Top 5 Disturbing Disney Film Realizations

The Mouse House Has A Dark Side

News of Guillermo Del Toro’s upcoming Pinocchio film being picked up by Netflix has us all immensely excited. While the Disney version is beloved by many, anyone who knows even a little about the nature of the puppet’s literary origins is aware that The Shape of Water director is a perfect match of nightmarish proportions. Given his love for creatures and supernatural content, we’re fully expecting to see Del Toro’s take on the string-less wonder to leave us chilled to the core. Of course, this isn’t the first time that a staple of classic Disney has had it’s shadowy side revealed to the world…

#5: What Happened to the Donkey Boys?
“Pinocchio” (1940)

For the most part, “Pinocchio” wraps things up in a tidy little package. The wooden puppet becomes a real boy and everyone lives happily ever after… everyone except for the boys back on Pleasure Island that is. Lampwick and the other kids are all transformed into donkeys. Where some of these boys can still talk, the rest are virtually stripped of their humanity and sold off into slave labor. We never see what happens to any of them after Pinocchio escapes. So it’s safe to assume that they lived out the rest of their days in misery. The cheerful ending might distract kids from this unresolved plot point, but parents are left wanting closure.

#4: Was Nala Simba’s Half-Sister?
“The Lion King” (1994)

Ever notice that we never see Nala’s father in “The Lion King?” Come to think of it, outside of Simba, the only male lions on Pride Rock seem to be Mufasa and Scar. Hold on! Does that mean Mufasa is Nala’s father, making her Simba’s half-sister? While Mufasa appeared to be in a monogamous relationship with Simba’s mother, all of the lionesses sleep in the same den as their king. Isn’t that a bit um… suggestive? Granted, Scar could also arguably be Nala’s father, making her Simba’s first cousin. Either way, though, Simba would’ve married into his own bloodline and conceived a cub of incest. Is this a Disney movie or “Game of Thrones?”

#3: Romantic Relationships Start Too Fast
Various

When you’re a kid, love at first sight may seem like a natural phenomenon. At a certain age, however, it becomes clear that romantic relationships are much more complicated than Disney couples make them out to be. Snow White falls in love with her prince after one encounter and rides off with him following their first kiss. It doesn’t take much more than an enchanted evening together for Cinderella and Prince Charming to commit for life. The same goes for Aurora and Phillip. Ariel gives up everything for Eric, even though they’ve never even had a conversation. Of course Disney is becoming more self-aware with this trope, as demonstrated in movies like “Enchanted” and “Frozen.”

#2: Historical Accuracy
Various

Disney introduced a generation of children to historical figures like Pocahontas and mythological figures like Hercules. Once you start reading about these people in school, however, you’ll realize that Disney took some serious liberties with their film adaptations. In real life, Pocahontas was only around ten years old when she met the fully-grown John Smith. There’s also little to no historical evidence to back up the claim that these two were romantically involved. As for Hercules, the filmmakers understandably omitted the part where our titular hero kills Megara and their kids. Seeing how most Disney movies have dark, twisted origins, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that they have no problem with rewriting history.

#1: Racism
Various

Disney has been around for almost 100 years and the company’s age REALLY shows through sometimes. Just go back and watch a few of their earlier feature films. The jive talkin’ black crows from “Dumbo” definitely wouldn’t fly in today’s PC world. It’s also easy to see why the Siamese cats from “Lady and the Tramp” aren’t exactly considered culturally sensitive. Speaking of cats perpetuating Asian stereotypes, what’s up with this scene from “The Aristocats?” “Peter Pan” doesn’t portray Native Americans in the most respectful light either. Oh, and don’t even get us started on “Song of the South.” Let’s just be glad that Disney’s taken a major step forward with movies like “Zootopia.”

Be sure to check out the video below to see our picks for the Top 10 F**ked Up Origins Behind Disney Movies.