Top 10 Most Brutal Disney Movie Deaths

“Who Framed Roger Rabbit” (1988)
A technical masterpiece that blends live-action with animation, “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” stars Christopher Lloyd as Judge Doom. Serving as the main antagonist, Judge Doom was the man who framed Roger Rabbit. And for it, he dies an excruciating death. He reveals his true character after a run in with a steamroller, which in itself is a painful prelude for what’s to come. Doom then becomes a victim of his own “Dip,” a nasty combination of chemicals that is used to off Toons. The Dip envelops Doom’s feet, and he yells in excruciating pain as he slowly melts. At least we got justice for that poor shoe who met a similar fate…

“Sleeping Beauty” (1959)
An iconic villain, Maleficent is a nasty piece of work. Feeling jealous after she’s left out of Aurora’s christening, she curses the adorable baby. Years later, the Princess ends up in a sleep only “true love’s kiss” (Prince Phillip’s) can wake her from. Naturally, Maleficent does not want that, so she turns into a giant dragon in a last ditch effort to stop Phillip. But the hero – helped by the good fairies – throws the Sword of Truth directly into her dragon heart, causing an eerie screech of pain. If that wasn’t bad enough, she then slams into a cliff of rock hard enough to shatter it, dropping her through green flame to her death. It’s just one thing after another!

“The Princess and the Frog” (2009)
“The Princess and the Frog” notably lives on for being the first Disney film to star a Black Princess. But it also gave us the incredible Dr. Facilier, who’s arguably one of the best animated bad guys to come out of the studio’s modern era. Facilier is a witch doctor with ties to voodoo and the afterlife. Unfortunately for him, his spirit “friends on the other side” aren’t so friendly – especially if you owe them. When Tiana shatters his all-important talisman, they pull Facilier into a hellish realm, effectively ending his life. The startling moment is full of eerie chanting, dangerous shadow people, and psychedelic imagery. Needless to say, it’s not exactly a peaceful way to go.

“Big Hero 6” (2014)
There are a couple of “big heroes” in “Big Hero 6,” and Tadashi is one of them. Being the main character’s older sibling, we had a feeling he wouldn’t be around long. Unfortunately, our prediction was correct. Early on in the story, he accompanies his brother Hiro to a tech showcase. But tragedy strikes when the building is set ablaze. Worse still, Tadashi’s personal mentor, Professor Callaghan, finds himself trapped. So Tadashi heads in to rescue him, only for the school to explode seconds later. We can only hope his passing was quick and painless. But given how dark and realistic this death is, it certainly wasn’t painless for us.

“The Black Cauldron” (1985)
This film is a bit of a black hole in Disney’s history, seeing as how it initially bombed. But the studio can rest assured that they created an all-time baddie in the Horned King. Voiced by John Hurt, he gains possession of the titular black cauldron, which allows him to form a zombie-style army. Yes, we’re sure this is a Disney movie. And like many Disney villains, the Horned King’s weapon is eventually used against him. He is slowly devoured by the cauldron and screams as he becomes nothing but bones. And just when you think it can’t get worse, the cauldron’s power envelops his skeleton and blows it to pieces.

“The Lion King” (1994)
Perhaps the most famous evil lion in movie history, Scar kills his own brother, attempts to kill his nephew, and steals the throne for himself. He also mixes with the local hyenas, creating something of a fascist war party. But at the end of the day, he’s a coward. He pleads to Simba after getting bested in a fight and blames his tyrannical rule on the hyenas. Well, they hear, and are none too pleased about that. So when the villain is ultimately thrown to the ground, the angry animals take their chance to pounce on him. We aren’t privy to the details, but we can only imagine it’s not a pretty sight.

“Fantasia” (1940)
It didn’t take long for Disney to start experimenting. Only their third full-length film, “Fantasia” is a highly unique blend of animation and classical music, split into eight different segments. One of these is “Rite of Spring,” which tells the story of the Earth’s conception. Viewers are notably given a mesmerizing glimpse into the dinosaurs, and the story includes a vicious battle between a T-rex and a Stegosaurus. The former emerges victorious after biting the other dino’s neck. There is no blood, but we see the weakened Stegosaurus fall to the ground and attempt in pitiful vain to fight back. We also see it slowly close its eyes as it passes away. Suffice to say, this sequence could prove very traumatic to younger viewers.

“The Little Mermaid” (1989)
Kickstarting the legendary Disney Renaissance was “The Little Mermaid,” a stellar film with iconic songs and characters. Part of what makes the story so compelling is sea witch Ursula, who eventually manages to acquire the magical trident of King Triton. She then proceeds to dub herself the Queen of the Seven Seas and grows to an enormous size. But little does she know, her size would be her undoing. Indeed, Prince Eric seizes an old ship and pilots it directly into the gigantic villain, piercing her with the ship’s shattered and pointy spar. It goes clean through her, and, needless to say, she doesn’t make it. The whole thing is accompanied by screams and bursts of bright lightning. Talk about a cinematic end.

“Bambi” (1942)
There are standard Disney deaths, and then there’s what happens to Bambi’s mom. One of the most heartbreaking movie deaths ever, her passing has reverberated throughout the decades and remains just as powerful today as it was in 1942. She’s murdered by the hunter, and a terrified Bambi is forced to wade through snow and darkness, all by himself, to find her. We don’t see her in the aftermath, but we don’t need to. Despite the death occurring off screen, the little deer’s reaction makes it more brutal than we thought possible. It’s an unbelievably powerful bit of filmmaking, and for many, it serves as a traumatizing acknowledgement that parents won’t always be with us.

“Tarzan” (1999)
If people remember “Tarzan” for one thing, it’s the beautiful soundtrack from Phil Collins. If they remember two things, it’s Phil Collins and the immensely frightening death of William Clayton. The antagonist chases Tarzan through the trees and ultimately begins hacking at some vines with a machete. Foolishly disregarding Tarzan’s objections, Clayon cuts too much and violently falls. By this point though, one of the vines has already wrapped itself around his neck, so you can imagine what gruesome fate he meets. We don’t often see human characters die in Disney flicks, and seeing one go in such a realistic fashion is highly disturbing.