Top 10 Times Family Guy Made Fun of Disney
Having created a successful show around badgering others, it’s no wonder that “Family Guy” pokes fun at the House of Mouse! Welcome to WatchMojo and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the Top 10 Times “Family Guy” Made Fun of Disney.
For this list, we’ll be going over the moments from “Family Guy” that reference or mock Disney or Disney properties which, now that Disney owns Fox, includes the show itself! But we’ll talk about self-references another day.
#10: Fievel Mousekewitz
“Nanny Goats”
Fed up with Peter’s shenanigans, Lois hires a nanny named Natalia to help raise the kids. Tough, brawny and stereotypically Eastern European, Natalia turns out to be a Belarusian assassin. When confronted by Stewie, Natalia claims to be doing her job in pursuit of Russian ex-patriot Fievel Mousekewitz, the protagonist from Don Bluth’s “An American Tail.” Mousekewitz appears, claiming to be named “Frank Maxwell,” and nervously gets into his car -- which then explodes, though Natalia denies responsibility. Well who should be lurking around the corner but Mickey Mouse, who sarcastically laments the Jewish mouse’s “bad luck” -- playing on Walt Disney’s rumored anti-Semitic views, and the fact that Bluth once worked for Disney.
#9: Quagmire Romances Joan
“I Take Thee Quagmire”
Top 10 Worst Things Quagmire Has Ever Done
Despite his reputation as a perverted bachelor, the Griffins’ neighbour Glenn Quagmire has actually had a few touching romances in his life. Arguably the most notable of these was with the Griffins’ one-time maid, Joan. Their courtship becomes a parody of not just one Disney movie, but several! They share a dance in magnificent “Beauty and the Beast” fashion, they go on a dinner date reminiscent of “Lady and the Tramp,” and even take a romantic “Aladdin”-style flight on a magic carpet. But since this IS “Family Guy,” that “whole new world” is a modern-day Baghdad plagued by war.
#8: Ariel Wishes for Legs
“Hot Pocket-Dial”
Poor Joe Swanson just can’t catch a break! Recalling a parasailing trip with Quagmire, Joe is shown losing both his legs when they dip into the water, presumably bitten off by a shark or other sea creature. Cut to: Ariel from Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” sitting on the seafloor wishing for a pair of legs… and Joe’s bloody ones float down from above. Yikes. What’s even more darkly amusing is the reveal that Ariel wished for a pair of legs to eat rather than use to walk on land. Watch out, Prince Eric!
#7: Goofy in Hell
“Dial Meg for Murder”
Writing an article on teenage girls, Brian tries to spy on Meg from a ladder outside her room, but Stewie warns him not to fall - as not all dogs go to heaven. Leaving nothing to the imagination, a cutaway reveals that famed Disney dog Goofy is in hell. Why? Apparently he was involved in the 9/11 attacks - and Goofy happily confesses to it in his familiar southern drawl. Once again drawing on the anti-Semitic rumors surrounding Walt Disney, Goofy tacks on his distaste for Israel. The real kicker though is when Goofy does his characteristic holler as he’s pushed into the eternal pit of fire!
#6: “The Nightmare Before Independence Day”
“Peter’s Sister”
Top 30 Times TV Shows Made Fun Of Disney
Peter is bullied mercilessly by his sister Karen when she visits for Thanksgiving. At one point, Peter complains that she’s as bad as Tim Burton’s version of the 4th of July. A cutaway then demonstrates an Independence Day celebration akin to the song “This Is Halloween” from “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” complete with many of the characters from the film. With on-the-nose lyrics lampooning Burton’s particular style of spooky movies, the scene’s funny whether you’re a fan of the movie or not. And Jack Skellington’s final line is disturbingly accurate.
#5: It’s a Tiny World
“The Courtship of Stewie's Father”
Top 20 Times Family Guy Made Fun of Disney
In order to bond with Stewie, Peter does the one thing guaranteed to get a child’s approval – he takes him to Disney World, and naturally, Stewie’s over the moon about it. This gives the show’s writers ample opportunity to make fun of Disney as much as possible. The least subtle of these jabs occurs when Stewie is separated from Peter and gets discovered by two security guards. Promptly kidnapped and chained up with other lost children, Stewie is forced to sing, “It’s a Tiny World” as part of a ride, playing off of Disney’s real ride, “It’s a Small World.”
#4: “Aladdin 4: Jafar May Need Glasses”
“Lois Kills Stewie”
Season 6 shows a hypothetical future where Stewie becomes President of the United States. Obviously mad with power, the diabolical infant does try to do one good thing: banning direct-to-video Disney sequels, citing the fictitious “Aladdin 4: Jafar May Need Glasses” as a key example why. What, did Stewie not want to see the sorcerer go through the tedious comparisons of different lenses at his optometrist’s office? But that’s not the last we see of him! We get a follow-up in a later season with “Aladdin 5: Jafar Answers the Census,” in which Jafar lamely describes his personal income and how unsure he is of his sexuality. Personally, we’d love to see more sequels! Where’s “Aladdin 8: Jafar Goes to the Supermarket” or “Aladdin 17: Jafar Applies for a Bank Loan?”
#3: Peter’s Face Transforms into Mickey’s
“A Hero Sits Next Door”
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In one of the series’ early episodes, Joe Swanson and his family move in next door to the Griffins. Although Peter doesn’t make the best first impression, he later tries to be nice to Joe in order to get him to fill in on his company’s softball team. Joe voices an interest, thinking it would be a good time, to which Peter emphatically agrees it’s almost TOO good a time. Peter’s head then morphs into Mickey Mouse’s, and he delivers Mickey’s signature laugh. That’s one way to comment on Disney’s notoriously draconian attitude towards copyright infringement.
#2: Disney Reboots
“Disney's The Reboot”
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Given that Fox, the network that airs “Family Guy,” was sold to Disney in 2019, it only makes sense that the show would become more overt in their parodies of the company. In the season 18 episode “Disney’s The Reboot,” Fox hold a focus group for potential reboots of the show. Although the reboots themselves don’t directly lampoon Disney, the types of shows they feature, from comedies about empowered moms, supernatural teen dramas, and lame reboots only featuring lesser characters, is definitely a dig. It wouldn’t be the first time someone’s called Disney’s penchant for reboots a hollow cash-grab.
Before we get to our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:
Genie Jesus
“I Dream of Jesus”
Mice in the Walls
“Peter’s Daughter”
Minnie Models
“A Picture Is Worth 1,000 Bucks”
Geppetto Is Kinky
“North by North Quahog”
A Place Disney Supported
“Hot Pocket-Dial”
#1: Brian & Stewie Visit the Disney Universe
“Road to the Multiverse”
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This classic episode features Brian and Stewie visiting alternate universes. The multiverse-hopping duo soon find a Disney universe, and are quickly won over -- and it’s not hard to see why. With a sickly sweet atmosphere, talking animals and objects, gorgeous animation, and a show stopping musical number about pie, this universe embodies nearly everything we love about Disney animations. However, “Family Guy” yet again brings up the anti-Semitism rumors when everyone instantly turns on and beats up Mort Goldman, which prompts Brian and Stewie to move on. If it weren’t for that disturbing bit, we’d love a whole episode in this style!
