Top 10 Classic Disney Animated Moments That Made Fans Rage Quit

“Bambi” (1942)
This classic story begins with gentle forest harmony, as a cute little deer is raised by his doting mother. But as a sleepy winter slowly comes to an end, a hunter arrives offscreen and a desperate running chase ensues, followed by the sound of shots. Wait, did they just kill Bambi’s mom? Now, the desperately sad baby deer is calling out for her through a dark, lonely forest. Just when you’re sure she’ll appear to comfort him, Bambi’s royal sire appears to deliver the bad news. After all of that sweetness and light, this feels like a very unwelcome slap in the face. We can’t blame the fans who turn the movie off to go grab a box of tissues.

“The Little Mermaid” (1989)
Although this rebellious mermaid’s story rejuvenated Disney’s animated musicals, there’s one plot hole that leaves us gasping for air. Ariel has to read and sign the contract that trades her voice for a chance to woo her prince on land. So doesn’t that mean she could explain the whole situation by writing him a note? Maybe there’s no paper in the castle. Well, she could certainly acquire some when Prince Eric takes her into town! But instead, she goes dancing and gets a hat. The movie is undoubtedly charming and full of amazing tunes. But it also leaves fans yelling at their screens, begging Ariel to stop combing her hair with a fork and get a pen already!

“Alice in Wonderland” (1951)
In the magical world of Wonderland, it’s understood that animals have personalities. For instance, the White Rabbit is stressed, the March Hare is wacky, and the Dodo is pompous. So why is it okay that the Walrus eats a bunch of baby oysters? In this story, told by the Tweedle twins, the Walrus and the Carpenter con the little shellfish into joining them for a meal. They then reveal that the infants will be the main dish, and fear consumes the doomed oysters’ faces as they realize they’re about to be eaten. Although the actual consumption isn’t shown on-screen, the large Walrus hiccup and table of empty shells is enough to leave any viewer feeling nauseous.

“Beauty and the Beast” (1991)
Belle is a strong-willed character who sacrifices her own freedom for her father’s. So when the Beast gets aggressive with her, it’s not surprising that she chooses to escape. However, after her captor defends her from wolves, she not only makes sure he gets back to his castle, but stays to take care of him. What if it was a human prince smashing tables and screaming in Belle’s face? Wouldn’t we tell her to let his servants handle his injuries so that she could snag a carriage while everyone’s busy and get to safety? Considering Belle’s adroit handling of Gaston’s unwanted advances earlier in the film, it seems frustratingly out of character for her to stay with the Beast.

“Sleeping Beauty” (1959)
Princess Aurora’s curse dooms her to prick her finger on a spinning wheel and die “before the sun sets on her 16th birthday.” Her magical fairy guardians decide the smart choice is to hide her away, so that she won’t risk getting near such a machine before that fateful day. That’s actually a great idea. So why do they bring her back to the castle before her all-important birthday is over? Why not give it another week just to be safe? This decision from fairies who’ve managed to hide their powers and raise a human in secret for years is a real head-scratcher. Honestly, it just feels like an excuse to ultimately have a dramatic castle rescue.

“The Three Caballeros” (1944)
This animation-meets-live-action movie sees Donald Duck being introduced to the culture of Latin America. However, the side plot seems to focus on the unwanted attention he gives the movie’s female characters. Most of this is limited to awkward introductions, dopey looks and trying to hit a rival with a hammer. However, when he and his two bird friends visit the beach in Acapulco, their actions can’t be described as cute or funny. All three peep on the sunbathers with binoculars, objectifying them in the process. Plus, Donald aggressively pursues swimsuit-clad ladies who run away from him. Sure, it’s framed in a lighthearted way, but that doesn’t make it right. This unacceptable behavior just doesn’t “fly.”

“The Fox and the Hound” (1981)
Although this movie centers on the unusual friendship between Tod the fox and his hunting hound buddy Copper. But one of the most frustrating moments involves the former character’s human mom, Widow Tweed. She adopts the baby fox and raises him as a pet on her farm. Yet when he reaches adulthood, she abandons him in the forest to fend for himself. It’s implied that she’s doing this to protect Tod from her hunter neighbor Amos. But an earlier run-in shows that Tweed is quite capable of keeping him in line. It’s just unnecessarily devastating to have Tod lose a mother-figure for a second time. After all, he could still have adventures with forest animals while simultaneously keeping his farm family.

“Peter Pan” (1953)
The Darling children’s adventures in Neverland are littered with trope-filled depictions of Native Americans. Even if you made it past the portrayal at first, you'll definitely consider stopping the movie once “What Made the Red Man Red?” starts. While the title itself is enough to inspire a film change, the lyrics take it to another unbearably offensive level. As if that wasn’t bad enough, a slew of white British children are shown wearing feathers, with many also sporting face paint. The whole number is outdated and hugely disrespectful, to put it mildly. Despite the song’s proclamation that this is “the real true story”, it’s clear that it’s definitely not.

“Pinocchio” (1940)
In this early classic about the puppet who wished to be a real boy, children who head to Pleasure Island are encouraged to go wild. So they notably over-eat, fight, and vandalize. It could be argued that, since they’re given permission to do all of this, they shouldn’t be punished at all. But even if you believe they need discipline, it’s hard not to see turning them into donkeys and condemning them to servitude as cruel. As the desperate boys cry out for help, a deep sense of unease and discomfort overwhelms the scene. Seeing Lampwick transform makes it all the more disturbing. Such drastic punishment for misbehavior of any kind is simply never okay.

“Dumbo” (1941)
This film about a special little circus elephant has frequently been called out for its depiction of the crows. They’re seen by many as playing into problematic stereotypes about Black people. However, a disturbing implication that people enjoy inhumane labor conditions is written into the lyrics of a tune even earlier in the story. The “Song of the Roustabouts” seems like just another catchy number with a peppy melody, until you really start listening to the words. The references to folks gladly working for little-to-no pay are unsettling, to say the least. Juxtapose that with the visuals of Black people toiling in the rain, and the song and movie both lose their shine.