8 Disturbing Disney Movies We Didn't Realize Scarred Us For Life
Typically, when we think about Disney movies, we think about family-friendly fun. We think about cuddly woodland critters prancing through an idyllic forest. We think about inanimate objects singing welcoming songs.
What we don’t usually think about is death, despair and darkness. But, in truth, Disney movies are full of all kinds of terrifying and depressing stuff.
Honestly, I don't know why parents continue to take their kids to see these things. I guess it’s because kids, on the whole, are idiots. If children had the slightest capacity to understand all the horrible sh*t that happens in Disney films, they wouldn’t keep watching them. Instead, they’d spend that time in intensive psychotherapy.
But, of course, that’s not the world we live in. So, here are the eight most disturbing, scarring and emotionally unsettling Disney movies ever made:
1. “Finding Nemo”
“Finding Nemo” tells the heart-warming story of a devoted father who will go to any length to protect his young son, right?
WRONG. It’s the terrifying story of an emasculated nebbish who is unable to prevent his wife and unborn children from being brutally murdered in a vicious home invasion.
One child does survive, but is handicapped due to the trauma from the attack. The kid’s presence and weird deformity are constant reminders of his father’s tragic failings.
What’s more, that child gets kidnapped and is made to be a plaything for some kid who’s definitely going to be a serial killer one day.
Basically, this movie is half “Straw Dogs,” half “The Silence of the Lambs” and fully f*cked up.
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2. “The Little Mermaid”
Let’s talk about the role of women in Disney movies, shall we? In “The Little Mermaid," Ariel basically makes a deal with the devil, trading her greatest asset, her voice (and possibly her soul), for a chance at landing a dude.
Voiceless and helpless, she is now the ideal woman for Eric. That’s not a great example to set for young girls.
If that wasn’t bad enough, Ariel has to literally change herself for her man. She transforms from a mermaid into a human.
Sure, that might be more of a practical thing because, like, Eric doesn’t have gills or anything, but if Eric really loved her, he would’ve figured out a way to make it work. Sexist pig.
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3. “Beauty and the Beast”
You know what’s a great topic for an animated children’s film? Domestic abuse! No, just kidding, it’s a terrible topic, and that’s why it's such a bad idea to show “Beauty and the Beast” to kids.
First of all, Belle essentially develops Stockholm Syndrome, falling in love with her captor, the Beast. Second of all, the Beast is verbally abusive to Belle for the entire film and comes real close to “teaching her valuable life lessons” with the back of his hands or claws or whatever they are.
Yet, for some reason, Belle keeps on coming back to him. Eventually, he changes into a handsome dude, and they all live happily ever after.
What the hell kind of example does that set?
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4. “Sleeping Beauty”
This movie is one big advertisement for date rape. Seriously, the entire action of the film revolves around a waspy looking dude doing everything he can to get all up on an unconscious blonde who has basically been pumped full of magical roofies.
Usually, when women wake up to strange men groping them, they run as far away from that frat house as they can get. But not Princess Aurora. She decides to marry the guy right then and there. Nothing weird about that.
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5. “Pinocchio”
“Pinocchio” might very well be the most f*cked up Disney movie ever made. For one thing, there is an alarming number of child abductions in this film. Like, I’m talking Pied Piper numbers here.
Many of these kids are taken to a place called Pleasure Island, which is really weird for a lot of reasons.
On the island, the kids drink and smoke and shoot pool. For their supposed sins, they get transformed into literal jackasses. The donkey kids are then sold into slavery and forced to work in the salt mines for the rest of their days.
Pretty bleak stuff, Disney. Pretty bleak stuff.
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6. “Pocahontas”
Hey, let’s make a movie about the slaughter and subjugation of an entire race of people! Sound good?
No, no it doesn’t. “Pocahontas” completely white-washes the story of a 16-year-old girl who gets kidnapped by a group of conquering anglo-marauders. The only way she's able to escape imprisonment is by marrying one of the men who raped and murdered her people.
But, of course, this being a Disney movie, very little of that is in there.
That’s a great lesson to teach kids: All the atrocities of the past can be immediately washed away with cartoons and catchy songs.
That song is pretty catchy though…
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7. “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”
A lot of f*cked up sh*t happens in this one. I guess since it was the first full-length animated film ever, Walt Disney thought he better go big or go home. Here’s a brief run-down of all the craziness:
-An evil queen orders a hit man to bring her Snow White’s heart in a box, all because Snow White is prettier than she is.
-A group of middle-aged dwarfs, who all live together, slave away in a diamond mine, presumably because they’re the only ones who can physically fit inside its cramped quarters.
-Though the dwarfs believe Snow White to be dead, they refuse to bury her in the ground like normal people. Instead, they erect a creepy shrine and place her in a glass coffin so everyone can see her gradually decomposing body.
-Oh, and in that scary forest scene, Snow White is either tripping on some really strong acid, or she just wandered into a Sam Raimi movie.
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8. "101 Dalmatians"
Here’s a movie that's all about its antagonist’s demented and unwavering desire to make a coat out of 100 spotted puppies. There’s never any real reason given for this. Maybe money, kinda, sorta? I don’t know.
But I do know that Cruella is batsh*t bonkers, and kids shouldn’t be exposed to blood-thirsty nut jobs at such a young age or really ever.
Basically, Cruella de Vil is dog Hitler, and she’s gearing up for a puppy holocaust.
Thanks, Disney!
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Photo Courtesy: Fanpop
