Credit: DisneyToday, we look at some seriously questionable Disney dads.
Related: The Worst Disney Mothers of All Time
Disney animation (and the fatherly figure)
Over the years, Walt Disney Animation Studios and The Walt Disney Company have established a reputation for exceptional animation and innovation in the film and television industry. This was first showcased in the debut of Mickey Mouse in the groundbreaking Steamboat Willie in 1928, followed by the release of the first-ever full-length animated feature film, Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs in 1937, which further cemented Walt Disney’s genius.
Disney doesn’t just maintain industry-leading theme parks like Orlando, Florida’s Walt Disney World,
Now, the father figure has been central to much of Disney’s animated canon — seeing as many of these film and TV protagonists are defined by their relationship to the world around them — and particularly, their families.
To be honest, there is a veritable sea of questionable dads in Disney history, with so many that we just have to shave the list down. Apparently, many of the young Disney heroes and heroines just don’t get along with their animated father figures.
What makes a Disney father “the worst”?
Not all of these dads are even necessarily Disney villains (though yes, we’ve ranked the most dastardly ones before). How do we define the worst Disney father, though? Well, “father” is not limited to biological fathers here, so just like our worst Disney moms list, adoptive parents and guardians are all fair game.
Additionally, “the worst” is an obviously subjective standard, but here we’ll focus on a character’s ability to fulfill the role of a father, which includes being a supportive, loving, and understanding presence in their child’s life, regardless of their struggles. It means not being abusive, or manipulative, or seeing the kid only as an extension of themselves.
The worst Disney dads ever, ranked
9. King Agnarr — Frozen (2013)
Instead of seeking proper assistance and providing Elsa with guidance on how to control her powers, King Agnarr allowed his daughters to remain separated and isolated, causing Elsa to develop anxiety and fear of her powers. All of this overprotective behavior resulted in Elsa bearing the responsibility of ruling alone after the untimely deaths of her parents. As it turns out, King Agnarr (and admittedly, Queen Iduna) kept a significant secret from Elsa about her true nature and the Northuldra people. This secret caused immense pain and suffering for Elsa and Anna years later when Elsa’s powers and the Enchanted Forest’s elemental imbalance threatened to destroy the Kingdom of Arendelle. While King Agnarr may have had good intentions, his actions were ultimately irresponsible and had serious consequences for his family and kingdom.
8. Django — Ratatouille (2007)
Django (Brian Dennehy) is a dad who refuses to support his son Rémy’s dream of becoming a chef and instead insists on him sticking to the family’s “traditional occupation” of… processing and eating human trash. While Django admittedly has good intentions and ultimately cares for his son, he lands himself a spot on the list of Disney’s worst fathers mainly because it takes Rémy leaving and striking out on his own before he even considers supporting his son on his chosen life path. Rémy’s “role” in rat society comes first before anything else.
The fear that both Émile and Rémy feel towards their father just screams emotionally abusive and manipulative! Sorry Django, you do care for your sons, but you’re not a very good dad — at least, at first.
7. King Triton — The Little Mermaid (1989)
He… literally drove his daughter into the arms of a Sea Witch, though.
King Triton is the hyper-controlling King of the Sea and ruler of Atlantica, and is father to seven daughters — and the youngest (and main protagonist), the quintessential Disney Princess Ariel (Jodie Benson). King Triton is a bit of a self-centered man as well, with an entire concert featuring his daughters dedicated to praising his name held for the mer-citizens on the regular. Additionally, he was rather cruel, disapproving of Ariel’s love for the human Prince Eric (Christopher Daniel Barnes) and willing to shatter her collection of human artifacts, destroying something she clearly spent lots of time collecting and caring for — without trying to understand her perspective. His flaring temper and inability to talk before raging and becoming violent indeed drove Ariel into the arms of Ursula and her predatory magics, kicking the events of The Little Mermaid into action and nearly losing him his daughter — forever.
6. Kerchak — Tarzan (1999)
Kerchak (Lance Henriksen) was the alpha gorilla of the troop — and was completely unwilling to accept Tarzan as his son and into his family. Seeing Tarzan as his wife/mate Kala’s (Glenn Close) replacement for their biological son who also died at the claws of the leopard Sabor. Throughout his entire life, Tarzan was made to feel like an outcast — a disdain and hatred practiced by the other gorillas and Tarzan’s peers, and exacerbated and perpetuated by the alpha Kerchak himself. It’s no wonder Tarzan was driven to find a connection with the “strangers like him” when he stumbles across humans later on in life. In a way, Kerchak assured his own death.
5. Jaeger Clade — Strange World (2022)
Dennis Quaid plays Jaeger Clade, who is arguably one of the worst dads in Disney history, even though he’s a relatively “new” one. Jaeger Clade abandons his son Searcher Clade (Jake Gyllenhaal) in the mountains for basically his entire adult life, stubbornly insisting on fulfilling his own self-centered desires for adventure, constantly refusing to recognize his son’s special talent for botany and the good that he can do with his interests — simply because they don’t align with his own. The entire movie is essentially dedicated to Jaeger Clade undoing his own set-in beliefs, and learning to accept his son (and his grandson) for who they are, reconnecting with his family, and most importantly, listening to others.
4. Scar — The Lion King (1994)
The power-hungry Scar (Jeremy Irons) is not only one of Walt Disney Animation’s premier villains, but also a terrible uncle and father. Of course, everyone knows about how he willing to kill his own brother and nephew to secure his throne over the Pridelands, but in The Lion King 2/The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride, Scar’s role as a father is explored through his son, Kovu, who spends the entirety of the sequel living in his dad’s shadow.
3. Pete — A Goofy Movie (1995)
Pete is a selfish, manipulative father who has ridiculous expectations of his son, PJ (Rob Paulsen). Being horribly controlling is a key feature of this horrible Disney dad, who is willing to go to great lengths to one-up people he doesn’t like. All he is is petty and demanding throughout the entire movie, and it’s honestly a miracle that Max’s best friend PJ turned out as sweet as he did.
2. Buck Cluck — Chicken Little (2005)
Honestly, he got close to first.
Buck Cluck (Garry Marshall) is the overbearing, judgmental, and dismissive father of Chicken Little (Zach Braff). From the first five minutes of the film, Buck Cluck continually mocks his son and turns the entire town against him, making him look like a liar and an idiot to save his own reputation. Throughout the entire movie, Buck Cluck constantly belittles Chicken Little, from openly listing his perceived flaws, to joining in with the townspeople in ganging up on his son — not doing anything even when he becomes the butt of the entire town. From “parental advice” like telling Chicken Little to lay low and act like he doesn’t exist, to discouraging Chicken Little from joining the baseball team in case he embarrasses his dad (a former star player). Sure, he saves Chicken Little at the end — but there’s no saving him from the lifetime of psychological trauma brought about from Buck Cluck’s ridiculously unsupportive and egocentric parenting!
1. Judge Claude Frollo — The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)
Who is the monster, and who is the man?
Judge Claude Frollo (Tony Jay) was straight up, heavily abusive towards his adopted son Quasimodo (a cruel given name, which means “half-formed”), treating him as more of a lesser being than a fellow human. Calling him an “unholy demon” as a baby, Frollo’s entire agenda revolves around being a massive, manipulative bully of a guardian — and in a surprising move by Disney — a giant pervert who wants Esmeralda for himself, willing to hurt anyone who stands in his way. He essentially gaslights Quasimodo all his life, telling him how lucky he is to have a father figure and master as benevolent and “kind” as Frollo. Insisting on utter obedience, Quasimodo is another example of a miracle — for a man as wholesome, genuinely kind and selfless to come from such a horrible father figure is nothing short of divine intervention. Sure, Quasimodo had the Archdeacon of Notre Dame to model good morals, and in a way, the other people he could see from his spot in the bell tower — but with such a horrific “father” as Frollo, it’s a wonder Quasimodo is even emotionally functioning.
Overall, these horrific fathers do serve a purpose — as obstacles for our protagonists to overcome in the grand scheme of these Disney stories. While many of these dads often play the role of antagonists, or even outright villains, a fair few of them are not intended to be “true villains”. If anything, these shades of grey seen in parental figures portrayed in Disney media serve as good examples of real life — where not everything is black and white.
What did you think about our ranking of the worst Disney fathers ever? Did we miss anyone? Share your thoughts in the comments below!