 years following the disaster on Earth.
She soon falls in love with fellow passenger John, and the pair save a group of babies when the ship is turned over.
Mary (Wreck-it Ralph)
Mary is one of the Nicelanders in the Fix-it Felix game.
The community loves Felix, and she prepares his anniversary cake.
Massimo Marcovaldo (Luca)
Massimo Marcovaldo is Guilia’s father who lives in Portorosso.
He worries about his daughter competing in the cup again.
He is a formidably large and tough fisherman, but he befriends Luca and Alberto, and continues to help them when he learns that they are sea monsters.
Mater (Cars)
Mater runs Tow Mater Towing and Salvage in Radiator Springs and is one of the first of the locals to make friends with newcomer Lightning McQueen.
He teaches McQueen how to do Tractor Tipping and to drive backwards.
Both skills later help McQueen in a big race.
Matthias (Frozen 2)
General Mattias is sworn to protect Arendelle at all costs.
He is imprisoned in the Enchanted Forest for 34 years when the spirits become angry about fighting in their domain.
Mattias has come to an uneasy peace with the other side, the Northuldra when Elsa and Anna show up.
Maudie (Brave)
Maudie is the nurse maid to the troublesome princely triplets Harris, Hubert, and Hamish.
She is easily scared and often seen running away and screaming.
Maui (Moana)
Maui is a demigod in the South Pacific responsible for protecting mankind.
He has the strength of a giant and a magical fishhook.
He is forced to team up with Moana to save the world when he accidentally awakens a terrible darkness.
Maurice (Beauty and the Beast)
Maurice is Belle’s father and works as an inventor in the French Village. Many people consider him eccentric.
Maurice accidentally stumbles across the Beast’s castle and is thrown into the dungeon.
Belle agrees to live with the Beast so that her father is freed.
Maurice then goes about figuring out a way to save his daughter from the Beast.
Max (The Little Mermaid)
Max is Prince Eric’s loveable English Sheepdog. He is always with his master, even aboard the ship.
The dog sees Ariel after she saves Prince Eric from the sea.
When Ariel shows up without her voice, Max is frustrated when the Prince does not recognize her.
Maximus (Tangled)
The horse Maximus is the Captain of the Guard’s horse.
He is determined to catch the outlaw Flynn Rider and will stop at nothing to get his man.
But he soon finds himself joining forces with both Rapunzel and Flynn, and even develops a friendship with his old rival.
Maybe (Ralph Breaks the Internet)
Maybe is the long-suffering assistant of Yessss.
He teaches Ralph and Vanellope about viral videos.
Madame Medusa (The Rescuers)
Madam Medusa owns a seedy pawn shop in New York and is determined to get her hands on a diamond known as the Devil’s Eye.
She learns that the diamond is in a cave, but she is too big to enter.
She captures the orphan Penny with the intention of sending her in to retrieve the diamonds.
McLeach (The Rescuers Down Under)
Percival C. McLeach is a poacher who kidnaps Cody when he realizes that the boy knows the location of the golden eagle Marahute.
After temporarily catching the bird, he plans to kill Cody to tie up loose ends. But fortunately, Bernard and Bianca are also down under.
Meeko (Pocahontas)
Meeko is Pocahontas’ raccoon companion. He has a big appetite and loves the biscuits that John Smith carries with him.
Once he meets Percy, the dog of Governor Ratcliffe, they develop a rivalry.
But tragedy allows the two to see past their differences and become friends.
Megara (Hercules)
Megara is a mortal woman forced to serve as a minion of Hades due to a debt she owes.
She is willing to do what it takes to pay her dues and live the rest of her life in solitude.
When she is sent to intercept Hercules as a femme fatale, she meets a genuinely pure spirit who just wants to do good. He starts to rub off on her.
Mei Lee (Turning Red)
Young Mei Lee is an independent teenager who just happens to have the ability to turn into a giant red panda in response to strong emotions.
Mei Lee and her family must decide whether to forcibly control her panda or to allow her to find her own way to do it.
Read more: Turning Red Characters: Ages and Heights
Melpomene (Hercules)
Melpomene is one of the muses that forms the Greek chorus in Disney’s animated Hercules.
She is the muse of tragedy and so carries the typical mask of Greek tragedy actors.
She has long curly hair that falls down to her waist.
Merida (Brave)
Merida is the princess of DunBroch and a free spirit who enjoys riding and shooting, and none of the courtly traditions that her mother tries to force on her.
Conflict with her mother causes Merida to accidentally turn her mother into a bear.
The two must work together to reform their bond and save Merida’s mother.
Merida is considered the 11th Disney princess and the first made by Pixar.
Merlin (The Sword in the Stone)
Based on the character from Arthurian legend, Merlin is a learned wizard who takes in a young boy named Arthur, who also happens to be heir to the English throne.
While he tries to teach Merlin magic and other important lessons to prepare him for his future, Merlin tends to be quite absent-minded, which can often lead to trouble.
Merryweather (Sleeping Beauty)
Merryweather is one of the three good fairies in Sleeping Beauty who try to stop the curse the Maleficent placed on Princess Aurora.
She used the present that she had to give Aurora at her christening to change Maleficent’s curse from death to a sleep from which the princess can only be woken by love’s true kiss.
The fairy then spends years protecting the girl with the help of her companion fairies Flora and Fauna.
Michael (Peter Pan)
Michael is the youngest of the three Darling children and travels to Neverland with Peter Pan and his siblings Wendy and John.
He is the first to start to forget home in Neverland, much to Wendy’s dismay, encouraging her to take her brothers home.
Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse is the most iconic Disney character of all time.
He was created in 1928 and has starred in over 130 films (but actually fewer than Donald Duck).
His general character is that of an underdog, who despite life’s challenges always seems to come out on top due to his good nature.
Miguel Rivera (Coco)
Miguel Rivera is the great-grandson of Coco and an aspiring musician.
But his dreams are quashed by his great-great-grandmother Imelda, who banned music in the family after Coco’s father, a musician, disappeared.
Miguel sees a photo that makes him believe that Coco’s father may be the deceased singer Ernesto de la Cruz, and he travels to the Land of the Dead to find him.
Instead, he discovers a much darker family secret, but also a way to connect with the now senile Coco.
Mike (Monsters, inc.)
Mike Wazowski is a round green monster with one eye who works as a scarer for Monsters Inc.
He is surprised when his best friend Sulley brings a child called Boo back when scaring.
Children are considered highly toxic and dangerous.
Mike must help Sulley return Boo to where she came from, but along the way, they learn that things are not as they seem at Monsters Inc.
Mildred (Meet the Robinsons)
Mildred Duffy is the director of the orphanage where Lewis ends up as a baby.
She works hard to try and find a family for Lewis, though it takes 12 years.
Mindy (Bolt)
Mindy Parker works for the network that hosts Bolt’s TV show.
She appears to analyze his ratings.
It is due to her recommendation that the director makes a cliff-hanger ending, which results in Bolt thinking that his owner Penny has really been kidnapped.
Ming Lee (Turning Red)
Ming Lee is Mei Lin’s mother, and she also has the ability to turn into a red panda.
She is very wary of her daughter changing because when she was young, she accidentally hurt her own mother while in panda form.
This causes her to be overbearing.
Milo Thatch (Atlantis)
Milo’s father found journals that provide information about the location of Atlantis, and Milo has always believed that it existed.
This motivated him to become a linguist and cartographer at the Smithsonian.
But when the organization continually fails to find an expedition to Atlantis, he mounts his own mission.
What he discovers is an ancient civilization locked out of their home and in need of help.
They can’t even read their own language. But many on his crew are more interested in personal gain than helping.
Madam Mim (The Sword in the Stone)
Madam Mim is a sorceress and the arch-nemesis of the wizard Merlin.
He is forced to confront her when she captures his young charge Arthur while he is in bird form.
The two engage in a dramatic wizarding duel.
Minnie Mouse
One of the original characters in the Disney family, Minnie Mouse was created to be the girlfriend of Disney’s signature Mickey Mouse in 1928.
She was originally characterized as a no-nonsense struggling musician and a foil to Mickey’s silliness.
But with time she was given a sugary sweet character and she lost popularity in the 1940s and 1950s.
She made a comeback in the late 1980s, and she has been a fan favorite ever since.
Mirabel Madrigal (Encanto)
One of the grandchildren of Alma Madrigal, Mirabel is the only one in her family without a magical gift.
This causes her grandmother to treat her harshly.
But when the family magic starts to fade, it is the resourceful Mirabel who tries to discover what is happening and restore the family magic.
Mirage (The Incredibles)
Mirage is a sultry assistant who sides with Syndrome to try and rid the world of the remaining superheroes.
She has a change of heart when Syndrome is willing to shoot down a plane with kids on board and then seems willing to sacrifice her life for his cause.
Miriam (Turning Red)
Miriam Mendelsohn is one of Mei Lin’s best friends, even though Mei’s mother does not approve.
But when Mei Lin is struggling with her panda transformations, Miriam does more than anyone to show her that she is loved and supported, no matter what.
Mo Morrison (Lightyear)
Mo joined the Junior Zap Patrol thinking that it would be a fun boot camp that would help him get in great shape.
He didn’t realize the truly scary risks that he would face.
Despite his fears, when Buzz Lightyear time travels into his life, he joins up with Buzz, Izzy, and Darby to fight an evil robot army.
Moana (Moana)
Moana is a young Polynesian girl, the daughter of the village chief, who loves the sea.
When a dark force threatens to destroy her island, the ocean chooses her to join forces with the demi-god Maui to save the world.
Moana is considered the 12th official Disney Princess.
Mole (Ichabod and Mr. Toad)
Mole is a sympathetic friend of Ratty who is by his side when he hears the news of Toad’s legal struggles.
They try to help Toad with various problems and even break into his house to steal the deed from Mur Winky.
Molly (Toy Story 3)
Molly is Andy’s younger sister and appears at different ages throughout the various films.
Barbie and Bo Peep were once her toys.
In the third movie, she makes fun of Andy for still having her toys, and then donates some of her own toys, including Barbie, to the Sunnyside Daycare Center.
Molt (A Bug’s Life)
Molt is a member of the grasshopper gang and is also the leader Hopper’s younger brother.
While Molt often annoys his brother, Hopper seems to have made a promise not to hurt him, and so has to put up with his antics.
Monstro (Pinocchio)
Monstro is a gigantic sperm whale that swallows Geppetto, Figaro, and Cleo, and later Pinocchio when he comes in search of them.
Pinocchio starts a fire in the whale’s belly, forcing him to sneeze them out. But he then viciously pursues them as they flee.
While Monstro dies in the pursuit, so does Pinocchio, but his selflessness earns him the right to come back as a real boy.
Moonwind (Soul)
Moonwind Stardance is an eccentric mystic who specializes in helping lost souls get passed whatever they are holding onto.
He meets Joe and 22 in the Astral Plane and tries to help them.
Joe and 22 then seek out Moonwind in the real world when they return and Joe is in the body of Mr Mittens and 22 in Joe’s body.
Mowgli (The Jungle Book)
Mowgli, better known as the man-cub, is an orphan boy who grows up in the jungle under the care of a pack of wolves and the black panther Bagheera.
When he turns ten, other animals in the jungle become determined to kill him, so Bagheera and the bear Baloo need to take him to the man-village.
Mor’du (Brave)
Mor’du is an enchanted bear that makes trouble in the domain of King Fergus.
He was once a man, but after he started a war and killed his own brother, he was cursed to become a bear.
In bear form, he killed the rest of his family and slowly lost his humanity, until he finally killed himself.
Morkupine Porcupine (Chicken Little)
Morkupine Porcupine is one of Chicken Little’s classmates and tends to respond to everything with just one word.
He is one of the students who doesn’t initially believe that Chicken Little has what it takes to play baseball.
Morph (Treasure Planet)
Morph is a pink space blog that can morph into anything. He was adopted by John Silver as a pet.
Morph switches loyalty from Silver to Jim when Silver expresses greed for Flint’s treasure.
This is part of the reason why Silver has a change of heart.
Mufasa (The Lion King)
Mufasa is a mighty lion and the King of the Pride Lands and the father of Simba.
While he is powerful, he rules with an open heart and is loved by his followers.
He is killed by his jealous brother Scar who wants to usurp his role as king.
Mushu (Mulan)
Mushu is a Chinese dragon who appoints himself as the guardian of Mulan.
He is trying to make up for previously failing one of Mulan’s ancestors.
He initially tries to make Mulan a hero for selfish reasons, but soon realizes that he needs to put her safety and happiness first.
Mustafa (Ratatouille)
Mustafa is a waiter of Gusteau’s. He serves Solebe LeClaire when she asks who made the soup that she is eating.
Mustafa reports that it was Linguini when it was in fact, Remy.
He tends to be very nervous when dealing with difficult customers, especially the food critic Anton Ego.