Top 20 WORST Disney Movies
#20: “The Shaggy Dog” (2006)
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Wow, Disney making a bad remake; never seen THAT happen before. The original “Shaggy Dog” was one of Disney’s most successful films of the 1950s. It ended up spawning a franchise and even inspired the company to do more modern supernatural films. The 2006 remake, however, was a box office disaster. It completely changed the story and barely captured the charm of the original, instead going for a typical sitcom-y tone with jokes that only really young kids would find amusing. Tim Allen tried to give a decent performance, but watching him act like a dog got old real fast when it’s the same, tired joke over and over.
#19: “Doug’s First Movie” (1999)
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Disney took over the classic Nicktoon “Doug” after its 4th season but made weird changes and couldn’t really capture the magic of the original series. So how would a theatrical film fare? Sadly, even though it was a box-office success, “Doug’s 1st Movie” felt more like an extended episode with a bigger budget, only with very subpar writing, music, and characterization. On the plus side, the animation and voice acting were well done, and the ending scene warmed our hearts. But like the Disney revival itself, it just couldn’t measure up to the original series… seriously, how can you have “Doug” without Billy West voicing the title character?
#18: “The Pacifier” (2005)
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What is it about the “macho action star babysitter” narrative that studios can’t resist? In this latest example of the genre, Vin Diesel plays Navy SEAL Shane, who acts as a babysitter for five kids who recently lost their father. It’s an all-too-familiar concept and it had the potential to be mildly amusing, yet it was bogged down by a dull script full of typical crass humor. The scene with Diesel emerging from the sewer really says it all. What’s really shocking is that this snore-fest somehow became a box office smash – making back three times its budget. With numbers like that, it looks like the “Macho Mary Poppins” trope is here to stay.
#17: “The Wild” (2006)
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Samson the Lion’s son has been taken from the Central Park Zoo and shipped off to the wild. To rescue him, Samson and his ragtag group of friends must escape New York and make a perilous, zany journey to Africa. Sound familiar to you? It should. It’s been described as a rip-off of Dreamworks’ “Madagascar” with hints of “Finding Nemo” …Wow, Disney ripped off themselves too? It’s hard not to see the comparisons, but while “Madagascar” was praised for its story and humor, “The Wild” fell flat in those departments. The animation was fairly decent with how realistic the animals looked… but it stumbled a little too close to the Uncanny Valley, meaning we got a little turned off by their appearances.
#16: “G-Force” (2009)
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A spy comedy film starring a team of guinea pig secret agents… yes, that’s what we’re going with. Surprisingly, this harebrained film had a promising cast list and even performed well at the box office. Critics, however, were much less kind to the film, describing it as ‘manic’ yet uninspired. It has satisfactory action moments and cute CGI scenes, but those don’t amount to much without an interesting plot, decent humor, or solid characterization. It missed the mark completely, so we STILL don’t know how such a dry, ridiculous concept became a box office hit. Maybe we really are just suckers for cute guinea pig flicks.
#15: “That Darn Cat” (1997)
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This one is especially bad for cat lovers. 1965’s “That Darn Cat!” is fondly looked back on as a fun, whimsical, and hilarious story of a cat who ends up being a crime witness. Of course, if Disney strikes gold once, you KNOW they’ll try to do it again… but they failed in this attempt. In this case, they took the focus away from the REAL star of the film, the cat, and put the unlikable Patti Randall in the spotlight. Worst of all, it sucked all the whimsical fun out of the original and tried to cater to a more cynical audience, but ending up an unfocused, uninteresting muddle.
#14: “The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause” (2006)
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Honestly, Tim Allen’s “The Santa Clause” isn’t for everyone, but many consider it a Christmas classic by now. Unfortunately, it spawned two sequels that couldn’t measure up to the original, and nowhere is that more evident than “The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause.” It’s a so-called battle of the ages – Tim Allen’s Scott Calvin vs Martin Short’s Jack Frost. But with a bland story and an already tired franchise, the only winner of this fight are those who decided to skip this holiday cash grab. Admittedly, Martin Short is a fun addition and the film is mostly harmless, but that couldn’t save it from being nominated for SIX Razzies.
#13: “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time” (2010)
Film adaptations of popular video games can be a huge gamble. If not handled right, gamer fans will make sure the filmmakers never hear the end of it. Of course, that didn’t stop Disney from taking on such a challenge. And thus was born “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time,” based on the popular Ubisoft title. It had the means to be a good flick – a great score, plenty of action, and a decent cast list. However, it relied TOO MUCH on said action to make up for a lackluster script that strayed too far from the source material. Criticism about casting a white actor as the Iranian lead didn’t help matters.
#12: “Underdog” (2007)
As unbelievable as it sounds, cute talking dogs don’t automatically make a movie great. It certainly couldn’t help Disney’s “Underdog,” based on the 1960s Saturday morning cartoon of the same name. What made the original show so beloved was how much of a campy homage to the superhero genre it was. However, this film tries too hard to cash in on the genre’s ongoing popularity and exchanges the cartoonish charm for a formulaic family drama plot. There are those who look back on this one with fondness, but most agree that with a plot as dull as this, there is PLENTY to fear when Underdog is here.
#11: “Inspector Gadget” (1999)
To this day, the “Inspector Gadget” cartoon is looked back with much acclaim, thanks partly to its banger of a theme song. Meanwhile, fans try to forget Disney’s live-action film adaptation. Instead of trying to capture the cartoon’s quirky charm, it focuses more on distracting its audience with special effects and horribly awkward humor, including unnecessary innuendoes. Also, Matthew Broderick wasn’t the best casting choice for the scatterbrained detective as his acting was incredibly awkward, and his evil doppelganger was even worse. Funnily enough, the direct-to-video sequel was seen as an improvement over the first film, as it felt much more faithful to its source material.
#10: "Alice Through the Looking Glass" (2016)
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Tim Burton’s remake of “Alice in Wonderland” has had a very mixed reaction from audiences. While the visuals are stunning, the story feels like a drastic departure from Lewis Carroll’s original stories. But most agree that the sequel, “Alice Through the Looking Glass,” is much WORSE than its predecessor. While its imagery is once again gorgeous, the story and narrative are overly complex and devoid of humor or anything that would keep the audience’s attention. The saddest part is that this was Alan Rickman’s very last film role, which makes the experience even more depressing. You’re better off watching the animated 1951 film; it does a MUCH better job portraying Carroll’s books than these live-action adaptations.
#9: “Mars Needs Moms” (2011)
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Before it was shut down, ImageMovers Digital was acclaimed for their breathtaking motion-capture films. Unfortunately, they mistakenly took on one ill-fated flop that spelled their doom – Disney’s “Mars Needs Moms.” While the animation and motion capture are nice, said talent couldn’t compensate for a shallow plot and bland, poor characters. Not to mention it once again teeters too close to the Uncanny Valley with some of the characters. Worst of all, the film’s budget was $150 million, and it couldn’t even get HALF of that back. And thus, ImageMovers Digital was buried in an overly-expensive, bland coffin.
#8: “The Lone Ranger” (2013)
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Despite The Lone Ranger’s popularity as a radio drama, there hadn’t been a film adaptation for three decades after the failure of 1981’s "The Legend of the Lone Ranger." However, in 2013, the Lone Ranger and Tonto rode again in Disney’s live-action adaptation…. And it was NOT a triumphant return. Right off the bat, there’s the controversial casting choice of having Johnny Depp play a Native American. But if you can look past that, we still have an overly expensive snooze-fest with an overstuffed run-time and a desperate reliance on action sequences. There were plans for sequels, but those thankfully never came to pass. Maybe it’s a sign that the Lone Ranger’s time really has passed.
#7: “Old Dogs” (2009)
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A comedy so bad that not even the late Robin Williams could save it. In this “family comedy,” he and John Travolta are business partners who end up becoming guardians for twins. Along the way, they learn about the value of family and get tangled up in all kinds of slapstick and shenanigans. Honestly, Williams and Travolta do have chemistry, but it’s sadly wasted on a tired-old narrative of “Unconventional father learns the value of family.” Seriously, this formula is older than Williams and Travolta’s characters. Oh, and there’s a scene with Seth Green being cradled by a gorilla… someone asked for this? Either way, it’s another example of talented actors not being used to their full potential.
#6: “Mr. Magoo” (1997)
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The original “Mr. Magoo” shorts followed the zany misadventures of a near-sighted old man as he narrowly avoids disaster in a hilarious manner. While the concept worked for a series of shorts, it doesn’t quite work for a full-length feature film. That didn’t stop Disney from giving it the old college try in 1997. Sad to say that even with Leslie Nielsen in the starring role, this film was destined for failure, and not just because it was bad. It was seen as an offensive portrayal of near-sighted people and had to be pulled from theaters. Honestly, it’s for the best; a movie THIS atrocious shouldn’t be seen by anyone.
#5: “Chicken Little” (2005)
Given Pixar’s success with CGI films, Disney decided to try it themselves with their first entirely CG-animated film, “Chicken Little,” based on the folktale of the same name. While the animation was impressive, critics called ‘fowl’ on everything else. The story is chaotic while TRYING to sound clever, while the humor relies too much on cheap laughs and is often mean-spirited - usually at the expense of poor Chicken. Not to mention viewers took a particular dislike for his father, Buck Cluck, for being unsupportive of his son. Thankfully, Disney would eventually find its footing in the CGI department with smash hits like “Tangled” and “Frozen,” but it had a poor first impression with this catastrophe.
#4: “Pinocchio” (2022)
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Live action remakes of animated Disney classics are often slammed for their subpar or mediocre retelling of the original. Arguably the biggest offender is the 2022 “Pinocchio” remake starring Tom Hanks. Visually, it looks astounding… but that’s where the compliments end. The story is stripped of everything that made the original timeless and compelling, and our favorite characters are deprived of any real characterization. No offense to Tom Hanks, but maybe he should’ve walked away from this one. Funny enough, "Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio" came out the same year and was critically acclaimed because of how much heart was put into it. Meanwhile, this live-action rip-off was just a soulless cash grab that was more lifeless than an actual puppet.
#3: “Planes” (2013)
With Pixar’s “Cars” already a major cash cow, Disney decided to keep the ball rolling with “Planes,” a spin-off movie set in the same universe, but not produced by Pixar. Honestly, Pixar dodged a bullet by not putting their name on it as it was a freefalling bomb with critics. It was released in theaters when it should’ve been a direct-to-video film, and it really shows what a paint-by-the-numbers money-grubbing project this was. The sequel, “Planes: Fire & Rescue”, was a small improvement over its predecessor, but that’s not saying much considering it’s still watering down a well-known Pixar franchise.
#2: “Kazaam” (1996)
With basketball superstar Shaquille O'Neal’s popularity in the 90s, Disney HAD to cash in on his fame with a feature film. Unfortunately, this resulted in “Kazaam,” with Shaq playing a rapping genie from a magic boombox. Sorry to say, but an Oscar-worthy performer Shaq is not; nor is he a rapper. It doesn’t help that the material he’s given is incredibly dull and cliched, and was nothing more than a shameless cash grab with barely any substance to keep it afloat. The weirdest part is that some viewers kept mistaking it for some non-existent 90s flick called “Shazaam” starring Sinbad. We’re STILL scratching our heads about this mix-up.
#1: “Artemis Fowl” (2020)
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The Artemis Fowl book series has been heavily praised for its storytelling and blend of fantasy, sci-fi, and police drama. Disney’s 2020 film adaptation, however, is considered a disgrace to the books’ legacy. While the set design and cinematography were decent, the dialogue was heavily watered down, the pacing was painfully slow, and the characters were handled abysmally. They tried to make Artemis into another generic kid protagonist, which goes completely against his character journey from the books. Not to mention they faced discriminatory accusations thanks to some controversial casting choices. The film was considered so bad that it was pulled from Disney+ in May 2023. Good riddance, honestly, considering how little it respected its source material.
