However, this illusion can be somewhat shattered if you pay attention to the movie you are watching.
While some Disney films have notoriously failed to stand the test of time (look at you, Song of the South), it’s becoming increasingly obvious that a sad majority of classic Disney films may not exactly convey the best messages.
And we’re not just talking about non-consensual kisses that wake you up.
Redditor Nebraskabychoice was curious about which Disney movies have the worst messages and asked:
“Which Disney movie has the worst message?”
Trust others, but not everyone…
“Raya was apparently ‘you have to learn to trust others’, even though she is betrayed again and again in the film.” –SecretGirlWhite
Who has to work hard when they are naturally gifted?
“Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t the 2020 ‘Mulan’ remake destroy the original message that a woman can be as educated as a man by being naturally gifted with chi?”
“No more hard work, you just have to be born special.” – BladeSoul69
That’s two!
“Live-action ‘Mulan’: Be born special and naturally better than everyone else.”
“This is the only way to be successful as a woman.” – shino4242
Walt Disney Battle Scene GIF from Disney+Giphy
Did Timon and Pumba ever ask about his parents?
“The Lion King is my favorite movie about running away from life’s problems until you’re old enough to kill your uncle.” –Subscribe
Everyone deserves a second chance, don’t you think?
“‘Raya and the Last Dragon’.”
“You should have faith and trust everyone, even the woman who stabbed you in the back and repeatedly showed that she cannot be trusted.” – Presidency
They are not ALL bad…
“After so many Disney movies that use the classic stylistic device that falls apart upon closer inspection, I have to respect Frozen for having the balls to say, ‘Maybe you shouldn’t marry the guy you just met in a sewer five seconds ago.'” – SquidMilkVII
frozen GIFGiphy
Do you want to get ahead in life? Then just lie! … and hire a slave?
“I have a running joke with my wife that ‘Aladdin’ is about a young man who lies to and betrays a woman, but she doesn’t care because he has a cool car.” – Saxman8845
For the sake of completeness, most of this comes from the source material…
“ChickenLittle.”
“It basically boiled down to: ‘People will only believe you if you are popular and successful, regardless of the truth.'”
“That may not have been their *intended* message, but that’s what it amounted to.”
“However, a large part of this was also due to the fact that one of the worst fathers in Disney history was a main character.” – Snowtwo
Exactly what Victor Hugo wanted to say…
“You had to keep reassuring people that the message of The Hunchback of Notre Dame was not, ‘Be grateful for the friendship of the pretty girl and make room for your attractive boyfriend, because that’s obviously the best you can hope for.'” – jimes00
GIF: Walt Disney filmGiphy
When two pieces of good news lead to one piece of bad news…
“Taken individually, the messages of ‘Wreck-It Ralph’ and ‘Wreck-It Ralph 2’ are fine.”
“Together it is incoherent.”
“Why does Ralph have to learn to accept his position in life, but Vanelope gets to live her dream in another game?”
“The two films have diametrically opposed messages and that drives me crazy.” – FastMolasses
What potential damage could humans cause in the jungle?
“The live-action remake of ‘The Jungle Book’. Human children should just stay in the jungle.” – Monsterlover526
And you thought Song of the South was racist!
“If you look at the original story of ‘Pinocchio’ and keep it in mind while watching, the moral of the story is that Italians treat each other badly at every opportunity.” – HeldToTheSquatch
pinocchio-gifGiphy
See what happens when George Lucas isn’t involved?
“Does ‘The Rise of Skywalker’ count?”
“After ‘Last Jedi’ sent the message, ‘You don’t have to be born special or from a certain bloodline to make a difference,’ ‘The Rise of Skywalker’ sent the message, ‘LOL, WHATEVER, ONLY THE SUPER SPECIAL PEOPLE WHO ARE BORN INTO SUPER SPECIAL FAMILIES CAN BE COOL AND PEOPLE ONLY LISTEN TO THE FAMOUS CELEBRITIES WHEN THEY NEED HELP!!!'”
“God, what a shitty movie.” – Subscribe
Looks like Raya is the winner…
“Raya.”
“I was horrified at how many times the poor protagonist has to be fooled by the same person on the news, you just have to trust them! And then she listens to this person and trusts them, and she gets fooled again.”
“Great for victims of abuse.” – CarrotAny1903
That wasn’t exactly what Dickens intended, was it?
“‘Oliver and Company’: The best way to get out of debt is not to be better at managing money, but to eliminate your creditor.”
“You just have to make it look like it’s irrelevant.” – christopher_schoen
Dog GIF from DisneyGiphy
Funny how no one seems to have noticed the questionable message that Disney seems to put in all of its films.
That all we have to do is “dream” or “wish” and we will get everything we want.
Yes, some of us have been “dreaming” and “wishing” for quite some time and cannot boast of a prince’s castle…
