Disney is perhaps the most beloved animation studio on the planet, and why wouldn’t they be? They’ve been cranking out beloved cartoon characters and films since the ’20s without any signs of stopping any time soon. But after rewatching some of these cherished animated stories, we can’t help but notice a few things amiss.
It’s not that these movies are any less wonderful, but the more we watch the more we’re able to pick things with a fine-toothed comb. So the next time you sit down to any of these ten animated classics, take a second look at these plot holes and mistakes.
Evil Queen’s Disguise is Painfully Obvious
We’re willing to give this one some wiggle room simply because Snow White is a film that’s powered more by emotion than reason. That being said, why on earth would the Queen disguise herself as the most evil-looking witch imaginable? Why not just put her up on a broom and yell trick-or-treat?
Joking aside, the Queen definitely has the transformation down to a science, but her choice of form isn’t that well thought out. Would you honestly buy an apple from someone who looked like that? If she’d gone as some random fruit-vendor from the market, she could’ve been fairest of them all a whole lot sooner.
Peter Pan Cuts off Hook’s hand as a “Prank”
Real talk, who didn’t raise an eyebrow when they learned Peter Pan, the hero of this movie, cut off Captain Hook’s hand. What earns Mr. Green-Tights a spot on our list is the attitude carried about it. Not only did he cut off Hook’s hand and throw it to Tick-Tock the Croc, but he did it, as Mr. Smee puts it, as a “childish prank.”
In what universe is cutting off someone’s hand a childish prank? So what if Captain Hook is a pirate, he’s just your standard buccaneer doing what he and his buddies do best, then Peter Pan comes flying in and slices off an appendage! We’d swear vengeance against him too.
Roger and Anita have 101 Mouths to Feed
As if two Dalmatians and their family of fifteen weren’t enough to keep track of, Pongo and Perdita had to rope in eighty-five more puppies to add to their horde of adorableness. That’s all fine and dandy on paper but think about this. How will a musician and his wife afford a maid and one-hundred-and-one dogs?
They better have enough savings to get that dalmatian plantation if they even want a prayer at keeping their cavalcade of canines alive. Maybe Cruella wasn’t after a coat, but population control?
Merlin Uses Magic to Solve HIS Problems, But not Arthur’s?
Merlin the Magician from Disney’s Sword in the Stone is perhaps the most famous and most beloved version of the character. His mission in the film is to serve as Arthur’s mentor and educator before he becomes king of all England. One of the first lessons he lectures on is “Don’t expect magic to solve all your problems.” A solid idea, but not one he practices.
From his lessons to dishwashing, Merlin uses his magic at the drop of a pointy hat. While it definitely comes in handy for getting out of tight jams, as seen with Mad Madame Mim, it’s pretty easy to spout off that seemingly wise maxim to someone who doesn’t possess magical powers.
Christopher Robin Doesn’t Come Back
Now we’re getting into some dark territory here, and in the Hundred Acre Woods of all places. When one normally thinks of Pooh and pals, the subject of mortality doesn’t really come into the conversation, does it? Well, one closer look at The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh makes it that much darker.
It’s implied that Christopher Robin has to go off to school, as most children do. That appears to be innocent enough, but here’s the thing, it’s not implied that he comes back. The twisted part is, Pooh and his friends don’t exactly look like they’ve figured it out. They’re practically living a Hundred Acre Limbo for all we know.
Ariel Does Nothing Heroic
We can hear you sharpening your tridents already, but let’s really look at the plot from Disney’s The Little Mermaid, shall we? Ariel spends her life wishing to be human, practically sells her soul for it, uses her looks to charm her prince, get’s her father turned into a disfigured bottomfeeder, and still has to wait for Eric to save her.
Ariel is almost the exact same person she was at the beginning of the film, but what did she undergo to win her human form? She loved a human against her father’s wishes, pouted until she got Ursula’s attention and spent a portion of the film relying on her pretty face. Doesn’t exactly sound like a heroine to us.
How Does Jasmine Not Recognize Aladdin?
Speaking of princesses who lack the superpower of common sense, let’s leave the waters of Atlantica and visit the city of Agrabah and knock in on our favorite Arabian princess, Jasmine. Jasmine loves Aladdin from the moment she sees him, right? Then how come she doesn’t recognize him in a change of clothes?
Are a hat and a new suit enough to really disguise a person? And wouldn’t she have recognized him the moment he stepped through the palace door with his entire entourage? Yes, you could make the argument that Genie’s magic had something to do with it, but then how come Jafar was able to pick up the scent of street rat?
Scar Could Have Killed Simba Himself
The Lion King is one of the most incredible animated films of all time and not even Jon Favreau’s visually impressive remake could recreate the majesty of this film. That being said, the original is not without chinks in its armor. For instance, after the infamous fall of Mufasa, Scar has Simba right in his claws and what does he do? Sic his laughing lackeys on him…
Scar could have completely won, no one was around, nobody could have pinned him for the killer, he just had to send a hyena to do a lion’s job.
Why Doesn’t Mufasa Tell the Truth About Scar
Scar isn’t the only lion with his head in the clouds, Mufasa could have saved his son a lot of anguish and trouble if he in his cosmic-ghost glory only uttered three easy words. “Scar did it!” That would have given Simba more strength and resolve than a cryptic pep talk and a bash in the skull from Rafiki.
And yeah, maybe we’d be missing the message of the film, but that’s still some pretty important information our favorite redheaded lion could have used.
Judy Uses Mafia Enforcement to Solve a Case
We’ve talked about this Disney plothole before, but it’s still something blatant we absolutely can’t let slide, despite how incredible Zootopia was. Although she’s supposed to be the shining moral standard of the film, do you really expect us to ignore the fact she uses mob enforcers to get information out of Duke Weasleton?
This more than likely goes against so many ZPD regulations it would make Chief Bogo’s head spin. As if working with a sly con man like Nick wasn’t enough to put her credibility in jeopardy, she’s got ties to the Don Vito of Tundra Town. What’s that old saying about the road paved with good intentions?
