Top 20 Disney Movie Plot Holes You Never Noticed
#20: What Do the Dwarfs Do with the Gems? “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” (1937)
Disney wasn’t the first to depict dwarves as miners. The connection dates back at least as far as ancient Norse mythology. When we’re first introduced to the Seven Dwarfs, they’re mining for gems in a cave not far from their home. At the end of the work day, they stash their treasure away in a vault, but then what? They don’t seem to be selling many of the gems, since they’re all living in a tiny, humble cottage, and they don’t appear to have any money to speak of. Are they just hoarding the gems away? If so, why? The original fairy tale doesn’t have the answers either.
#19: What Do the Predators Eat? “Zootopia” (2016)
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In this multicultural city, predators and prey animals live together in harmony. As Officer Judy Hopps reveals late in the movie, predators like wolves, lions, and foxes did survive by hunting thousands of years ago. But it’s never revealed how they survive now. Although we see Officer Clawhauser eating a lot of sugary, processed foods, he doesn’t seem to be the healthiest character. What do the other predators eat? They might have overcome their drive to hunt, but they still have the physiology of meat eaters, who can’t live on carrots and blueberries. Where are they getting their protein? And for that matter, where does the milk come from to make that ice cream?
#18: Why Does Mulan Stay in the Army? “Mulan” (1998)
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After the Huns invade China, the Emperor orders every family to send a man for the army. Worried that her elderly father won’t survive, Mulan steals his conscription notice and takes his place. At boot camp, she poses as a boy, but is unable to keep up with the other trainees, and eventually Captain Li Shang kicks her out. However, instead of quitting, Mulan stays on to prove herself. This decision makes no sense. As far as the army is concerned, the Fa family has fulfilled their obligation. There’s no reason Mulan can’t just go home. In fact, why did she have to join in the first place? If unfit soldiers can be sent home, surely her father would have been discharged too.
#17: Why Don’t the Villagers Know About the Beast? “Beauty and the Beast” (1991)
We know it was explained in the 2017 remake, but it’s still a plot hole in the original animated film. The Beast’s castle is within walking distance of Belle’s poor provincial town, yet none of the townspeople seem to know about it. They also don’t seem to have noticed that their monarch has been missing for a decade. When Maurice shows up telling stories of a fearsome Beast, the villagers just assume that he’s crazy, and they’re shocked when Belle proves the Beast is real. And somehow, Gaston knows exactly how to find the castle. None of this adds up.
#16: No One Else in the Kingdom Wears the Same Shoe Size “Cinderella” (1950)
We’re with the Grand Duke on this one. How is it possible that Cinderella’s glass slipper only fits one woman in the entire kingdom? She appears to have pretty tiny feet, but surely she’s not the only one who does. You could argue that the slipper was magically created to be a perfect fit for Cinderella’s feet. But if it was such a perfect fit, why did it fall off in the first place? And while we’re on the subject, why search for the person that the shoe fits, instead of just looking for the person who has the other shoe? That seems like a much more reliable way to make sure you’ve got the right girl.
#15: Why Does Buzz Freeze When People Are Around? “Toy Story” (1995)
Unlike the other toys in Andy’s room, Buzz Lightyear believes he’s the real deal. He thinks he’s an actual space ranger with an important mission to stop Emperor Zurg. So why does he freeze like the other toys when kids are around? He truly seems to think the other toys are aliens on the planet where he’s crash-landed. It doesn’t make sense that he would behave like the other toys when Andy is around. Of course, it would probably ruin the movie if Buzz walked up to Andy and started talking to him. But the creators could have come up with some explanation as to why he doesn’t.
#14: Why Doesn’t Mother Gothel Move Farther Away? “Tangled” (2010)
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The king and queen release floating lanterns every year on the princess’s birthday, hoping she’ll find her way back to them. From her tower deep in the forest, Rapunzel sees the lanterns and is fascinated by them. The fact that they only appear on her birthday makes them even more intriguing, and she’s desperate to find their source. This turns out to be the catalyst for the entire movie. Why didn’t Mother Gothel just move further away, where Rapunzel couldn’t see the lights? Alternatively, why didn’t she tell Rapunzel that she had a different birthday, so she wouldn’t feel such a connection to them? Her curiosity about the lights inspires her to escape the tower, but it seems like this could have easily been avoided.
#13: Are Simba & Nala Siblings? “The Lion King” (1994)
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This one is kind of awkward. There are definitely no male lions in this pride other than Mufasa and Scar. Although no one in the pride seems to want anything to do with Scar, it’s theoretically possible that he’s Nala’s father, meaning she and Simba are at least cousins. But it’s much more likely that Mufasa is her father, making the two cubs half-siblings. In real life, all of the cubs in a lion pride are usually related to each other. That’s why the young males leave to look for mates elsewhere. No wonder young Simba is grossed out at the thought of marrying Nala.
#12: Hercules Should Become a God Before Saving Meg “Hercules” (1997)
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After working the entire movie to regain his divinity, Hercules sacrifices himself to save Meg from the Underworld and becomes immortal again. But just moments earlier, Herc faced off against the Cyclops and saved the city without his godlike strength. That was a pretty selfless thing to do, so why didn’t it make him a hero? All of this happened because Hades’ minions failed to kill Hercules as a baby, which brings us to another plot hole. Why didn’t Hades know that Hercules was still alive? He’s surrounded by the souls of the dead all day. Shouldn’t he have checked to make sure Herc’s soul was down there? That’s probably just one of the things Hades wishes he’d done differently.
#11: Why Did the Fairies Bring Aurora Home Before Sunset on Her Birthday? “Sleeping Beauty” (1959)
Mistress of Evil Maleficent isn’t happy about being left out of the newborn princess’s christening party, and in revenge, she curses the baby. Fortunately, the good fairies are there to alleviate the curse. They convince the king and queen to let them hide out with the baby in an abandoned cottage until it’s safe to return. You would think that means until after her sixteenth birthday passes, but for some inexplicable reason, they bring her back just before sunset on the fateful day. Considering how many precautions they’ve taken up to this point, it seems like a serious oversight. Of course, Maleficent’s prophecy is fulfilled. Aurora pricks her finger and falls into a deep sleep. Why couldn’t they all have waited just one more day?
#10: Why Does the Gorilla Troop Stay at the Nest? “Tarzan” (1999)
Silverback gorilla Kerchak makes it clear from the start that he doesn’t trust the humans who have just shown up on his shores. He wants the rest of the troop to stay away from them – and for good reason. Tarzan goes behind his back and reveals the location of the gorillas’ nest to Jane, her father, and Clayton. Kerchak is furious, and immediately chases the strangers away. To protect the troop, we would expect him to pack up and move them to a new location … but he doesn’t. When Clayton and his men show up to kidnap the gorillas, they’re caught totally off-guard. This is a bizarre lapse in judgment for the usually over-cautious troop leader.
#9: Why Doesn’t Scar Kill Simba? “The Lion King” (1994)
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Scar seems only too happy to take out yes brother. Yet when it comes to Simba, is less inclined to get his paws dirty. He knows that the hyenas are incompetent, so why trust them with such an important job? Especially a job they’ve already failed at once? Why not just kill Simba when he has the chance? Fans have come up with all sorts of theories to explain this one. Some have even speculated that Scar can’t risk smelling like Simba’s blood when he returns to the pride. But surely he could come up with some kind of explanation. Obviously Simba has to stay alive for the movie to happen, but it seems like Scar should at least try to kill Simba himself.
#8: Why Doesn’t Charlotte Turn into a Frog? “The Princess and the Frog” (2009)
Naveen needs to kiss a princess in order to change from a frog back into his human form. Tiana is willing to help him out, but because she’s not a princess, when they kiss, she turns into a frog. Later in the movie, Tiana’s best friend Charlotte offers to kiss Naveen. Since her father was crowned Mardi Gras king, she’ll be a princess until midnight. Unfortunately, they don’t kiss in time, but for some reason, Charlotte doesn’t turn into a frog. Instead, her kiss simply has no effect on either of them. Some viewers have speculated that since the evil Dr. Facilier is dead, his magic no longer works. But if that’s true, why didn’t Naveen and Tiana turn back into humans when he died?
#7: Why Doesn’t Woody Remember His Old Owners? “Toy Story” Franchise (1995-2019)
In the sequel to the beloved Pixar original, we discover that Woody is actually a valuable antique. He’s based on a TV character from the fifties, meaning that he’s probably decades old. This raises an interesting question. Why doesn’t he remember his life before Andy? Jessie remembers her former owner Emily, even though it’s been years since they were separated. Some fans assume that Woody was passed down to Andy by his father. Although Andy’s mom does say that Woody is an old family toy, Woody himself never mentions any owner other than Andy. He’s also shocked to learn about his own origins. This leaves us wondering, what happened to Woody between the time he was manufactured and when he became Andy’s toy?
#6: Where Do Elsa’s Powers Come From? “Frozen” (2013)
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We know it was explained in the sequel, but that movie didn’t come out until six years later, and it doesn’t get the original movie off the hook. The entire story hinges around Elsa’s powers and her inability to fully control them. The fact that she’s the only person who has these ice powers is also important. It’s weird that the movie doesn’t even hint at where they come from. Yes, lots of people in Disney movies have magic powers, but they’re usually witches or sorcerers with a range of magical talents. Elsa is more like an X-Man who was born with one random magical ability, and the movie has no interest in explaining it.
#5: Why Isn’t Aladdin a Prince? “Aladdin” (1992)
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When they first meet, the Genie lays out some rules about what kinds of wishes he can grant. Aladdin’s first wish is to be a prince, and Genie turns him into Prince Ali Ababwa. Yet for the rest of the movie, everyone acts like Aladdin is only pretending to be a prince. He refuses to free the Genie because he believes he’s not really a prince, and the Genie doesn’t contradict him. So is Aladdin a prince or not? And if he’s not a real prince, why not? If the Genie can turn Jafar into a sultan, we don’t get why he can’t turn Aladdin into an actual prince.
#4: How Can Pocahontas Speak English? “Pocahontas” (1995)
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When John Smith first meets the daughter of the Powhatan chief, there’s a bit of a communication barrier. He speaks English and she speaks an Algonquian language. Somehow, by “listening with her heart,” she’s magically able to understand John and speak English with him. We get it: you want to create a historically inaccurate romance between your two main characters, so they have to be able to talk to each other. The movie doesn’t have time to show the long, difficult process of learning a new language, so the filmmakers hand wave it away with magic. But that’s not a real explanation, and it’s also rather lazy writing.
#3: Why Can’t Ariel Write Notes to Eric? “The Little Mermaid” (1989)
We know she can write, because she signs a legally binding contract that even King Triton can’t break. And we know that Ariel and Eric speak the same language, because she understands him and they talk to each other at the end. So why is he relying on guessing games and a talking crab to learn her name? We suppose it’s possible that Eric can’t read, but the movie never establishes that one way or another. If the creators don’t want us nitpicking this plot hole, then don’t make it a point to explicitly show us that Ariel can write!
#2: How Old Is the Beast? “Beauty and the Beast” (1991)
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Let’s do the math. When the prince is cursed and turned into a Beast, the enchantress tells him he must find true love by the time the last rose petals fall. Later, during “Be Our Guest,” Lumière reveals exactly how long the curse has been in effect. That means the prince wasn’t even eleven years old when he was cursed. In fact, the sequel “Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas” confirms it: the prince was a young boy when he was put under the spell. That seems like a pretty harsh punishment for a kid who is arguably making a responsible decision by not letting a stranger into his house. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. Why Does Rapunzel’s Hair Lose Its Power When It’s Cut? “Tangled” (2010) The Flower Retains Its Magic After It’s Cut, So Why Doesn’t Her Hair? Why Doesn’t Tarzan Speak with a British Accent? “Tarzan” (1999) Jane Is British & Tarzan Learns English From Her, So He Should Have the Same Accent Why Was Quasimodo Put in Frollo’s Care? “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” (1996) He Was Ready to Kill This Baby About 30 Seconds Earlier Why Was Stitch in the Kennel? “Lilo & Stitch” (2002) Does Anyone Actually Think This Creature Is a Dog? Is Ariel Cool with Eating Seafood? “The Little Mermaid” (1989) When Your Best Friend Is a Fish, You Probably Won’t Want to Snack on Them
#1: Why Do the Glass Slippers Remain Unchanged? “Cinderella” (1950)
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After her evil stepsisters destroy her dress, Cinderella’s fairy godmother turns the scraps into a gorgeous ball gown. She also changes Cinderella’s plain shoes into magical glass slippers, but warns that the enchantment will end at midnight. As Cinderella flees the castle, the clock strikes twelve, and her coach, horses, and dress all change back – but not the shoes. This is never explained. Cinderella seems to think the slipper is a gift from her fairy godmother. But if she’s capable of casting a permanent spell, why not gift Cinderella something more useful, like a way to escape her terrible living situation? Maybe the entire thing was a plot to get Cinderella together with the prince, but there must be less convoluted ways to accomplish that. Which plot hole has been bugging you since you first saw the movie? Let us know in the comments.
