Top 10 Disney Movies That Had the Wrong Ending

Roger, Anita, and their dogs have successfully saved 99 pups from the fur-loving grasp of Cruella de Vil. So now what? Well, apparently the logical solution is to adopt them all. As any dog owner will tell you, they’re a lot of work. The feeding, the walking, the attention, etcetera. Now multiply that by 101 - not so ideal after all, right? Also, what about Cruella? Last we saw her, she’d collided into her sidekicks, leaving them all stranded. You’d think that Roger and Anita might desire some major retribution for her heinous actions. But seemingly they’ve moved on and apparently we’re expected to as well.

From the very beginning of the movie, the message that beauty is only skin deep is hammered into audiences. Indeed, Belle and the Beast do form a special bond that you might even call love. But, it only takes moments for the entire moral to unravel. Apparently happily ever after can only be achieved once the Beast turns back into a handsome prince. The 2017 live-action remake decided to subtly address this. As Belle and the Prince dance at their wedding she makes a cheeky comment. Clearly, this is a nod to the Beast that she initially fell in love with.

The Pleasure Island scene was way too dark for a children’s film and we’re still haunted by it today. But of course, we were relieved when our protagonist managed to escape. And even though the rest of his journey wasn’t smooth sailing, Pinocchio still gets his happy ending. As the Blue Fairy reverses the effects of the Pleasure Island curse, we can’t help but wonder what happened to all of the other boys? Did anyone save them? “Pinocchio” is often considered one of the best animated films of all time. But a satisfying conclusion for the other Pleasure Island victims would have made it even better.

When the film began, we thought we were watching an adorable animation about an unlikely friendship. Tod, a fox, and Copper, a dog, overcome social pressure and nature’s law to become the best of friends. But then they grow up. The former besties become sworn enemies. Even so, Tod comes to his childhood friend’s rescue during a bear attack and Copper prevents his owner from shooting the fox in return. After that they pretty much part ways for good with their friendship nothing but a distant memory. Apparently, friendship is no match for the laws of nature - but couldn’t Disney show them reviving their relationship somehow?

Don’t get us wrong, “Aladdin” is a great movie. But one teeny-tiny plot point could have changed the entire story. Earlier, the Sultan is pretty insistent that Jasmine must marry as is dictated by law. Only at the end does he suddenly remember that as Sultan he has the power to change that. This essentially renders the whole plot kinda moot. Even if he was being controlled by Jafar, why didn’t anyone else bring it up? Also, the original ending revealed that Genie was masquerading as the peddler. It’s a shame that the idea was scrapped as it sounds like a rather satisfying full-circle ending.

You know the saying, “Always leave ‘em wanting more?” Yeah, that wasn’t exactly the vibe “Fantasia” decided to end on. Rather, they saved the scariest segment until last. Until now, we’d enjoyed plenty of magic, dancing, and an uplifting classical soundtrack. But with “Night on Bald Mountain” we were presented with more hellish imagery and Chernabog, one of the most terrifying demons in Disney animation history. They did try and reintroduce some light at the end but by that point, we were already hiding behind our sofas. Perhaps “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” would have been a more suitable segment for the finale. It’s the one we all fondly remember anyway.

At its core, the “Chicken Little” storyline isn’t all that bad. But it often felt like its creators weren’t exactly sure of what kind of tone they were going for. They regularly rely on slapstick humor and easy laughs and then suddenly they try to tug at our heartstrings at the end. Audiences simply weren’t buying it. They also didn’t approve of Foxy Loxy’s story arc either. She starts as a strong, feisty character, who’s forced to fill the outdated ditzy girly girl stereotype. She might have been a bad egg but the fact that the others essentially controlled her fate is both unsatisfying and disturbing.

The “Toy Story 3” ending was so perfectly heartwarming that we were sure nothing could top it. And we were correct. As you probably recall, the fourth installment ends with Woody leaving his friends for a life on the road with Bo Peep. But hang on a second. Isn’t this the same Woody that spent three films advocating that nothing was more important than their kid’s happiness? That’s a pretty major value to suddenly abandon, don’t you think? A producer explained that they needed a big way to show Woody’s character development. But even Pixar wasn’t initially convinced that this ending was the right choice.

Until this film, the traditional Disney princess canon always rewarded its protagonist with a happy ending. We could totally accept Pocahontas being an exception if they’d given her the send-off she deserved. Pocahontas and John Smith’s whirlwind romance was at the center of the story. So its abrupt ending engulfed us like a bucket of ice-cold water. The star-crossed lovers are forced to part ways when John returns to England to make a full recovery from his wounds. They say their goodbyes and with a final wave, it’s over. As Pocahontas watches the ship sail into the distance, we were left feeling rather underwhelmed.

Ridiculed for his oversized ears, Dumbo is treated as a joke act by his circus family. But thanks to his ever-growing fame, he eventually becomes the star of the show. It’s not really a happy ending if you think about it, though. Dumbo and his mom will spend the rest of their lives serving the circus. Doesn’t sound too jolly, right? When a live-action remake was announced in 2015, PETA petitioned director Tim Burton to rewrite the ending. As an advocate for animal welfare himself, he didn’t need much convincing. The new ending is a huge improvement but our hearts still break for 1941 Dumbo.