Top 20 Disney Endings That Don't Mean What You Think

It can be easy to forget the intricacies of Aladdin’s character; despite being loveable and fun, it’s also not inaccurate to say that he was overshadowed by at least one attention-grabbing supporting role. (We’re looking at you, Genie!) With that said, the real defining traits Aladdin possesses are his street smarts and his empathy, which is what helped him survive poverty in Agrabah. It’s also what saves him in the end. More than the three wishes or magic flying carpet, everything Aladdin’s learned from living on the streets – quick-thinking, agility, and compassion – is always what gets him out of sticky situations. Just like his quick wits save Jasmine at the beginning of the movie, they’re what save her again in the end – with the added bonus of defeating Jafar, of course.

For many, “Tangled" at first seemed reminiscent of the plethora of other Disney films based on fairy tales. Those often featured a heroine whose only desire was to meet a dashing prince and fall in love, and Rapunzel certainly did fall in love with the charming rogue Flynn Rider… or the much more endearing Eugene Fitzherbert. However what many missed were the ways “Tangled” subverted the classic formula. Rapunzel is motivated by her own journey of self-discovery, and her main motivation is to break free from the constraints of her brainwashing guardian. In fact, in the end, the two leads save each other, which is a nice way to push past the formulaic and sexist trope of “prince saves the princess”.

The fourth “Toy Story” film begins with a flashback nine years earlier, where Woody was faced with the choice to stay with Andy or leave with Bo Peep. In the end, Woody of course stayed, knowing that the young Andy still needed him. Flash forward, however, Andy is all grown up and the toys are living with their new kid, Bonnie. The fourth installment of the franchise sees Woody once again faced with the decision to leave or stay. Woody and Buzz’s goodbye is difficult, but it’s a necessary part of growing up and moving forward. This movie felt like it might have been more for the parents who first took their kids to see “Toy Story” in 1995, and who’d had to watch them grow up and leave the nest since then.

The early scenes of “Mulan” showed that she always felt out of place as the subservient daughter. She was required to wear makeup and dresses and, it was alluded to that her main purpose was to be married off. Even the song “Reflection” is about being torn between two worlds and the desire to be one’s true self. The opportunity to do just that seems to come when Mulan joins the army but, then again, she’s still hiding beneath a false identity. It’s only once she stops trying to be what others expect of her, that she’s able to live her own truth. And, interestingly, that’s when she finally wins the respect she deserves. It’s a message that’s easy to overlook when we’re all so excited about Mulan and Shang getting together.

This Disney flick received a bit of a lukewarm release, with many critics of the time knocking it for being overly simple. However more modern examinations have found a good deal of complexity in the plot. The film deals with growing up in a changing world, where the things you knew to be true as a child are challenged. The titular fox and hound, who were best friends as children, were taught that they were born enemies and as such, grew to learn to hate each other from an older generation. In the end, they were not able to overthrow the systematic prejudice of their world, but did come to understand it and recall a time before it tore them apart.

The evil queen’s question to her magic mirror about “the fairest one of all” has become deeply ingrained into our popular culture over the years. Parroted and parodied countless times, the answer to the question consistently reveals that Snow White is more beautiful than the wicked queen. With Snow White’s triumph in the end of the film and the queen’s demise, many have surmised that the film is saying the prettiest people deserve to win. However, the movie is not as concerned with praising vanity as it might have seemed. Snow White won people over, not with her looks, but with her pure heart and with her kindness. It’s how she befriended the dwarfs, the forest animals, and even how she stilled the hand of her would-be murderer.

“Monsters, Inc'' showcased a world that was literally powered by the screams of children, and explained why monsters lived in children’s closets. The monsters were told by the powers that be that human children were toxic and incredibly deadly, a lie created to keep the hierarchy of power in place and that, you know, didn’t make the monsters feel like bad guys. Mike and Sulley discover all of this when they inadvertently befriend the human child, Boo. They upend the old power structure and realize that the power of a child’s laughter is ten times stronger than their screams of fear. This provided a new power source in-universe, and revealed to us the theme that fear and deceit are far weaker than truth and joy.

Many decades after its release, “Mary Poppins” is still fondly remembered for the fantastical adventures that the titular nanny and the Banks children went on. Among many viewers, there’s a prevailing wisdom that Mary arrived to teach the unruly children how to behave and then departed when she was no longer needed. However, we argue this movie isn’t a morality tale for how children should act, like “Pinocchio,” but rather one directed at absent parents. By the end of the movie, Mr. Banks transforms from a distant father, more concerned with his job than being there for his children, into a radiant and fun individual who is present for his kids.

This Pixar gem has often been noted for its strong environmental message, as “WALL-E’s” plot involves a future human civilization living among the stars after the Earth becomes too polluted to inhabit. The end of the film sees humanity return to Earth after it’s proven that life has once again become sustainable. While the environmental themes are unquestionably present, they are far from the prevailing message of the film. “WALL-E” concerns itself not just with humans making connections to nature but with each other too. Initially isolated from one another, the people in “WALL-E” learn to work together in the finale. Only through cooperation are they capable of returning to Earth and restarting civilization.

One of the most enduring legacies of the “The Lion King'' is the iconic earworm “Hakuna Matata,” where the lovable Timon and Pumbaa sing about living a carefree and unattached lifestyle. Children have cheerily spent decades singing about having “no worries for the rest of your days.” However many may have missed that the film’s third act is a firm counterargument to that philosophy. During the years that Simba spent shirking his responsibilities, his sinister uncle Scar transformed his homeland into a hellscape. In the end Simba rebukes the “problem-free philosophy” and rises to meet his destiny – as do (albeit reluctantly) Timon and Pumbaa.

The first “Wreck it Ralph” dealt with issues like identity and self-acceptance, and the sequel addressed similarly mature themes. Ralph has settled into a new status quo and is loving life, but the same can’t be said for his best friend Vanellope. She wants to grow and change, and Ralph’s fear of being abandoned grows into a literal monster. It’s only when Ralph lets go of his insecurities, as painful as it may be, and lets his friend go, that they’re both free. The film’s final scenes illustrate that sometimes those we love may choose a different path than we do, and we need to accept that and realize it doesn’t mean they love us any less.

“Rescuers Down Under” was a radical departure for Disney, as it was both the first sequel and abandoned Disney’s signature musical format. This isn’t the only way it was different, however, with the directors drawing inspiration from Hayao Miyazaki films for some of its most recognizable sequences. Like many of Miyazaki’s films, “The Rescuers Down Under” ends with a message about the power of nature and how it needs to be protected. However, the message isn’t as heavy-handed as in other 90s films - such as 1992’s “FernGully: The Last Rainforest”. So for many young viewers, it was just a sequel movie set in Australia.

“Peter Pan” has become the poster child for those that refuse to grow up or let go of their childhoods. Some have even interpreted the meaning of the film as being that we lose our sense of imagination and wonder when we grow up, however the truth is a little more complex. In the end the Darlings choose to leave Neverland and the Lost Boys in order to grow up, returning to their parents. While growing up and losing innocence is tragic, it’s a difficult thing we all must do, and that struggle into adulthood makes us into fully formed people.

The film that ushered in the Disney renaissance, “The Little Mermaid” began an unrivaled period of critical and commercial success for the animation studio. Those that saw the classic film as children have reexamined it with a critical eye later in life, some finding Ariel’s character journey problematic, coming to the conclusion that Ariel sacrifices everything for a dreamy man. While the original ending of Hans Christian Anderson’s fairy tale certainly seems to support that reading, director Ron Clements smartly adjusted the original story’s ending where Ariel died to save the prince. With the new ending in the film the story becomes a metaphor for discovering your own voice and following your dreams.

While “Little Mermaid” began the Disney renaissance, “Atlantis” arrived just after the period of prosperity had come to a close, and was considered a box office disappointment and a critical flop. Over the years however “Atlantis” has earned a reputation as a cult classic as its original audience that saw it as children came to understand the deeper themes associated with it, particularly its last act. While the highly motivated Rourke is seen as a positive figure through most of the film, his greed and corruption is revealed in the finale. His traitorous turn and demise serve as an anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist commentary at the film’s conclusion.

The initial version we hear of “Remember Me” in “Coco” is an upbeat fun song, but one centered on its singer’s, Ernesto de la Cruz’s, vanity. Over the course of the film the audience learns that de la Cruz murdered Hector his partner and Miguel’s great-great grandfather, to steal his songs. Hector’s original slower version was written for his daughter Coco, and the song’s new context gives the film a new perspective as well. The tear-inducing ending where Miguel plays the song to a now near-death Coco shows us that memory has true power and rather than being shallowly adored by many, it’s better to be truly loved and remembered by even just one person.

By the very nature of the film, “Finding Nemo” is sure to elicit different responses from children and their parents, with children relating to the lost Nemo, and parents relating to Marlin. In fact the film is much more of a cautionary tale for parents than children, as Marlin’s overprotectiveness and tendency to shelter Nemo is what causes him to become lost in the first place. In the end Marlin learns not to be a helicopter parent, giving Nemo more freedom and trusting him, a lesson he learns from the absentminded but empathetic Dory.

For most of “Up” we follow Carl Fredrickson attempting to bring his home, which represents his departed wife, to the beautiful Paradise Falls. Trying to honor her memory, and the promise that Carl and Ellie made when they were children, he even speaks to the house as if it was his wife. Throughout the film he goes out of his way to protect the items in his house, even abandoning his new friends to protect it. However, he can only truly honor Ellie by learning that friends are more important than possessions, and that our memories shouldn’t stop us from moving forward.

The incredible animations and adorable anthropomorphic animals of “Zootopia” made the movie a hit with both kids and parents. But it was also an allegory about racism and prejudice. The film ends on a hopeful note, with the savage animals cured, and Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde working together. However, even though it’s a happy ending, it doesn’t mean that Zootopia is a perfect animal utopia - prejudices don’t change overnight, and the message is more about us being aware of them and doing our best to change them and bridge the divide.

This classic Disney film has been interpreted a number of ways over the years with the “All just a dream” ending misread by many. While some have interpreted Alice’s journey as an allegory for a hallucinogenic drug trip, or devoid of meaning altogether, the movie actually dealt with Alice having to make her way through a world where nothing made sense and no one believed her. Alice is able to wake from the absurd dream after standing up for herself when she’s put on trial by the mad queen and wakes back up in the real world, having grown - in more ways than one - while in Wonderland.