Top 10 Shocking Reveals in Disney Movies
#10: King Candy Is Really… “Wreck-It Ralph” (2012)
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The titular game character, Ralph, makes friends with Vanellope, a glitched racer in the Sugar Rush arcade game. Ralph eventually discovers that King Candy, the ruler of Sugar Rush, is the cause of her status. During their final race, glitching reveals the truth - King Candy is Turbo, the star of a racing cabinet who famously left his game. Turbo is used frequently throughout the film as a cautionary tale for Ralph’s journey. It’s a great, surprising reveal because of the clues “sprinkled” early in the film, and the parallels between the character and Ralph.
#9: Bowler Hat Guy’s Identity “Meet the Robinsons” (2007)
In this time traveling adventure, the past and future are threatened by a mysterious man with a robotic bowler hat. Young orphan Lewis gets caught up in the villain’s plot against the Robinson family in the future. He’s eventually taken by the Bowler Hat Guy to his old orphanage room and captured. But it isn’t just Lewis’ room - he has a roommate, Goob. Turns out, Bowler Hat Guy is an adult Goob, turned bitter by losing a baseball game that set off a chain of unfortunate events. And as you may have guessed, he blames Lewis for his struggles. The contrast between Goob's different personalities makes this an unexpected reveal, even if the time travel premise makes us look for suspects in the past.
#8: CDA 001 “Monsters, Inc.” (2001)
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The finale of “Monsters, Inc.” has several surprising reveals. Mr. Waternoose being a villain certainly shocked us the first time we saw the film. To be fair though, a rich CEO being up to no good does feel increasingly obvious as we get older. Plus, after Mike and Sulley expose Waternoose, we’re in for a far more shocking surprise. The undercover leader of the CDA, or Child Detection Agency – who’s been investigating the company’s shady side – is dry office administrator Roz! She may be #1, but she’s really hands-on with her work. We’re just as surprised as Mike Wazowski.
#7: The Real Villain “Zootopia” (2016)
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Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde investigate a rash of predators in the titular city going feral. Although mayor Lionheart initially appears to be behind it, he’s merely imprisoning those afflicted. After Judy realizes a specific type of flower is responsible, she and Nick retrieve some of the serum it’s been turned into. Soon after, they’re greeted by the newly minted mayor, sweet Dawn Bellwether. They quickly realize that she’s the one behind it all. But she seemed so nice – we were fooled! She explains that she has masterminded the conspiracy due to feeling passed over by predators her whole life. We’re as shocked by the news as Bellwether is when she realizes she’s been tricked into confessing.
#6: The Missing Page “Atlantis: The Lost Empire” (2001)
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Milo Thatch joins an expedition to Atlantis, utilizing his ability to decipher the Shepherd's Journal, which reveals the route and details about the legendary city. However, one of its pages is missing. Upon reaching Atlantis, he learns more about it and the Heart of Atlantis, a crystal powering the city and keeping its people alive. But upon surfacing from a swim, Milo discovers that the expedition’s leader, Rourke – whom we thought was trustworthy – tore out the aforementioned page. He and his allies knew about the Heart the whole time, and getting it was their main goal. This reframes how we see them earlier in the film, and paints everything we thought we knew in a new light.
#5: Te Kā’s Secret “Moana” (2016)
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The eponymous Moana is on a mission to restore the heart of goddess Te Fiti to end a blight on her home island. She’s aided by the demigod Maui. But on Te Fiti’s island, they’re opposed by the fiery demon Te Kā, who seems like darkness personified. Stranger still, Moana can’t locate the goddess. But then, our heroine realizes that a spiral marking on Te Kā matches the one on Te Fiti’s heart, leading her to understand they’re one and the same. Without her heart, the latter became angry and vengeful - as many would. Now if only someone would be adventurous enough to restore our hearts – this twist had it popping out of our chests!
#4: What Happened to Koda’s Mother “Brother Bear” (2003)
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Hunter Kenai hunts down and murders a bear that he blames for his brother Sitka’s death. The Spirits won’t let that slide though, and turn Kenai into a bear in response. During his adventures in animal form, he meets and befriends a young bear named Koda, whom he comes to see like a little brother. Soon, he learns that the young creature’s mother recently lost her life in a battle with human hunters. But brace yourself, because they weren’t just any random human hunters. The news that Kenai is the one who caused her death is baffling, to say the least. Not only is it unexpected, it’s also a surprisingly dark twist for a kids’ movie!
#3: A Prospector’s Sabotage “Toy Story 2” (1999)
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While “Toy Story 3” has a great surprise villain reveal in Lots-O'-Huggin' Bear, we’re giving our pick to its predecessor. In the second movie, Woody finds himself among a collection of toys that are also from the “Woody’s Roundup” television series. He tries leaving, but his efforts are thwarted by the television mysteriously switching on. He blames cowgirl Jessie, but some heartfelt words from Stinky Pete the Prospector help convince him that going home to his owner isn’t worth it. However, when Buzz and co. come to save Woody, Pete’s sinister nature is revealed. He was behind the earlier television sabotage. The Prospector’s initial kindness — and the fact that he was supposedly mint in box — make this quite the shocker.
#2: Not So True Love “Frozen” (2013)
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When Anna’s heart is accidentally frozen by her sister Elsa, we’re informed that only an “act of true love” can save her life. Thankfully, she’s got it bad for Prince Hans, and we’re led to believe he feels the same way. They sang a whole song about it! Except, when they finally reunite, Hans reveals that he isn’t actually in love with her. Not just that, he plans to let her die and kill Elsa too, in a bid to take over their kingdom. Considering the amount of Disney movies with heroic princes, Hans turning out to be the villain subverts everything we had come to expect. Talk about a refreshingly unexpected change of pace. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. Screenslaver’s Identity, “Incredibles 2” (2018) We Figured It Was One of the Siblings, but Some of Us Guessed Wrong! The Surprise Haircut, “Tangled” (2010) Most. Emotional. Haircut. EVER. Ian’s Epiphany, “Onward” (2020) Paternal Figures Come in Many Forms Zurg’s Identity, “Lightyear” (2022) We Were “Beyond” Surprised! Bruno’s Actually…Nice?, “Encanto” (2021) They Sang a Sinister Song About Him, but He’s Actually Super Chill & Kind
#1: How Héctor Died “Coco” (2017)
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Miguel is a young boy who enters the Land of the Dead. To return home, he needs a relative’s blessing. He hopes to get one from famed star Ernesto de la Cruz — whom he believes is his great-great-grandfather — with help from his new friend Héctor. And Ernesto greets Miguel warmly at first. But a confrontation with Héctor — who’s also his old music partner — leads to dark truths being uncovered. Indeed, we find out that Héctor was betrayed and murdered by de la Cruz. And lo and behold, Miguel had the wrong man pinned as his relative the whole time. Meeting your heroes can be disappointing, and Miguel’s turning out to be the man who killed his actual great-great grandpa is jaw-dropping.
