Top 10 Disney Movies You Look at Differently as an Adult
#10: “Finding Nemo” (2003)
Top 10 Finding Nemo Easter Eggs You MISSED
When you grow up, you go from relating to the kids in movies to their parents! The proof is that back in the day, we saw Nemo as a kid who’s being smothered by his dad Marlin. We fully wanted him to have an epic independent escapade! But oh, how our perspective has widened. We now see that Marlin just wants to keep his kid safe out of love. Sure, he’s overdoing it. But it’s normal when you consider the trauma he’s experienced having lost his wife and other children. His fear and determination to make things right take on a way deeper meaning. After all, Nemo getting taken must be his worst nightmare! We’re rooting for you, Marlin!
#9: “The Lion King” (1994)
Top 10 Dark Theories About The Lion King
If you ask a child to explain “The Lion King” to you, they’ll get the gist of the movie right. Mufasa, the Pride Lands’ King, is killed by his power hungry brother Scar. What follows is a crazy adventure that ultimately leads his son Simba home to rule the kingdom. Yet when you’re older, you see just how fleshed out the story is. For instance, Scar REALLY takes the sibling rivalry concept to an unhinged level! And if you’ve grieved someone near to you? Mufasa’s passing will touch you in powerful new ways. The poignant “circle of life” concept that’s so central to the story also really comes into focus. We’ve always known it’s a great movie, and now, we appreciate its depth even more.
#8: “Beauty and the Beast” (1991)
Top 10 Differences Between 1991 and 2017 Beauty and the Beast
It’s a tale as old as time. But should it be?! We idolized Belle and Beast’s love when we were young. Sadly, it seems we should be using them as an example of what NOT to do. To state the obvious, it’s not healthy to date the guy who’s imprisoned you. Yes, Gaston is a horrific, dangerous monster. So the Beast is a real treat in comparison, especially once he softens up. But that doesn’t excuse or erase his own super harmful behavior. Nothing can really make up for holding an innocent person captive and mistreating them, even if you ultimately let them go! Belle is way too smart for all of this toxicity and deserves better. May we suggest some time alone?
#7: “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” (1937)
Top 10 Snow Movies
As kids, we loved watching Snow White find friendship with Grumpy and the gang as she hid from the Evil Queen. But hindsight is 20/20. She’s essentially a child, while they’re adults. So why is she cooking, cleaning, and explaining basic hygiene to them?! It all reeks of gender stereotypes. The way she infantilizes them doesn’t sit right with us, either. Meanwhile, they’re infatuated with her, which, considering the age gap, is creepy. Don’t worry though, we haven’t forgotten the Prince! His rescue seemed dreamy when we were young, but it’s actually the opposite. Does he know his creepy non-consensual kiss will wake Snow? Or does he have an affinity for corpses? Either way, we think this movie was the poisoned apple all along.
#6: “The Little Mermaid” (1989)
Top 10 Movies That You'll Look At Differently Now As An Adult
Picture this: a teenage mermaid uproots her life and trades her voice for a human Prince named Eric she thinks is cute. Most grown ups would agree that’s a bad idea. Yet we were pretty much all #TeamAriel when we were little. Today, we want to shake her and tell her to smarten up! She and Eric are essentially strangers, and frankly, she’s too young to understand everything that’s at stake. Her dad Triton’s outrage at her reckless behavior early on is completely justified, even if his methods are counterproductive. Ariel doesn’t even know what a fork is, for crying out loud! And the mess she gets herself into with Ursula proves she’s in over her head. Sorry, someone had to say it!
#5: “Peter Pan” (1953)
Top 10 Differences Between Peter Pan (1953) & Peter Pan & Wendy (2023)
You probably grew up thinking this was an adventurous tale about childhood. Maybe you even wondered why ABC’s “Once Upon a Time” painted Peter Pan in such a horrid light. Yet all it takes is one rewatch through adult eyes to see that they were right. His horrendous attitude and misogyny are on display from the moment we meet him. And his behavior throughout doesn’t help his case, either. Sure, growing up is challenging. And you shouldn’t try to rush it. Still, avoiding it forever isn’t the answer, either! It’s about balance, which Pan has clearly never heard of. Even without these issues, we can’t look past the story’s racist elements. Honestly, we currently see this movie as a reminder to close our windows…
#4: “Sleeping Beauty” (1959)
Younger audiences see a movie about true love that’s full of great music and hilarious fairies. As adults, we realize that Princess Aurora isn’t an active participant in her own story. She’s cursed by Maleficent shortly after she’s born, and initially raised to believe she’s a regular girl named Briar Rose by Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather. Nobody gives her enough credit to tell her the whole truth and warn her, instead leaving her unprepared and alone for Maleficent to dupe. As a result, she spends a good chunk of the movie asleep, waiting to be awakened by a “true love” she barely knows with a problematic non-consensual kiss. It’s a shame, because Aurora had way more to offer than her beauty and singing voice.
#3: “Cinderella” (1950)
Top 10 Greatest Cinderella Movies
When you think of fairy tales, “Cinderella” probably comes to mind. It’s the ultimate feel-good story, where the titular character, living with her mean stepmother and stepsisters, falls in love with a Prince and lives happily ever after. Except we’re just now gaining a clearer understanding of how tragic Cinderella’s circumstances are. “Evil” isn’t nearly a strong enough descriptor for her stepfamily! She’s completely trapped in her household, and is terribly mistreated. In her world, the only chance at having a semblance of freedom is marriage. She can’t have unconditional independence, which breaks our hearts. We also have to ask: couldn’t her Fairy Godmother have helped her escape instead of sending her to a ball? This glass slipper doesn’t look so appealing anymore.
#2: “Pocahontas” (1995)
Top 10 Historically Inaccurate Details in Pocahontas
In real life, Pocahontas (actual name Matoaka) was a young Indigenous child who was taken captive by British settlers. The history is complex and grim, to say the least. So for Disney to make it romantic by taking numerous liberties and adding in a fabricated love story? It’s not only uncomfortable, but offensive. Naturally, most of us weren’t old enough to have learned about the events that inspired the film the first time we watched it. So we didn’t realize that it was erasing a horrific story of racism, colonialism, and pain. Now that we know better? It paints the whole thing in a different, majorly unsettling light. It’s probably best to leave this movie in the past…
Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
“Inside Out” (2015)
Human Emotions are Explored with a Depth & Complexity That You Can Only Appreciate Later in Life
“Pinocchio” (1940)
Adults Know That Pleasure Island Is Anything but Fun
“Up” (2009)
It’s Extra Powerful When You’re Old Enough to See All That’s at Stake for Carl
“Dumbo” (1941)
The Exploitation Taking Place at This Circus Is Brushed Aside in the Film, & We See It Clearly Now
“Zootopia” (2016)
A Lesson About Discrimination Takes Center Stage in Kid-Friendly Packaging
#1: “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” (1996)
Top 10 Satisfying Villain Deaths in Disney Movies - Best of WatchMojo
Where do we start? The themes in this classic are way too sophisticated for children to fully grasp. Think about it. Claude Frollo causes a Traveller woman’s death, and imprisons her baby Quasimodo, making him believe he was abandoned. He then refuses to let him go outside because of his appearance. That’s seriously messed up, and we’ve only scratched the surface. Frollo pretends to be righteous, yet he discriminates against Esmeralda and the rest of the Romani people, going to fiery lengths to annihilate them. Perhaps it’s because he’s a regular guy, without any curses or magic at his disposal, but we’re more horrified by him today than we were growing up. Needless to say, “Hunchback” really makes you stop and think as an adult.
