Credit: DisneyDisney movies have always been recognized for introducing children to moral lessons, beautiful songs, and some of the most beloved fictional characters of all time. However, there’s one other element that these classic films have introduced to kids: trauma.
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Many animators believe that a kid can handle scary or sad moments, and Disney definitely supports that theory. For every catchy tune about love and friendship, there’s a disgusting transformation or someone being killed in the most graphic way possible. Yes, it’s usually off-screen. But that somehow makes it worse.
So let’s take a look at moments that aren’t just said or scary but really stick with you. Moments that, when you go to sleep decades later, still come to you in your dreams. So while Inside Out (2015), Coco (2017), and Up (2009) are sad, they’re not necessarily traumatic. So in no particular order, let’s look at some of the most traumatic moments in Disney movies.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) – Quazimodo’s Public Humiliation
Of all the movies to come out of the Disney Renaissance, The Hunchback of Notre Dame is definitely the most mature. While many people will point to anything involving the villainous Claude Frollo, and deservedly so, there’s another moment that is much more sudden in its impact.
Quasimodo had just been celebrated as the King of Fools, making him feel accepted by others for the first time in his life. However, things soon take a turn for the worse when everyone begins throwing rotten food at him and tying him to the platform. It’s only made worse when he yells to Frollo for help but refuses. It’s an introvert’s nightmare and an early sign that The Hunchback of Notre Dame is different from other Disney movies.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) – Evil Queen Transformation
If you thought The Hunchback of Notre Dame was brutal, wait until you see anything from the original Disney animation team. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs holds nothing back when it comes to the villainous Evil Queen. Driven to madness by her own vanity and jealousy, the Evil Queen transforms herself into an old crone.
Each potion ingredient is creepier than the last, culminating in the literal screams of ghosts. And when the transformation happens, seeing her hair turn white and her hands become claws is enough to frighten any child. It’s only topped by the final reveal of her face, which is right up there with the Wicked Witch of the West for what people think of when they think of a witch.
The Shaggy Dog (2005) – The Poster
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The Shaggy Dog is a completely harmless live-action movie starring Tim Allen from the mid-2000s. While not terrible, it doesn’t really have anything that makes it stand out. That is, except for the movie poster.
The Shaggy Dog has the most terrifying movie poster in Disney history. For some reason, the designers took a perfectly normal shaggy dog and gave it big, ice-blue human eyes. It’s unsettling.
This may be cheating since this is not a moment from the actual movie. But there are plenty of children who have the image of a dog with human eyes branded into their brains forever.
Pinocchio (1940) – Pinocchio and Lampwick Turning Into Donkeys
One of the many animated classics to be remade into live-action Disney movies, the new Pinocchio (2022) is arguably the worst. While it hits the same story points nearly beat for beat, it doesn’t capture any of its charm or peril. Take, for example, the scene where Pinocchio and Lampwick turn into donkeys on Pleasure Island.
While the live-action movie feels humorous, the original animated film is terrifying. Seeing Lampwick transform, piece by piece, is already freaky enough. What you don’t expect is for it to start happening to Pinocchio. Seeing Lampwick’s hands become hooves is what nightmares are made of. And when the music combines with his “hee-haws,” you can’t help but get scared yourself. It honestly feels like it’d be better to be eaten by a whale.
Return to Oz (1985) – The Wheelers
Did you know The Wizard of Oz (1939) had a sequel? Walt Disney was angry when he didn’t get the chance to adapt L. Frank Baum’s book, so he snatched up the rights to anything else related to the world of Oz. While he never made anything based on those properties, a sequel film was released in 1985 called Return to Oz. The result? Pure nightmare fuel.
Not only are all of your favorite characters turned to stone, but there’s a plethora of new horrifying creatures to meet. The best example of this is the Wheelers. Humanoid creatures with wheels instead of hands and feet, the Wheelers are probably the second scariest creation in a live-action Disney movie. What really sells them are their faces. They not only have terrifying masks on top of their head but pale faces combined with high-pitched clown laughter. They’re truly awful.
Many Different Movies – The Fade Around the Eyes
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Every genre, filmmaker, and studio has their tropes. For example, it seems that almost Disney Princesses can sing to summon birds that make dresses. On the other end of the spectrum, there’s a film technique with Disney Villains where the screen fades, but their eyes remain. And it is downright terrifying.
While this is most memorably seen in Ursula‘s first scene in The Little Mermaid (1989), it happens in a ton of Disney animated films, including The Great Mouse Detective (1986), The Princess and the Frog (2009), Aladdin: The Return of Jafar (1994), and countless more Disney movies.
Toy Story 3 (2010) – The Incinerator
Many Pixar movies were eliminated at the beginning as just being sad but not necessarily traumatizing. So why is Toy Story 3 on the list? There’s a straightforward answer to that: timing.
For a whole generation of kids, particularly if you were born between 1989 and 1992, you were about the same age as Andy, who owned the toys. That means when Andy was going to college and leaving his toys behind, so were you. So when Woody, Buzz, and the gang held hands and faced imminent death, you weren’t just watching the heroes in a sticky situation; you were seeing your childhood die right in front of you. Millions of millennials became adults the day they saw Toy Story 3 in theaters.
A Goofy Movie (1995) – Max’s Nightmare
While some people may look back on A Goofy Movie and only remember things like Powerline, the perfect cast, and the best slice of pizza ever animated, they forget about the beginning of the movie, where Max goes through one of the most terrifying transformations in Disney’s history.
In a dream sequence, Max runs through a wheat field with his crush, Roxanne. But once she goes to kiss him, the scenery suddenly transforms into a tangle of thorny vines. Slowly, piece by piece, limb by limb, Max transforms into a gigantic monstrosity: Goofy. It’s silly to describe, but to a child, it’s all too real.
The Lion King (1994) – Mufasa’s Death
Two types of deaths in a Disney film will leave a mark on a child: the death of Disney villains or a parental figure. Mufasa sacrificing himself to save Simba is the most famous example of the latter.
One of the best dads in Disney history, Mufasa fought to save Simba from a herd of stampeding wildebeest. While he succeeded in saving his son, he was betrayed by his brother Scar and flung into the stampede, guaranteeing his demise. What made this hit even harder was afterward when Simba tried to wake his dad up. It’s absolutely heartbreaking.
Toy Story (1995) – Sid’s Toys
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While the third movie in the Toy Story franchise is emotionally traumatizing, the first film takes the cake regarding visuals. Even though most of the movie takes place in Andy’s room, things change when Woody and Buzz make a trip to Sid’s house, and we meet his creations.
Sid’s toys are Frankenstein-esque abominations created by combining different parts of toys. While this could be seen as creative in the real world, it takes on a completely different tone when the audience knows that all toys are sentient. Their freakiness gets taken up a notch when the entire backyard fills with them as they turn on their creator, albeit deservedly so.
Tarzan (1999) – Clayton’s Death
Seen as the end of the Disney Renaissance, Tarzan may be the most underrated film of the group. It’s filled with incredible music by Phil Collins, gorgeous animation, and an astonishing story about outsiders and acceptance. It also just so happens to have the most brutal Disney villain death of all time.
While other deaths may be more grandiose or visual, none stick with you quite like this one. While fighting in the treetops, Clayton becomes tangled in the vines. As he violently tries to chop at them, Tarzan warns him to stop. He doesn’t listen, causing himself to plunge to the jungle floor with one vine still wrapped around his neck. As Tarzan lands on the ground, lightning flashes, and we see a shadow of Clayton hanging off-screen. It’s just more proof that the scariest things are the ones you don’t see.
Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988) – Judge Doom’s Death(s)
Without a doubt, Judge Doom is the scariest live-action Disney character of all time. The tone of Who Framed Roger Rabbit? tends to be on the silly side. This makes sense because it takes place in Toontown. This changes entirely when Judge Doom steps forward and puts an adorable cartoon shoe into a vat of acid known as “The Drip.”
His sinister plans almost come to fruition when Judge Doom is revealed to be a toon at the film’s climax. But instead of becoming silly like the other toons, he became even more frightening, with blood-red eyes and a creepy high-pitched voice. On top of this, we get to see the character die twice. Once when he’s run over by a steamroller and another when he melts in a pool of Drip. And that’s all done with practical effects. It’s gnarly.
Bambi (1942) – Man
Ever since it was made, Bambi has been the go-to reference whenever people want to discuss how messed up a Disney movie can be. It looks like it will be a fun movie about a baby deer. However, the film suddenly shifts in tone after his mother is shot while running from a hunter simply referred to as “Man.”
However, this is just half of what Man does in this movie. After we see Bambi become an adult, Man returns. And this time, the whole forest is in danger. The audience sees a pheasant panic until her fear causes her to run, resulting in her death. Man goes on to sick dogs on the wild animals and even burns the forest down. It’s hard to think of a villain more scary than Man.
Old Yeller (1957) – Old Yeller Gets Rabies
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Of all the live-action Disney movies, this is the one that will get you crying instantly. There’s no relationship quite like a kid and their dog, and there was no better example of this than Travis and Old Yeller. Watching the two of them become friends and protect each other is an absolute joy, making the ending only hit harder.
Old Yeller defends the family from an aggressive wolf, but it’s revealed that the wolf had rabies. Soon afterward, it becomes apparent that the wolf has passed the disease on to the beloved dog. That means he has to be put down. When Travis’ mom brings out a rifle to shoot it, Travis stops her. “No, mama,” he says. “He was my dog.” She gives him the gun, and he puts Old Yeller out of his misery.
It’s arguably the saddest moment in Disney history, right up there with Bambi’s mom and Hiro’s brother dying in Big Hero 6 (2014). Old Yeller belongs in the upper echelon of all Disney movies.
The Fox and the Hound (1981) – The Whole Second Half
This is it: arguably the saddest Disney Movie ever. While The Fox and the Hound looks like it’s just the story of a fox cub and puppy with big ol’ ears being buddies, the film makes a massive pivot in the second act. Basically, it pulls a reverse Up.
As Tod and Copper get older, they soon learn that they’re too different to be friends: one is meant to hunt, and the other to be hunted. This leads to multiple moments that would shake any child to their core. Widow Tweed abandoning Tod in the woods. Two best friends breaking up. A dog getting hit by a train. One friend hunting another. A massive fight with the scariest bear ever animated. And one final moment of Copper protecting Tod from his owner, knowing they’ll never see each other again.
Some animators and filmmakers may believe children can handle scary or sad moments in a movie. But there is a time when there is just way too much. So without a doubt, The Fox and the Hound is the most traumatizing Disney movie ever made.
What Disney moment has stuck with you the most? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!